T&T's Jeremiah Jankey and Michael Burkett spiked their way to the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Under-18 Beach Volleyball Tournament final with a hard-fought three-set win over Cayman Island's Dylan Lynee and William Duty at the Courland Beach Sports Arena, in Courland, Black Rock, Tobago on Saturday.
The hometown pair of Jankey and Burkett prevailed 21-10, 18-21, 16-14 to the delight of the home spectators over Lynee and Duty in a clash of unbeaten teams.
Earlier on Jankey and Burkette won their semifinals over Martiniquan brothers Noah Choux and Elowan Choux 21-16, 21-12, while Cayman Islands’ Dylan Lynee and William Duty humbled Haitians Luckenly Joseph and Julien Philippe 21-13, 25-23.
Joseph/Phillippe secured the bronze medal thanks to their win over Noah Choux and Elowan Choux 21-18, 21-19.
When the quarter-finals served off in the morning session, Jankey and Burkette crushed the US Virgin Islands' Makeo Frederick and Zayden Turner. 21-7, 21-8 while Noah Choux and Elowan Choux battled past Barbadians Joshua Ashby and Aaron Taylor. 21-19, 21-19; Lynee and Duty dumped Arubans Joshua Hoepelman and Victor Mitchell 23-21, 21-14, and Joseph and Philippe crushed the St Kitts and Nevis duo Troy Shiwamber and Vansh Aidasani 21-5, 21-12.
In the fifth to eighth semifinals, Ashby and Taylor defeated Frederick and Turner 21-18, 21-17, while Hoepelman and Mitchell beat Shiwamber and Aidasani 21-5, 21-13.
On Friday's opening day of competition, Jankey and Burkett swept past Shiwamber and Aidasani 21-8, 21-7 before whipping Noah Choux and Elowan Choux 21-12, 21-12 for a perfect 2-0 record in Pool A, while Choux (N) and Choux (E) won against Shiwamber and Aidasani 21-14, 21-17 for the runner-up spot.
However, in Pool B, Tobagonians Jayden Dillon and Adriel Mark were beaten by Lynee and Duty 8-21, 4-21 and Frederick and Turner 12-21, 7-21 before a 14-21, 12-21 defeat at the hands of Shiwamber and Aidasani. Lynee and Duty topped the pool by beating Frederick and Turner 21-11, 21-8.
In Pool C, Joseph and Philippe won against Hoepelman and Mitchell 21-14, 21-8 and Ashby and Taylor 22-20, 14-21, 15-10, while the latter eased past Hoepelman and Mitchell 21-15, 21-16.
The playoff for the ninth spot, Tobagonians Jayden Dillon and Adriel Mark went under to St Kitts and Nevis duo Troy Shiwamber and Vansh Aidasani 14-21, 12-21, while Frederick and Turner got the seventh spot with a defeat of Shiwamber and Aidasani 21-6, 21-19.
<Torkar and Perkins finish fifth>
In the girls’ division, the T&T girls’ team of Sadie Torkar and Bianca Perkins had to settle for the fifth spot after beating St Kitts and Nevis' Celina Alwani and Shaylee Pinney in three sets, 21-19, 8-21,
This after the local duo was ousted at the quarterfinal by Arubans Nayah Alisha Whitfield and Davy-Ann Eduards in three tough sets, 17-21, 21-19, 5-15, while USVI's Rzyra Denbow and Aryanna Tutein defeated St Kitts/Nevis’ Celina Alwani and Shaylee Pinney. 19-21, 21-13, 15-10.
In the semifinals, Whitfield and Eduards eased past Cayman Islands’ Luna Ebanks and Krisi Smith, while Barbadians Destiny Layne and Janica Grant spanked Denbow and Tutein 21-6, 21-5.
Layne and Grant took the gold medal when they defeated Whitfield and Eduards 21-9, 21-11 while
Ebanks and Smith ended with the bronze after their win over Denbow and Tutein 21-11, 21-15.
When round-robin pool play began on Friday, Torkar and Perkins and fellow T&T players Davana Cowan and Nehanda Jacob were beaten in their matches.
Torkar and Perkins fell to Cayman Islands’ Luna Ebanks and Krisi Smith 13-21, 13-21 and also suffered an 11-21, 21-14, 8-15 defeat at the hands of Alwani and Pinney, while Ebanks and Smith also won over Alwani and Pinney 18-21, 21-14, 15-7.
The duo of Cowan and Jacob were outplayed by US Virgin Islands’ Denbow and Tutein 15-21, 12-21; Whitfield and Eduards 3-21, 6-21; and Barbadians Layne and Grant 4-21, 7-21. Layne and Grant defeated Whitfield and Eduards 21-15, 21-4 and Denbow and Tuetin 21-15, 21-13 to end as group winners with a 3-0 record.
Whitfield and Eduards took the runner-up spot with a 2-1 record thanks to their over Denbow and Tutein 21-17, 21-9.
The event served off on Wednesday with a developmental camp conducted by Brazilian instructor Paulao Roberto Moreira da Costa.
The camp brought together over 50 athletes and coaches from Aruba, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Martinique, St Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands, and the host nation, T&T.
This initiative forms part of CAZOVA’s ongoing development programme, designed to prepare the region’s young athletes for future Zonal and Continental competitions, as well as their progression toward World Championships and Olympic qualification tournaments.
This age group represents a crucial stage for the region’s emerging talent pool, with many athletes aspiring to be considered for the upcoming 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
