The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: Jamaican teams win at Caribbean Volleyball Championships

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)

Jamaica's two nationals sides clinched wins to keep their hopes of a place in the quarter-finals alive at the Caribbean Volleyball Championships yesterday. The men endured a gruelling five-setter to prevail over the United States Virgin Islands 22-25, 25-19, 32-34, 25-21, 15-9, and the women resisted a brave Bahamas 25-18, 25-23, 25-17.

Women's defending champions Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) cruised to their second straight victory and confirmed their billing as title favourites, when they crushed Martinique 25-16, 25-16, 25-20

The Jamaican women, who were on the losing end of a gruelling five-setter to hosts Barbados less than 24 hours earlier, took the lead in Group C after turning back The Bahamas.

Possible victory

They moved on five points, one more than Barbados, who can win the group with a victory over United States Virgin Islands in their final preliminary round match today.

After comfortably claiming the first set at 18, they were on the verge of easily winning the second until their opponents came within close at 23-24. Laval Sands, however, sent her serve long handing the set to the Jamaicans.

This story line continued in the third, with Bahamas captain Kelsie Johnson bringing her side close each time, only for the Jamaicans to come up with the big plays.

Veteran Georgette Crawford-Crooks second straight kill gave Jamaica some breathing room going into the second technical time-out at 16-11, and they duly closed out the match at 17.

Hands full

Earlier, the Jamaican men had their hands full before they prevailed over the United States Virgin Islands in the day's opening match in what was easily the most competitive contest of the Championships so far.

The Jamaicans played resiliently to come from a set down twice before they earned a hard-fought win over their opponents.

They took a decisive lead in the fifth and final set at 10-6 and held firm down the stretch to earn their first win of the competition, after they had been slashed by men's favourites T&T in their opening contest on Monday's opening day.

In between, the Netherlands Antilles managed to repel St Lucia 25-11, 22-25, 25-16, 25-18.