T&T senior women’s volleyballers and technical staff headed by T&T Volleyball Federation president, Attorney-at-Law Nicole Selvon touched down in Honshu, Japan around 3.30 am (T&T time) yesterday morning.
The team endured a 20-hour journey which began early Wednesday morning from Piarco International Airport before a stopover in Houston, Texas around 7.30 am on Wednesday followed by their flight to Asia.
Prior to departing Piarco, the team and officials were given well wishes by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, who earlier in the month came to the team's rescue by covering the $450,000 cost needed to finance the team's travel and stay in Japan.
On arrival at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay, the T&T contingent, though exhausted from their longest international trip yet, maintained high spirits as they prepare for their pre-tournament camp.
The local contingent was met by host officials and then whisked away in a Coach Bus, owned by the City of Hemiji volleyball club, the Hemiji Victorina which is coached by the legendary former setter Yoshi Takeshita.
The Renele Forde-captained "Calypso Spikers", the eight-time reigning champions of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) will have little time to rest as they are set to serve off warm-up matches versus Hemiji Victorina from today until Wednesday.
On completion of the warm-up matches, T&T under the supervision of Cuban coach Francisco "Panchee" Cruz will have two days of final preparations before serving off their debut campaign at 24-team FIVB Women’s Championship which runs from September 29 - October 20.
The "Calypso Spikers", ranked 34th in the world, will open their Pool C campaign against fifth-ranked Russia on September 29 followed by a clash with defending champion and world second-ranked USA on September 30.
Forde and her teammates will then have a day off on October 1 before resuming round-robin play against 16th-ranked Thailand on October 2; 24th-ranked Azerbaijan on October 3, and a day later versus tenth ranked South Korea, to close out group play at the 6,000 capacity seater Kobe Green Arena in Osaka Bay, Central Japan.
Last October, T&T qualified in second spot from the NORCECA Group C series behind Mexico to follow up on its FIVB World Grand Prix debut last year, a tournament now replaced by the Challenge Cup and Nations League.
The FIVB Women’s Championship competition will feature five teams from Asia (including the hosts), two from Africa, eight from Europe, two from South America and seven (including defending champions USA) from the North, Central America and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA).
The 24 teams have been divided into four pools of six teams playing in a round-robin system with the top four teams in each pool advancing to the second round.
The 16 teams in the second round will be split into two pools of eight with the top teams from Pools A and D in one group and the top teams from Pools C and B in the other.
The top three teams in each of the two-second round pools will advance to the third round from which the two-second round pool winners will be placed in different third round pools with the second and third-placed teams drawn.
The round will consist of a round-robin system with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals.
A fifth-rank match will take place on the same day as the semifinals. The 103rd and last match of the tournament will be the final.