T&T women's beach volleyball pair of Ayanna Dyette and Malika Davidson made an early exit at the double-gender FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour St Petersburg Grand Slam, Pinellas County, Florida, yesterday.
Competing in their first international event for the season, the first year pairing of Dyette and Davidson, went under to the experienced German pair of Victoria Bieneck and Julia Grobner, who have played at 47 events together, 8-21, 10-21.
Their defeat followed Tuesday's first round of qualifiers loss by fellow T&T players, the men's team of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield who were ousted by Austrians, Thomas Kunert and Christoph Dressler 18-21, 14-21.
The local teams were using the tournament as part of their preparations for next month's Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada as well as the second round of Norceca Continental Cup qualifiers towards next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games carded for St Lucia (men) and Jamaica (women) as well as future Norceca Circuit Tour stops.
The Toco-born duo of Williams and Whitfield, topped the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Men's Olympic First Round Qualifiers towards the NORCECA Continental Cup for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 on home soil in May along with team-mates Abraham Josiah Eccles and Tevin Joseph.
Dyette and Davidson also had a successful second-half of the T&TVF qualifies for the Pan American Game, winning all five events they contested to earn the ticket to Toronto, after missing out on the national women's team places for the Cayman Islands NORCECA Tour opener, and the First Round Olympic Continental qualifying tournament which was held in Jamaica.
Yesterday's out marked the senior debut for Davidson, after she performed creditable in last year's Youth Olympic Games in Nyjing China with Chelsea Ward.
Up next for the two teams is the Norceca Tour Second-Leg in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from June 24 to 29 followed by a training Camp in San Diego, California (June 30-July 7) and then the Pan American Games (July 8-22).
T&T will also have teams involved in Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 FIVB World Championship qualifiers in St Lucia (July 8-13), Cayman Islands (August 12-17) and Guatemala (July 20-29) respectively.
Daymian Stewart, president of the T&VF who is currently at the St Petersburg event as the FIVB Technical Supervisor (in training), was very pleased by the performance and progress of the athletes and our national beach volleyball system.
He said, "Our athletes and coach David Thomas have proven that they are capable and with the necessary support we can make it.
Stewart claims the administration of the T&TVF has to improve and become self-sufficient to support the athletes. He also called on other agencies in sport to be realistic, understanding and supportive for genuine attempts of small NGO's to make a difference.
He noted that funding remains an issue, but the TTVF remains committed to the athletes and their pursuit of excellence.
The TTVF governs two Olympic sports and are currently the Caribbean Champs and the highest ranked Caribbean Team in the world for beach and indoor, men and women.