Top national men and women beach volleyball pairs, Fabien Whitfield and Daniel Williams, and Ayanna Dyette and Nancy Joseph continued their dominance of their local rivals by winning the first of five qualification T&T Volleyball Federation beach tournaments at Saith Park, Chaguanas, on Sunday.
Competing in a five-team round-robin pool, Whitfield and Williams, historic Norceca 2013 Tour bronze medal winners on home soil brushed aside Tevin Joseph and Abrham Josiah Eccles (21-9, 21-9); Kareem Thomas and Kevin Edwards (21-10, 21-10); Sean Morrison and Marlon Philip (21-15, 21-10) and Christian Francois and Kevin Rivers (21-16, 21-10) to end with a 4-0 record and 12 points.
Francois and Rivers won their other matches over Morrison/Philip (21-15, 21-16), Joseph/Eccles (21-18, 21-19) and Thomas/Edwards (21-10, 11-21, 15-11) to end second with a 3-1 mark and eight points.
Third was the Morrison/Philip following defeats of Thomas/Edwards (21-17, 21-18) and Joseph/Eccles (19-21, 21-18, 18-16) with a 2-2 mark and five points while Joseph/Eccles downed Thomas and Edwards 21-14, 21-18 for its lone win and four points, three more than its winless rival.
Twice, fourth-place finishers on the Norceca Circuit, Dyette and Joseph were as equally as impressive and did not drop a set in their four round-robin triumphs as well for 12 points.
First up they defeated Rachael Noel and Abbi Blackman 21-13, 21-5 and followed it up with similar victories against Elki Philip and Shenelle Gordon 21-15, 21-10, Malika Davidson and Chelsea Ward 21-8, 21-12 and Apphia Glasgow and La Teisha Joseph 21-17, 21-6.
Joseph and Glasgow were a surprsing second with a 3-1 record and by virtue of beating Phillip/Gordon 21-17, 21-17; Noel/Blackman 21-18, 21-14 and Davidson/Ward 21-10, 17-21, 18-16.
Third was Phillip and Gordon with a 2-2 record after their overcame Noel/Blackman 21-18,21-6, and Davidson/Ward 21-11, 21-15 while the latter ended fourth with its 21-8, 21-15 beating of Noel/Blackman.
This weekend, the second and third qualifying tournaments will take place at the same venue from 9 am daily.
The tournaments are being staged to help in the national senior team selection process for the Caribbean Zone championships; Continental Cup (Olympic Qualification); 2015 Norceca Tour and Pan American Games, the latter of which is scheduled for Canada.