Jamaica’s national Under-17 volleyball teams endured a challenging outing at the inaugural Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U17 Championships, finishing fourth in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions. The four-day tournament was held at the G.C. Foster College in St Catherine.
Despite high hopes as host nation, both teams closed the campaign winless, unable to capitalize on home-court advantage in what was the first regional competition for many of the young players.
The U17 boys opened with a 3-0 loss to Suriname on Thursday, followed by a 3-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago and a 3-0 loss to Barbados. In Sunday’s bronze-medal match, they had a shot at redemption but were swept again by Suriname in straight sets (25-17, 25-23, 25-19).
On the girls’ side, Jamaica struggled to find momentum throughout the tournament. They were beaten 3-0 in all four of their matches, suffering defeats to Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Barbados in the preliminary round, before falling again to Trinidad in the bronze-medal match. After a dominant 25-9 and 25-7 showing in the first two sets, the Jamaicans offered some resistance in the third but still went down 25-23.
Barbados captured the boys’ title with a commanding 3-0 win over Trinidad, while Suriname clinched the girls’ crown after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Barbados.
President of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JAVA), Jacqueline Cowan, acknowledged the disappointing results but emphasized that inexperience was a key factor in the teams’ performance. She revealed plans to establish a local U17 league to give young athletes more competitive exposure.
“This was a learning curve for our players,” added Organizing Committee Chairperson Lance Cowan. “With more match time and development opportunities, we believe these youngsters have great potential.”
Despite falling short of a podium finish, JAVA praised the players’ efforts and the successful hosting of the tournament, which is set to be staged every two years, with the next edition scheduled for 2027.
