Nigeria men’s volleyball head coach Ryan Masajedi has expressed pride in his players despite their 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Morocco at the 2026 African Men’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Tunisia.

Speaking after the encounter, the Japanese coach praised the team’s effort and highlighted the impact of the substitutes during Nigeria’s fightback in the fourth set.

“We did our best and I am proud of the players. The bench made the difference in the fourth set when we thought everything was over.”

Masajedi acknowledged that the team already has a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses following its campaign at the continental championship.

“To be honest, we already understand what our weaknesses and strengths are.”

The coach said the technical crew would conduct a detailed assessment of the Morocco encounter after the tournament to identify areas that require improvement.

“We’ll look at the match after this tournament and look at what went wrong.”

With Nigeria now set to continue in the classification phase, Masajedi urged his players to immediately shift their attention to their next assignment.

“The focus is the next game, and the players will be ready.”

Nigeria will therefore seek to respond positively against Rwanda as the team continues its campaign in Tunisia and looks to finish the continental championship on a strong note.