Captain Kiune Fletcher was almost unstoppable as she fired six-time winners Trinidad and Tobago to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-16) victory over Guadeloupe for their first win in two matches at the 2019 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-20) Women’s Championship here at La Ville Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport.
Swept aside by Barbados in their three-team Pool B opener on Sunday, T&T looked a far different team and dominated all aspects of the match on Monday, led by Fletcher’s 22 points.
Shanice Cottoy, who was introduced to the starting line-up yesterday and Desiree Simon chipped in with six points each for T&T, champions in 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2011/2012, while Zhane Marie Lezama added five.
Overall, it was a better display for T&T, who outscored Guadeloupe 27-14 in spikes and 15-6 in service aces while only committing 19 errors to their opponent’s 31.
Guadeloupe, who outscored T&T 5-2 on blocks, may have been slightly underprepared as their preparations for their first match were greatly hampered because they were unable to train on Sunday due to a mix-up with time allotment at the listed venue.
Fanie Lewis still got six points and Tengy Jernival and Teha Meslier De Rocan four in the loss for Guadeloupe.
With the win, T&T ended with a 1-1 record and five points, level with three-time runners-up Barbados, who can advance straight to the semi-finals as pool winners with victory over Guadeloupe today from 6 pm.
The second and third-placed teams in the pool will contest the cross-over quarterfinals.
Speaking after the win, Fletcher said she was happy her team managed to regroup and play a much-improved match than in their opener.
Coach Nicholson Drakes added, “We started with a loss and now we have secured our first win and we aim to continue to grow from strength to strength in each match.” —Nigel Simon
