Latest update November 5th, 2024 1:00 AM
National coach confident as volleyballers prepare for Inter-Guiana Games
By Michael Benjamin
Guyana’s male and female U-19 volleyball team leave Guyana next Wednesday for French Guiana, to participate in the Tri-nation, Inter-Guiana Games Volleyball Championships, scheduled to get underway from November 28-30 and team manager, Trevor Smith is confident that they will return with the championships.
The males will be defending the title they won last year in Guyana while the females, who also contested for championship honours last year, will attempt to reverse their fortunes after placing 3rd.
The team is currently encamped at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue and Smith feels that this augurs well for cohesiveness. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport last Friday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), where the teams were engaged in practice sessions, Smith intimated that they have been preparing for the championships since early January. As such, he has had enough time to experiment with various strategies. Smith further noted that the team has gelled into a single unit component, a vital variable in their bid to success. He feels that the current squad is better prepared than previous ones.
The team manager singled out several of the male players he feels can turn the tide in Guyana’s favour. They are Trisan Bacchus, an attacker, Satish Seenauth, a setter, Richard Samaroo, a defence player as well as Tavel Gibson and Kerwyn Richards, both attackers.
On the distaff side, he noted that attackers Iambi Jones, Tiffany Whittington, and Odessa Martin are the key forces towards the team’s success while setter, Keisha Austin, is a viable addition to the team. The female players were also present at practice sessions but opted for light exercises and technical strategies. However, they will oppose a formidable team during this evening’s training sessions.
The male team is also undergoing practice sessions at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH). Last Friday evening they received valuable opposition from the Young Achievers (YA) of Goed Fortuin who they engaged in a 5 set encounter. The YA, rated as the country’s top team, came out on top 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 15-13 and 15-13.
Smith explained that the Goed Fortuin team holds the distinction of being the best in the country and only last year was hosts to Suriname in a club tournament that they won. He said that a large percentage of the national squad is drawn from the Goed Fortuin team, thus heightening Guyana’s chances in Cayenne.
The manager also said that even though the national squad lost to the West Bank Demerara team, the closeness of the final result is indicative of the huge strides the national team has made since their encampment.
Randy Adams is appointed as the female coach with Lennox Rowe as his assistant. Levi Nedd manages the male team with assistance from Dexter Hoppie.
The entire women’s team is: Iambi Jones, Ronette Adams, Odessa Martin, Michelle Subrattie, Dinelle Joseph, Keisha Austin, LaToya Lewis, Renuka Seepersaud, Tiffany Whittington, Leana Miller, Sheanna Faria and Roxanne Rigby.
Males: Dwayne Bagot, Kerwyn Richards, Tavel Gibson, Satish Seenauth, Jamal Duncan, Richard Samaroo, Jared Jhingree, Shemroy Ross, Quacy Matheson, Rashad Razak, Nandlall Ramdhan and Trisan Bacchus.
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