2 weeks ago
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JAMAICA’S U17 boys and girls’ teams finished fourth at the inaugural Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U17 Championships held at the G.C. Foster College over the weekend.
Barbados took the boys’ title when they defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in straight sets, while Suriname took the girls’ title with a tense 3-2 victory over Barbados.
Entering the competition as host nation, Jamaica held high expectations for the age-group competition but were disappointed, as the teams closed out the competition without a win.
The U17 boys started the competition on Thursday with a 3-0 loss to Suriname.
They followed that performance with consecutive defeats to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, losing 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.
With a shot at redemption in Sunday’s bronze-medal match, the Jamaicans were humbled again, brushed aside 3-0 by Suriname.
The Surinamese took the first set 25-17, before barely squeezing a 25-23 win in the second.
Suriname would take the final set and the bronze medal, 25-19, to close out the competition.
It was a similar story for the girls, who went through the tournament without winning a set.
They kicked off their run with a 3-0 defeat to Trinidad, before suffering identical losses at the hands of Suriname and Barbados.
In the bronze-medal match, they came up against Trinidad and Tobago, who handed them their fourth 3-0 defeat.
The Trinidadians wasted little time, taking the first set 25-9 before showing even more dominance in the second with a 25-7 result.
The Jamaicans enjoyed more success in the third set, but it was not enough as they were routed 25-23 to end their campaign.
The CAZOVA U17 Championships seeks to provide a path to development for players in the region.
The competition is set to be held on a two-year cycle, with the next staging slated for 2027.
English (US) ·