Suriname beats Cayman Islands in opener

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, October 6, 2012.-  Suriname beat Cayman Islands in straight sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-13) in the opening match of the NORCECA Group E Men’s 2014 FIVB World Championship held  at Sports Centre of Clifton Hunter High School.

Kevin Sporkslede led the wining team with 18 points, including 2  blocks and 2 ace, while Clyde Fraser added 13 points.  Suriname held huge advantages in blocks (17-4) and in aces (16-6). For Cayman Islands, Martin Bodden was the best scorer with 13 points and Olney Thompson contributed 10 points, all of them attacks.

The actions in the opening set showed a much more structured Suriname than their opponents. After some unforced errors during the second set they were able to bounce back to take control of the match.

“It’s a good start for us even though we made a lot of mistakes in the beginning of the second set, but we take it one game at a time. We came here to advance to the next round which is our main motivation” said Suriname’s captain, Roberto Joval.

Olney Thompson, Cayman’s captain and most experienced player indicated: “We did a good job, I know we have a stronger squad and we were able to bring it together in the second set. After this loss our team is hungry, we just need more confidence and we should do much better.”

Jerry Slijngard, winning coach said to be pleased to be in the tournament.  “We didn’t know the strength of Cayman Islands and I admit I was positively surprised; it was a good match for both teams. Suriname players are very young with a lot of potential and this is their first championship of this kind, so I believe they will grow along with the tournament.”

With a positive attitude, Keith Higgins, Cayman’s Coach said: “Based on our seeding, Suriname was expected to win but I believe they were surprised how well we did based on our performance in the second set when we really had a chance to win. You will see a different team for the next match; we have the talent to win a medal”