According to Jackie Cowan, president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVa), the senior national women’s team’s triumph at the recently concluded 18th staging of the CAZOVA Caribbean Championship could serve as a catalyst for the growth of the sport in the island.

Playing at the Anthony Nesty Sport Hall in Paramaribo, Suriname, the Jamaicans came from behind to defeat defending champions Trinidad and Tobago in a five-set thriller (25-21, 13-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13) in the grand finale to crown themselves champions for the first time.

The Jamaicans won the event unbeaten, and it was their second-straight triumph over Trinidad and Tobago. The Jamaicans were also competing in the final for the fifth time.

“What we are hoping now is that people really will understand that it is more than just football, track and field, and netball. There are other sports and we going use it and see if we can improve our development, especially at the high school and primary school levels,” Cowan told the Jamaica Observer.

“You already have primary schools and high school competitions and so forth, but we need to be able to transition some of these children now into our Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 competitions so that they can transition into seniors,” she said.

The Jamaicans were the first to draw blood, winning the first set, but Trinidad and Tobago went into a 2-1 lead by claiming the second and third sets. The Jamaicans kept their cool in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.

With momentum on their side, the Jamaicans defeated the eight-time champions in the fifth set.

Outside hitter Mychael Vernon led Jamaica with 26 points (15 on attacks, two on blocks, and three on serves), and her colleague, opposite and team Captain Sashalee Thomas, scored 11 points on attacks and three on blocks for a total of 15 points.

Vernon was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) as she had an average 19.5 points during the tournament. Vernon was also the Best Receiver and Outside Hitter of the tournament. Her teammates Keshan Livingston was handed the award for Best Setter, while Thomas received Best Opposite Player and Anesia Edwards Second Best Middle Blocker.

“Words can’t explain the feeling,” the president said.

“We went through so much to get to the tournament. It is very difficult to get to Suriname and expensive, and up to two weeks prior to the tournament, we didn’t even know if we would be able to go even though the teams were training.

“So the fact that we were able to find the funds to be able to go and overcame the challenges to actually win the tournament, beating Trinidad and Tobago who has beaten us so many times, was amazing. We have gone to the finals so many times with them and so it was an emotional time with everybody, to know that we got to that point and was able to overcome and actually come out as the champions,” Cowan said.

While the senior men’s team finished fifth in its competition, which was won by host nation Suriname, Cowan stated that the team’s performance was still commendable given the difficult circumstances.

“The male team came fifth and I thought their performance was good. Like I said, considering what went on, we were playing against teams who were really even during COVID still able to play and train. We were locked down for two years and we knew it would be difficult, but they still actually did well. They didn’t disgrace themselves or the country either,” Cowan said.

Cowan said that the women’s team will now be focusing on the Pan American Cup which takes place next year.

“Obviously, we would have improved our ranking and so hopefully we will be able to participate in that. And then in the Continental Championship, all of the different winners in the zones in NORCECA [North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation] will come together and that will be in 2025.

“So that will be for the women, but we are hoping to see if we can do some other competitions in between that with countries within the zones, just so that we can get the practice,” she ended.