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Lefty Shawn Simpson hitting through the blocks of the Foundation United players.

Cawmere survive marathon match to win

In a battle which saw the momentum swing both ways multiple times, it was Cawmere who managed to close out the fifth and final set to secure the victory when the Goddard Enterprises Limited Senior Knockout Volleyball tournament continued.

Playing the Barbados Volleyball Association’s tournament at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium on Sunday, Cawmere with three of the better-known hitters (Mark Lewis, Shawn Simpson and Akeem Payne), started off by winning the first points of the match and then went on to lead 16-12.

However then they started to take themselves out of the game by serving the ball into the net and not giving themselves a chance to win the point. Foundation United took over the lead late in the set moving from 16-12 to a 18-20 lead.

The blockers of Foundation were good most of the game when the ball was going to the left-handed Simpson who was finding a way through the blocks.

But the defence of Foundation was the deciding factor in the first set as they edged out Cawmere 28-26 with a block to secure the point.

The second set went similarly to the first set with it being close all the way and the blockers of Foundation sending a message once again of stern rejection.

However this time Cawmere managed to pull away from 22-22 to win the second set 25-23.

It was as though Cawmere went to sleep in the third set as Foundation jumped out to a 8-2 lead before they woke up and wiped out the advantage. However the fight back may have been aided because Foundation main setter Ajani Layne was on the bench.

Cawmere fight back was complete as they won the set 25-23 to go up 2-1 on sets.

Fighting to keep the game alive Foundation’s coach finally reinserted Layne in the fourth set and they led 14-5 as once again Cawmere seemingly fell asleep in yet another set.

Despite trying to fight back once again it was not to be as Foundation forced a fifth and final set with a 25-19 fourth set victory.

In the fifth set it was the Simpson show as he started out in front court and was part of a block that won his team the first two points.

The setter, knowing the importance of the game and with Lewis off the court, was going to Simpson on the outside.

Simpson did not disappoint with a delicate touch over the blockers for the point.

Lewis returned to the court as the libero and he and Simpson were briefly in the front court together which helped Cawmere pull out to a 9-5 lead.

Simpson never left the court during this set and was hitting form both sides of the court. On one occasion the setter, during one long rally, went to him three consecutive times as Simpson kept up his consistent hitting.

The marathon match, which lasted two hours and 23 minutes, finally ended with a 15-11 victory to Cawmere who won the match 3-2m 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11.

In the other men’s game Deacons only took an hour and 14 minutes to defeat All Stars 25-18, 25-16, 25-19.

 

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