TT volleyballers beat Curacao

There was a delayed start to the match which might have affected the energy of the TT players who were sluggish in the opening games of the contest. TT played “catch up” throughout the first game and almost salvaged a comeback but eventually lost 23-25 to give Curacao the lead. In the second game, TT were reeling at 11-19 then had five consecutive points but it still was not good enough as the visitors won 25-22 to go ahead 2-0.

The defending champions, TT , found their rhythm in the third game as they bolted to an 8-1 lead, resulting in the visitors calling a time-out.

The break worked as Curacao won six consecutive points to narrow the gap. The home team persevered to win 25-23 and cut the deficit to 1-2. The fourth game was a see-saw battle as neither team had a significant lead but the local boys held their nerve to win 25- 23 and tie the contest at 2-2.

Despite the match going the distance and it getting late, the crowd was vibrant throughout the match and intensified their cheers.

It was a nerve-wrecking finale with the hosts trailing 8-10 and 10-12 but unforced errors and miscommunication by the visitors saw TT score five consecutive points to seal the comeback victory at 15-12.

Speaking after his team’s victory, Head Coach, Sean Morrison said, “The guys were a bit nervous and it took them a while to get into rhythm but they did what was needed for the victory. It is a young bunch and they demonstrated great teamwork and togetherness.” He believes his team can only improve from this performance.

In the other matches on Day One, Suriname defeated Martinique 3-1 (25:22, 17:25, 25:23, 25:18) while Jamaica won against Haiti 3-1 (25:22, 25:20, 19:25, 25:22). Barbados narrowly won against a resilient Bahamas team 3-2 (23-25, 25:19, 12:25, 25:18, 15:11).