KAMPALA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian U-17 girls' volleyball team started the 2018 Africa Youth Games qualifier with a 3-0 win over hosts Uganda on Thursday.

The Ugandan team led by Violet Asio and Denise Ankunda failed to match the Egyptian girls who won 25-12, 25-13, 25-15 in Kampala.

The Zone 5 Volleyball qualifier determines who qualifies for the 2018 Africa Youth Games in Algeria.

"It was a poor start for us in the qualifiers. Our opponents looked more experienced and played with better cohesion," said Uganda's coach Protus Soita.

In the boys' U-18 game the Egyptian team again proved too strong for Uganda winning 25-19, 25-23, 25-16. After losing the first set 25-19, the Ugandan team fought back strongly in the second set, but poor defending was their major weakness.

Uganda's player Asaph Tumushabe told Xinhua after the game that they failed to match the tactically superior Egyptian team. "Let us wait and try to get a win against Kenya on Saturday," Tumushabe said.