T&T’s Jerome Morrison and Darion Sparks came up one win short of securing direct qualification to the upcoming FIVB World Championship Under-19 Beach Volleyball Tournament when they were beaten in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)/Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Qualifiers.
This after St Lucians’ Rio Jaden Victor and Peter Emmanuel of St Lucia earned the lone automatic spot when they upstaged Morrison, and Sparks via a 2-0 (21-19, 21-12) score in 43 minutes in the final at the Courland Beach Sports Facility in Black Rock, Tobago on Sunday evening.
Earlier in the semifinals, Victor and Emmanuel swept past Jedediah Pencheon, and Julian Bristol of St Kitts/Nevis 2-0 (21-15, 21-7) and Morrison, and Sparks battled past Dylan Lynee and William Duty of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-18, 21-15).
When the two-day tournament resumed on Sunday morning following Saturday’s round-robin group stage and round-of-12 playoff matches, Victor and Emmanuel defeated Grenada’s Javon Charles and Kibose Hamilton 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) in their quarterfinal while Pencheon and Bristol rallied past Jamaal Key Jr and Raphael Kemp of Bahamas 2-1 (21-10, 20-22, 15-5); Lynee and Duty topped Kalen Applewhaite and Cael Greenidge of Barbados 2-0 (23-21, 21-14), and Ange Gaspard Volckaert and Lucas Berard of Martinique humbled Morrison and Sparks (2-1) 6-21, 21-17, 15-10.
However, due to Martinique being an affiliate of France, they are not allowed to qualify for the FIVB World Championship as a regional member country, which meant that T&T was then pitted against the next highest ranked team among the losing quarterfinalists, Bahamas for a second shot at making the semifinals, which T&T won 2-0 (21-6, 21-18).
Despite losing the final and the direct ticket to the FIVB World Championship main draw in China, T&T along with third-placed finishers Pencheon and Bristol (who outlasted Lynee and Duty in their playoff 2-1 (17-21, 21-15,15-11) will still have a chance to qualify to the main draw in after securing the two spots available to the qualification draw which also takes place in China from August 27 to September 1.
On Saturday, St Lucia, T&T, Cayman Islands and St Kitts/Nevis all topped their respective round-robin pools to advance to the quarterfinals with perfect records.
Playing under overcast conditions, which was to the players liking Morrison, who participated at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games at the same venue, and Sparks overcame British Virgins Islands’ Jason Dunkley Maduro and Alexander 2-0 (21-6, 21-7), and Grenada 2-0 (21-5, 21-15) to finish with a 2-0 record in Group A while Grenada defeated British Virgin Islands 21-16, 21-1 for the runner-up spot to qualify to the last-eight
In Group B, St Lucia (LCA) also ended with a 2-0 record in group play courtesy of victories against Martinique 2-0 (215, 21-14), and Antigua and Barbuda’s 2-0 (21-6, 21-5)
Volckaert and Berard took the second spot in the pool after beating Antigua and Barbuda 2-0 (21-12, 21-6).
Group C comprised only two teams with St Kitts/Nevis beating Barbados 2-0 (22-20, 21-15) to advance to the quarterfinals while Cayman Islands won Group D after beating Bahamas 2-0 (21-16, 211-6).
In the round-of-12, Bahamas got the better of British Virgin Islands 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-12) and Barbados won 2-1 (13-21, 21-14, 17-15) against Antigua and Barbuda.
Results
Sunday:
Final: Rio Jaden Victor/Peter Emmanuel (LCA) bt Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) 2-0 (21-19, 21-12)
Third playoff: Jedediah Pencheon/Julian Bristol (SKN) bt Dylan Lynee/William Duty (CAY) 2-1 (17-21, 21-15,15-11)
Fifth playoff: Ange Gaspard Volckaert/Lucas Berard (MQE) bt Javon Charles/Kibose Hamilton (GRN) 2-0 (21-0, 21-0 Grenada forfeit)
Seventh playoff: Kalen Applewhaite/Cael Greenidge (BAR) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) 2-0 (21-0, 21-0 Bahamas forfeit)
Semifinals First - Fourth:
Rio Jaden Victor/Peter Emmanuel (LCA) bt Jedediah Pencheon/Julian Bristol (SKN) 2-0 (21-15, 21-7)
Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) bt Dylan Lynee/William Duty (CAY) 2-0 (21-18, 21-15)
Semifinals Fifth – Eighth:
Javon Charles/Kibose Hamilton (GRN) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) 2-0 (21-0, 21-0 Bahamas forfeit)
Ange Gaspard Volckaert/Lucas Berard (MQE) bt Kalen Applewhaite/Cael Greenidge (BAR) 2-0 (21-11, 21-12)
Playoffs:
Ninth:
Shamar Bannis/Miguel Lugo (ANT) bt Jason Dunkley Maduro/Alexander Wheatley (BVI) 2-0 (21-8, 21-18)
Quarterfinals:
Rio Jaden Victor/Peter Emmanuel (LCA) bt Javon Charles/Kibose Hamilton (GRN) 2-0 (21-9, 21-10)
Jedediah Pencheon/Julian Bristol (SKN) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) 2-1 (21-10, 20-22, 15-5)
Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) (2-0) 21-6, 21-18
Dylan Lynee/William Duty (CAY) bt Kalen Applewhaite/Cael Greenidge (BAR) 2-0 (23-21, 21-14)
Main Draw losers quarterfinal:
Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) 2-0 (21-6, 21-18)
Saturday:
Men:
GROUP A:
Javon Charles/Kibose Hamilton (GRN) bt Jason Dunkley Maduro/Alexander Wheatley (BVI) 2-0 (21-16, 21-1)
Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) bt Jason Dunkley Maduro/Alexander Wheatley (BVI) 2-0 (21-6, 21-7)
Jerome Morrison/Darion Sparks (TTO) bt Javon Charles/Kibose Hamilton (GRN) 2-0 (21-5, 21-15)
GROUP B:
Ange Gaspard Volckaert/Lucas Berard (MQE) bt Shamar Bannis/Miguel Lugo (ANT) 2-0 (21-12, 21-6)
Rio Jaden Victor /Peter Emmanuel (LCA) bt Ange Gaspard Volckaeart/Lucas Berard (MQE) 2-0 (215, 21-14)
Rio Jaden Victor/Peter Emmanuel (LCA) bt Shamar Bannis/Miguel Lugo (ANT) 2-0 (21-6, 21-5)
GROUP C:
Jedediah Pencheon/Julian Bristol (SKN) bt Kalen Applewhaite/Cael Greenidge (BAR) 2-0 (22-20, 21-15)
GROUP D:
Dylan Lynee/William Duty (CAY) bt Jamaal Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) 2-0 (21-16, 21-16)
Playoffs:
Round-of-12:
Kalen Applewhaite/Cael Greenidge (BAR) bt Shamar Bannis/Miguel Lugo (ANT) 2-1 (13-21, 21-14, 17-15)
Jamaael Key Jr/Raphael Kemp (BAH) bt Jason Dunkley Maduro/Alexander Wheatley (BVI) 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-12)
