Tag: Cazova

SPANISH TOWN, August 2, 2024.- Trinidad and Tobago teams  played superbly to advance to both  finals of the CAZOVA U19 Volleyball Championships on day seven.  The men will tackle Barbados while the women will take on hosts Jamaica.      

Trinidad and Tobago women had to fight for every point in their semifinal clash with Barbados, eventually prevailing 3-2 (21-25, 16 -25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-13).   The Bajans were the first out of the blocks and looked unstoppable with a two-set lead.

Trinidad and Tobago proved quite resilient and dug deep to take the next two sets to level the score. Trinidad and Tobago rode the momentum in the deciding set to stretch out to an 8-2 lead and held on for the victory at 15-13.

Deon Hutchinson, coach of Trinidad and Tobago women: “We abandoned the rotation that we were using in the past. The kids are learning. They were not getting it right in the first two sets, but the last three sets were perfect. I am very confident going into the final.”

Trinidad and Tobago men, who have been gradually improving since the start of the tournament,  put it all together to beat the U.S. Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-22).            

Curtis Burkett, coach of Trinidad and Tobago: “This is a first-time experience for us. We have never been here before. We have always fallen in the earlier rounds, and we wanted to change that. I’m glad we put our best foot forward, so it really doesn’t matter who we play. We simply come to play.”

Jamaica women, who have improved vastly since losing the first game to Barbados on day one, outdid themselves and are now in the final.  They beat the U.S. Virgin Islands by 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 25-15,23-25, 15-10). The epic encounter was surrounded by vociferous supporters.  Each time the hosts won a set, USVI responded in kind until they were tied at two sets apiece. Jamaica found the fortitude and concentration at the end and took the fifth and deciding set.

Oneil Ebanks, coach of Jamaica women:  “This is the best junior team Jamaica has ever assembled.  We are beating some of these teams for the first time”.

Finally, Barbados men proved too strong for Jamaica, brushing them aside 3-0 (25-20,26-21,25-10).

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 31, 2024.- The semi-finalists in the CAZOVA U19 Boys and Girls Volleyball Championships have been decided after the playing of the Quarterfinals on Day 5.              

In the first quarterfinal, the U.S. Virgin Islands men were too good for the Cayman Islands, beating them in three sets 25-14, 25-21, 25-21.  USVI will now take on Group B winners, Trinidad and Tobago in the semis on Day 7, Friday,  August 2.        

The second quarterfinal saw Barbados men overpowering Aruba 3-0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-8).  Barbados will tackle hosts Jamaica in the second semifinal.

 In the lone women’s quarterfinal game played on day 5, Jamaica were too strong for Aruba and ran out easy 3-0 winners. The women’s semifinals will see Jamaica taking on USVI and  Trinidad and Tobago going up against Barbados.

 Coach of Barbados men’s team Curtis Burkett:  ” We have to be happy, but the real work starts now. The semifinal is going to be a tough game against Jamaica. It’s going to be tough, but we are  going to try to win it.”

Oneil Ebanks, coach of the Jamaica women’s team:  “We were trying to make sure that the chemistry among the girls was on spot.   When we came here to the first match we played, I don’t think the chemistry was that strong.  However, we were still scoring points, we were also dropping points at crucial areas in our first game, and I think that cost us.  We watched other teams play and made changes in training and there have been improvements.  So, I  am just hoping that good things come as we move on.”

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 30, 2014.- The preliminary rounds of the CAZOVA Under 19 Boys and Girls Championships ended on day four with three games. These games were ultimately used to determine the matchups in the Quarterfinals which begin on day five, Wednesday, July 31.                

In one of the more consequential women’s matches, perennial rivals Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, who both lost to Barbados, met in an exciting duel, won by Jamaica 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-15).  The victors would meet the lower seed in the Quarterfinals.

Jamaica started like a house on fire and took the first set 25-18.  The overall quality of the Jamaicans was fully tested.  Mary Massias was a thorn in the sides of the visitors as she pummeled them with brilliant serves and powerful hitting, especially Bally from mid-court.

The second set brought the house down as both teams fought for supremacy. Jamaica led for most of the way until it became close at 23-21.  Great service pushed the home side to a 25-22 set.

With Trinidad 2-0 down, their morale fell and Jamaica went on to close out a memorable 3-0 win at 25-15.

The two other games played on day four saw Barbados men beating Cayman Islands 3-0 (25-9, 25-19 25-19), and Curacao women downing Aruba 3-0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-21).

On day five, Trinidad and Tobago will play Curacao, and Jamaica goes up against Aruba in the women’s quarterfinals. In the men’s Quarterfinals, the U.S. Virgin Islands meet Cayman Islands and Barbados plays Aruba.

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 29, 2024.- Hosts Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago men took big steps into the semifinals of the CAZOVA U19 Volleyball Championships when they won their games on day three.

Jamaica, after beating  Aruba on day one, had to produce mightily against the U.S. Virgin Islands who were impressive in beating Aruba on day two. It was the USVI who started sharper and took the first set 25-23.  However,  led by a vociferous band of supporters, the hosts rallied to take the second set 25-22. Jamaica led the third set for most of the way until the visitors produced some booming serves to take the set 26-24 and go up 2-1. The fourth set was similar to the third as Jamaica surged ahead to a 22-18 lead. This time Jamaica did not falter and took the set 25-20 to level at 2-2. In the deciding  fifth set, the hosts jumped out to a 13-9 lead and held their nerves to take the set 15-11 and a 3-2 victory. A semifinal spot awaits them.

In another super game, Trinidad and Tobago, after thumping the Cayman Islands on  Monday, returned to fight off Barbados 3-1 to head to the semifinals. Trinidad and Tobago took the first set 25-22 but Barbados clawed their way back to make it 1-1 at  26-24. Trinidad and Tobago eked out a 26-24 third set and used the momentum to wrap up the game at 25-22 for a 3-1 scoreline.

John Stuart coach of Barbados.  “Trinidad and Tobago played well and they deserve to win. They took control of the third set. The standard of the competition is very good. Augurs well for the game in the Caribbean.”

Barbados men’s coach Curtiss Burkett:  ” After winning both games,  we think the sky is the limit for this team.  It was a short preparation to get here, but we saw determination and heart in our players and we can’t go wrong with that. We are ready for whatever comes our way now. It’s a relatively young team and for them to do this good, we are doing well.”

In the only women’s game played on day three, the USVI sailed into the semifinals unbeaten by dominating Curacao 3-0, 25-12, 25-10, and 25-12.

