The Cayman Islands had a rough outing as hosts of a major international volleyball tournament.
Cayman lost its first two matches in the 2014 North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation World Championship Men’s First Round Qualifier. The games took place on Saturday at the new Clifton Hunter High School Sports Centre in Frank Sound.
It all started with a 3-0 (16-25, 23-25, 13-25) loss to Suriname before a 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 25-23, 18-25, 10-15) defeat to Aruba. Cayman had one more round robin match to play, against Barbados on Sunday.
The Bajans lived up to their billing as the highest ranked team in the event by starting out 2-0. The 12th best side in the NORCECA region defeated Aruba 3-0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-14) and Suriname 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-19).
Only the top three teams advance to the second round of qualification. Regardless of their showing against Barbados, Cayman still had a slim chance to advance. The playoffs took place late Sunday with the hosts vying for third place.
Under the direction of the Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation, Cayman and the Clifton Hunter campus served as host for the first time. Local legend Olney ‘OT’ Thompson served as team captain with the hosts being represented by 12 players, including federation tournament director Fareed Hosein.