Oxley, Alexander fire Barbados to within sight of beaver-trick 

RIVIERE-SALEE, Martinique, December 12, 2019: Akeel Oxley and Odie Alexander combined for 23 points to lead three-time reigning champions and five-time winners Barbados to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-8, 25-22) triumph over Guadeloupe in their Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-21) Men Championship semifinal at the La Ville Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport.

In addition to team captain Oxley’s 12 points and Alexander’s 11, Barbados, previous champions in the inaugural competition in 1997 followed by 2005, 2013, 2015 and the last time it was held in 2017/18 also got meaningful contributions from Nathan Crawford-Wallis with seven, and Raje Alleyne and Devonte Coppin four each, and four from Dimtri Holder in the match which lasted  70 minutes.

The pre-tournament favourites,  Barbados was a dominant force throughout and outscored their rivals 34-15 on kills, 8-5 on blocks and 6-4 on service aces to reach a fourth straight final

However, the Barbadians were guilty of committing more errors than their opponents, 28 to 27.

On the opposite side of the net, Guadeloupe got seven points each from Lucas Vadimon, and Damien Leveille while Alexandre Lancelot chipped in with five in the losing effort.

Oxley speaking after leading his team to a showdown with Cuaraco for the gold medal on Friday night said he was happy for the win but noted that his team was guilty of too many errors.

Isaac Valetudie, captain of Guadeloupe said his team did not play their best game and in the third-placed match, they will be going all out for the win.

 Coach Gayetann Broussillon added, “I am a little disappointed in our play in the first and third set because we were so close but made many errors.

Coach John Stuart added, “We had a good game but we made too many errors in terms of bad service and misplaced passes, but in the end, we are happy to be in the final.