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 28, 2024.- The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) men produced the most impressive performances on day two of the CAZOVA U19, with a 3-0 (25-20,25-22, 25-18) beating of Aruba.

USVI, who are one of the favorites based on today’s display, put on a clinic of power-hitting and serving, which got the audience humming. Most of their players were impressive in their execution, but right-side hitter Leon Rogers stood out.  He caught the eye with cannonball serves and booming hits throughout. However, though the scoreline said Aruba failed to win a set, they too played very well, even with less than 24 hours of rest after the game against Jamaica.

USVI coach Issac Rafael:  ” Aruba is a good team, they’re scrappy.  They keep you on your toes, so we had to be really ready for every ball that was played. A lot of balls that we thought were gonna be dead, they picked up and they kept it going.

I am glad for the victory. We know that the guys are young and they’re getting better so I’m proud of them. We’re getting better.”  

Bercy Phillipa, coach of Aruba:

“The game was good. The guys gave everything they had. I love how USVI play.  It just hasn’t been our lucky week, let’s  put it that way.  But the guys gave all  they could and we hope in the future to keep progressing volleyball to a higher level in the Caribbean.

In another men’s game, Trinidad and Tobago beat Cayman Islands 3-1, ( 25-18, 25-13, 26-24, 25-20).

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 28, 2024.- Hosts Jamaica had to take a backseat to Barbados women as the CAZOVA U19 Volleyball Championships continued on Sunday.   Barbados came from behind to win an absorbing game 3-1. 

It was an even game in the first set as both teams committed too many errors, especially is their service game. Jamaica took the early initiative and held on to win the first set 25-23.   The quality was better in the second set with Barbados taking the early lead. Jamaica fought back gallantly, however, and they were tied at 22.   Barbados held their nerves and went on to level the score, 1-1, with  25-23. From then onwards, Barbados were superior with their service and hitting  games, taking the games 25-17, 25-21 for a memorable victory.  

Oneil  Ebanks, coach of Jamaica girls:    “It was a really tough game. We were tested in all areas. We   played a very good first set, however, in the second set, I think we played in spurts. Our service reception was where we had a little issue so we have got to focus on that as we move on.” 

Dale Addison, coach of Barbados girls:  “So we did not get a chance to look at Jamaica play before.  So we had to assess the game as we played.  Their number 23 spikes the ball really well, so I told my girls we have to serve and we had to defend well. Once we did that we knew we would have a good game.”  

In another women’s game, the USVI easily beat Aruba 3-0, posting scores of 25-9, 25-10 and 25-18.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, March 17, 2024.- The first U13-Fest of the Surinamese Volleyball Association (Suvobo) has come to an end. Coordinator Eric Aikman looks back positively on the pilot. “It’s all about the kids. They enjoyed it and learned from it,” Aikman emphasizes. He admits that there is always room for improvement in terms of organization and that it was a good learning moment for everyone.

The first U13-Volley Fest was open to schools, clubs as well as private clubs. For the boys, Survos, Yelyco and Bazooka were the participating clubs and for the girls, Survos participated with several teams. The mixed teams were always a mix of the three clubs and players of Survos.

“Organizationally, we can or should do much better, but I think we have learned that from this”.

Annual character

“In the coming year, we are going to organize it again anyway and bigger,” says Suvobo chairman Lionel Blokland. Aikman hopes that more teams will participate. The Volley Fest ended on Saturday afternoon after four weekends in the Ismay van Wilgen Sports Hall.

Blokland liked it. “Some of the kids were ahead of the rest, but during the game everything seemed to be on one level. The parents really enjoyed it too,” Blokland continues. Aikman believes that introducing children to competitive sports at an early age can only have long- term benefits for their level. “In a few years, we will be able to participate in international tournaments with better teams.”

Learned from it

Aikman continues to insist that things can and must always be better. “Organizationally, we can or should do much better, but I think we learned that from this. It gets better.” Blokland points out that Suriname, especially as far as men are concerned, has risen considerably in position in the region and internationally.

“We notice from playing within South America that the reality check is there and the introduction to the sport is getting younger and younger, because you have to have follow- up in categories that are higher. We first prepared the framework for this group (VT-1 and possibly VT-2) and we need to make a good organization around it.”

The winners have all had medals and cups. The champions in the boys and girls received three vouchers from McDonalds and SRD 400.

Final Ranking

Boys: 1. Yelyco, 2. Survos, 3. Bazooka

Girls: overall winner: Survos; Mix: 1. Survos, 2. Yelyco, 3. Bazooka

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Anna Gillens of US Virgin Islands was expected bestowed the top accolade of “Most Valuable Player” in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Girls Under-19 (Youth Championship) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Gillens played a leading role in firing her team to a maiden title in the age-group and she was also awarded the “Best Scorer” and “Outside Hitter 1) awards.

Despite being displaced as champions, Suriname again dominated the individual  awards with Avaira Sengal taking home the “Best Server” and “Middle Blocker 2) awards while teammates Ketrua Heymans (Best Setter), Charise Frankel (Best Opposite Player), and Amber Daal (Best Digger) each collected one award as well each.

Tournament runners-up and debutants, Martinique had a double award recipient in Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur who walked away with the “Outside Hitter 2″ and ‘Best Receiver”  while countrywoman Lauryn Kichenin was named “Middle Blocker 2” and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jordanne Hutchinson, “Best Libero”.  

CAZOVA Under-19 Girls Honour Roll::

Best Server:#10 – Avaira Sengal (Suriname)  

Best Setter: # 3 – Ketrua Heymans (Suriname) 

Best Opposite Player:#14 – Charise Frankel (Suriname)  

Outside Hitter 1:#9 – Anna Gillens (USVI)  

Outside Hitter 2:#9 – Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur (Martinique) 

Middle Blocker 1:$5 – Lauryn Kichenin (Martinique)  

Middle Blocker 2: #10 – Avaira Sengal (Suriname)  

Best Digger:#5 – Amber Daal (Suriname) 

Best Receiver:#9 – Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur (Martinique) 

Best Libero: #8 – Jordanne Hutchinson (TTO)  

Best Scorer # 9 – :Anna Gillens (USVI)  

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #9 – Anna Gillens

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: US Virgin Islands captured their first-ever Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship title following a polished 3-0 (25-22, 25-20,25-14) win over Martinique in their finals showdown at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With the victory, which added to their triumph in the Under-21 Women’s competition less than 24 hours earlier, at the same venue, the US Virgin Islands booked their ticket as CAZOVA’s representative to the NORCECA Continental Championship to be staged in Puerto Rico from February 5 to 13, 2023 and will serve as a qualifier to the FIVB World Championship also to be played next year.

