Italian star Oumayma Codial to play for Kathmandu Spikers

Kathmandu Spikers have signed Italian volleyball player Oumayma Codial for the Vatsalya Everest Women’s Volleyball League (EWVL). She joins as the team’s third foreign player, mainly playing as a middle blocker but can also perform as an opposite hitter.

Earlier, Kathmandu Spikers had already signed Bulgarian setter Polina Neykova and Kazakh opposite hitter Alena Kolotygina. By adding players in three different positions, the team has strengthened its balance. In the first season, Kathmandu had foreign players from Turkey and Bulgaria.

Oumayma, originally from Morocco, has more than 10 years of professional experience. She is known for her skills in slide attacks. After moving to Italy, she began playing there and has also competed in France, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Recently, she played for Al Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia, Aman Marrakech in Morocco, and SIR Deco Pescara in Italy.

She has also represented Morocco at international level. In 2019, she won a bronze medal in the African Games, and again in 2021 at the African Women’s Volleyball Championship in Kigali.

Speaking about joining the league, Oumayma said she was very excited to play in Nepal for the first time. “It is a big honor to be part of the Everest Women’s Volleyball League. I look forward to learning about Nepal, meeting the fans, and giving my best performance on court,” she said. She also added that the league is important for the growth of women’s volleyball in Asia and that she is happy to contribute.

With Oumayma’s signing, Kathmandu Spikers now have 11 players. One more player will be added through the talent hunt program. The team has retained Nepal national team spiker Usha Bhandari as its marquee player and signed seven more players in the auction: Manisha Chaudhary, Yamuna Rasaili, Rima Kunwar, Balmika Acharya, Kamala Pun, Ashika Chettri, and Bhuvaneshwari Chand. Kamala had also played for Kathmandu in the first season.

For the second season, the team has appointed Lok Bahadur Budha as head coach. Kathmandu finished third in the first edition and aims to perform even better this year.

The second edition of the Everest Women’s Volleyball League, organized by Infinity Dreams, will be held from September 5 to 13 (Bhadra 20–28).

Kathmandu Spikers team:

• Usha Bhandari (marquee player)
• Manisha Chaudhary
• Yamuna Rasaili
• Rima Kunwar
• Balmika Acharya
• Kamala Pun
• Ashika Chhetri
• Bhuvaneshwari Chand

Head coach: Lok Bahadur Budha
Goodwill ambassador: Aditi Budhathoki