TT girls capture Under-17 regional volleyball crown

The TT captain Renele Forde helped her team to the Girls’ Under-17 crown and Justin Bennett engineered the Barbados triumph in the Boys’ Under-18 championship as both copped MVP awards.

The three-day tournament, involving TT, Barbados and the US Virgin Islands (USVI), and hosted by the TT Volleyball Federation (TTVF), was staged at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo. Forde, who along with five of her Under-17 team-mates, are also part of the Under-20 and Senior women’s team set-up, led by example.

She was also voted the “Best Setter” after leading the home side to a come-from-behind win over USVI in the final, 22-25, 25- 21, 25-11, 25-21. Earlier in the day, Forde and her team-mates had beaten Barbados also in four sets, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-11 to end their three-match round-robin series with a perfect 3-0 record.

On Saturday, it was decided by the tournament officials that at the end of the round-robin series, the top two teams would contest a championship match, and the USVI — having beaten Barbados 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, 26-24 — ended in second spot to book their berth against TT. TT had won their first encounter with the USVI 25-17, 30-32, 25-17, 25-17 on Friday.

TT’s Courtnee-Mae Clifford, like Forde a member of the National Junior (Under-20) and Senior women’s team, also picked up two individual awards, “Best Libero” and “Best Receiver” while individual awards also went to two of their team-mates, Tymika Duncan as “Best Server” and Sinead Jack “Best Blocker.” Bennett was also a multi-award recipient from the Boys’ Championship as he steered his team to a 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 win over the USVI in the Boys’ Under-18 decider.

In the morning session, Bennett, who also walked away with the “Best Receiver” and “Best Server” awards to go with his MVP prize, inspired the Barbadians to a comfortable 25-18, 25-19, 25-14 whipping of TT to end the hosts’ chances of a spot in the final. TT went into their final preliminary round match needing a win in straight sets to secure a top two round-robin spot to reach the final, but in the end had to settle for third spot.In their first match on Saturday, TT went under to USVI, who won 13-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19, and on Friday, Barbados had also swept past the USVI 25-21, 25-20, 25-21.

Another key player for Barbados was Ronald Rice, who collected the “Best Setter” prize.

Individual Awards

BOYS—

Most Valuable Player — Justin Bennett (Barbados)

Best Server — Justin Bennett (Barbados)

Best Setter — Ronald Rice (Barbados)

Best Blocker — Colin Swan (T&T)

Best Libero — Nolan Diehl (US Virgin Islands)

Best Receiver — Justin Bennett (Barbados)

Best Spiker — Ryan Stewart (T&T)

Top Scorer — Ryan Stewart (T&T)

GIRLS–

Most Valuable Player — Renele Forde (T&T)

Best Server — Tymika Duncan (T&T)

Best Setter — Renele Forde (T&T)

Best Blocker — Sinead Jack (T&T)

Best Libero — Courtnee-Mae Clifford (T&T)

Best Receiver — Courtnee-Mae Clifford (T&T)

Best Spiker — Hannah Davis (USVI)

Top Scorer — Hannah Davis (USVI)