By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas men’s national volleyball team not only beat regional powerhouse Barbados for the first time, but they also dethroned Trinidad & Tobago to win their first ever Senior Central Volleyball Championships in the US Virgin Islands over the weekend.

The Bahamas stunned former 10-time champions Barbados in five gruelling sets 24-26, 26-24, 25-17, 15-25 and 15-12 on Saturday to win Group A and secured their berth in the final.

On Sunday, the Bahamas again had to go the distance before prevailing with a 25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 20-25 and 15-13 decision over Trinidad & Tobago, who won Group B.

Prince Wilson was the best scorer in the championship game with a total of 23 points. While Wilson had 27 spikes, Renaldo Knowles trailed with 16. Byron Ferguson and Endierich Rahming had six and four blocks respectively, while Knowles and Wilson had two and one serve each. Jamaal Ferguson had six digs and Tony Simon added four. Simon also had 38 sets.

By virtue of winning the 14th version of the tournament for the first time, the Bahamas has qualified for NORCECA Championships that will be held later this year in the Dominican Republic where the Bahamas will have an opportunity to qualify for the World Championships.

“It was awesome,” was how Joseph ‘Joe Mo’ Smith, the head of the Bahamian delegation, summed up the team’s performance in an interview with The Tribune yesterday. “We probably should have defeated them in three, but we had a little mental lapse in the third set.

“As the champions, they fed off that opening that we gave them and they fought back and won the third and fourth sets. But we just had to keep our composure together. We were probably a little fatigued because the night before, we played Barbados to five sets too. The fellows just got together. They said they had a mission and they were going for the gold and we came together and achieved that goal.”

In the process, Byron Ferguson was selected as the best blocker and Prince Wilson was the best spiker, best server and won the most valuable player award.

“We should have carried all of the rest of the awards,” said Smith, who noted that the two players deserved all that they got.

Shawn Simpson of Barbados won the best scorer award with Wilson finishing fourth and Ferguson ninth. Renaldo Knowles was tied for 12th. While Wilson won the best spiker award, Knowles was seventh and Endierich Rahming got the same position in the best blockers, won by Ferguson.

In the best servers category won by Wilson, Knowles ended up fourth. While Ryan Mahadeo from Trinidad & Tobago took the best diggers award, Jamaal Ferguson was third. Ferguson came closer in the best liberos at number two behind Mahadeo. In the best receivers, won by Yoann Breleur of Martinique, Ferguson was third, Wilson seventh and Knowles 10th.

Javari Southard was also 10th in the best setters, won by Ali Saleem from Trinidad & Tobago.

Ferguson, speaking on behalf of his team-mates, took the spotlight off him and turned it on the team, saying the performance was a long time coming.

“Over the years, we have been trying to get over the hump against Barbados and we finally did,” he said. “Then we went on to take on Trinidad & Tobago, the defending champions and once we got by Barbados, we were confident that we could win the title.

“We knew that we had the best offensive players, but we played better defense this year. We were more together and we went out there and did what we had to do. We now have to get ready for the Dominican Republic. They beat us the last time we played them. So once we play like we did in the US Virgin Islands, we don’t see why we can’t win in the Dominican Republic too.”

Wilson, the team captain, didn’t take any credit either, saying it was a total team effort, considering the fact that they were missing one of their better players in Shadrack Forbes, who was unable to travel, along with head coach Raymond Wilson (his father) because of work commitments.

“We had players like Romel (Lightbourn) and myself who managed to step in and fill the void that Shadrack left,” Wilson said. “We just went out there and played a total team effort and it all paid off for us. We really wanted to win the title and we played that way.”

As a team, the Bahamas, coached by DeVince Smith and Lloyd Davis, was second behind Trinidad & Tobago in the best spikers, best blockers and best servers. The Bahamas was also fifth in the best diggers, sixth in best setters and second in the best receivers behind Martinique.

Four of the players left the team in the US Virgin Islands to return home for work. The remainder of the team will be on hand to cheer on the women’s national team that is scheduled to leave town today. They will begin competition on Tuesday. Once they are done, Smith said everybody will return home on either July 30 or 31, hopefully with a medal feat from the women as well.

With the men having set the pace, Smith said the expectations have now soared for the women to follow suit.

“I didn’t put much pressure on them because I know the men’s team is much more poised than them,” Smith stated. “I think they could medal. I think they should medal. If the medal comes fine. But we need to stay focused and play for it. They have the talent to do it.”

Smith, who will be assisted by DeVince Smith in coaching the women, said both teams are still going through their rebuilding stages, but their performances will show exactly how far they are. He said he’s looking forward to the women performing exceptionally well this week.