NAIROBI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has named a strong 20-member volleyball team to compete at the Africa Junior Under-20 Nations Championship in Nairobi from Aug. 24-Sept. 3.

Head coach Paul Gitau is optimistic his squad will sustain the pressure from North Africa giants Egypt, Algeria, Morocco to win the tournament and also qualify as Africa representatives to the FIVB World Junior Championships.

Other teams that will be competing in the tournament are Botswana, Seychelles, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, Gitau said the country has a strong school's league and will capitalize on it to build his team.

The coach used the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Term Two Games in Eldoret, to select the best players.

"I wanted to select 16 players, but I added four more to be certain all will report to camp. We will trim the team down to 14, but they need to play together and jell before knowing who will make the cut," Gitau said on Wednesday in Nairobi.

The biannual tournament is geared toward providing ground for young players to display their talent and clinch professional contracts with different clubs.

Egypt is the defending champion after winning the 2016 competition to represent Africa at the global championships.

"Kenya has huge talent in volleyball. Many players coming through the school system have the potential to break into the senior national team. I believe I settled on the best players who are willing and ready to learn," said the coach.