Winning the Goddard Enterprises Limited senior knockouts titles on Sunday had no currency when the new queens UWI Blackbirds and seven-time kings Chargers continued their league campaign on Wednesday night at the Wildey Gymnasium.
Both knockout winners toppled to defeats with Chargers suffering the ignominy of a loss to the unfancied All Stars 29-27, 18-25, 22-25, 17-25.
The Blackbirds won one set less than in the first round when they were again shot down by Chargers women 25-23, 28-26, 24-26, 25-21.
The losing men’s knockouts finalists Deacons then went down to Progressive 30-32, 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 12-15 to create more drama in the race for the men’s title.
Leaders Cawmere had slipped to their first loss on Monday, thanks to a resurging Progressive.
Therefore, Progressive and All Stars created more confusion with the latest results.
Cawmere, with games in hand against Deacons and Chargers, have 32 points. Both Deacons and Progressive have 23 points, with Deacons having three unplayed matches to Progressive’s two.
Chargers are now out of the running after losing three games, putting them on 16 points with four matches to play.
Cawmere will have to lose their two remaining games badly to miss out on their first senior volleyball title.
With Deacons’ key man, Kyle Browne, struggling with a leg injury, young guns Akeel Oxley, Ahkeem Mayers, Ashe Oxley and Akeel Williams seemed to be adequate power to repel Progressive.
However, veteran Fabian Cox, along with Chioke Holder, Rico Brathwaite and setter Jerome Stuart, pushed back with attacks and net defence to stun Deacons.
Brathwaite, who has been outstanding all season in spite of carrying a heavily bandaged and painful left hand, transferred that agony to Deacons via his smoking right hand.
He also added insult to injury with his taunts, rattling Deacons’ youngsters and derailing them from a possible league title.
Chargers women repeated their first round victory over the Blackbirds, beating them 25-23, 28-26, 24-26, 25-21. That carried Chargers to a 5/5 record while the Blackbirds fluttered to a 2/6 performance.
Burger King Clapham Toners may have burnt their hopes of taking the women’s title after suffering a straight sets loss to Phoenix Security Services Carlton 21-25, 21-25, 22-25. With key player Ashley Jordan carrying an injury, Toners tumbled to their second loss by blowing 16-11 leads in the first two sets.
Â
