Both the T&T men’s and women’s teams claimed victories on the opening day of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Under-23 Championships, which served off at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena, Maloney on Thursday night.
The men’s team had a convincing three sets to nothing over Martinique, 3-0. Contesting a four-team group in which the top two teams will advance to the final and the bottom two will square off in a third and fourth-place play-off, the home team got a perfect start, courtesy of a 25-13 triumph in set 1.
The Martinicans improved their game in the second set but still failed to help their cause, with the home team cantering to victory 25-18. The men in the red, white and black stripes then sealed the victory by the closest of margins, 25-24, as the visitors fought back in an attempt to push the game to five sets.
The T&T women also prevailed over Curacao in the earlier game by three sets to two (3-2). Unlike their male compatriots, the local women surrendered the opening set 25-23. But undaunted by their early disadvantage, the T&T women drew level on level terms with a 25-16 triumph that had the home fans cheering.
Later, the local team led for the first time in the game, 2-1, when they battled past their counterparts, 25-18, in the third set. And in the fourth, Curacao was given a lifeline when they forced a fifth set by clobbering the home team 25-21.
But in the decider, the local girls, cheered on by the home crowd, sealed the win 15-13. Like the boys, they will also play in a four-team group that comprises Curacao, Suriname and Martinique, with the winning team advancing to the final.
The matches followed an opening ceremony that comprised speeches from T&T Volleyball Federation president Daymian Stewart, among others. Also, before an excited crowd in Maloney, Suriname men clobbered Guadeloupe 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 25-11) on the day, while Martinique women got the better of Suriname 3-1 (25-16, 25-11, 21-25, 25-21).
Meanwhile, defending champions Suriname women won their first match of the tournament on their second attempt after a four-set loss to Martinique in their opener on Thursday.
The Surinamese prevailed over winless Curacao 25-20, 25-19, and 25-14 in the first match on the court yesterday to move to a 1-1 record and five points, while the defeat saw Curacao drop to a 0-2 win-loss record with two points from their five sets lost to host T&T on Thursday night.
Suriname’s men also won for the second time in as many outings when they strolled past Martinique 25-27, 25-22, 25-7, and 25-12 for a 2-0 record and eight points, while Martinique dropped to 0-2 and one point.
The T&T men will today face Suriname at 8 pm in a match that will follow another between Guadeloupe and Martinique at 1 pm. Among the women, the home team will come up against Suriname at 6 pm.
