Defending champions Flow Sentry Brokers Deacons scored a five-set win over Warrens Jaguars after tottering on the brink of another defeat when the Barbados Volleyball Association’s Goddard Enterprises Limited senior knockout tournament continued at the Wildey Gym on Wednesday night.
Deacons came back from two sets down to defeat Warrens, 21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-18, 15-8. National players Julia Lewis and De-Ann Smith showed the form for Deacons that was missing at the Caribbean Volleyball Championship in Trinidad & Tobago earlier this month, while former Caribbean MVP Anthazia Mason displayed the attack for Warrens that had carried Barbados in the past.
After former Deacons’ six-footer Annette Chapman led the way in the first set for Warrens, Lewis and Smith responded while Chapman barely flickered as they played a horrible counter game. Coach Adrian Harewood struggled to find support for Mason as he repeatedly substituted Chapman in and out with little success.
With each team taking one set, Deacons seemed to be on the ropes with Stacey Atherley and J’Damilia Edwards adding some fire to Mason’s lone blaze.
However, after moving to 9-3 and muffing an easy kill with both setter Sophia Walcott and Rhonda Walcott, two of the shortest players on court, jumping and missing an over-pass Warrens did not score again until had Deacons had leapt to 10.
Trailing 14-19, Warrens found some gas to get to 17-19, and forcing Deacons to call a time-out. Deacons then moved to 22-17 until Mason exploded to lock the scores at 23 all and then Warrens seized the advantage, which Deacons evened out by claiming the fourth set as coach Harewood once again struggled to find support for Mason.
Warrens’ surrender was obvious in the deciding set as Deacons switched sides with an 8-1 advantage, and it was only over-confident errors by Deacons which allowed Warrens to move from 4-14 to 8-14. That end was formalized when Chapman served away to hand her former team the see-saw contest.
The night’s other match saw the unbeaten Brydens Rockets easily blowing away Toners, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21, with the Rockets putting on the small guns in the third set. (KB)
