Nigel Simon
nigel.simon@guardian.co.tt
T&T's top men's beach volleyball pair Daneil Williams and Daynte Stewart ended in a creditable ninth spot when the fifth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, ended yesterday.
In the ninth to the 12th semifinal, Williams and Stewart edged out El Salvadoreans Carlos Escobar and David Vargas 21-19, 21-4 while Costa Ricans Bryan Monge and Richard Smith beat Colombians, Sneider Rivas and Sebastian Denis 21-14, 21-14 to set up the ninth place clash.
Williams and Stewart then triumphed in three tough sets, 22-24, 21-19, 15-12 for ninth.
T&T's second men's team of Joel Theodore and Marlon Phillip had to settle for 17th after beating Bahamians, Jon Isaacs and Kyle Wilson 21-17, 21-7 in their consolation draw semifinal, and then Jemel Jeambatis and Edward Medina 15-21, 21-15, 15-12.
In the women's competition, Grant and Blackman went under Colombians, Ingrid Lopez and Claudia Polo in their ninth to the 12th semifinal, 20-22, 19-21 while Angjeny Tolentino and Christine Anthony of Curacao beat St Kitts/Nevis' Shanicia Dyer and Brenda Allen-Edinborough in the other, 21-17, 21-12.
The top T&T women's pair then won 23-21, 17-21, 15-7 against Dyer ad Allen-Edinborough for 11th spot.
The other T&T women's pair of La Teisha Joseph and Suraya Chase battled hard in a 17-21, 17-21 loss to El Salvadoreans, Kathya Vasquez and Fernanda Vargas in the 13th to 15th semifinal while, Natalia Giron and Estefanie Bethancourt of Guatemala beat Bianca Torres and Alexandra Rivera of Puerto Rico 21-14, 21-15 in the other.
And in their final playoff match for the 15th position, Chase and Joseph were outlasted by Torres and Rivera, in three sets.
All the teams chasing qualification for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.