Barbados defeats Suriname 3-1 to win CAZOVA Under-19

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, July 27, 2019 - Barbados defeated Suriname 3-1 on Saturday to win the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) boys' Under-19 tournament at GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport on Saturday.

Barbados exhibited power throughout the match to prevail with set scores of 25-15, 25-15, 31-29, 25-19 and win their third title in the sixth edition of the competition after victories in 2007 and 2013.

The other winners were Curacao in 2010, the United States Virgin Islands in 2012 and Jamaica in 2015.

Barbados sprayed their opponents with powerhouse serves and spikes throughout the match as Suriname found no answer to the assault. They also nullified the Suriname attack with effective blocks.

Barbados' coach Elwyn Oxley believes teamwork was what carried him to victory in the week-long tournament.

Oxley said, "the thing that worked for us, was teamwork. I always told them to respect one another no matter what they did. I see teammates from other teams that made mistake and other players were upset with them but I told my guys that if a player makes a mistake, somebody must have his back and lift him up and go again. This is a family and that is what brought us through to win this championship.

"I am happy for these youngsters because they worked really hard and put in a lot of work. It wasn't easy getting here because everything is a cost, but they found ways. They did car washes and did all kind of things to raise money to come here. So for that alone and the effort that they put in to be here and coming and winning I am so happy for them," Oxley said.

Earlier in the day, Jamaica defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 with set scores of 19-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-14 to win third place.