REG Volleyball Club head coach Benon Mugisha has urged his team to raise their level and cut mistakes as they prepare for a tricky Round of 16 clash against Uganda’s Sport-S Volleyball Club at the CAVB Men’s Club Championship in Kigali.
The knockout tie, set for Wednesday – 1 pm at BK Arena, leaves no margin for error, win and progress, lose and go home.
It also brings Mugisha face to face with his former team, adding familiarity and tension to an already high pressure match.
Sport-S reached the last 16 after finishing third in Pool B, showing resilience along the way.
They now meet a REG side growing stronger on home soil under a coach who understands their game closely.
In an interview with Kawowo Sports, Mugisha believes REG have improved but insists the real test is still ahead.
“Not bad. We started on a bad note, but we have improved game by game,” he said.
He stressed that progress must continue or the knockout stage will punish any drop in standards.
“If you don’t improve, the next stage becomes very hard.”
On facing Sport-S, Mugisha expects a strong challenge from a team he knows well.
“I have not coached them for some time, but I see they have improved. So we must better our game to beat them,” he said.
“I saw them play. They are really strong. We must raise our level to win.”
REG’s growth in the tournament has been built on better blocking and improved serving, areas Mugisha believes can make the difference.
“Our blocking and service have improved. If we continue like that, it will be easier for us.”
But he warned against complacency, saying Sport-S will not make things easy.
“Sport-S will come strong. They are champions in Uganda. If you are not serious, they can beat you.”
His message to REG is simple: stay focused, reduce errors, and play with discipline.
“We must stay focused and limit mistakes if we want to win.”
The clash is among several Round of 16 fixtures lined up at the championship including Uganda’s other representatives, Nemostars Volleyball Club who topped Pool A and will face Kenya’s KPA at 11 am in an earlier Round of 16 match.
Elsewhere, hosts APR, who dropped to third in Pool A after losing to Egypt’s Petrojet, take on Morocco’s FUS Rabat at 9 pm.
Petrojet meet Ghana Army at 5pm (Petit Stade), while Rwanda’s Police face Nigeria Customs 5 pm.
Cameroon’s PAD play Kenya’s Equity Bank at 3 pm (Petit Stade), Kepler face Kenya’s GSU at 5 pm, and record champions Al Ahly take on Ghana’s Kalibi at 7 pm.
