T&T vball men finish tenth at Pan Am Cup

Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s volleyball team ended in the tenth spot at the 19th Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup after a five-set loss to Caribbean rivals Curacao in the ninth-spot playoff at the Poliforum 2 de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Morelos, Mexico, on Saturday.

In a clash of Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) nations, reigning champions and recent CAZOVA Final Four winners Curacao overcame T&T 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 19-25, and 15-12 in one hour and 53 minutes in their playoff clash.

The match was a roller coaster, with the teams trading control of the sets until reaching the tie-break.

Curaçao took the lead in the fifth set, and a powerful spike by Marlison Kleinmoedig put them at match point.

The Gideon Dickson-coached T&T extended the match with a back-row attack by Michael Burkett before a service error sealed the victory for Curaçao.

Both teams scored 60 points on kills, while Curaçao held advantages of 13-10 in blocks and 5-0 in serves while T&T committed fewer errors, 25 to 32.

Marlison Kleinmoedig led Curaçao with 21 points, followed by Timothy van Henneigen with 20 and Raygid Isenia with 14, while Michael Burkett led T&T with 20 points; Jahreef Miguel added 15; Marley Davidson and Ayden Austin contributed 11 each; and Janeiro Atherley added 10.

A day earlier in the ninth-to-tenth semifinals, T&T was swept aside by Guatemala 21-25, 21-25, and 25-27, while Costa Rica defeated Curacao 23-25, 25-13, 25-13, and 25-17.

Reflecting on the tournament, Dickson, who led his team to a 0-6 record in the tournament, said, “It has been a few years since we last came to a Pan American Cup, and all the teams showed a high competitive level. It was good for our region that we were here, and we hope to perform better next time.”

The USA was crowned champions after defeating Puerto Rico 22-25, 25-16, 25-23, and 25-19 on Sunday to finish with a 6-1 record and captured their sixth gold medal, ending a 14-year wait since their last title in 2012.

Canada, the lone team to beat the USA, bounced back from its semifinal loss to defeat Mexico (28-26, 25-18, 20-25, and 25-23) and win its second consecutive bronze medal.

In the other playoff matches, the Dominican Republic closed out the tournament with another five-set victory over Cuba, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 26-28, and 18-16 to finish in fifth place, while Guatemala finished seventh after defeating Costa Rica 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, and 25-22.