It was also the fourth win from as many matches for US Virgin Islands to end 4-0 while Martinique took home the bronze, and ended 2-2 after losing to USVI as well in the round-robin group stage.

With the two divisional titles won, USVI joined Trinidad and Tobago female teams of 20007 and 2012 to have completed the sweep at the same tournament while Barbados has done so among the male, in 2013 and 2019.

Speaking after his team’s first loss in two matches, Martinique coach Wilham Lebel said it was very difficult for his team to play without their best player, and captain Marie Marajo-Breton against a very solid team like US Virgin Islands.

“Our captain got injured in our previous match and it was difficult for our girls today without her. But, I’m still proud of my players because they did well and this is just a result of four months of  preparation and training.

Lebel also congratulated US Virgin Islands for the win saying, “I think they had a good game plan and their attackers were very good.”,

An elated Isaac Raphael, coach of all the US Virgin Islands at the championship was full of praise for his players who he said showed great physical fitness and commitment.

“Some of our girls have doubled up in this tournament by playing in both age-groups and going into the match some of them were expectedly tired, but they were still able to come out and give off their best.

“It was also difficult to bring them down from the high of winning the Under-21 title, so overall for us to be among teams like Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in winning the two gender titles at the same tournament is really very special, and says a lot for our program.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Estakend Beauvoir of Haiti capped off a memorable tournament for his team by being named as the “Most Valuable Player” in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Men’s Under-211(Junio Championship) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Beauvoir was very influential throughout the five-team round-robin tournament as Haiti finished with perfect 4-0 record to claim their first ever men’s age-group title, while he also picked up the “Best Scorer” accolade.

Haiti captain Dieulengy Relis who enjoyed a very productive tournament to lead his team to the historic crown copped the “Middle Blocker 1” award.

Tournament runners-up Suriname who also enjoyed their best finish at this age-group had two awardees in Jonovan Wijngaarde (Outside Hitter 1), and Jason Lesperans (Best Digger) while US Virgin Islands’ had four award recipients in captain Gabriel Rosa (Best Setter), De Andrae Tylor (Middle Blocker 2), and Taj Bales (Best Receiver and Best Libero), and Jamaica, the trio of Damion Smith (Best Server and Best Opposite Player), Kenneth-Roy Clarke 9Outside Hitter 2), and bronze medal winners captured 

CAZOVA Under-21 Men Honour Roll:

Best Server:#7 – Damion Smith (Jamaica)

Best Setter: # 3 – Gabriel Rosa (USVI)

Best Opposite Player:#7 – Damion Smith (Jamaica)

Outside Hitter 1: #13 -Jonovan Wijngaarde (Suriname)

Outside Hitter 2:#9 – Kenneth-Roy Clarke (Jamaica)

Middle Blocker 1:#8 – Dieulengy Relis (Haiti)

Middle Blocker 2: #10 – De Andrae Taylor (USVI)

Best Digger: #17 – Jason Lesperans (Suriname)

Best Receiver: #5 – Taj  Bates (USVI)

Best Libero: # 5 – Taj Bates (USVI)

Best Scorer: #11 – Estakend Beauvoir (Haiti)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #11 – Estakend Beauvoir (Haiti)

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Haiti strolled to their first title at the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Men’s Championship after cruising past host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-15) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

With the win in the final match of the tournament, the Junior Siecle-coached Haitians, who ended in second spot in 2017/2018 and fourth in 2015, ended with a perfect 4-0 win-loss round-robin record  and 18 points, two ahead of runner-up Suriname (3-1) while Jamaica took the bronze medal with a 2-2 record and 11 points with Trinidad and Tobago (1-3) fourth with three points, and winless US Virgin Islands, firth with a 0-4 record and two points.

The victory for Haiti put them on par with their 2015 Under-21 women’s team who won their maiden title in Barbados, and also secured their ticket to the NORCECA Under-21 Men’s Continental Championship to be hosted by Cuba from May 7 to 15, 2023.

Speaking afterwards a relaxed but very elated Siecle, said it was the objective of the team from the onset to come to Trinidad to win the tournament and he was proud they had done exactly that.

“The boys trained very hard back home and we were well prepared coming here to play and match by match we stayed focus and tonight we are all very proud to be champions.

Dieulengy Relis, captain of the Haitian said he too was elated and proud of his achievement as a player, captain and Haitian.

“We know it was not going to be easy but to come here and win each game and to be crowned champions is a great feeling.

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022 – Former champions Suriname secured a bronze medal finish in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship after whipping host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-) in their third place playoff at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

This was only the second time in the six editions of the competition, Suriname had secured a top three finish, following their title win in 2019 in Jamaica while Trinidad and Tobago, winners of the first three tournaments in 2007, 2012 and 2013 had to settle for fourth spot for the second consecutive time.

Commenting on the performance of his team, Trinidad and Tobago coach Saleem Ali was quick to admit that the service game of Suriname proved too difficult for his team to have a chance.

“Suriname served very well, and we never settled into our passing game, which resulted in the defeat. But, credit to our girls because I think they came out and did the best they could providing the difficult circumstance we had in terms of lack of preparation time needed for a competition of this magnitude.”

“We also have a very young team and they lacked that experience to compete at this level, and this will only come with time and the more matches they can play at the international level.”

Richardo Soerodikromo, assistant coach of Suriname said he was pleased that his team was able to overcome the disappointment of not repeating as champions by at least taking the bronze medals.

“As you saw with our performance today, we tried to give all of the girls some playing time, but it was clear that some had played more than the others, and our concentration levels was very sporadic.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022 – Suriname secured a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) triumph over Jamaica in a battle of teams with 2-1 win-loss records for the second spot in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

With the win, the Antoine Vliet-coached Suriname, ended their four-match round-robin schedule in the five-team winner-take-all competition with a 3-1 record and 16 points to earn their best ever finish in the tournament history.

Haiti has a perfect record of 3-0 and 13 points ahead of their final match while Jamaica finished with a 2-2 record and 11 points in third spot followed Trinidad and Tobago (1-2) with three points, and winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points.

In the final match in the pool, Haiti faces Trinidad and Tobago and barring a shocking defeat will take home the gold medals.

Despite the loss, Steve Davis, coach of Jamaica said he was very proud of his players because he knew that they worked very hard in the limited time they had to prepare.

“Today, I have no blame for the boys even though I think that we contributed to our defeat by not having a good serving, passing or attacking game.”

