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Trinidadians chase
record seventh U-20 CAZOVA title
SAINT LUCE,
Martinique, July 13, 2013 – Trinidad & Tobago, coached by
long-serving Macsood “Macki” Ali, will start as favourites for a
record seventh title on the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball
Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-20) Women’s Championship
crown when the ninth edition serves off on Sunday.
It will be the
first time that Martinique will be hosting a CAZOVA tournament
since the 2003 edition of the Under-20 tournament in which T&T
won the women's title. However on Sunday's opening day of
matches in the five-team competition, the six-time winners T&T,
will not be in action as it has the off day.
Instead, two-time
runner Barbados will serve off the tournament against 2009
champions Guadeloupe from 5.30 pm followed by host Martinique,
hoping to improve its best ever showing of third spot back in
2003 on home soil facing last year’s runner-up US Virgin Islands
at the Hall des Sports, Saint Luce.
The Netherlands
Antilles was the only other country to have won the Under-20
Women’s Championship in 1999.
The five
participating will first play a round-robin tournament at the
end of which the top four teams will advance to the semifinals,
with first meeting fourth and second facing third for a right to
play the gold medal and bronze medal matches.
At the end of the
tournament the winner will qualify for the NORCECA Continental
Under-20 Championship to be hosted by the USA later this year.
Last year in St
Croix, US Virgin Islands, T&T led by tournament “Most Valuable
Player” Channon Thompson, won a record sixth crown and fifth in
six tournaments.
However, Thompson
along with team captain, Samantha Prescott and a few others are
no longer part of the team which is now led by newly appointed
captain Zahra Collins.
Despite their
absence the Ali-coached squad will be hoping for a repeat of its
showing on the French-speaking Island in 2003 when it won its
second straight Junior Women’s crown and third in four outings.
Collins is no
stranger to success as she was part of the T&T Under-16 team
which also lifted its CAZOVA divisional title last year in St
Croix and is one of nine members of either the Under-16 or
Under-18 team which were victorious at last year’s tournaments,
in this current squad.
Speaking yesterday,
the 16-year-old Collins said the team’s arrival in Martinique on
Friday everything has been going according to plan.
“We were the first
overseas team to arrive for the tournament which allowed us the
chance to get an early use of the practice facilities which was
good for us,” Collins said.
With regards to the
team’s chances of securing a record seventh title at this level,
all under the guidance of the Coach Ali, Collins said the team
was very confident of doing well even though they had little
knowledge on the host and Guadeloupe teams.
“We have seen US
Virgin Islands and Barbados before and know what to expect
whereas we don’t have much information on Martinique and
Guadeloupe because they did not compete at the last edition in
US Virgin Islands and don’t know what to expect,” she added.
“Despite that we
have prepared very well under our coaches and we have come to
this tournament very confident that we can retain our title,”
ended Collins.
Coach Ali echoed
the views of Collins saying that the confidence level of the
team is very high.
“They (T&T players)
know exactly what they are here for and it’s now all down to
staying focus on the job at hand and executing our plans, match
by match.
Ali added, “Like
Collins said, we don’t know much about the French speaking teams
but we expect all teams to be very competitive and come hard at
us because we are the defending champions.
Ronald Regna, First
Vice-President of the Martinique Volleyball Federation first
noted it was ten years now that Martinique will be hosting its
first CAZOVA Championship Tournament and it will be a challenge
to welcome the ninth edition even though its only five
countries.
“We are on school
holidays and it will be an opportunity for us to have a lot of
people to come and follow the competition because sometimes
people don’t know how the sport is played and we are trying to
raise the level.
“Overall it is an
honour for Martinique to welcome the participating teams to the
competition and we hope that what we do as an organization will
meet all the requirements of CAZOVA.
Mushtaque Mohammed,
president of CAZOVA expressed his delight with the return of
Martinique to competition in the confederation at the junior
level and hopes it continues on a regular basis.
With regards to the
facilities, Mohammed said it was a small one, but was very
satisfied that it met the requirements and playing standards of
CAZOVA.
Mohammed, also the
Vice-President of NORCECA reminded all the members of the
Control Committee and local federation that it was important to
make sure and put the athletes first.
“We need to make
sure and think about the athletes first in terms of security on
the court, and provide a very comfortable playing environment,”
stated Mohammed.
Tournament
participating teams: Martinique, T&T, Barbados, US Virgin
Islands, Guadeloupe
Schedule:
Sunday July 14;
Guadeloupe v
Barbados, 5.30pm
Martinique v US
Virgin Islands, 7.30pm
Monday July 15:
Guadeloupe v US
Virgin Islands, 5pm
Martinique v T&T,
7pm
Tuesday July 16:
T&T v Guadeloupe,
5pm
US Virgin Islands v
Barbados, 7pm
Wednesday July 17:
Barbados v T&T, 5pm
Martinique v
Guadeloupe, 7pm
Thursday July 18:
T&T v US Virgin
Islands, 5pm
Martinique v
Barbados, 7pm
Friday July 19:
Semifinals:
1st v 4th,
5pm
2nd v 3rd,
7pm
Saturday July 20:
Third place match,
5.30pm
Gold medal match,
7.30pm
CAZOVA U-20 Past Podiums
Host Year Gold Silver Bronze
Barbados
1997 TRI BAR JAM
Jamaica
1999 AHO BAR JAM
Suriname
2001 TRI AHO BAH
Martinique
2003 TRI AHO MQE
Trinidad
2005 TRI BAH JAM
US V. Islands
2007 TRI AHO SUR
Guadeloupe
2009 GPE TRI BAH
US V. Islands
2011 TRI ISV CUR |
