T&T’s Daneil Williams and David Thomas Jr of Toco Sporting Academy captured the men’s Open title in the Grenada Volleyball Association (GVA) Battle Royal Beach Volleyball Tournament sponsored by Coyaba Beach Resort Grenada at Grand Anse Beach on Sunday (February 9).
This, after the T&T combination exacted revenge on hometown duo Isaac Nelson and Darron Oxford in straight sets.
Competing in the final of the eight-team tournament, the pair of Williams, a member of the T&T national indoor and beach volleyball teams, and Thomas, a former T&T coach and current FIVB instructor to Grenada, outplayed Grenada’s Darron Oxford and Isaac Nelson 21-14, 21-19.
In the semifinals, Williams and Thomas Jr got past Javin Noel and Jonell Phillip 21-8, 21-14.
Earlier on in their Group A four-team round-robin series, Thomas and Williams defeated Shevon Gluud and Javiel St Paul 21-17, 21-15, and Daniel Justin and Christon Sealey 21-9, 21-11 but were upstaged by Oxford and Nelson 21-13, 15-21, 14-15 to end in the runner-up with a 2-1 record while the latter were group winners at 3-0.
In the women’s Open competition, T&T’s Adaila Badoe and Ebony Williams secured the bronze medal, while their countrywomen Tiffany Chapman and Patrice Paul ended winless and fifth.
When the tournament served off with pool play, Badoe and Williams went under to host pairing Rennisha Stafford and Thornia Mitchell 21-19, 7-21, 12-15 in their opener, but rebounded to beat countrywomen Tiffany Chapman and Patrice Paul 21-16, 21-4 in their second match.
Badoe and Williams then suffered further losses against hometown players, Xenia Collins and Makayla Mason 20-21, 21-10, 9-15, and Teasia Jones and Sienna Dominique 16-21, 8-21 to end with a 1-3 record.
Chapman and Paul ended in the cellar spot after they were beaten in their other encounters, by Collins and Mason 21-0, 16-21, 11-15; Jones and Dominique 9-21, 8-21 and Stafford and Mitchell 7-21, 12-21.
In the women’s semifinals, Badoe and Williams came up short against Stafford and Mitchell 8-21, 11-21 before they rebounded in the third-place playoff by taking revenge on the duo of Collins and Mason 21-18, 21-15 to secure the bronze medal. Stafford and Mitchell won the final over compatriots Jones and Dominique. Among the other sponsors was Carib Beer Grenada.
