Mixed results for national teams

Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Jamaica's women's volleyball team got off to a good start in the Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) in Barbados, as they defeated the United States Virgin Islands 3-1.

However, the men's team was not as lucky as they went down 1-3 to Martinique.

The women's team started out on a slow note, losing the first set 23-25, but determined to stay in contention for the top spot, they rebounded to seal the match with 25-21, 25-19 and 25-16 wins in the sets that followed.

Lynford Foreman, coach of the women's team, said they were suffering from jetlag and were not up to their optimum level. However, the team is expected to settle and provide good competition to the other teams.

True performance

"Although we won, we did not give our true performance. We did not get to our hotel rooms until after 10 in the night and had to play early this morning. This had a negative impact on the team, but we will get some more rest and improve our performance," Foreman said.

The female team, drawn in Group D, will face off against Barbados today and The Bahamas on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the male team, despite taking the first set 23-25, went down 22-25, 25-27 and 20-25.

Head coach of the Jamaica Volleyball Association and coach of the male team, David Jack, stated that the team had pretty good energy, but had to do a better job when they play the United States Virgin Islands tomorrow.

"We had a good start to the championships but we should have capitalised on the many opportunities to score. We will just have to go back to the drawing board, remain focused and get ready for our next game," Jack said.

The male team, drawn in Group B, will also play Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

The finals are scheduled for July 20, following which the 33-member delegation will return to the island on Monday, July 21.