T&T’s men’s beach volleyball team of Daneil Williams and Joel Theodore took the fifth spot on the final day of the 2019 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit sixth stage in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Sunday.
This after the T&T men swept past St Lucians Gillian Octave and Augustine Faulkner in their fifth spot playoff 21-19, 22-20.
Earlier, Williams and Theodore defeated Martinique’s Brice Hardy-Dessource and Martel Bosqui 29-27, 21-14 and Octave and Faulkner humbled Bahamians Jon Isaacs and Donovan Wilmott 21-9, 21-14 in their fifth to the eighth place semifinal.
The gold medal match featured Nicaraguans Ruben Mora and Denis Lopez against Mexico’s Jose Luis Rubio and Josue Gaxiola.
In the semifinals, Mora and Lopez battled past USA’s Brandon Joyner and Michael Boag 22-20, 17-20, 15-8 and Rubio and Gaxiolo brushed aside Jake Mac Niel and Liam Kopp of Canada 21-16, 21-15.
On Saturday in the men’s main draw quarterfinals, Williams and Theodore were ousted by Mac Niel and Kopp in 41 minutes 16-21, 15-21; Hardy-Dessource and Bosqui fell to Rubio and Gaxiola 16-21, 12-21, Mora and Lopez stopped Isaacs and Wilmott 21-13, 21-6 and Joyner and Boag defeated St Lucians Octave and Faulkner 21-11, 21-17.
When the tournament began on Friday, Williams and Theodore swept past Anguillans Da’Qwan Fredericks and Calivon Vanterpool 21-7, 21-6 and then whipped St Lucia-B duo Curtney Germaine and Tevin St Jean 21-8, 21-10 in Pool C, before losing their pool decider in one hour and 21 minutes to Joyner and Boag 22-20, 19-21, 30-32 - the final set a record scoreline in NORCECA.
Joyner and Boag defeated Germaine and St Jean 21-9, 21-11 and Fredericks and Calivon Vanterpool 21-8, 21-10 in their first two matches.
In the women’s draw yesterday, T&T’s Rheeza Grant and Malika Davidson beat Curacao’s Angjeny Tolentino and Leandra Savonije 21-19, 13-21, 15-10 to earn the seventh position, after both teams were beaten in their fifth to eighth semifinals.
The T&T duo went under to Guatemalans Estefanie Bethancourt and Natalia Girón, 15-21, 19-21 and the Curacao duo was outlasted by Nicaraguans Swan Mendoza and Lolette Rodriguez 19-21, 21-17, 14-16 in the semifinals.
On Saturday, the T&T women were beaten in their main draw by USA’s Geena Urango and Emily Hartong 9-21, 6-21.
When the T&T women resumed Pool C round-robin play earlier on, they defeated Dominican Republic’s Deanny de la Cruz and Julibeth Payano 21-18, 21-12 in a must-win match to finish with a 1-2 record and qualify for the quarters as one of the two best third-placed finishers in the 11-team competition.
On Friday, Grant and Davidson were beaten by Canada’s Molly McBain and Becky Tresham 15-21, 8-21 and then suffered a tough 18-21, 21-17, 12-15 loss to Bethancourt and Girón.
Bethancourt and Giron also humbled De La Cruz and Payano 21-18, 21-11, while McBain and Treshman outplayed De La Cruz and Payano 21-15, 21-8 in the other matches to improve to 2-0, and the Guatemalans beat Mc Bain and Tresham 21-15, 18-21, 15-13 to win the pool.
In the main draw semifinal, USA’s Geena Urango and Emily Hartong beat Puerto Ricans Bianca Torres and Maria Gonzalez 30-28, 21-16, while Mc Bain and Tresham ousted Mexico’s Zaira Orellana and Martha Revuelta 21-17, 12-21, 15-10.
