TT volleyballers stun Martinique 3-1

The TT Under 21 men's volleyball team stunned host team Martinique (3-1) in the opening day of the 2019 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior tournament. TT Under-20 women's team, however, lost to Caribbean neighbours Barbados (3-0), on Sunday, at La Ville Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport, Martinique

TT, whose best ever performance was silver four years ago, defeated the French team 3-1 (25:19, 19:25, 25:19, 26:24). Even though, TT silenced the vociferous crowd, it was a bitter-sweet moment for them as key player Elijah Best suffered an injury in the second set.

TT captain, Joshua Persaud said, “We started with a lot of energy. Playing against the home team the atmosphere was very different compared to what we (are) accustom to and the banter from the crowd was challenging. We fought the first set and realised the weaknesses of the team and we capitalised on that. The coach made some crucial subs even when Elijah Best was injured, we didn’t go into a slump but it motivated us more to come out and be victorious for our brother. It was truly a team effort because everyone played their role and that’s what made us win this game.”

TT's Marley Davidson led the scorers with 18 points including ten spikes and six aces while Georiani Austin chipped in with seven spikes. Josiah Constant topped the blocking charts with 5 followed by (4) from Jarome Belgrove.

In the early match, the young women held several leads and squandered crucial points at the business end of the sets to eventually lose to the Bajans 3-0 (25:21, 25:18, 25:17).