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Suriname rolls into CAZOVA final
PARIMARIBO, Suriname, August 13 – On the verge of having to
play another set, Suriname reeled off the last four points to
defeat Barbados 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 and advance final of the
Men’s CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association)
Championships here tonight at the Ismay Van Wilgen Sporthal.
Two-time defending champions Trinidad and Tobago will oppose
Bahamas in the last match of the round-robin stage tomorrow
morning, and the winner will have to come back in the night
session to face the hosts for the gold medal in the 17th edition
of the tournament.
However the final session will begin with ten-time champions
Barbados attempting the secure the bronze for the second
straight year against the loser of the morning match.
After winning the first two sets of the second game of tonight’s
double header, Suriname threatened to turn the third into a
procession when they won the first four points.
But then they lost six straight thanks to a combination of their
errors and brilliance from the visitors and it turned into the
one of the most topsy-turvy sets of the tournament.
Suriname then won four of the next five points, but then lost
five straight to trail 12-8 as the Barbadians, who had had
clawed their way back from two sets down to beat Haiti in the
morning session, threatened to extend the match again.
However the hosts were back on level terms by the time their
opponents had reached 15, and the teams then battled
neck-and-neck until they faltered again and found themselves two
points from a fourth set at 21-23.
The brilliant side of the often-erratic Suriname outfit then
came to surface in the nick of time as they did not lose another
point and saved vital energy for the final.
Gino Naarden and Zefano Breinburg led the way for the hosts with
13 points, two more than their most prolific scorer Keven
Sporklede. But the leading scorer in the 90-minute affair was
Barbadian Kyle Browne – who had scored a tournament-high 33 the
night before against T&T – with 14.
Barbados were inconvenienced by the loss of their setter to
injury in their epic five-set upset of T&T the night before, and
Suriname coach Sergio Valdes acknowledged that their task would
have been tougher had Alain London been able to play.
His team’s only defeat was inflicted by T&T this morning and the
Cuban stated that “I like my chances” if they would get the
opportunity for revenge tomorrow night.
Captain Casey Foe A Man, who is nursing a knee injury, stated:
“I want to lead my team to our first title, but we have to enjoy
the game and not think about the victory before the final point
like tonight.”
Barbados captain Shawn Simpson said that he was “very proud of
my players”, especially since it was a challenge getting venues
to train over the last three weeks because of preparation for
Carnival on the island.
And coach Andrew Culpepper also congratulated Suriname and
admitted that his team really missed the injured London. |
