The T&T men and women pairings of Suraya Chase and Lateisha Joseph, and Marlon Phillip and Kareem Thomas made losing starts on Friday to their respective campaigns served off at Doña Callita Tourism Ranch of Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic.
Competing in a the lone pool of four teams, Pool D, the pair of Phillip and Thomas were outlasted by Martinique's David La Faivre and Brice Hardy-Dessources , 16-21, 21-15, 10-15 ahead of their second match last night versus USA-B's Jeremy Casebeer and Chaim Chalk while today then end round-robin play versus David Vargas and Carlos Escobar of El Salvador.
And in the 14-team Women's Pool A competition, Chase and Joseph were humbled by US Virgin Islands' Melanie Valenciana and Taylor Nutterfield 13-21, 12-21.
In their final match, Chase and Joseph also fell to USA's Corinne Quiggle and Falyn Fonoimoana.
The tournament, the third to be held on the island this season, and second in-a-row is dedicated to “The Reinas of the Caribbean”, the much-heralded Dominican Republic women’s volleyball team.
The Dominican Republic recently won gold at the Pan American Games in Lima and followed up by beating Olympic qualifiers, USA in the NORCECA Continental Championship final, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Earlier this month in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, T&T’s Tevin Edwards and Thomas, and Abby Blackman and Chase finished outside of the top ten in their respective categories at the Eighth Leg.
Before the two teams heading to Boca Chica, the T&T duos of Daneil Williams, and Marlon Phillip, and Rheeza Grant and Malika Davidson were joint seventh-placed finishes in Kralendijk, Bonaire.
When the season served off in Aguascalientes, Mexico in April, Williams, and Joel Theodore ended in the tenth spot, but then dropped down two spots at the second-leg in the Cayman Islands a week later.
Phillip was then paired with Daynte Stewart for the third stop on the tour which was contested in Managua, Nicaragua (May 2 to 6) and the duo had the team’s best finish so far this season, a bronze medal placing.
However, a week later in Cuba, Phillip and Stewart had a tough time at it and ended 11th after which both T&T men and women teams skipped the fifth stage in La Paz, Mexico which took place from June 6 to 10.
