Unbeaten And Unbothered: Cameroon sweep Nigeria 3-0 to top Group C without losing a single set in Nairobi

Cameroon have had a great start in Nairobi. Three matches, three wins, nine sets played, and not one loss. On Thursday, the Indomitable Lionesses backed it up with a straight-sets win over Nigeria, sealing the top spot in Group C of the CAVB 2026 Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championship.

The final score read 3-0, with Cameroon closing out proceedings 25-20, 25-15 and 25-16. Nigeria had no answer, especially once the Cameroonian attack found its rhythm in the second and third sets.

Captain Simone Bikatal was also the standout performer on the night, finishing with 13 points, ten of them from attack, two from the block and one off a well-placed serve. For long stretches she looked like the player Nigeria’s defence feared most, and she wasn’t alone either. Baran and Nabyong both added 11 points apiece, and their work at the net told its own story, with three winning blocks each that repeatedly shut down Nigerian attacks just when they were building momentum.

Speaking after the match, Bikatal did not attempt to hide how much the win meant to her and her teammates.

“Coming out of that match against Nigeria, we feel a real sense of pride, precisely because we won 3-0,” she said. “We finished top of our group in the opening stage. We’re absolutely delighted; that was a great start! We’ve achieved our first objective, and now we’re moving on to the remaining matches.”

Put it all together, and Cameroon now sits on nine points from three games, leaving the Lionnes Indomptables as the clear leaders of Group C, ahead of Tunisia, Ghana and Nigeria.

With the group phase now wrapped up and their captain and team already looking ahead, Cameroon go into the round of 16 as one of the in-form teams of the tournament alongside Egypt, Rwanda and host Kenya.

The Lionesses cruise past this round of 16, as their opponent from Pool A is absent and thus automatically qualifies for the quarter-finals.

Below are the round of 16 fixtures

Round of 16 Matchups

KENYA vs. NIGERIA

ALGERIA vs. SENEGAL

CAMEROON vs. [BYE]

UGANDA vs. DR CONGO

RWANDA vs. BURKINA FASO

ZAMBIA vs. GHANA

EGYPT vs. BURUNDI

TUNISIA vs. MALI

Note: Cameroon has already qualified for the quarter-finals.