Caribbean Queens again – Trinidad & Tobago Express

LED THE WAY FOR T&T: Krystle Esdelle

TRINIDAD and Tobago saved their best for last as they soared to their sixth title in succession when the curtain fell on the CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Federation) Womens Championships on Monday night in Jamaica. After both teams had lost just one set apiece en route to the final, the visitors crushed hosts Jamaica 25-12, 25-16, 25-10 in the shortest and most one-sided match of the tournament, taking just 62 minutes to win the gold medals. It was a record seventh title for T&T as they went past the Barbadians, who did not even qualify this time around and have not been at the top of the podium since they claimed their sixth title in 2004. After not reaching the final in the first five editions, T&T were triumphant in 1996 in the final year of annual competition, but had to settle for two silver medals as Barbados were triumphant four times in a row in the now biennial tournament. This countrys women denied the Bajans a fifth straight title in the 06 final and have not let go of the crown since. This has been the longest time between CAZOVA tournaments as the last edition was staged in 2014 when T&T swept both titles as home. The tournaments were separated this time around but the final results were the same, as the men captured their second straight title and third overall three weeks ago in Trinidad. T&T womens coach Nicholson Drakes admitted that his team expected a much tougher battle from the Jamaicans on Monday night, but pointed out that we were doing a lot of future training in preparation, because we looked at Jamaica as the team wed be playing in the final. France-based Krystle Esdelle led the way with 14 points, including ten kills. The former national skipper also had three service winners in the first set during a period when her team won ten straight points with her on the serving line. Greece-based Channon Thompson, another former CAZOVA Most Valuable Player, had eight kills in her 11 points and the Turkey-based pair of Sinead Jack and Darlene Ramdin chipped in with nine and ten points, respectively. Only four players on the Jamaican team scored in the match and no one managed more than five points. However, they still advance to the third and final round of NORCECA (North, Central American and the Caribbean) qualifying for the World Championships. T&T did not need to win the tournament to book their place, having already done so as hosts of one of the three qualifying tournaments in the next few months for the six tickets from this region for Japan in October next year. It has been an unforgettable last six weeks for the T&T women, as they placed ninth in the Pan American Cup in Peru in late June to qualify for next years World Grand Prix. They had qualified for the biggest tournament after the Olympic Games and World Championships for the first time last year and became the first team from the English-speaking Caribbean to participate in this tournament in the first half of last month. And T&T managed a victory when they came from behind to stun Australia at home in Couva on July 14. T&T and Martinique qualified for the third and final round of NORCECA qualifying for the World Championships in Italy and Bulgaria in September next year by finishing first and second, respectively, in CAZOVA.

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Caribbean Queens again - Trinidad & Tobago Express