Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield moved a step closer to earning the right to represent this country in the men's segment of the opening leg of the 2015 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit next in Cayman Islands.
This after the Toco-born pair, bronze medals winners on home soil of the 2013 NORCECA Tour, won their third straight men's qualifying tournament hosted by the T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) Beach Commission at Saith Park Chaguanas on Sunday.
Williams and Whitfield who won the opening two qualifying tournaments with 4-0 and 3-0 records, continued their impressive display with straight set victories over Tevin Joseph/Abraham Josiah Eccles (21-15, 21-8); Simon Blake/Colin Bernard (21-13, 21-8), and David Thomas/Kareem Thomas (21-12, 21-15) for maximum nine points.
The pair of David Thomas, a national beach volleyball coach and Kareem Thomas, a national youth team player took second spot with a 2-1 mark after defeating Blake/Bernard 21-19, 21-16, and
Joseph/Eccles 22-20, 21-9.
Joseph and Eccles avoided the cellar-spot by topping Blake and Bernard 21-18, 21-17.
On the weekend, the remaining two qualifying tournaments will take place at the same venue from 10am daily at the end of which, the top men and women team will earn the right to compete in Cayman Islands from April 22 - 27.
The top two teams in each gender will qualify for the Caribbean Zone Volleyball Association Olympic qualifiers.
...Phillip, Gordon top women's field
Former NORCECA tour regular, Elki Phillip and her new playing partner Shenelle Gordon got it right, the third time around as they emerged as winners of the women's qualifiers on Sunday.
The pair of Phillip and Gordon, third in the first round of qualifiers and on Saturday, swept aside Abbi Blackman/Rachael Noel 21-14, 21-11 and Malika Davidson, and her new partner Rheeza Grant 21-18, 21-13 for a perfect 2-0 start.
Phillip and Gordon then outlasted Saturday's winners' La Teisha Joseph and Apphia Glasgow 19-21, 21-17, 15-13 before ending off with a 21-16, 21-17 victory against top ranked local duo,
and two-time NORCECA fourth-placed finishers, Nancy Joseph and Ayanna Dyette in the final match on the night.
Joseph and Dyette, who won the first qualifying tournament to extend their win streak to 11 before a shock third place finish on Saturday, had earlier beaten Blackman/Noel 21-11, 21-8; Davidson/Grant 21-16, 21-13, and Joseph/Glasgow 21-14, 19-21, 15-10.
Joseph and Glasgow, the latter of who was nursing an injured hand outlasted Davidson and Grant 15-21, 22-20, 15-13, and also defeated Blackman and Noel 21-16, 23-21 for a 2-2 record and third.
And in the other match, Blackman and Noel came from a set down to beat Davidson and Grant 15-21, 22-20, 16-14.