Host T&T booked a spot in the semifinals of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Men’s Beach Volleyball Qualifiers first round towards the NORCECA Continental Cup for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 after sweeping Curacao 2-0 at the National Development Centre, Saith Park, Chaguanas, yesterday.
In the opening match, the top ranked T&T pair of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield brushed aside Curacao-B duo, Norandy Bonafasia and Kyran Ersilia 21-18, 21-12 while T&T-B pair, Abraham Eccles and Tevin Joseph overwhelmed Curacao-A duo, Darwin Colina and Jeandro Tokaay 21-13, 21-15 to seal the tie and set up a semifinal clash with US Virgins Islands.
Jamaica earned its semifinal spot after it edged out third ranked US Virgin Islands 2-1 in a “Golden Set” with Mark Lewis and Ryck Mc Kenzie battling past Bradley Reading-Connors and Gustavo Cintron 15-13 to secure a final-four meeting with Curacao.
Earlier on Reading-Connors and Cintron (USVI-A) had put their team 1-0 ahead via a 23-21, 21-15 defeat of Jamaica-B’sChristopher Walters and Donovan Richards, but Lewis and Mc Kenzie evened the tie at 1-1 when they stopped Edward Peter Jr and Carlos Rosa Jr of USVI-B 21-17, 21-14.
The teams of US Virgin Islands and Curacao made full of the double elimination format of the tournament as they rebounded to power their way through the losers bracket to reach the last four.
Ironically, both USVI and Curacao needed “Golden Set” victories over Barbados and Suriname respectively, to earn their places though.
Reading-Connors and Cintron (USVI-A) defeated Daran Gill/Sheldon Roach (Barbados-B), 21-10, 21-18 for a 1-0 lead, but veterans Elwyn Oxley and Winston Gittens (Barbados) held off youngsters Carlos Rosa Jr and Edward Peter Jr (USVI-B) 16-21, 21-7, 15-5 to even the match at 1-1, only for Reading-Connors and Cintro to take the “Golden Set” 15-8 over Oxley and Gittens.
And in the final match of the day, Colina and Tokaay humbled Suriname-B’s Roberto Joval and Eurwin Daansi 21-15, 21-15, but the latter’s team-mates Keven Sporkslede and Fugil Ong A Fat (Suriname-A) defeated Bonafasia and Ersilia 10-21, 21-11, 15-11 to draw level in the series.
However in the winner-take-all deciding set, Colina paired with Bonafasia for a 15-11 win over a tired looking Sporkslede and Ong A Fat.
Despite losing out on a chance to play for the gold medal, Barbados and Suriname had the consolation of earning a top six finish whichthey will decide on Sunday as they joined the four semifinalist in qualifying for the next stage of NORCECA qualification towards the Olympics.
The top six CAZOVA teams now clash with the top six Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) teams at a date to be determined and from which teams will advance to a third round against the top Central American nations.
Saturday results:
Aruba 2, Bonaire 0
Dwayne Angela/Elmerlindo Robles ARU-A d Richisons Frans/Percy Prudencia BON-B 2-0 (21-8, 21-6)
Fransua Angela/Michaello Martilia ARU-B d Emanuel Silie/Deebro Trinidad BON-A 2-0 (21-8, 21-11)
Barbados 2, Bahamas 0
Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens BAR-A d Muller Petit/Renaldo Knowles BAH-B 2-0 (21-17, 21-17)
Daran Gill/Sheldon Roach BAR-B d Byron Ferguson/Princtanique Wilson BAH-A 2-0 (21-18, 21-7)
Haiti 2, Cayman Islands 1
Kirk Shervin Rankin/Richard Campbell CAY-A d Senel Dupuy/Marco Alexis HAI-B 2-0 (21-14, 21-15)
Fritz-Emmanuel Mabou/Kempes Vilmont HAI-A d Phillippe Deslandes/Olney Thompson CAY-B 2-0 (21-16, 21-9)
GOLDEN SET: Fritz-Emmanuel Mabou/Kempes Vilmont HAI d Kirk Shervin Rankin/Richard Campbell CAY (15-9)
Suriname 2, Guadeloupe 1
Baptiste Arnouts/Cedric Lavoye GDP-A d Roberto Joval/Eurwin Daansi SUR-B 2-0 (21-19, 21-8)
Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR-A d Guillaume Coudevylle/Loic Couchy GDP-B 2-1 (21-18, 6-21, 15-13)
GOLDEN SET: Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR d Guillaume Coudevylle/Loic Couchy GDP (15-7)
Jamaica 2, USVI 1
Bradley Reading-Connors/Gustavo Cintron USVI-A d Chrsitopher Walters/Donovan Richarsd JAM-B 2-0 (23-21, 21-15)
Mark Lewis/Ryck Mc Kenzie JAM-A d Carlos Rosa Jr/Edward Peter Jr USVI-B 2-0 (21-17, 21-14)
GOLDEN SET: Mark Lewis/Ryck Mc Kenzie d Bradley Reading-Connors/Gustavo Cintron (15-13)
Trinidad and Tobago 2, Curacao 0
Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield TTO-A d Norandy Bonafasia/Kyran Ersilia CUR-B 2-0 (21-18, 21-18)
Tevin Joseph/Abraham Eccles TTO-B d Darwin Colina/JeandroTokaay CUR-A 2-0 (21-13, 21-15)
Barbados 2, Aruba 0
Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens BAR-A d Fransua Angela/Michaello Martilia ARU-B 2-0 (21-13, 22-20)
Daran Gill/Sheldon Roach BAR-B d Dwayne Angela/Elmerlindo Robles ARU-A 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 16-14)
Suriname 2, Haiti 0
Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR-A d Senel Dupuy/Marco Alexis HAI-B 2-0 (21-17, 21-19)
Roberto Joval/Eurwin Daansi SUR-B d Fritz-Emmanuel Mabou/Kempes Vilmont HAI-A 2-1 (12-21, 21-18, 15-12)
US Virgin Islands 2, Barbados 1
Bradley Reading-Connors/Gustavo Cintron USVI-A d Daran Gill/Sheldon Roach BAR-B 2-0 (21-10, 21-18)
Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens BAR-A d Carlos Rosa Jr/Edward Peter Jr USVI-B 2-1 (16-21, 21-7, 15-5)
GOLDEN SET: Bradley Reading-Connors USVI d Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens BAR (15-8)
Curacao 2, Suriname 1
Darwin Colina/Jeandro Tokaay CUR-A d Roberto Joval/Eurwin Daansi SUR-B 2-0 (21-15, 21-15)
Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR-A d Norandy Bonafasia/Kyran Ersilia CUR-B 2-1 (10-21, 21-11, 15-11)
GOLDEN SET: Darwin Colina/Norandy Bonafasia CUR d Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR (15-11)
