Barbados’ Under-19 Boys National Volleyball team won gold in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association’s Championship.
The recently concluded tournament was held in Jamaica, where the Barbados team defeated the Trinidad and Tobago team in the finals, after they lost to them in the preliminary rounds. They won in five sets – 20:25, 24:26, 25:21, 25:22, 15:12 – to win the championship.
The team was led by captain Kaden Hoyte, who reflected on their journey. He shared: “The experience all around was a bit nerve-racking at the start. My boys were prepared, but they are very young. To gather my troops and really get them ready for this tournament was a very long and hard battle. They have been practising for six years, and to really see my team put all that effort in and end up on top; it’s very, very good.”
The captain also spoke of the significance of an earlier loss in the preliminaries against Trinidad, which served as a crucial learning experience. “Taking a loss in the preliminaries was one, an eye-opener; and two, it was a good thing because it really helped my boys fight. They felt like, well, look, ‘Trinidad beat me, but they can’t beat me again’, and I really saw that throughout the rest of the competition,” Kaden stated.
Head coach of the junior boys team, John Stuart, who expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, said preparation for the tournament was rigorous and there were some unexpected challenges.
“Preparation was very, very good, but coming on to the week and a half before we left, we had no indoor court to practise on, so we resorted to the beach. But that did pay off,” Mr. Stuart said.
He mentioned some key players and their performances. “Isaiah [Francis], our big left-handed player playing Opposite, had a fantastic tournament. He started a bit slow, but in the semis and finals, he really came through. And of course, you have the captain, Kaden Hoyte. Honestly, all the guys that started did their job. I don’t want to single any person out because everybody that went on the court did what they were supposed to do,” Coach Stuart stated.
Best Blocker of the tournament was awarded to Nicholas Russell-Griffith, and Best Digger went to Dominic Durant. Best Outside Hitter and MVP went to Kaden Hoyte, who gave his MVP trophy to teammate Isaiah Francis, for his performance in the semi-finals and finals. Other notable players were setter Sergio Jones and Libero Zordan Thomas.
The coach also shared insights on the girls’ team, which finished third, and faced a challenging defeat. “The girls were a bit unfortunate because they should have gone to the finals. They were leading by two sets but lost from there. That was heartbreaking,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mr. Stuart revealed that the boys’ team has qualified for the NORCECA (North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) Championship, an opportunity reserved for the team that wins this tournament.