New kings will be crowned when the finals of the Cooperators General Insurance Senior Volleyball Knockout finals are staged next Wednesday.
That is because jaggernauts RBTT Deacons were stopped stone cold by Division 1 neophytes O-Aces in five gripping sets, 25-20, 13-25, 25-21, 17-25, 18-16, on Wednesday night at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
Following their dismissal of Sunpower Foundation United, O-Aces have now established themselves as opponents to be taken seriously.
Unfortunately, Deacons, who were missing Elwyn Oxley, realised the potency of the Free Hill team much too late.
After losing the opening set, Deacons never appeared bothered and when veteran Andrew Culpepper entered the game in the second set, he was merely pursuing a goal to reprimand his friend and former teammate Donovan Husbands who was setting on the other side of the net.
Husbands unveiled weapons of royal destruction in the high-flying Darren Franklyn and the unrelated Seales – Dave and Shawn – as O-Aces played all of the right cards against a shabby looking Deacons unit.
Jamal Nedd cracked three successive kills in the second set to suggest that Deacons were going to assert their authority. Unfortunately, while Deacons responded with some positive attacks, their net defence was as holey as Swiss cheese.
O-Aces played free of the psychological shackles which Division 1 teams have endured for the past 20 years when playing Deacons, and the new boys began to capture the attention and respect of the large crowd in the Gym.
Deacons tried many combinations in an effort to avoid the ignominy of losing to the eighth-ranked team, and in the fifth set they rushed to a 6-3 lead, evoking cries of the “same old, same old story” from their camp. However, O-Aces created panic for Deacons’ supporters as they erased the deficit and took the lead (9-6) before trailing again, 9-11.
Deacons advanced to 13-11 before O-Aces, buoyed by the setting craft of Husbands and the attack of Franklyn, the Seales and Jamal Branch, kept their nerve as they finally took the set at 18-16, to set up a semi-finals battle with Chargers next Monday.
The other semi will see Progressive being challenged by Cawmere, who made a big ordeal over their clash with Friendly Hall before triumphing 22-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-20, 15-11.
Wendell Beckles and Fabian Bartlett starred for Cawmere, who had attracted the vengeful eye of Friendly Hall after snaring Friendly Hall’s setter Rory Goddard during the off-season.