T&T Under-19 men’s volleyballers stormed into the semifinals of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association’s (Cazova) Under-19 Men’s Championships when they registered their first ever win over Barbados at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Monday night.
Winners of their Group B opener against Cayman Islands 25-18, 25-13, 24-26, 25-20, the Curtis Burkett-coached ‘Calypso Spikers’ against three-time tournament winners Barbados knew that a win would greatly enhance their chances of securing the top spot in the three-team pool and an automatic semifinal spot as group winners.
In the end, the T&T men, runners-up on home soil to Suriname two years ago in a two-team series to add to their bronze medals from 2007 and 2017, withstood the stubborn challenge from the Bajans for a 25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 25-22 win.
With the win, T&T completed their two-match campaign with a 2-0 record and eight points to head to the semifinals as group winners, while Barbados rebounded to beat Cayman Islands 25-9, 25-19, 25-19 in the final pool match yesterday for the second spot ahead of the cross-over quarterfinals for both teams today (Wednesday).
Speaking after his team’s win, an elated Burkett said his team worked very hard to get the win, and credit must go to the entire staff as well.
He added, “We were prepared for this game against Barbados mentally and physically as we wanted to accomplish what we had not done before as a team, which was beating Barbados at this level and winning our group.”
Burkett said, “Getting the win over Barbados was really special because they have been a dominant force over us for as long as I can remember, and the outcome of the match was the result of an entire team effort.
“We studied them and planned accordingly, and the players were up to the task and executed well,’ stated Burkett.
Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, Burkett, whose team will resume play in the semifinals on Thursday, admitted it’s not going to be easy.”
He said, “We have to take it one step at a time, and I’m confident that we are ready for the challenges that will come our way.
“We left home with the win to be the champions at the end of this tournament, and we are growing in confidence with each game and each win,” ended Burkett.
In Monday’s second match, host Jamaica also secured the top spot in Group A after outlasting the US Virgin Islands 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, and 15-11 in a clash of unbeaten teams.
The win lifted the ‘Reggae Spikers’ 2-0 record and eight points, one more USVI (1-1) while Aruba, who was beaten in both team matches, ended in the third spot with a 0-2 record.
In today’s men’s cross-over quarterfinals, USVI comes up against the Cayman Islands at 3 p.m., followed by Barbados against Aruba two hours later, with the winners advancing to the semifinals, where Jamaica and T&T await.
Last night, the Deon Hutchinson-coached T&T Under-19 women were hoping to rebound from their opening loss to Barbados when they met host Jamaica in their final Group A round-robin match.
Both teams entered the match with 0-1 win-loss records after defeats at the hands of Barbados, who cemented an automatic semifinal spot as Group A winners after getting the better of Jamaica 23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21 on Sunday night to end with a 2-0 record after they defeated T&T in Saturday’s curtain-raiser 25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 25-13.
No matter the outcome of the T&T and Jamaica clash, T&T women will play the first quarterfinal, while Jamaican women play their quarterfinal at 7 p.m..
On Monday night in Group B, reigning champions the US Virgin Islands secured the top spot and an automatic semifinal place after easing past Curacao 25-12, 25-10, 25-12, while the latter played their final pool match against Aruba yesterday to determine the second and third positions ahead of today’s quarterfinals.
Results
U-19 Boys
Yesterday
Group B: Barbados bt Cayman Islands 25-9, 25-19, 25-19
Monday
Group A: Jamaica bt USVI 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, 15-11
Group B: T&T bt Barbados 25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 25-22
Girls
USVI bt Curacao 25-12, 25-10, 25-12
