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A relatively inexperienced Trinidad and Tobago senior women’s volleyball team will have little time to acclimatise to conditions as they go into action today in the Senior NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship at the “Professor Ricardo Gioriber Arias” Volleyball Palace from 1 pm.
The “Calypso Spikers” who left T&T yesterday in batches of three will have to do without a training session together as a group as they take on eight-time tournament winners USA in their Group A opener of the eight-team competition which is also doubling as the Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament for Los Angeles 2028.
The two other teams in the group, Canada and Mexico, will clash in the second match from 3.30 pm before Group B follows with a double-header from 6 pm with Puerto Rico facing 13-time winners Cuba before host and reigning three-time champions Dominican Republic and Costa Rica close out the night’s schedule from 8.30 pm.
T&T will next face Canada on Saturday from 1 pm, and Mexico, from 3.30 pm on Sunday to close out pool play.
However, for T&T coach Gideon Dickson, the T&T team will feature a new core of players, mainly from the Under-23 programme, compared to the team he led to an eighth spot finish at the recently held Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games at the same venue with a 0-5 record with only the trio of Rayquelle Dickson, Thia Wilson and Ximara Phillip retaining their places.
T&T other members of the women’s team include Raynique Dickson, Jazara Cumberbatch, Sarah Smith, Andie-Marie Melville, Sadie Torkar, Jomela Ward, Jada Crawford, Ezrah Herbert, and Deyonce Legall.
This after the trio of Desiree Donald, L’fe Roberts and Ruth St Louis returned to the USA-based universities while Malika Davidson and Afiesha Olton-Humphries are out due to injury and the quartet of Kiune Fletcher, Jalicia Ross-Kydd, Makila York and Renele Forde are unavailable due to prior commitments.
At the end of the group round-robin stage, the top team in each group will qualify automatically to the semifinals while the second and third place teams will meet in cross-over quarterfinals to determine the two other teams to the semifinals. The fourth-placed teams in each pool will meet the losers of the quarterfinals in the fifth-to-eighth semifinals.
In addition to the continental title, three berths to the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship will be at stake. The championship will also determine the teams that will continue on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
The top four teams in the final standings, excluding the United States as host country of the Olympic Games, will advance to the NORCECA Continental Qualifier, to be held at the same venue on August 28-29, with one Olympic berth at stake.
The USA has already qualified for the Olympic Games as the host nation of Los Angeles 2028.
Three years ago in Quebec City, Canada, Dominican Republic upset USA for the gold medal, 12-25, 25-21,19-25, 25-19, 15-13, for their fourth title and third consecutive.
T&T women’s team
Rayquelle Dickson, Raynique Dickson, Jaara Cumberbatch, Sarah Smith, Andie-Marie Melville, Sadie Torkar, Jomela Ward, Ximara Phillip, Jada Crawford, Ezrah Herbert, Thia Wilson, Deyonce Legall.
Technical staff: Gideon Dickson (coach), Saleem Ali (assistant coach), Courtnee-Mae Clifford (assistant coach), Maxine Stafford (manager)
Tournament preliminary round schedule
Today (August 21)
USA vs T&T, 1 pm
Canada vs Mexico, 3.30 pm
Puerto Rico vs Cuba, 6 pm
Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica, 8.30 pm
Tomorrow (August 22)
Canada vs T&T, 1 pm
Puerto Rico vs Costa Rica, 3.30 pm
USA vs Mexico, 6 pm
Dominican Republic vs Cuba, 8.30 pm
Sunday, August 23
Cuba vs Costa Rica, 1 pm
Mexico vs T&T, 3.30 pm
USA vs Canada, 6 pm
Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico, 8.30 pm
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