Jamaicans in need of support for next round

KINGSTON, Jamaica, July 31, 2017 - Ricardo Chong, head coach of Jamaica’s team, said they will need major support to prepare for Round Three competition in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Championship Qualifiers.

Jamaica advanced after finishing runners-up in the 2017 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Women’s Championship, which also served as Round Two FIVB Worlds qualifying.

They were roundly beaten 3-0 by Trinidad and Tobago in Monday night’s final at the National Indoor Sports Centre, going down 25-12, 25-16, 25-10.

“We’ve to try and analyze what went wrong today,” assessed Chong. “We know that we’re going to play teams that are maybe tougher than this one, teams that maybe on our level, so we just need to know that each player needs to be evaluated and see what they need to do in the next two months in order to be able to compete effectively in the next round.”

He added they are going to also need ‘a lot of support’.

“First of all we need a gym to train in, one which has a court like what we’re going to play on, under the conditions we’re going to play, the nutrition for the team, even gear, training gear, training equipment, hydration, ice, those teams are all important in making a team sport - especially like this one – better.”

Including Trinidad and Tobago, the crucial FIVB Round Three elimination will be hosted by three countries later this year, with each being a four-team tournament. The first will be staged in Canada from September 26-30; Trinidad and Tobago will host the second from October 4-9; while the third will be held in the Dominican Republic from October 11-16.

Six teams – the top two from each group – will advance to the 2018 World Championship, which will run from September 29 to October 20.