Suriname outlasts T&T in five-sets in gold medal prelude

MALONEY, AROUCA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, JULY 12, 2025: Suriname and host Trinidad and Tobago provided the spectators with a glimpse of what to expect in the final of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Under-23 Men’s Championship hosted by the T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena on Sunday from 6 pm.

Both teams already qualified for the final, went back-and-forth in a five-setter to determine the round-robin pool winners, with the visitors just coming out on top 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11.

With both technical staff opting to rest key players ahead of the more important gold medal match to come a day later, it was left up to the bench players to grab the spot-light and that they did with the Carlos Orta-coached Suriname grabbing a 2-0 lead in sets in the best-of-five contest.

However, spurred on by the home crowd and some powerful spiking from Jahreef Miguel, Michael Burkett and Elijah Best, Trinidad and Tobago clawed their way back into the contest by taking the next two sets, 25-20, 25-23 to extend the match to a fifth and deciding contest.

Both teams then introduced their regular starters for the start of the fifth set and Trinidad and Tobago started brightly and raced into a 6-3 lead in the decider, and nine points away from victory.

However, following a time-out by Cuban-born Suriname coach, FIVB Development Coach, Carlos Orta, Suriname then won five straight points to grab an 8-6 advantage.

Trinidad and Tobago then drew level at 9-9, but Suriname then pulled away again, winning four straight points for a 13-9 cushion before closing out the match by winning two of the next four points and bragging rights ahead of the title-match, and no doubt a confidence boosted as well.

With the win, Suriname ended with a 3-0 record and nine points at the top of the table, with Trinidad and Tobago in the second spot with a 2-1 record and eight points ahead of their meeting again today for the gold medal and the lone qualification spot to the Junior Pan American Cup next year.

The bronze medal match will feature Martinique and Guadeloupe from 12 noon.