Former six-time Caribbean volleyball queens Barbados left for St Croix, United States Virgin Islands, yesterday confidently seeking to improve on their third-place finish at the 2010 edition of the Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) in Suriname.
Although the team is in transition – with four newcomers in setter Akeelah Blenman, Akilah Phillips, Abeje Carrington and libero Kandia Shorey – coach Andrew Brathwaite and new captain Thonya Joseph were upbeat about their chances in St Croix.
The no-nonsense Brathwaite, who is in charge of a CVC team for the second time, was optimistic that the training and depth of talent in the side would pay off. Joseph was equally positive that the experience of former Most Valuable Player Shari Matthews and six-footer Anicia Wood, who have played professionally, as well as veterans Avara Brown and Julia Lewis would give Barbados a good fighting chance.
“We are short of game practice although coach Brathwaite used some of the top players in the island to give us some competition, but most of the members of this team have plenty of international exposure which should give us a fighting edge,” the captain said.
Joseph, Matthews, Wood, Phillips and starting setter Afiya Taylor have all benefited from volleyball scholarships in the United States while De-Ann Smith, Nikita Wickham and Carrington are still on volleyball scholarships in that country.
While Joseph conceded they had not seen defending queens Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in action since the last tournament, she was cautious about the two teams. She said the height factor would not be a concern for Barbados since the youngsters in the Bajan squad had tremendous reach and jump.
The full team: Thonya Joseph (captain), Shari Matthews (vice-captain), Afiya Taylor, Anicia Wood, De-Ann Smith, Akeelah Blenman, Akilah Phillips, Kandia Shorey, Julia Lewis, Nikita Wickham, Abeje Carrington, Avara Brown. Coach: Andrew Brathwaite; assistant coach: Lerone Knight; manager: Shirley Hoyte-Boyce.
