Home|Sports|The Bahamas splits against TrinidadSports
Men improve to 2-0 while women drop their first game
Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 26, 2023 73 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The Bahamas’ senior men’s national volleyball team picked up its second victory of the 18th Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships on Tuesday, taking down Trinidad and Tobago in a five-setter victory at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall in Parimaribo, Suriname. The Bahamas’ men came away with an 18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18 and 15-11 win and sits at the top of Pool B in the tournament. The women were not so fortunate as they lost in five sets to Trinidad and Tobago’s women last night.
With the men, the two teams are familiar with each other having faced each other over the years. The Bahamas, which fielded a team mixed with professionals and college players along with players from the New Providence Volleyball Association (NPVA), has its sights set on winning gold.
This is the first time the tournament is being played since 2018.
The Bahamas lost the first set 25-18 but managed to win the second set in a close one, 25-22. Trinidad and Tobago won the third set 25-18 as The Bahamas went down 2-1. Looking for a key win in the fourth set, The Bahamas took care of Trinidad, 25-19. In the fifth set, The Bahamas came out on top 15-11 to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
The ladies side won the first set 25-17 before Trinidad and Tobago came back and won the second set, 25-19. Trinidad and Tobago went up 2-1 after winning the third set, 25-17. The Bahamas locked the match up at 2-2 with a 25-21 fourth set victory before Trinidad and Tobago won the fifth set, 15-12. It was the first loss for the Bahamian side. They have a 1-1 win/loss record in the tournament.
Head Coach for The Bahamas’ men Lloyd Davis said that his coaching staff had a short talk with the team at the end of the fourth set.
“We told them that they can go the long way which is to lose this game or we can go the short way which is to win and have one more game which is against Jamaica. The win puts us in a better position to get a bye and go to the gold medal round,” Davis said.
The Bahamas committed 30 unforced errors but Trinidad and Tobago recorded 45 unforced errors.
Outside hitter Kyle Wilson led The Bahamas with 20 points that included five blocks and three digs. He has the second most points in the tournament with 35. Team captain and middle blocker Byron Ferguson had 17 points and Shonari Hepburn came away with 15 points. Bahamian Eugene Stuart is tied for the eighth most points in the tournament with 25 points.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match,” Ferguson said. “We let our guard down and had too many mental errors in the sets that we lost. Once we cracked down on those errors, we were good and that is how we came out victorious.”
The Bahamas’ men won their opening game against Curaçao on Monday three sets to one. They won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-21 before dropping the third set 25-13. The third set triggered the Bahamian side as they dominated the fourth set, winning 25-8.
The Bahamian ladies took care of Suriname three sets to two in their opening match on Sunday. They prevailed 28-26, 26.24, 21-25, 22-25 and 15-13.
The men will play their final group game against Jamaica at 7:30 p.m. this evening. Davis said that the game plan does not change which is to play their zone and system. The women will play against Barbados at 2:30 p.m. today before wrapping up group play against Jamaica at noon tomorrow.
The tournament wraps up on Sunday.