Caribbean Invitational Volleyball League 2012




  • Port of Spain, Trinidad - The University of T&T (UTT) women’s team served off the defence of its Caribbean Invitational Volleyball League title with an entertaining five set win over main rivals Glamorgan in the final match on the first day of competition at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo.


    Led by Germany-based national captain Krystle Esdelle (Club Schweriner) and Poland-based duo Sinead Jack (AZS Bialystock) and Channon Thompson (AZS Bialystock), the UTT women took the encounter 25-23, 29-31, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12 in two hours, 37 minutes .


    As the result would show, the outcome was no walkover for UTT as Glamorgan which featured Åmerican pair, Andrea Justine Landi and Jessica Yanz along with Christine Anthony :flower: (Curacao), Lecia Brown (Jamaica) and Shari Matthews (Barbados) showed enough quality to pull off the upset but could not complete the job against a well polished unit.


    Earlier in the day, Technocrats led by France-based national spiker Kelly-Anne Billingy and the overseas trio of Kamille Dwyer (Jamaica), Cherine Richards (Jamaica) and Janice Valies (Suriname) outgunned the Rachael Walters-captained Defence Force and its trio of international’s Carla Rudea (Peru), Mannika Charles (USVI) and Nakini Thompson (Suriname) 25-23, 25-15, 25-7 in one hour, 21 minutes.



    In the men’s Open, both Glamorgan and Technocrats battled to five-sets victories over BIG South East Port-of-Spain and Defence Force respectively.


    First up, Glamorgan men led by national setter, Saleem Ali and boosted by the inclusion of Dellan Brown (Jamiaca), Byron Ferguson (Bahamas), Jamaal Ferguson (Bahamas) and Shedrick Forbes (Bahamas) outlasted SEPoS 25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 28-30, 15-13 in two hours, 14 minutes.


    The SEPoS line-up led by national captain Nolan Tash and three other T&T national players on in roster also featured Barbadians, Fabien Cox and Allian London as well as Jamaica’s Mark Lewis.


    Technocrats with T&T’s lone men’s professional player, Marc-Anthony Honore in its ranks along with his national team-mates Sean Morrison, Simon Blake, Kevin Nimrod and Ryan Mahadeo, Jamaican pair of Ricardo Chong and Delford Morgan as well as Barbadian, Dale Addison edged past a determined Defence Force 25-16, 25-27, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9 in two hours, 16 minutes.


    Among the guest players for Defence Force which is captained by Christian Francois are Bahamian trio Ronaldo Knowles, Tony Simon and Prince Wilson.



    The tournament which forms part of the T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) 50th anniversary celebrations is being hosted by the local body with the support of the Federation International Volleyball (FIVB) and the Government of T&T.


    At the end of today’s round-robin series, the top team will face the fourth placed team and the second and third placed clubs will meet in semifinals ahead of Sunday’s third place and finals. The winners will collect, US$5,000 each.


    Caribbean Invitational Volleyball League results:


    Women:
    Technocrats bt Defence Force 25-23, 25-15, 25-7
    UTT vs Glamorgan 25-23, 29-31, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12.


    Men:
    Glamorgan bt BIG SEPoS 25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 28-30, 15-13
    Technocrats bt Defence Force 25-16, 25-27, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9.




  • Port of Spain, Trinidad - Glamorgan women secured a spot in today’s final of the Caribbean Invitational Volleyball League with a straight sets win over Technocrats at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo.


    Competing in the first women’s semifinal, Glamorgan stormed to a 25-14, 25-19, 25-12 victory to set up a meeting with the winner of last night’s other semifinal between defending champion, UTT and Defence Force.


    The win for Glamorgan over Technocrats was the second in as many days after a 25-22, 25-13, 25-21 victory in their final round pool match to finish with 12 points, one behind defending champions, the University of T&T.


    UTT was also fancied to get past Defence Force in the other semifinal last night after securing a 25-23, 25-19, 25-13 win over an injury depleted same Defence Force squad in their final pool encounter on Friday night for a perfect 3-0 record. Already down 1-0 in the best-of-five sets match, Defence Force’s had to do without US Virgin Islands’ Mannika Charles for the remainder of the contest after she dislocated a finger on her left hand. Despite the injury, the resilient Charles, one of three overseas players in the Defence Force squad was still expected to feature last night when both teams faced off in the semifinals.



    Technocrats fightback stuns SEPOS


    Technocrats showed its national championship qualities when it clawed its way back from two sets down in its best-of-five sets and saved four match points in the fifth set to beat BIG South East Port-of-Spain, 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-15, 20-18] in the first men’s semifinal.


    Technocrats, which avenged a straight sets round robin loss with the heartbreaking triumph now face the winner of last night’s other semifinal between Glamorgan and Defence Force in today’s final from 6pm.


    Technocrats rebounded from its straight set loss to BIG SEPoS with a five set thriller win over Glamorgan, 25-19, 25-23, 19-25, 24-26, 15-13 to finish with a 2-1 record.


    However, while Glamorgan (ten points) and SEPoS (ten points) also had identical records with Technocrats both clubs were ahead based on the competition’s new scoring system. The new point-system awards five points for a 3-0 win; four points for a 3-1 win; three points for a 3-2 win; two for 2-3 loss and one points for a 1-3 sets loss.


