Champions Freekz Customz Chargers women and Chargers men will be defending their titles when the Cooperators General Insurance volleyball knockout finals are staged at the Wildey Gymnasium today from 6 p.m.
Chargers women, who will be going after their 13th title and fourth in succession, qualified for the battle against the unbeaten Brydens Rockets when they won a five-set semi-final thriller against TeleBarbados Sentry Insurance Brokers Deacons on Friday.
Chargers’ men will clash with Deacons in a bid to win their second knockout crown after defeating Cawmere in four sets in the semis.
In spite of not being fully recovered from a back injury, St Lucian Dania Hamilton suited up for the first time for the season to lead Chargers to a 25-15, 25-11, 19-25, 24-26, 15-9 victory over the hot-and-cold Deacons.
Great counter-attack from Fabia Greaves and the underrated Shakera Doughlin saved Deacons from a straight-sets blowout.
However, the support of Chargers’ veteran Sharon Bovell, Thonya Joseph and Avara Brown complimented the great plays from setter Afyia Taylor as Deacons’ six-footers Julia Lewis and Annette Chapman self-destructed in the crucial fifth set.
Rockets advanced to their third successive finals against Chargers with setter Andrea Flores consistently “dealing” Shari Matthews and Anicia Wood to deny challenges from Anthazia Mason and Rheann Niles in reaching scores of 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19.
In the preliminaries the Rockets had pounded a Hamilton-free Chargers in straight sets.
Deacons’ men, who are gunning for their 17th knockout title, had easily dismissed Chargers in the preliminaries.
With a cadre of young talent in Kyle Brown, Klode Thompson, Sheldon Roach, Daran Gill and Jammal Nedd, Deacons rolled over Progressive 25-19, 25-23, 25-18.
Chargers, with the return of Jamaican Mark Lewis and Damien Danzell, went an extra set against Cawmere but still triumphed 27-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-17, with Caribbean Best Scorer Shawn Simpson threatening to pressure the defending champions.
Both Lewis and Hamilton will be the X factors for Chargers if they hope to absorb and counter the expected pressure from Deacons and the Rockets in tonight’s finals. (KB)