“Those errors happens when their is a lack of preparation and that is what happened with us, so to come away with a medal, our first since 1999 is still a positive and something for us to work with.”

Furgil Ong A Fat, Suriname’s assistant coach was pleased with the outcome, saying the boys’ executed the game plan very well.”

“Our aim was to win the gold medal, but for us to have our best finish in the competition, since a fourth placed finish in 2017/2018 gives us encouragement for the future.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022: Anna Gillens of the US Virgin Islands was named as the  ‘Most Valuable Player’ after leading her team to a first-ever Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) Championship title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With team captain Alek-Wek Raphael going down injured in their penultimate match, Gillens showed great leadership on the way to helping her team take home the title by beating Suriname in straight sets and was also named as one of two “Outside Hitter” awardees.

Her team-mates Ayanna Pharoah (Best Setter), Tyannah Lake (Middle Blocker #2 & Best Opposite Player) award recipient  along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Adalia Badroe (Best Libero) were the other players to pick up awards alongside Suriname’s Shaniva Balkaran who collected four, and her countrywomen Angeni Cheuk-Alam and Charis Peroti,

Best Server: # 6 – Angeni Cheuk-Alam (Suriname)

Best Setter: # 1 – Ayanna Pharoah (USVI) 

Best Opposite Player: # 7 – Tyannah Lake (USVI) 

Outside Hitter #1: # 9 – Anna Gillens (USVI) 

Outside Hitter #2: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #1: # 17 –  Charis Peroti (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #2: # 7 – Tyannah Lake (USVI)

Best Digger: # 2 – Shaniva Balkrana (Suriname)

Best Receiver: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Best Libero: # 5 – Adalia Badroe (TTO)

Best Scorer: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): # 9 – Anna Gillens (USVI) 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022:  Suriname’s Anakaba Meson captured the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award among his three individual honours after  helping his country to a 2-0 win over host Trinidad and Tobago in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Youth Men (Under-19) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

In addition to the most prestigious individual award, ,Meson also walked away with the “Best Scorer” and “Best Opposite Player” accolades as his team secured a spot at the NORCECA Continental Championships next year.

The individual awards were dominated by Suriname with nine of the 12 going the visitors way.

For Suriname Rowensly Sibendi captured two awards, the “Best Server” and “Middle Blocker #2” awards while Brendan Hiwat (Best Setter), Nalam Bruce (Outside Hitter #1), Anfernee Lee A Leong (Outside Hitter #2), and Robert Benschop (Best LIbero) also picked up accolades.

The trio of Dejaun Williams (Middle Blocker #1), Mikael Ash (Best Digger) and Jedaiah Sanoir (Best Receiver) were the Trinidad and Tobago players taking home individual honours.

Best Server: # 12 – Rowensly Sibendi (Suriname)

Best Setter: #6 – Brendan Hiwat (Suriname)

Best Opposite Player: #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

Outside Hitter #1: #15 – Nalam Bruce (Suriname)

Outside Hitter #2: #16 – Anfernee Lee A Leong (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #1: #6 – Dejaun Williams (TTO)

Middle Blocker #2: #12 – Rowensly Sibendi (Suriname)

Best Digger: #16 – Mikael ash (TTO)

Best Receiver: #10 – Jedaiah Sanoir (TTO)

Best Libero: #12 – Robert Benschop (Suriname)

Best Scorer: #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022: US Virgin Islands overcame the absence of injured captain Alek-Wek Raphael to beat  Suriname 3-0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19) to secure their first ever title in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With Raphael picking up a torn left-knee tournament ending injury when both teams met in their final round-robin encounter on Saturday, which also ended in a 3-0 win for USVI, all eyes were on the round-robin table-toppers to see how they would cope without their inspirational level. 

However, despite some early resistance from Suriname, the US Virgin Islanders who previous best finish came in 2011/2012 as runner-up to Trinidad and Tobago used a well balanced team effort to come away with the win which earned them the  spot at the NORCECA Under-21 Women’s Continental Championship from April 16 to 24, 2023 in the USA. 

An emotional Isaac Raphael, coach of the new champions said it was an amazing feeling to climb the ladder as champions. 

He added, “I have been champions with so many teams before, but this is the first time I have reached these heights with my country and the feeling is just amazing.” 

Raphael added, “Throughout the tournament the girls have been amazing and even when their captain (Alek-Wek) went down with the injury they never buckled but instead lifted their game to another level, and I’m very proud of them.” 

Team captain, Alek-Wek who watched on from the sidelines said never for one moment she doubted the capabilities of her teammates despite her absence. 

“Even though I was not part of the action today, I’m just as excited because I know we have worked hard and to see that we have been finally able to win the title is an incredible feeling.” 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Debutants Martinique cemented their spot in the final of the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship thanks to a 3-0 defeat of host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

They improved to a 2-1 win-loss record and 11 points to end the four-team round-robin pool competition, three points behind US Virgin Islands whom they will meet in the gold medal as the top two finishers on Monday, July 11 from 2 pm. 

Despite their third straight sets loss from as many matches, Trinidad and Tobago will meet third place finisher and 2019 winner Suriname for the bronze medal in the penultimate match in the group on Monday from 12 noon. 

In the final, US Virgin Islands will start as favourites having defeated Martinique 20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-23 when they met in the round-robin stage while Suriname defeated Trinidad and Tobago, 25-12, 25-4, 25-23. 

Speaking ahead of his team’s meeting with US Virgin Islands, Martinique coach, Wilham Lebel said  he was very happy for his players because it’s their first time in the competition and they have managed to reach the final. 

Looking ahead to the final, Lebel said he expects it to be a very difficult one for his team, but one that they can win. 

“It will be difficult because we know the quality of the opposition, but I think if we try our best and make minimum errors we will have a chance to be champions.

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Suriname kept their slim hopes of claiming the gold medal in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship alive with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) victory against host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With the straight sets win, Suriname, seeking a first title at this level  improved their win-loss record to 2-1 and 11 points, the same as Jamaica (2-1) and two points behind unbeaten leaders Haiti (3-0) as the trio will enter the final day of the five-team round-robin series all in contention for their first title.

Host Trinidad and Tobago, who needed a win to keep alive their medal hopes dropped to a 1-2 record and three points, just ahead of winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points. 

Despite the loss Trinidad and Tobago still has a slim chance at a medal, but will need to pull off a shock win over title-favourites Haiti. 

On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname from 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago from  4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions.

