The T&T senior men’s volleyball team will serve off their campaign at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Senior Men Continental Championship against host Mexico on Wednesday.
The clash between T&T, which placed sixth the last time the tournament was held in 2017 in Colorado Springs, USA and Mexico, five-time podium finishers will be the fourth and final match of the opening's day programme in the eight-team tournament in Durango from 9 pm (TT time).
The tournament which serves as a qualifier to the FIVB World Championship to be held in Russia next year is expected to be keenly contested with recent Tokyo Olympic participants USA and Canada both entered.
However, the T&T team which is coached by Gideon Dickson and ranked 52nd in the world will not be up to its maximum quota of 12 or 14 players due to financial constraints which limited the size of the playing contingent to the nine with assistant coach Darnel David being a possible inclusion on the playing roster.
The T&T team is led by Akim Bushe and includes Joel Theodore, Adriel Roberts, Brandon Legall, Ryan Stewart, Newton Grant, Daynte Stewart, Enrique Harry and Kameron Donald.
In addition to Mexico, T&T, Caribbean champions in 2010 in Suriname, and 2014 and 2017 on home soil will also come up against Canada from 2 pm on Thursday before closing out Pool A round-robin play against Puerto Rico on Friday also from 2 pm.
Pool B is made up of pre-tournament favourite USA, defending champions Cuba, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
At the end of round-robin pool play, the top team in each group will automatically qualify to the semifinals while the second and third-placed teams in the meet in cross-over quarterfinals to determine the two remaining semifinalists.
The fourth-placed teams will also be in action as they meet the quarterfinal losers in the semifinals playoffs for positions fifth to eighth.
The Cubans are the top winner in the history of the men's tournament with 16 gold medals, while the USA is the next highest winning team with nine titles, and followed by Canada, the only other men's title winner with one crown.
The event has had different winners in the last three editions of the continental competitions with Canada, the USA and Cuba claiming the top place on the podium.
Besides their 16 titles, Cuba owns five second-place finishes and four third places. The United States have 11 silver and 4 bronze medals while Canada has 14 bronze medals to go with five silver medals.
Mexico has finished three times in second place and two times in the third position, Puerto Rico has one silver and two bronze medals and the Dominican Republic has one silver medal.
Following the completion of the men’s tournament, attention will turn towards the NORCECA Senior Women Continental Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico from August 24 to September 1.
NORCECA Schedule
Pool A:
August 18: Canada vs Puerto Rico, 4 pm; Mexico vs T&T, 9 pm.
August 19: Canada vs T&T, 2 pm; Mexico vs Puerto Rico, 9 pm.
August 20: Puerto Rico vs T&T, 2 pm; Mexico vs Canada, 9 pm
Pool B:
August 18: USA vs Guatemala, 2 pm; Cuba vs Dominican Republic, 7 pm
August 19: Cuba vs Guatemala, 4 pm; USA vs Dominican Republic, 7 pm
August 20: Dominican Republic vs Guatemala, 4 pm; USA vs Cuba, 7 pm
August 21:
Quarterfinals: 2nd B vs 3rd A, 7 pm; 2nd A vs 3rd B, 9 pm.
August 22:
Fifth to Eight semifinals: 2 pm & 4 pm
Main Draw semifinals: 7pm & 9 pm
August 23:
Seventh place playoff: 2 pm
Fifth place playoff: 4 pm
Third place playoff 7 pm
Gold medal match: 9 pm