Ayana Dyette and Malika Davidson enjoyed a successful debut as new partners by taking a bold step towards qualfying for the Pan American Games Beach Volleyball Tournament in Canada by topping the first two of the five-part qualifiers hosted by the T&T Volleyball Federation Beach Commission on the weekend.
Dyette who up to last month partnered Nancy Joseph on the local and Norceca and Davidson, who previously teamed up with Chelsea Ward combined for a 4-0 record over the two days of qualifiers at Saith Park, Chaguanas on the weekend.
On Saturday, Dyette and Davidson outlasted Elki Phillip and Shenelle Gordon 21-15, 18-21, 15-7 and La Teisha Joseph and Apphia Glasgow 21-14, 21-12.
Phillip and Gordon took second spot by beating Joseph and Glasgow, 22-20, 21-15 for a 1-1 mark.
A day later, Dyette and Davidson outplayed Phillip and Gordon 21-15, 23-21 and followed up by beating Joseph and Glasgow 21-11, 21-14. And in the other match, Phillip and Gordon again defeated Joseph and Glasgow 21-13, 13-21, 15-6 for second spot.
Following the two days of competition, Dyette and Davidson lead the standings with 11 points, five more than Phillip and Gordon, while Joseph and Glasgow have one point.
Following the completion of the five qualifying tournaments, the top team will earn the lone ticket to the Pan Americans Games in Canada, as well as future NORCECA Beach Tour legs for the 2015 season.
Last month, Joseph and Glasgow were surprise winners of the first five qualifying tournaments to determine T&T's lone representative at next month's NORCECA Beach Circuit 2015 tour opener in Cayman Islands from April 22-28, as well as one of two berths on the Olympic qualifying team, along with runners-up Phillip and Gordon.
...Williams, Whitfield continue to boss men
While the women's qualifiers seems to conjure up a new winner for each week, the Toco-born duo of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield continued to make the men's series their own, by registering a sixth straight tournament win, without dropping a set.
Williams and Whitfield, regulars on the NORCECA tour and historic bronze medal winners as well three years ago, swept aside Christian Francois and Simon Blake, 21-12, 21-18 and then added victories against Kareem Thomas and
Tevin Edwards 21-17, 21-15; Tevin Joseph and Josiah Eccles 21-16, 21-16, and Brandon Legall and Marlon Phillip, 21-11, 21-8.
Francois and Blake, who have also competed on the NORCECA tour in the past ended second on Saturday by coming out on top in their other matches with Thomas/Edwards 21-15, 21-5; Joseph/Eccles 21-14, 21-15 and Legall/Phillip 21-17, 21-19.
Joseph and Eccles, who were second overall in the first phase of qualification which ended earlier this month to earn a spot on the Olympic qualifying team had to settle for third with a 2-2 record after beating Legall/Phillip 21-17, 21-23, 15-13; and Thomas and Edwards, 8-21, 23-21, 15-10.
And in the battle to avoid cellar-spot, Thomas and Edwards (1-3) overcame the debutants, Legall and Phillip, 18-21, 21-18, 16-14.
Whitfield and Williams returned to the venue on Sunday and again showed they were a class above the rest by easing past Francois/Blake 21-19, 21-18; Kareem Thomas/Edwards 21-16, 21-16; Joseph/Eccles 21-15, 21-18, and David Thomas and Phillip, 21-11, 21-11.
Francois and Blake again grabbed second by stopping Kareem Thomas/Edwards 21-15, 21-14; Joseph/Eccles 21-19, 19-21, 15-8 and David Thomas/Phillip 21-17, 21-16.
The pair of veteran David Thomas and Phillip were third after battling past Eccles/Joseph 19-21, 21-19, 18-16, and Kareem Thomas/Edwards 21-19, 21-19.
And Eccles/Joseph spanked Kareem Thomas/Edwards 21-7, 21-7 in the clash of winless teams.