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Haiti moved within sight of claiming a maiden title in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship after easing past US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-14, 25-7, 25-17) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

The win lifted Haiti to a perfect 3-0 record and 13 points in the five-team round-robin series, two points ahead of Jamaica (2-1) while Suriname (1-1) is third with six points, followed by followed by T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-4 record. 

Speaking after yet another impressive win by his team whose previous best finish at this age level was second in 2017/2018 behind Barbados, who opted not to defend their title after four straight triumphs, Dieulengy Relis, captain of the victorious Haitian said he was pleased with the performance of the team, but warned that they could still play a lot better. 

“I am happy with the win today, but I know we can play a lot better than we have  so tomorrow we will hope to continue to improve and get another win to complete our objective, which is to win the title. 

Coach Junior Siecle added, “We are happy for the win as we have the same objective for each match which is to win as we want to take the title back home. 

“We have one more match left to play and we intend to play with the same focus and energy and hopefully we can get a win.” 

On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname from 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago from 4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions. 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – US Virgin Islands swept aside 2019 winners Suriname 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) to book a spot in  the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship match with a perfect round-robin record of 3-0  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With the victory, the US Virgin Islands ended top of the  four-team round-robin table with 14 points, eight ahead of Martinique (1-1) who have one match left to play against winless Trinidad and Tobago (0-2) while dethroned champion  Suriname who ended with a 1-2 record and five points.

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff.

Following the win which secured a first finals’ appearance  since falling to host Trinidad and Tobago in the decider in 2007 , US Virgin Islands coach Isaac Raphael said he was very elated and proud of his team, and extremely delighted as well to be from the Virgin Islands.

“Credit must be given to our volleyball federation and President Lucille Hobson for setting up our program and the pathway for this team to be where it is, in with a chance to win a gold medal,” stated Raphael.

“This journey started since 2019 with most of these players and to see the work that has been put in bear fruit is very refreshing, but we know its not the end of the road as we still have the final to play and hope to complete the job of securing our first ever title at this level.

Claudius Straal, coach of the Suriname girls said his team had a good start but then their performance level dropped.

“We have a very slim chance now to get to the final because I expect Martinique to get the better of Trinidad and Tobago, so now our focus is to finish in the top three after being the champions in 2019.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Defending champion Suriname kept their hopes of retaining their title  in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship alive when they outplayed Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-12, 25-4, 25-23) in a clash of winless teams at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With the victory, Suriname who were swept aside by debutants Martinique on the opening day moved their record to 1-1 and five points in third spot, behind unbeaten US Virgin Islands (2-0) with nine points, and Martinique (1-1) with six points while T&T stayed fourth without a point after two straight sets losses. 

In the final  round of pool round-robin matches, US Virgin Islands plays Suriname from 9 am on Sunday, July 10 while Trinidad and Tobago comes up against Martinique from 5 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff on Monday, July 11. 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022  – Jamaica eased past the challenge of US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-17) to improve to a 2-1 record in their five-team round-robin series and stayed in the hunt for the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship crown at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.  

The win lifted Jamaica to 11 points and top spot on the table followed by Suriname (1-0) with five points, Haiti (1-0) with four points, T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-3 record. 

Speaking after his team’s impressive win, Jamaican’s coach Steve Davis said he was pleased with his team’s effort which resulted in the win. 

He said, “I know the boys worked very hard in the short space of time we had to prepare and in each game we play we have seen a drastic improvement as we have gotten better and better as the matches comes along.” 

Team captain, Andrae Robb, “We stuck to our game plane given by our coach and we executed very well which helped us to get the win. Overall, we are happy with the outcome and will now rest ahead of our final match on Monday against Suriname. 

US Virgin Islands’ coach Isaac Raphael was quick to point out his youthful team lacked the experienced to put up a better showing. 

“We know we have a very young team and you can see that the capabilities of the players are right there. But our  inexperience continues to bite us as we have been guilty of making too many careless errors when we seem to be closing the gap, and its has been hurting us in each game.”  

Team captain Gabriel Rosa added, “I believes my team needs to put more energy into our  game from the start.” 

“We have been getting off to slow starts and for us to be competitive we need to have more concentration and focus for our passing and serving game to be effective.” 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022 –  Suriname secured the lone spot to the NORCECA Continental playoffs when they defeated host Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 (25-20, 25-11, 23-25, 25-13) to complete a 2-0 sweep of their best-of-three series for the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth (Under-19) Championship title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With only two teams involved, the gold medal was decided via a best-of-three series and the visitors won game one on Friday 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) and despite a more spirited effort from the home team backed by a vociferous home crowd. 

Suriname held their nerve and poise to come away with the win to seal their spot at the NORCECA Continental Championship in Mexico from March 5-13, 2023 with the FIVB  World Championship to be staged in August with the host country still to be determined. 

The win also improved on Suriname’s previous showing in the competition of second spot in 2019 to three-time winners Barbados, who opted not to defend their title this time around. 

Speaking after his team’s victory a jubilant Suriname captain Brendan Hiwat said the team had a game plan to serve the ball to the weaker passers of the Trinidad and Tobago team which provided them with easier scoring chances. 

“We knew what we had to do coming off a win in the first match and thanks to our coach we stuck to his instructions, even though in the third set we were a little off, to get the win, our first title at this level.” 

 An emotional Antoine Vliet coach of the Suriname team said to coach at this level for the first time as a former player and to come away with the title brings a few tears to his eyes. 

“It’s a great reward knowing that the guys have put in the hard work to get here to eventually come out as champions. So now we can celebrate this win and then get down to the business of planning for the next stage of qualifiers. 

“We had to leave a few players back home from this team and looking ahead I expect that they will be back to give the team more quality and give us a better chance at NORCECA.” 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Defending champion Suriname kept their hopes of retaining their title  in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship alive when they outplayed Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-12, 25-4, 25-23) in a clash of winless teams at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With the victory, Suriname who were swept aside by debutants Martinique on the opening day moved their record to 1-1 and five points in third spot, behind unbeaten US Virgin Islands (2-0) with nine points, and Martinique (1-1) with six points while T&T stayed fourth without a point after two straight sets losses. 

In the final  round of pool round-robin matches, US Virgin Islands plays Suriname from 9 am on Sunday, July 10 while Trinidad and Tobago comes up against Martinique from 5 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff on Monday, July 11. 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Haiti maintained their winning record in the five-team round-robin series of the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship with a combative 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17) win over Suriname at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With their second four-sets victory on the trot, Haiti improved to a 2-0 record, and eight points, three points behind Jamaica (2-1) who has played a match more while Suriname (1-1) is third with six points, followed by T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-3 record. 

