DEFENDING champions Jamaica went down 0-3 to Suriname in the Boys’ Under-19 match at the 2019 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Championships played at G C Foster College Gymnasium in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Monday night.

The Jamaicans, winners of the Boys’ Under-19 competition in 2017, lost the best-of-five sets 16-25, 20-25, and 20-25.

Jamaica’s coach Steve Davis admitted that the players are lacking experience.

“The players might have played at their respective high schools but at this level it is different, so they are in need of more competition,” Davis said.

He identified areas such as serves and attacks, which he believes the players need to improve on, and also that they need to be mentally strong and avoid giving away cheap points to an experienced team like Suriname.

“We are looking forward to winning our next match, in order to stay in contention for a place in the final involving the top two teams from the preliminary rounds,” he added.

He noted that Suriname displayed a level of maturity and experience to defeat the Jamaicans, but he was hopeful that the team would win yesterday’s encounter against the US Virgin Islands to stay in contention for a place in the final. At press time yesterday, Jamaica led that encounter 2-0.

Getrouw Verdy, coach of Suriname, said he was about 50 per cent pleased with the performance of his team, as they still need to improve their game.

He said the players needed to improve mainly on their blocks.

“Jamaica played much better in the third set as, being down 2-0 in the five sets encounter, they would have to go all out to win — that’s why they gave us a good challenge,” Verdy said.

The Suriname coach added that he was looking for the players to win their next game to make it to the final, but he would be taking each game one at a time.

In other games played yesterday, Guadeloupe defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 in girls’ action, 24-26, 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-13. Suriname then stopped US Virgin Islands 3-1, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-17, while in the boys’ Under-18 category, Suriname blanked Trinidad and Tobago 3-0, 25-19, 25-15, 25-15.

Today’s Matches

10:00 am – Barbados vs Suriname (Boys)

12:30 pm – Trinidad vs US Virgin Islands (Boys)

3:00 pm – Barbados vs Trinidad (Girls)

5:30 pm – Jamaica vs Suriname (Girls)