Greatest Female and Male Players in the Continent of Africa

By Milton Volleyball Research Team

Did you know that volleyball is played worldwide? Thousands of people train worldwide to become some of the nation’s finest players. This article is going to be about some of the best international volleyball players in Africa. That said, let’s talk about some of the best female and male volleyball players in Egypt and Cameroon (two of the best countries in Africa).

A ton of volleyball players are in these countries, but who are the best? This article will share who are the top female and male volleyball players in these countries as well as some tips these players have shared. If you want to learn more, continue reading.

Egypt

The setter in Egypt is Abdallah Abdalsalam. He was born on October 10, 1983 and is a part of the men’s volleyball team for Egypt. He has gotten many medals in his lifetime, especially in his early years. One of his specialties are finger tip attacks. Finger-tip attacks are done by using your fingers to direct the ball to the opposing team. They are also known as dumps. To explain it, let’s assume that the timing was off in receiving a set. Due to this, the attacker may need to use his/ her finger tips to make the ball pass the net. However, usually this is not the case and this kind of attack is done by the setter. Here is another example. Let’s say that a back-row player decided to pass to the setter but it wasn’t the best pass. The setter has two options. He can either try to make the pass work out as a set and pass the ball to a front row attacker, or he can push the ball over the net himself.

Egypt also has a female team. They are also very talented. Their main setter is Sohlia Sayid. What is a setter? You may ponder. Firstly, knowing what a volleyball set is important. A volleyball set is a pass over the head to a hitter so they are able to spike the volleyball over the net. Setters are very important because they can basically control the flow of the game on their side. That is why it is vital for the setter and players to have a good rhythm all together. She plays for the Brazil women’s national volleyball team. One of her best achievements was getting a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in the year 2002. From her play, you can learn how to also set properly.

An example is in her hands. For her hands, she  preshapes the ball with your hands and flexes her wrists back so they are ready to hit the ball. Her thumbs should also be facing each other; about two inches apart. However, it also depends on the size of your hand. If your hands are smaller, they should be farther apart and if they’re bigger, they should be closer together. Before you receive the ball, bend your elbows and then quickly push them up to exert power onto it. This is what you can learn from her.

Cameroon

A well known setter in Cameroon is Ahmed Awal Mbutngam. There are many finger tip attacks he does. The first being a soft-tip attack and the second being a power-tip attack. The first one is usually done with finesse and is resorted to because it is the player’s last choice. The second one is done with purpose because in volleyball, having power attached to your attack can make or break your chances of being victorious. As you can, these two attacks are differentiated by speed. Another thing to do with speed that is crucial to know when performing this attack, is knowing how long you can touch the ball for. There can only be contact with the ball for a brief interval in time. Since there is not that much time, the attacker should not be allowed to direct the ball to a certain area. Also, the attacker is not allowed to range their arm to full length as that will elongate the duration of contact and be considered a fault.

A phenomenal female player is Iza Cathy Ambassa. She is a libero. As there are many newcomers to volleyball, several may wonder, “What position must I play?” A common stereotype is that shorter volleyball players must be liberos and taller athletes must be attackers or blockers Unfortunately, height is in our genes, therefore quite difficult to change. However, she is quite fond of this position.

Thank you so much for reading this article. We hope that learning about these players will inspire you in your volleyball journey. Remember that each part should feel right to you. Best of luck!