An elated Dieulengy Relis, captain of the victorious Haitian team said his team came to the tournament with one objective. 

“We know that all teams will be a challenge, but we came with the objective to win each match we play and take the trophy back to Haiti. 

Coach Junior Siecle added, “We are going to take each match as they come and like my captain said our one aim and focus in this competition is to take the winning trophy back home.” 

Antoine Vliet, coach of the Suriname team said his team lacked the focus to challenge Haiti for the win. 

“We were not as focused as we should have been and I must also credit the two Haitian outside attackers because I believe they made a big difference in the outcome while we did not play our best match as well.” 

Duncan Hiwat, Suriname’s captain said his team were beaten by a better team on the day while admitting that they also made too many errors. 

“Haiti had a really good game and their defence was superb against us as well as their attacks, but we will regroup and hope to come back better in our next match.” 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 –  Suriname took a giant step towards qualification to the Continental playoffs when they overcame host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) to take a 1-0 lead in best-of-three series for the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth (Under-19) Championships title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With only two teams involved, the gold medal will be decided via a best-of-three series and the visitors will now go into the second match on Saturday, July 9 from 6 pm knowing that a win will sea their spot at the NORCECA Continental Championship in Mexico from March 5-13, 2023 with the FIVB  World Championship to be staged in August with the host country still to be determined. 

Commenting on the win Suriname captain Brendan Hiwat said his team did what they had to do.

“We know it will tough for both teams and we were able to follow the instructions of our coach and execute our game plan to come away with the win and we are hoping to do the same in the next match.

Suriname coach, Antoine Vliet expressed his satisfaction with his team’s effort saying, “There guys did a great job. Training for us for this competition was very limited and for us to come away with a straight sets win was great.”     

Jadaiah Sanoir, captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team said his team did a great job but what was lacking was a bit more energy and self belief. 

Coach Peer Nasseir said his team failed to deal with the attack from the Suriname Opposite and going into a must-win game on Saturday, they will need to devise a plan to nullify his impact.” 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – US Virgin Islands sounded a warning to their rivals at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship with a commanding 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-5) beating of host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

The win moved US Virgin Islands into a two-way lead with debutants Martinique on five points each after the latter stunned defending champion Suriname in the pool opener on Thursday, also in straight sets, ahead of their meeting on Saturday, July 9 from 4 pm, with Trinidad and Tobago facing Suriname from 8 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff. 

Trinidad and Tobago coach Saleem Ali was humble in defeat and admitted that his team is a very young one and lack any sort of experience to compete against quality opposition. 

“We prepared as best as we can considering all the distractions that are happening around the team and the girls will continue to give off their best effort. Team captain, Gabrielle Mc Kenzie said her team came into the match under a lot of stress and together with the slow start in the first set, they just fell apart from there.” 

“Our mood coming into the game was not all that good due some administrative issues, but we have to pick up our game and come out and do better in our next match.” 

Isaac Raphael, coach of the winning US Virgin Islands was pleased with the win by his relatively young group of players. 

“We have been working back home to develop the women’s program and this is just the start, so it was nice to get a win in our first match. 

“Trinidad and Tobago was not at their best and we were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us to get the victory.” 

Team captain Jahyra Thomas said it was nice to get a win as captain and in their first match as a team at international level. 

She added, “Our energy level to start te match was very good and we played very well together as unit, which was key to our win. 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – Mushtaque Mohammed, President of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) praised the efforts of the participating teams’ federations at the CAZOVA Youth and Junior Championships which served off at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony for the teams on Thursday, July 7, Mohammed, a former T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) said. “We are happy to see the sport of volleyball not just back on the calendar in CAZOVA but also make a welcome return to the playing courts and for me, their is no better age-groups to take that step with, than with the Youth and Junior events, as they are the future of the sport.”

“I also would like to make a say a big and special thank you for the leaders of the federations of the teams who are present at this tournament and the big commitment and effort they have made to make certain that their teams participate in this edition, just coming on the heels of the covic-19 pandemic which grounded the sport for more than two years.” 

Mohammed also praised the efforts of the T&TVF led by President Daymian Stewart for putting on the tournament without much outside help.

He said, “I would like to thank the T&TVF to taking up the opportunity to put on the first CAZOVA event post-Covid and doing son with very little resources and as I understand they are doing so without any funding for the tournament coming from government.

And finally, Mohammed was also high in recognition of North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) President, Cristobal Marte-Hoffiz for the financial support given by the federation to make certain the staging and success of the tournament.

Stewart in his brief address welcomed the participating and while admitting that his federation faced a few challenges in hosting the event, they were committed to putting on the event and helping to get the sport jump started in the CAZOVA region once again.

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – US Virgin Islands made it two wins from as many matches in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship when they came-from-behind to rally past Martinique 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-23) in a clash of unbeaten teams  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports aArena (SRISA). 

With the victory, the US Virgin Islands moved into sole possession of top spot on the four-team round-robin table with nine points, three ahead of Martinique (1-1), who after stunning defending champion Suriname in the pool opener on Thursday was brought back down to earth while Trinidad and Tobago are winless and without a point from one match each. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff. 

Speaking after his team’s first loss in two matches, Martinique coach Wilham Lebel said his team played a very inconsistent match which resulted in their defeat. 

“We had a good beginning, but after the first set we fell apart in our passing and receiving which was the main reason for our defeat. 

Team captain, Marie Marajo-Breton added, “I feel very bad for my team because I know we can play much better than we did today. But we still have one more match to play before the final day and I know we will come back stronger.” 

Isaac Raphael, coach of the US Virgin Islands said he was very proud of the effort from his players considering that the captain of the senior Alek-Wek Raphael suffered a tournament-ending injury in the Under-21 match against Suriname earlier in the day. 

“Our group is a small close-knit group and while she may not be part of this team they all looked up to her, so I think came out with the mindset to win this one for her, 

“The positive thing about this group as well is that they are now in the developmental stage and I know that they will get better as time goes one.” 

Team captain Jahyra Thomas added, “We had a rough start but as the game went along our performance improved.  

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8 , 2022: Suriname registered an impressive 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-17) win over a jaded US Virgin Islands in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.  

The win was the the first for Suriname to move to the top of the five-team round-robin winner-take-all table with a five points, followed by Haiti with four points and host Trinidad and Tobago with three after their wins over Jamaica (3-1) and US Virgin Islands (3-2) respectively on Thursday’s first day of competition. 

