Barbados silences Martinique for women's finals spot

RIVIERE-SALEE, Martinique, December 12, 2019 - Team captain Tenielle Chapman-Goodluck came to her team’s rescue once again in leading Barbados past host Martinique 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-21 to reach a second straight final in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior (Under-20) Women Championship.

The Barbadians, beaten finalist in 1997, 1999 and 2015, the last time the competition was held, will now come up against six-time winners Trinidad and Tobago, in the final on Friday from 6 pm.

Martinique plays for bronze versus US Virgin Islands, two hours earlier.

Barbados will be fancied for the final after they beat Trinidad and Tobago 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 at the same La Ville Riviere-Salee Palais Des Sport on Sunday in the opening women's match of the six-team competition. 

Martinique, who was seeking a repeat of their 2013 on home soil will have a chance at redemption when they face US Virgin Islands in the third-placed playoff.

Chapman-Goodluck top-scored for the Barbadians with 21 points and Narissa Dyer added 15 as they outscored Martinique 26-17 on kills, 9-7 on kills and 15-4 on service aces while committing 30 errors to Martinique’s 25.

Nancy Louis-Marie led Martinique with eight points, Moreane Boudou added seven, Oriane Fage got six, and Sarai Bandinos, five in the loss.

Reflecting on their win, Barbados coach Patrick Oxley and captain Chapman-Goodluck were both satisfied of the getting the win, despite not at their best.

Chapman-Goodluck said, “We started very slow due to the delay in the starting off the match which affected how we got into the flow of the match.

Looking ahead to the final, Chapman-Goodluck said her team is not going to believe that they will beat Trinidad and Tobago despite beating them already in the competition.

“So, we have to continue to play hard and with the same high level of energy.”

Coach Oxley added, “Our mindset was that it would be a tough match and everything that we put into practice.

“I told the girls, once we play just as we do in practice and stick to the little small things we will get through.”

“We knew to play against the host would have been a pressure situation and I explain to them that Martinique would be under more pressure playing in front of their home crowd.

With regards to the final Oxley said he will be taking it personally as in 2013 when he was the head coach of the Youth Championship team we beat Trinidad and Tobago in the preliminary round, and then in the final, they created a massive atmosphere and played well and beat us.”