The teams that will battle for the 2024 CAZOVA Zonal Under-19 Men’s and Women’s Championships were decided in the semifinals of the tournament at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town on Friday.

Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados will do battle for the men’s crown after convincing semifinal straight set victories over the US Virgin Islands and Jamaica, respectively.

Despite finishing in three sets, the match between T&T and USVI was about as competitive as you can get.

Trinidad & Tobago won the first set 25-23 before taking the next two 25-21 and 25-22, respectively.

The match between Jamaica and Barbados was competitive for two of the three sets. Barbados won the first 25-20 before winning the second 25-21. The third set was the least competitive, with the Bajans winning 25-13.

On the women’s side, hosts Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago made it to the final after five set wins over USVI and Barbados, respectively.

Jamaica won the first set 25-20 before USVI levelled proceedings with a 25-19 second set win.

Jamaica were back to their dominant best with a 25-15 third set victory before, once again, USVI showed grit and determination to tie things up a 2-2 with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.

The fifth set was also close, with the hosts eventually winning 15-10.

Trinidad & Tobago showed grit and determination of their own in different circumstances. They played an excellent first two sets, winning them 25-21 and 25-16 to go 2-0 up. Barbados battled back, however, with a 25-23 win in the third set and 25-22 win in the fourth to set up a deciding fifth.

In the end, only two points separated them with T&T winning the final set 15-13 to secure a spot in the final.

The finals are scheduled for Monday, August 5.

The remaining semifinalists were decided as action continued in the Men’s and Women’s CAZOVA Under-19 Zonal Championships at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica on Wednesday.

The men’s side saw hosts Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago automatically book spots in the semifinals after winning their respective preliminary groups on Monday while on the women’s side, the US Virgin Islands and Barbados advanced to the final four as group winners.

On Wednesday, Barbados secured their spot in the final four of the men’s tournament with a comfortable 3-0 win over Aruba in their quarterfinal clash.

The Bajans dominated throughout the match, holding the Arubans to less than ten points in two of the three sets. The final score was 25-9, 25-11 and 25-8.

They will play Jamaica in the semifinals on Friday.

The US Virgin Islands will play Trinidad and Tobago in the other semifinal after securing their spot with a straight set win over the Cayman Islands. USVI won the sets 25-14, 25-21 and 25-21.

On the women’s side, hosts Jamaica secured a date with the US Virgin Islands in the last four on Friday with a straight set win over Aruba in the quarters.

In a dominant display, the Jamaicans held Aruba under ten points in each of the three sets. They won the first 25-7 before winning the next two 25-8 and 25-5.

The other semifinal will be contested between Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago after the latter defeated Curacao in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

The first two sets were hotly contested before the Trinidadians rallied to dominate the third set and secure the win.

They won the first set 25-19 before Curacao showed an improved effort in the second, eventually losing 22-25 before T&T won the third 25-14.

Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago both booked spots in the last four of the 2024 CAZOVA U19 Boys Zonal Championship with wins over the US Virgin Islands and Barbados, respectively, on Monday at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

The hosts came from behind twice to secure a 3-2 win over USVI and secure top spot in Pool A and a spot in the semi-finals.

USVI took the first set 25-23 before Jamaica levelled proceedings with a 25-22 victory in the second set.

A close third set saw USVI win 26-24 to take a 2-1 lead before Jamaica roared back once again with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.

The hosts then took the fifth set 15-11. USVI will also advance to the semis after finishing second Pool A.

Trinidad & Tobago had an easier time of it than the Jamaicans, defeating Barbados 3-1 to top Pool B.

T&T won the first set 25-22 before Barbados tied things up with a 26-24 second set win. Trinidad & Tobago then won the next two sets 26-24 and 25-22 to secure their spot in the final four. Barbados and the Cayman Islands will determine who joins them in the semis from Pool B in the last preliminary round match.

In the CAZOVA U19 Girls Zonal Championship, the US Virgin Islands booked a spot in the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Curacao on Monday.

They won the sets 25-12, 25-10 and 25-12 to top Group B ahead of Curacao and Aruba who will face off to determine the other semifinalist from the group.

Barbados defeated hosts Jamaica on Sunday to book their spot in the semifinals from Group A.

The Bajans recovered from a 23-25 first set loss to win the next three sets 25-23, 25-17 and 25-21 and book their spot in the semis.

Jamaica, who were playing their first game in the tournament, will face Trinidad & Tobago to see who will join Barbados in the semis.

Barbados defeated T&T 3-1 to open the tournament on Saturday.

In the opening round of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Under-19 Boys and Girls Championships in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the Barbadian women’s team and the Jamaican men’s team secured victories on Saturday. Trinidad and Tobago's Under-19 women's volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Barbados, while hosts Jamaica's men blanked Aruba 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 in their opening match.

The six-time champions, T&T, struggled to find their rhythm early on in their first match of the preliminary rounds in Pool 'A' at the GC Foster College. The Barbadian team capitalized on this, taking the first set 25-17.

In the second set, T&T seemed to regain their footing, building a promising 13-8 lead. However, the Bajans demonstrated resilience, leveling the scores at 13-apiece and then surging ahead to win the set 25-21, thus securing a 2-0 lead in the match.

Determined to stay in the game, T&T mounted a comeback in the third set, winning 25-16 and reviving their hopes of turning the match around. This spirited performance extended the match to a fourth set. However, Barbados delivered a commanding performance in the fourth set, sealing their victory with a 25-13 win.

With this loss, T&T's path to the semifinals now hinges on their next match against host nation Jamaica. A victory is crucial for T&T to advance in the tournament.

Adding to the excitement of the opening round, Jamaica's men’s team delivered a strong performance against Aruba, winning their match in straight sets with scores of 25-21, 25-22, and 25-20. This victory set a positive tone for the host nation in the championships.

In other action on Saturday, the lone boys' match featured host Jamaica facing Curacao, adding to the competitive spirit of the championships. The wins for Barbados Women and Jamaica's Men have set the stage for an exciting tournament ahead.

Jamaica has been named as the hosts of the 2024 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U19 Boys and Girls Championships. The highly anticipated tournament is scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 5, 2024, and will unfold at the prestigious G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

The confirmation of Jamaica as the host country and the specified dates came through a letter from CAZOVA President Mushtaque Mohammed, as revealed by the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) in a press release on Thursday.

This marks a significant milestone for Jamaica as it marks the first international volleyball event to be hosted since the onset of the global pandemic.

Jamaica has a rich history of hosting successful volleyball events, having previously organized the CAZOVA U18 Girls and U19 Boys Championships in 2019 at the G.C. Foster College. The Senior Women’s CAZOVA Championship took place in 2017 at the National Indoor Sports Centre, while the CAZOVA U19 Boys Championship in 2015, held at G.C. Foster, saw Jamaica emerging as champions, securing the nation's first-ever international volleyball title at any level.

The Caribbean island has also been a host for high-profile beach volleyball events, including the Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualification in 2015 and 2016, as well as the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournaments in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

With the hosting rights secured, Jamaica has wasted no time in preparing its teams for the upcoming championships. Over the weekend, more than 100 student-athletes participated in tryouts at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport. The participants included athletes currently engaged in the ISSA National U19 Volleyball Championships, showcasing the depth of talent and dedication within the Jamaican volleyball community.