Leading the way for Suriname as they hunt a first-ever crown was Shemar Jameson with 16 points and Jonovan Wijngaarde who added 12 points while for US Virgin Islands, Ajani Henley had a team best 12, and Jomari Jacobs, who chipped in with ten while Jared Brown got six in the loss.  

Speaking after the loss US Virgin Islands coach Isaac Raphael said he did not want to make the quick turn-around in his team matches from playing the last night on the opening day to first match on the second day a major talking point, but instead pointed towards the inexperience of his team. 

“We have a very young group of players and and when our starters did not not get off to a good start we had to go to the younger guys, but credit to Suriname as well as they have a very good team and played a well.” 

US Virgin Islands captain, Gabriel Rosa said it was tough for his team to play back-to-back matches in less than 24 hours against quality teams like Trinidad and Tobago, and then Suriname. 

“We put out a big effort last night and we just could not find that same energy again today, but our mentality is to come out to each match and push as hard as we can and play to the best we can, no matter the circumstances.” 

Suriname coach Antoine Vliet was delighted with his team’s display saying, “It was a very good game for us.” 

“The guys were well prepared for this match even though we had a delayed start and it showed in our performance.” 

Team captain, Duncan Hiwat echoed the views of his coach and said he was very happy with how his team played. 

“We played really well at the beginning of the match, but then we had a dip in the second and third sets, but I was very happy to see how we rebounded in those sets to take the victory in straight sets.”  

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022:  Suriname dashed the hopes of host Trinidad and Tobago while booking their own spot in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) final with a 3-0 (25-18, 28-26, 25-20 triumph at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With the win, Suriname joined US Virgin Islands, who also defeated Trinidad and Tobago in straight sets, in the gold medal match of the CAZOVA  Under-21 Women’s Championship. 

This after both teams are locked on five points and 1-0 records ahead of their round-robin clash on Saturday, July 9, a prelude to Sunday’s all-important final which will earn the victors the lone spot available to the USA will host the NORCECA Under-21 Women’s Continental Championship from April 16 to 24, 2023 with the world event set for September in a country yet to be named while Trinidad and Tobago got bronze with a 0-2 record in the three-team pool. 

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022: Host Trinidad and Tobago began their campaign with a five-set entertaining win (3-2) 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 10-25, 15-9 over a stubborn US Virgin Islands in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

Commenting after the win in the see-saw battle that had the spectators on the edge of their seats from the first serve, Trinidad and Tobago coach Peer Nasseir said his team had a nervous start and made too many errors.

“Our mistakes on our passing and serving almost cost us the match and I believe we were very lucky to come away with the win.

Isaac Raphael, coach of the US Virgin Islands team said he was very proud of his team despite the loss.

“Our preparation for this tournament was not all that good, and it was shown in our serving which I felt was weak, but overall I’m happy with the effort and very excited for what the future holds for this team because we have many young players among this group.

Gabriel Rosa, captain of the US Virgin Islands team said his team were able to do a lot of good things despite the defeat.

“We know we have some basics to work on and we know there is great potential among this group to do well, but we just need to work out the kinks.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022 – Martinique made a stunning debut at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship with a polished 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-22) win over defending champion Suriname in the competition’s curtain-raiser at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Three years ago, when the competition was last held in Jamaica, Suriname dethroned Barbados in the final, but today apart from going point-for-point in the early exchanges of all three sets, and holding 15-10 and 20-16 leads in the third set, Suriname could not cope with the well balanced display from the Wilham Lebel-coached Martiniquans who proved a class above the title-holders.

Speaking after the loss, Suriname coach Claudius Straal admitted his team did not play their best.

.He said, “We didn’t play well most of the match, and we surely have to improve for the next game because we trained and prepared hard to get to the final.

Team captain, Chontelle Lisse echoed the views of her coach saying “We didn’t do our best and I don’t think we give our all, but we will work on our mistakes for the next game. Our energy level was not consistent enough to match Martinique who played a good match, so I know we can play better.”

An elated Lebel said, “I think we played with a good energy.. We served well and our players were very positive and aggressive in the blocks. Our concentration level was very good for most of the match and this was key to us getting the result we got.”

Captain Marie Marajo-Breton added, “It was very good for us to get a win and against a team like Suriname as well. We are all happy and we are hoping we can win the next match.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022: Haiti made a winning start to its bid to claim the title left vacant by six-time winners Barbados when they came-from-behind to subdue Jamaica 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21) in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

Commenting on his team’s win after the closely fought contest against the Jamaicans who were the last to arrive in the country on Wednesday night and had an extended stay in immigration, Haitian coach Junior Siecle said he was satisfied with the win.

“I’m very pleased with the win but going forward we still have to to make some corrections as I’m not satisfied with our blocking.”

Captain, Dieulengy Relis added, “We started off a bit slow but then we found our momentum and played much better as the match went along. We are very happy to start with the win, and now we must continue to improve to win our other matches as well.

Steve Davis, coach of Jamaica said his team was affected by jet lag and a lack of rest.

“We are not ones to make excuses but we had a very travelling schedule where we reached in late and also had a long stay in immigration.Apart from that we also had little preparation time at home due to exams and we know that our players can improve their level of play and will improve in the next match.”

Andrae Robb captain of Jamaica also said he felt his team was badly affected by their travelling scheduled in addition to lacking in confidence.

“We know where we fell short in this match and we need to improve for our next encounter.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 –  Barbados, the perennial  kings and six-time winners, including the last four editions will not be present to defend their title at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship which serves off  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday, meaning a first time champion will be crowned from the five competing teams.

Host, T&T who ended in third spot at the last edition in 2019 in Martinique and have a best finish of silver in 2015 will be keen to stamp their authority on home soil, but will be hard pressed to do so against the quartet of formidable opponents in 2017/2018 runner-up Haiti, US Virgin Islands and Suriname, the latter two yet to make their at this age-group level.

The five competing men’s teams will contest a straight round-robin series due to the late withdrawal of Martinique, champions in 1999, and their respective coaches while worried by their team’s preparations all expressed hope that once they play to their true potential, capturing the title wont be beyond their charges, 

Under-21 Men:

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): “The boys got to train for only about two days so our preparation has not been that ideal.At the same time, we have some older players returning to the team, but the core of the team is mainly a young one as we are in a developmental stage. So during the tournament I really looking forward to seeing them grow, compete and fight as hard as they can as a team and hopefully it will be good enough for us to have some success as I do believe we will be able to hold our own.”

