Trinidad and Tobago is the Caribbean Queens for Volleyball

 

PORT OF SPAIN, December 5, 2007.-  The Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Teams is now the Caribbean Youth, Junior and Senior Champions.  The Junior Team won the title earlier this year in US Virgin Islands while the senior team won their title in Bahamas last year.  Now the youth team wrapped up the history making event to become the champion team in the first Caribbean Youth Champion which was held this weekend in Port of Spain Trinidad.

 

Team Captain Renele Forde led from the front as she was voted the “Most Valuable Player” and “Best Setter” after leading T&T Under-17 girls to the title in the Caribbean Youth Volleyball Championships hosted by the T&T Volleyball Federation on Sunday.

 

In the final played at the Jean Pierre Complex, Forde led the T&T girls to a come-from-behind win over US Virgin Islands 22-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-21 in the tournament decider.

 

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 its three-match round-robin series with a perfect record of three wins.

 

On Saturday, it was decided by the tournament officials that at the end of the round-robin series the top two teams will contest a championship match, and the US Virgin Islands girls, having beaten Barbados 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, 26-24, ended in second spot to book its berth against T&T.

 

T&T had won their first encounter with the USVI by score of 25-17, 30-32, 25-17, 25-17 on Friday.

 

T&T’s Courtnee-Mae Clifford, like Forde a member of the junior (Under-20) and senior women’s team, also picked up two individual awards, “Best Libero” and “Best Receiver” while team-mates Tymika Duncan “Best Server” and Sinead Jack “Best Blocker” were also among the award recipients.

 

Bennett powers Bajans to victory

Barbadian J. Bennett was also a multi-award recipient as he steered his team to a 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 win over the US Virgin Islands in the Boys’ Under-18 decider.

 

In the morning session, Bennett, who copped the “Most Valuable Player,” “Best Receiver” and “Best Server” awards had inspired the Bajans to a comfortable 25-18, 25-19, 25-14 whipping of host T&T to end its chances of a spot in the final.

 

The host went into its final match needing a win in straight sets to secure a top two round-robin to reach the final, but in the end had to settle for third spot.

 

In its first match on Saturday, T&T went under to USVI 13-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 while Barbados swept past US Virgin Islands 25-21, 25-20, 25-21 on Friday.

 

Individual awards honour roll:

Boys

Best Server: J Bennett (Barbados)

Best Setter: R Rice (Barbados)

Best Blocker: Colin Swan (T&T)

Best Libero: N Diehl (US Virgin Islands)

Best Receiver: J Bennett (Barbados)

Best Spiker: Ryan Stewart (T&T)

Top Scorer: Ryan Stewart (T&T)

Most Valuable Player: J Bennett (Barbados)

 

Girls

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 (US Virgin Islands)

Top Scorer: Hannah Davis (US Virgin Islands)

Most Valuable Player: Renele Forde (T&T)