T&T’s men team of Marlon ‘Waldo’ Phillip and Daynte Stewart as well as women’s duo, Rheeza Grant and Malika Davidson both ended in the 11th spot when the fourth stop of the 2019 NORCECA Beach Circuit concluded in the sands adjacent to the Barceló Solymar Hotel, Havana, Cuba on Sunday night.
Starting the day in the losers playoff bracket, Phillip and Stewart beat David Vargas and Carlos Escobar of El Salvador 21-15, 21-11.
However, with the chance to play for ninth, the T&T duo then fell to Costa Ricans Richard Smith and Sebastian Valenciano 18-21, 17-21 before earning a default win against Panamanians Miguel Gonzalez and Omar Quintero in the 11th spot battle.
Eight days ago, Phillip and Stewart got bronze in the third leg of the 2019 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournament which ended at the Paseo Xolotlan Stadium, Managua, Nicaragua, beating host duo Dany Lopez and Gerson Contreras, 21-18, 18-21, 15-10 to silence the home crowd.
But in Cuba, it was a tough going for Phillip and Stewart who completed round-robin pool without a win.
On Friday, the T&T men went under to USA's Troy Field and Ty Loomis in their Pool D opener 11-21, 19-21 and host duo, Yosvany Carrasco and Karell Pina 19-21, 17-21 before ending round-robin pool play yesterday with another tough loss versus Canada's Ivan Reka and Simon Fecteau-Boutin, 17-21, 17-21 to set up a losers quarterfinal last night with El Salvadoreans.
For the first two stops on the 2019 tour, T&T was represented by Williams and Joel Theodore, who were tenth in Mexico, and followed it up by ending 12th in the Cayman Islands.
Phillip and Stewart joined former top T&T pair, Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield as medal winners on the NORCECA Tour for T&T, with the latter duo having won four tour medals, three bronze and a silver medal.
Last year, Williams and Stewart also earned a bronze at the final stop of the 2018 Tour in Martinique.
In the women’s Davidson playing with a third different team-mate in four tournaments in Grant, fell to home duo, Yanisleidis Sanchez and Lidiannis Benites in their Pool B curtain raiser, 9-21, 6-21 but rebounded to beat Martinique's Carole Herve-Choux and Cristelle Choux 21-7, 21-8 on Friday before losing to USA's Caitlin Ledoux and Geena Urango, 17-21, 10-21 on Saturday.
Davidson and Grant took care of US Virgin Islands' Mannika Charles and Naomi Buckner in their loser draw opener
21-16, 14-21, 15-11, but were then humbled by Costa Ricans Vanessa Katherine Quesada and Eugenia Ramirez 17-21, 17-21 in the losers quarterfinals to set up an 11th spot clash with Guatemalans Marie Paola Alvarado and Estefanie Bethancourt which the T&T women won 16-21, 21-18, 15-7.
The previous weekend, Davidson was partnered by Suraya Chase for a 12th spot finish in Nicaragua, after she combined with La Teisha Joseph for 13th in Mexico and 16th in the Cayman Islands. The fifth leg of the tour takes place La Paz, Baja, California, Mexico from June 6 – 10 while the sixth leg is also in Mexico, Guaymas Sonora from September 4 to 8, following the break for the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Host Cuba dominated in both the men and women, winning gold and bronze.