Rwanda players celebrate with their coach Paul Bitok after qualifying for the FIVB Men's U21 World Championship in Turkey

Tunis, Tunisia, March 6, 2013 - Morocco and Rwanda will join Tunisia and Egypt at the FIVB Men's U21 World Championship in Turkey this year after going through to the semi-finals on the fifth and final day of the 2013 Men's Junior African Nations Championship preliminary round. Only the top four teams from the Junior African Nations Championships were guaranteed a place in Turkey.

The fifth day featured four matches where Tunisia continued their winning streak against Congo Brazzaville 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-9) to finish  in Pool A with four consecutive wins and the first round without dropping a set. Congo dropped 1-3 to finish in fourth position in pool A.

"We can say now that this African Championship is the strongest in the history of this age category," Tunisia coach Fathy Mekaouar said. "I'm happy with the performance of Malek Chekir from my team as well as a lot of players from the top teams like Egypt, Morocco and Rwanda. We are now looking forward to prepare very well for the World Championship in Turkey."
 
Rwanda surprised the audience with a ground breaking 3-1 (25-16. 25-13, 16-25, 25-21) victory over favourites Algeria in 90 minutes of thrilling volleyball. 

Rwanda finished second in pool A with 3-1 record, while Algeria dropped to 2-2 to finish third

"This is a great moment for the Rwandan Volleyball and the junior team as they follow the footsteps of the Rwandan Youth team who have already qualified for the World championship earlier in February during the African Championship in Algeria," Rwanda Coach Paul Bitok said after the match. "We want now to congratulate our federation and the local authorities for their support in making theses dreams a reality."

Egypt followed in the footsteps of their compatriots Tunisia and finished Pool B matches with a record 4-0 after they topped Libya 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) in their last match.

The Egyptian coach Gaber Abdel Aty used most of his players in the match before the more difficult campaign in the finals.

"Now the World Championship will be another issue as we have to work better for the elite event," Abdel Aty said. "I want to thank the Ahmed Said for his performance although he was the last to be selected to the team and also we can't forget the role of the setter Hussein Ali."  

Morocco secured the World Championship ticket following their win against RD Congo 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-23) in 78 minutes. Morocco improved their win- loss record to 3-1 to finish second of the pool. RD Congo dropped to 1-3 to finish fourth.

"Now the World Championship ticket is no more a dream," Says Morocco coach Bouchdouk. "I'm happy to bring the dream to reality with this group of excellent players," he added.

Day 5 Results

Pool A
Tunisia v Congo Brazzaville 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-9)
Rwanda v Algeria 3-1 (25-16. 25-13, 16-25, 25-21)

Pool B
Morocco v RD Congo 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-23)
Egypt v Libya 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18)

Pool Standings

Pool A
1. Tunisia 4/0 
2. Rwanda 3/1
3. Algeria 2/2
4. Congo Brazzaville 1-3
5. Sierra Leone 0/4

Pool B
1. Egypt 4/0
2. Morocco 3/1
3. Libya 2/2
4. RD Congo 1/3
5. South Africa 0/4

Semifinal Programme

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