PEER NASSEIR (Trinidad and Tobago):“We are the underdogs in this category and we will surely be using the approach on the cautious and optimistic side since each of these teams are unknowns and will also be eager to take home the crown.”

ANTOINE VLIET (Suriname): “I expect that this age-group will be much more competitive as there are more teams firstly and with the older players you tend to get a higher level of play as well.

“We are looking forward to playing as much as possible and we are aiming to win the title as we have the believe we have the best possible group of players that we could have selected.

DERISIER SARTRE (Haiti assistant): “We had one month to prepare the team and our problem is that we don’t know the level of the other teams in the competition to give a proper prediction on our chances. However, we are very confident in our chances and we are confident of doing our best and we will see if it is good enough for us to win.”

STEVE DAVIS (Jamaica): “Our chances of winning this tournament is as good as any team we believe. Even though we have been hampered by some students and their school examinations and a short preparation time, we intend to give off our best and we are expecting great things from this group of players.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 –  With reigning champions Barbados who lifted the title in 2019 in Martinique opting not to defend their titles the coaches of the participating teams at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Women (Under-21) Championship which gets underway at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday say they are all optimistic of claiming the crown.

In the absence of Barbados, host T&T who ended as runner-up in 2019 and have won the title six times, the last of which was in 2011/2012 will be keen to repeat on home soil their triumph of 205.

However, Suriname with a best finish of third in 2007, and US Virgin Islands with a best placing of second on home soil in 20211/2012 will also fancy their chances of claiming the coveted title in the three-team round-robin series at the end of which the top two will contest the gold medal match.

Speaking on the eve of the competition, the three coaches, Suriname’s Claudius Straal, Trinidad and Tobago’s Gideon Dickson and US Virgin Islands Isaac Raphael all expressed their views on their team’s chances.

Under-21 Women:

CLAUDIUS STRAAL (Suriname):  “Some members of the Under-19 team will be stepping up to play in the Under-21 competition as well so it will give the players some form of continuity and momentum as the tournament goes along.”

“We are basically looking forward to playing as much matches as we possibly can as during our competition at home we had the girls playing back-to-back matches and we believe we have selected the best possible group for us to have a good tournament.”

GIDEON DICKSON (Trinidad and Tobago): “It’s been basically two-and-a-half years for the players to be inactive and it has been unfortunate due to the pandemic. “At the same time fortunately we had the Development Festival which I believed served its purpose to resume the sport of volleyball and provide a based for the national teams selections as we have the talent.

“We intend to go into the tournament and focus on each match as they come as our intention is to win the competition and even though we had been inactive for such a long time, we are confident of putting our best foot forward and doing ourselves proud.”

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): “We had a very small preparation of two weeks with most of the sessions being held together with the Under-19 girls team, training twice per day and I am also excited to see what they can produce on the court.

“What I love about this group of players is that they are much more experienced than the Under-19s  and should be much better able to execute their game plans.I’m hoping that we can get to the gold medal match and take the top prize as we were third the last time the competition was held, but we are hungry for the title.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 – Still basking in their success of 2019, Suriname has made it no secret that they intend to put up a very good defence of their title when the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship begins at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday  say their are all optimistic of claiming the crown.

Three years ago when the competition (formerly Under-18) was last held in Jamaica, Suriname overcame Barbados in the final to dethrone the latter while T&T, previous winners in 2007 on home soil, 2012 in US Virgin Islands and again in 2013 on home soil once more had to settle for fourth spot behind ISV.

However, T&T will be on home soil once more and will be keen to make it three championship wins as host and will no doubt pose a serious challenge along with first-time competitors at this age level Martinique, and US Virgin Islands in the four-team round-robin competition at the end of which the top two teams will compete for gold, while the third and fourth placed teams battle for the bronze. 

Speaking ahead of the tournament, the four coaches while cautious about their approach to the series hinted that their teams were capable of going all the way to the title.

Under-19 Girls:

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): We have been preparing for the past two weeks with training sessions twice per day and we are ready as can be. I’m excited about the potential the team has as the players have really gel together as a unit and of course I would like to have more time to prepare, but we are here to compete and do our best:”

SALEEM ALI (Trinidad and Tobago): “Basically we have been in preparation as a team for the past three weeks following the completion of the T&T Volleyball Federation Developmental Festival, and apart from two players we basically have a brand new team.

“The players are prepared as much as they can be, but we lack experience without a doubt and will go into the competition taking one match at a time.”

CLAUDIUS STRAAL (Suriname): “We started to prepare two months ago with about 35 players and recently made our final selection of 12 players for the tournament. Two years ago we were the winners of this competition at the Under-18 level, so we basically have a core of players who were part of that winning team here with us again. We want to repeat as the champions but first we have to take it match by match and try and finish among the top two teams in the round-robin so we can play in the final.”

WILHAM LEBEL (Martinique): “This is going to be our first time presenting a team in this category of the Championship and for us it’s a huge honour for us to participate coming after the pandemic which made it very difficult for our team to prepare and I am sure for the other teams as well in the competition.I expect that al four teams will be a good level of play and I do expect my team to play good against each team as well because know that  Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and USVI are all good teams and we will try to compete as best as we can.”

PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 – With only host Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname registered to compete, history will be made when one of the two teams capture their first ever title in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Youth Boys (Under-19) Championship.

The tournament will begin at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday and both coaches were cautious in their words, with Peer Nasseir, the coach of TTO even hinted at Suriname being favourites to the title in their best-of-three finals.

Once again, Barbados, which captured the title for a third time in 2019 in Jamaica will not be here to defend their title leaving the door open for Suriname, the runner-up back then and TTO, who ended fourth to fight it out for the coveted crown. 

Under-19 Boys:

ANTOINE VLIET (Suriname): “We had a good preparation of one month and we focused on playing a lot of matches so they guys can gain some kind of momentum as we only had one competition at home before training for the tournament. “Our competition is only between us and Trinidad and Tobago and having not played for sol long due to the pandemic we would have liked to have more matches, but we still hope to win our series against them as we don’t intend to underestimate any team and above all, we want to win.”

PEER NASSEIR (Trinidad and Tobago): We have a three game series with Suriname because of a lack of teams. The positive thing out of this is that we have never made it to a final in this age-group before since its inception in 2007 when we won bronze and three years later again we got bronze. “To be honest, Suriname is practically unbeatable, but I am hoping that with the three-game series we should be able to scout them, adapt to them and overcome them. However, that will all depend on the gap between both teams and if we can close this gap in the short space of time, coming out of a pandemic and not much competition or preparation done over any long period of time.