T&T senior women's volleyballers will be confident of making a winning start when they serve off their bid to earn the 24th and final spot at the FIVB World Championship in Italy against 55th world ranked Panama from 8 pm tonight.This will be the second match of a double-header to begin the Final FIVB North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Women's World Championship Qualifiers at the University of the West Indies Sports and Physical Educational Centre, St Augustine. It will be preceded by an encounter between the two other main contenders, Mexico and Costa Rica from 6 pm.
At the end of the round-robin tournament on Sunday, which also includes 46th ranked Nicaragua, the top ranked team will qualify to the World Championship from September 23 to October 12. They will go directly into Group C based in Verona where first round matches against USA, Russia, Thailand, Netherlands and Kazakhstan await.The five teams still in the hunt to reach Italy all qualified to the Final Round after ending second in respective Third Round qualifying groups, which were held from May to June. USA, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Canada are the teams to reach Italy thus far from the NORCECA region.
In the opening rounds, T&T defeated Bahamas, Guadeloupe and Suriname in Round One while it then swept past Barbados, Honduras and Anguilla in Round Two before ending as runner-up to host Cuba in Round Three in May.Panama, meanwhile, outclassed Haiti, Dominica and Grenada in Round One while it overcame Bonaire, Belize and El Salvador in Round Two ahead of a runner-up spot behind USA in Round Three.
Speaking on the eve of his team's opening match and his debut as senior team coach, Nicholson Drakes, who took over the reigns following the sudden resignation of eight-year coach, Cuban Francisco 'Panchee" Cruz said his team will be taking it one match at a time."We don't know much about the Panamanian team because we have not played against them in a while and also have not participated in the same tournament over that period."So even though we will consider ourselves as favourites to get the win, we have to approach the match with some caution as we don't know what level to expect from them."It's in that regard we have prepared ourselves to play any time of game they come with and will be able to make the necessary adjustments," added Drakes.
Commenting on his elevation to the post as coach, Drakes said it took a while for the players to get focus following the changes."It was not something that we expected. For me personally I always had ambitions of being coach of the national team, but I did not expected it to be so soon."However, I have settle into the role because I have been with the team for quite a while and know the players well. So for us its about continuing the process and not trying to make too many sudden changes."Leading the Calypso Spikers is veteran Kelly-Anne Billingy, one of eight players who was part of the team that also reached the last round of qualifiers four years ago en route to Japan.
And following their second placed finish behind host Cubans in La Habana in their Third Round series after topping their First and Second Rounds groups in Suriname and here on home soil respectively, Billingy said the team is ready to give everything as this is the last chance for most of them to play at a World Championship.She said: "Over the last couple weeks we have had to overcome a lost of adversities, which I believe has brought us closer together as a unit while helping us to focus much more as well."Daymian Stewart, president of the T&T Volleyball Federation was very confident that the team would qualify for Italy.With respect to the hosting of the final round, Stewart, who was also present at yesterday's session on a spanking new playing court said hosting the tournament even though it is setting the federation back financially was all about giving the team the best chance to qualify.Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children and the public is being asked to come out in their numbers wearing red, white and black to support the national team as they aim to make the best of this final opportunity to create history for themselves and this country.
Fixtures
NORCECA
Women's Final Round qualifying fixtures:
Today:
Mexico vs Costa Rica,
6 pm
T&T vs Panama,
8 pm
Tomorrow:
Panama vs Mexico,
6 pm
T&T vs Nicaragua,
8 pm
July 18:
Panama vs Mexico, 6 pm
T&T vs Costa Rica, 8 pm
July 19:
Costa Rica vs Panama, 6pm
Mexico vs Nicaragua, 8pm
July 20:
Nicaragua vs Costa Rica,
4 pm
T&T vs Mexico, 6 pm
Closing ceremony, 8 pm
T&T Team
Kelly-Ann Billingy (captain), Krystle Esdelle, Rheeza Grant, Jalicia Ross-Kydd, Channon Thompson, Marisha Herbert, Courtnee-Mae Clifford, Darlene Ramdin, Aisha Sealy-Morrison, Makila Yorke, Abby Blackman, Sinead Jack.
Technical staff: Nicholson Drakes (coach), Idalmis Moya Gato (assistant coach), Sean Morrison (assistant coach), Esseil Seecharan (assistant coach), Rolando Boza Cruz (physiotherapist), and Ian Williams (massage therapists).