Saturday, June 6, 2026

The Sun Nigeria

Ikhiede tasks volleyballers on hard work

Nigeria’s senior volleyball player, Francisca Ikhiede has urged younger players to be dedicated, hard working and humble as she celebrates her birthday.

The nation’s best server revealed that beating Brazil at the 2020 Carmtel Volleyball Invitational Championship in Cameroon gave her the mentality that no team is unbeatable.

The national beach volleyball player said the 2019 Zone 3 African Club Championship was one of her most exciting tournaments.

She said, “I really want to encourage the younger players to keep the spirit high, work-hard and be humble. Nothing good comes easy in this life; there are times when things seems not to be working, but always have the ability to say I can do it and I will not quit.

“One of my most exciting matches was the game against Brazil at the 2020 Carmtel Volleyball Invitational Championship in Cameroon. All odds were not favouring us as bookmakers had written us off; we went into the final and ended up defeating Brazil to retain our title.”

Ikhiede revealed that the experience gathered at her first snow volleyball is everlasting.