    In the end, Glamorgan had a better points won to points lost ratio than SEPoS off 1.08 to 1.02 after they both finished with an 8-5 records in sets won to sets lost.


    The winners of today’s finals will collect US$5,000 each while there are also individual awards prizes on offer as well as the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player” accolade.


    Final round robin standings:


    Men


    Teams P W L Sets won Sets lost Pts


    Glamorgan 3 2 1 8 5 10


    BIG SEPos 3 2 1 8 5 10


    Technocrats 3 2 1 6 7 6


    Defence Force 3 0 3 4 9 4



    Women:


    UTT 3 3 0 9 2 13


    Glamorgan 3 2 1 8 3 12


    Technocrats 3 1 2 3 6 5


    Defence Force 3 0 3 0 9 0




  • Port of Spain, Trinidad - Germany-based Krystle Esdelle was voted as the "Most Valuable Player" of the tournament after she led the University of T&T from thr brink of defeat to an unlikely successful defence of their title with a pulsating come-from-behind five-set win over Glamorgan in the Caribbean Invitational Volleyball League women's final at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo on Sunday night.


    Watched by a very packed house at the Mucurapo venue, Glamorgan looked set to avenge a round-robin five-set loss to its bitter rival, when it took the first two closely fought sets, 29-27, 25-23 led by the power of Barbadian Shari Matthews, American duo, Jessica Yanz and Andrea Landi as well as Jamiacan Lecia Brown and and T&T's Jalicia Ross.


    It all seemed to be over for UTT when Glamorgan took command of the third set as well and enjoyed a 18-14 cushion but led by Poland-based Channon Thomspon, Esdelle, Delana Mitchell and the blocking of Sinead Jack, Abigail Gloud and Renele Forde, the defending champions managed to get back into the contest by eking out a 25-23 third set win to trail 2-1 in the best-of-five sets match.


    Both teams continue to trade points in the fourth set early before Glamoragn took charge and climbed to within one point of the title at 24-21, however the Macsood Ali-coached club wilted under the pressure with Landi being the main culprit and eventually surrendered the set to UTT at 26-24 to set up a fifth and deciding set to the delight of the crowd.


    Just as the previous four sets, the fifth also proved as entertaing with UTT overcoming two match points at 14-12 before stealing the title at 17-15 and with it the US$5,000 winners' cheque.


    On the other side of the net, the Glamorgan players were expectedly distraught too the point, that libero Rechez Lindsay, who was involved in a vehicular accident earlier in the day but still played in the match was brought to tears, along with team-mate Ross.


    Lindsay's display during the tournament did not go un-noticed though as she copped both the "Best Libero" and "Best Digger" awards.


    On Saturday night in the semifinals, UTT swept past Defence Force 25-15, 25-18, 25-8 while Glamorgan stopped Technocrats 25-14, 25-19, 25-12 in the other. Technocrats got some redemption on Sunday, as it ended third after beating Defence Force 25-22, 25-17, 25-17.



    Glamorgan men outlasts Technocrats


    Glmaorgan men were also taken to five sets by national champions Technocrats before securing a 26-24, 28-30, 18-25, 31-29, 16-14 inspired by the athleticsm of guest player Germany's Sebastian Haehner, the men's tournament "Most Valubale Player" award winner and libero Jamaal Ferguson of Bahamas.


    On Saturday in the semifinals, Glamorgan battled past Defence Force 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25 in the semifinal while Technocrats showed its national championship qualities when it clawed its way back from two sets down and saved four match points in the fifth set to beat BIG South East Port-of-Spain, 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-15, 20-18].


    SEPoS overcame the disappointment of its semifinal let down by sweeping past Defence Force 25-22, 25-13, 25-23 for third



    Final standings:


    Women:


    1. UTT


    2. Glamorgan


    3. Technocrats


    4. Defence Force



    Men:


    1. Glamorgan


    2. Technocrats


    3. BIG SEPoS


    4. Defence Force




    Individual awards:



    Women:


    Best Scorer: Krystle Esdelle (UTT)


    Best Spiker: Krystle Esdelle (UTT)


    Best Blocker: Lecia Brown (Glamorgan)


    Best Server: Andrea Landi (Glamorgan)


    Best Setter: Jessica Yanz (Glamorgan)


    Best Receiver: Andrea Landi (Glamorgan)


    Best Digger: Rechez Lindsay (Glamorgan)


    Best Libero: Rechez Lindsay (Glamorgan)


    Most Valuable Player: Krystle Esdelle (UTT)




    Men:


    Best Scorer: Nolan Tash (BIG SEPoS)


    Best Spiker: Simon Blake (Technocrats)


    Best Blocker: Marc-Anthony Honore (Technocrats)


    Best Server: Simon Blake (Technocrats)


    Best Setter: Dale Addison (Technocrats)


    Best Receiver: Sebastian Haehner (Glamorgan)


    Best Digger: Jamaal Ferguson (Glamorgan)


    Best Libero: Jamaal Ferguson (Glamorgan)


    Most Valuable Player: Sebastian Haehner (Glamorgan)