The under-19 Boys National Volleyball team representing Barbados won gold in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U19 Championship, which was held in Jamaica.
During the tournament, which has concluded now, the Trinidad and Tobago team was defeated by Barbados team in the finals. It is to be noted that the Barbados has earlier lost to them in the opening rounds.
U 19 team won in five sets – 20:25, 24:26, 25:21, 25:22, 15:12 – and was declared the champions of the tournament.
On winning, the team expressed gratitude to captain Kaden Hoyte. The captain further sharing the dedication of the team, reflected on their journey. He shared that during the beginning matches the experience was bit thrilling at the start.
He added that the boys were prepared, but at the same time they are very young. “To gather my troops and really get them ready for this tournament was a very long and hard battle,” the captain added.
Kaden Hoyte noted that the team have been practising for straight six years and “to see my team put all that effort in and end up on top; it’s very, very good.”
The captain stated that the loss to Trinidad and Tobago was the most crucial turning point, through which the team learnt and regained its strength. The loss in the preliminary rounds was an eye-opener, but the team turned it into a good spirit, and that helped the boys fight.
They felt like ‘Trinidad beat me, but they can’t beat me again,’ and I really saw that throughout the rest of the competition,” Kaden added.
Further, John Stuart, Head coach of the junior boys team, stated that he is satisfied with the team’s performance. He added that the preparation for the tournament was rigorous, and they faced some unexpected challenges while preparing.
Stuart said that the boys were well prepared, but few days before the tournament the team had no indoor court to practise on, so they resorted to the beach. “But all that did pay off,” Stuart added.
Nicholas Russell-Griffith was awarded the Best Blocker of the tournament, Dominic Durant secured Best Digger, Best Outside Hitter and MVP went to Kaden Hoyte. He further gave his MVP trophy to teammate Isaiah Francis, to appreciate his performance in the semi-finals and finals.
Apart from them the other notable players were setter Sergio Jones and Libero Zordan Thomas.
Sharing insights on the girls’ team, the coach stated that they finished third and faced a challenging defeat. “The girls were a bit unfortunate because they should have gone to the finals. They were leading by two sets but lost from there. That was heartbreaking,” he said.
Additionally, looking ahead, Stuart revealed that the boys’ team has qualified for the NORCECA (North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) Championship. This opportunity has been reserved for the team that wins this tournament, so that has given Barbados a chance to play.
