T&T’s Jahreef Miguel and Jerome Morrison finished in eighth spot at the NORCECA Under-21 Beach Volleyball Championships, the official qualification tournaments on the road to the 2025 FIVB Age-Group World Championships, which ended in the Dominican Republic on Sunday (July 6).
Facing off with Nicaraguans Justin Barrios and Deyner Lopez in the playoff for the seventh spot, Miguel and Morrison were second best in a 16-21, 6-21 loss in 29 minutes.
Earlier in the fifth-to-eighth semifinal, Miguel and Morrison were beaten by another Central American pair of Rafael Vargas and Fernando Ortiz Ponce of El Salvador 17-21, 17-21 in 39 minutes, while St Kitts/Nevis’s Julian Bristol and Jedediah Puncheon battled past Barrios and Lopez 15-21, 22-20, 15-11 in 49 minutes.
When the tournament served off on Friday, Morrison and Miguel were beaten in their opening Pool C match by Costa Ricans Julian Araya and Esteban Gonzalez 21-23, 7-21 in 36 minutes, while Guatemalans Fredy Luna and Jose Guevara came from behind to beat Cayman Islands’ Stephen Watson and Dylan Lynee 14-21, 21-17, 15-9.
However, in their second match on court, the duo had much better fortune and prevailed against Watson and Lynee 21-19, 21-16 in 39 minutes, while Araya and Gonzalez won for the second straight match, 21-15, 21-12 over Luna and Guevara.
On Saturday, Miguel and Morrison defeated Luna and Guevara 21-18, 21-11 in 34 minutes, while Araya and Gonzalez overwhelmed Watson and Lynee 21-9, 21-12 as the T&T men finished second in the pool with a 2-1 record, behind the Costa Ricans.
In the quarterfinals, Miguel and Morrison fell to the USA’s Malachi Brewington and Titus Lance 22-24, 7-21 in 35 minutes, while Barrios and Lopez were beaten by the Dominican Republic’s Melvin De Jesus and Ramon De Jesus 21-18, 19-21, 15-13; Araya and Gonzalez dumped Bristol and Puncheon 21-16, 21-11; and Canada’s Louis Charbonneau and Henry Heider stopped Vargas and Ponce 21-13, 22-20, 15-13.
Brewington and Lance claimed the gold medal, defeating Araya and González 21-14, 21-14 in the final, while the bronze medal went to De Jesús and De Jesús, who beat Charbonneau and Heider 21-18, 21-12.
The final berth to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship 2025 was secured by Vargas and Ortíz, who won a thrilling three-set battle against Bristol and Pencheon 21-17, 18-21, 15-10.
The five men’s teams qualified for the FIVB World Championship are the USA, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and El Salvador.
In the women’s draw, the T&T duo of Sarah Mohammed and Jenissa Morrison were beaten in their three Pool C matches to end the tournament in the 15th spot.
Firstly, Mohammed and Morrison were swept aside 4-21, 4-21 by Guatemalans Danna Aguilar and Naomi Monney, and then by Barbadians Destiny Layne and Sierra Rayside 11-21, 17-21 before a 4-21, 2-21 loss to Nicaraguans Yuliana Chavez and Ella Resau.
In the 13th to 16th spot semifinal, Mohammed and Morrison were again beaten by US Virgin Islands, Brooking Donovan and D’Keisha Jordan, 16-21, 16-21.
Americans Zoey Henson and Sarah Wood claimed the gold medal via their win over Puerto Rico’s Miabella Musignac and Alanis Nieves, 21-13, 21-11.
The bronze went to Canada’s Ofure Odigie and Ruby Sorra, who beat Laura Molina and Sofía Vega of Costa Rica in straight sets 21-15, 21-18.
The fifth and final ticket to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship 2025 was secured by Aguilar and Monney, who overcame Chávez and Resau 24-22, 21-16.
The five women’s teams qualified for the World Championship are the USA, Costa Rica, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala.
The FIVB Under-21 World Championship will be held in Puebla, Mexico, from October 15-19.
In the Under-18 championship which served off at the same venue in Juan Dolio yesterday, the T&T teams of Darion Sparks and Josie Cedeno (Under-18 boys) and Mohammed and Morrison (Under-18 girls) lost their matches yesterday.
Sparks and Cedeno were defeated by the Cayman Islands’ Dylan Lynee and William Duty 22-24, 13-21 in 42 minutes and will meet Guatemalans Fredy Luna and Robin Olivia in a must-win pool match today from 10.20 am.
Luna and Oliva also won, 21-17, 12-21, 15-7, over Lynee and Duty in their lone match.
Mohammed and Morrison were also humbled in their Pool B opener by El Salvadorans Fatima Rendon and Devora Medina 3-21, 8-21, as well as Puerto Ricans Itzamar Martinez and Yamila Gonzalez 7-21, 9-21, ahead of their final pool match versus Costa Ricans Mariana Jimenez and Luciana Soto.
At the end of the tournament, the top four teams per gender in each event will earn direct qualification to the main draw of the FIVB U-18 World Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from October 7-11.
