Team captain Tenielle Campbell-Goodluck had the hot hand as Barbados captured their maiden title on their fourth attempt, beating rivals Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-17) at the 2019 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-20) Women Championship here at the La Ville de Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport on Friday.
Winners of their opening day clash to begin round-robin play in the six-team tournament, Barbados got 15 points from Campbell-Goodluck in the one-sided affair.
The trio of Janine Forde, Nerissa Dyer and Dashonta Addison added eight points each in the dominant showing by the Barbadians, who were previously runners-up in 1997, 1999 and in 2015 on home soil.
A key aspect to the title win for Barbados was their power serving game, which accounted for 18 aces, five each from Chapman-Goodluck and Addison, as well as the 30 unforced errors of Trinidad and Tobago, who went into the match seeking a seventh title after being crowned champions in 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2011/12.
Otherwise, both teams were evenly matched, with the Barbadians just holding the edge on spikes 22-21 while both teams tallied five blocks each.
For Trinidad and Tobago, captain, Kiune Fletcher had another double-digit scoring night with 13 points while Jada Crawford, Desiree Donald and Jordana Simon mustered five points apiece in the 72-minute match-up.
Speaking after the win, an emotional Campbell-Goodluck said she was very ecstatic, more so for teammate and setter Addison, who had been coming to the age-group event since 2012.
“She has never won a set and for us to start off winning the first set got on a very positive setting for the rest of the match. We set small goals during the match and took it step by step and it’s a really great feeling to be the captain of our first Under-20 team to win the title,” Campbell-Goodluck said.
Bajan coach Patrick Oxley added, “For me, it was a personal goal to beat Trinidad and Tobago in the final, after losing back in 2013 at the youth level in the decider after we defeated them in the round-robin.
“We also ended second at home to Haiti in the last edition of the competition at home, so I was fed upcoming second over and over, so for me and my setter we really wanted to win for Barbados.”
USVI earns first-ever bronze
Captain Alex-Weh Raphael ended her campaign in fine style as she proved unstoppable in leading US Virgin Islands over hosts Martinique for the bronze medal at the 2019 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-20) Championship at the La Ville de Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport.
The win for US Virgin Islands landed their first-ever bronze medal at this age-group level to go with their silver won on home soil in 2011/2012 and also ended a run of two straight fourth-place finishes.
Raphael tallied 23 points, which also featured 15 kills, six aces and two blocks, while Ayanna Pharoah added 11 valuable points.
Nancy Louis-Marie was the lone player for Martinique in double-figures with 12 points, while captain Sarai Bandinos and Oriane Fage got six points each.
For Martinique, champions on home soil in 2013, the fourth-place finish added to similar placings in 1997, 2007 and 2009 while they ended fifth last time out.