Toco, West Side Stars cop Volleyball crowns

TOCO YOUTH Volleyball Academy and West Side Stars captured the male and female titles of the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation National Super League A on Saturday night at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena (CRISA), Chaguanas.

The men`s final was full of excitement and banter between the players on the court and supporters in the stands.

The atmosphere perked up Toco as they began the all-important clash in the driver`s seat and were able to win the first set against their opponents Technocrats 25-17.

However, ‘Techno’ seemed to have gathered some sort of inspiration between sets by winning the second set 25-19, levelling the game at one set apiece. The next set was a showdown with multiple lead changes as both teams were searching for the upper hand in the match.

Fortunately for Toco, they had a late surge to take the set 25-23 for the 2-1 lead. The experience players of captain Daneil Williams, Simon Blake and Kareem Thomas stepped in the fourth set for the North East team to win 25-21; clinching the 3-1 victory which was their first Super League title.

A satisfied Toco coach David Thomas said, “We would have reached the finals a couple of times but this is the first time that we are champions. It has been a while since we had all of our players back together so it was a step up to come out with the victory.

“We wanted to win to hype up the players for the Premier League from a psychological standpoint because we were in the final the last time the tournament was held.”

Thomas continued, “We were consistent and dominant so it was just about putting it all together and once we kept it like that, Toco is unbeatable. The plan now is to prepare for the Premier League that begins on December 17th.”

Thomas was full of praises for all his players throughout the season especially his senior players in the knockout stage of the tournament.

The women`s final was a straightforward victory for West Side Stars as they swept Glamorgan 3-0. The west ladies claimed the first set comprehensively at 25-11.

The second set was a bit more challenging but they hanged on to win 25-23 and left no chance for their challengers to come back into the game as they close off in the third at 25-16.

National and West Side Stars player, Afesha Olton- Humphreys said, “Before the game our team spoke about teamwork and minimising errors. Our goal was to start strong and be clinical at the end of every set.

“We used players strategically in key positions and that contributed to our success. We took advantage on the errors made by our opponents and in the end it came down to the team that wanted it the most.”