From Emmerson Campbell
in Suriname
Guyana’s female volleyball team was grounded by Suriname but the local males defeated their French counterparts in straight sets when action in the second leg of the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) served off here in Paramaribo, Suriname last night.
In front of a packed Ismay van Wilgen Sporthal, Guyana’s male outfit blocked and spiked their way to a convincing 25-19, 25-13, 25-15 victory thanks to the all round play of libero, Kumar Budhram and kills from outside hitters Yoganand Dhoray and Anthony Veerapan.
Looking a bit nervous in the first moments of the opening set, the locals had three unforced errors, gifting the French an early three-nil lead.
After settling down, the boys in neon and dark green went ahead eight-seven prompting a time out.
Following the time out, both teams traded points and were knotted at 15 apiece before a second time out.
Thanks to a 6-0 run Guyana was able to create some separation and went on to win the set punctuated by a bludgeoning spike by Daniel Ritchie.
Things took a dramatic turn for the better for Guyana in the second set. Riding the momentum they had created in the first set, the national players took control early on, jumping out to a 20-six lead, dominating their rivals for a 25-10 set victory to go ahead 2-0.
Looking more confident than ever, the team maintained control of the third set from the first moments, creating an impressive offence and looking solid defensively as well. Another convincing set win brought them to 25-18 to seal the deal.
In the female match up, Suriname was led by number Johnelle Jameson and Sigourney Kame.
The hosts jumped out to a 12-1 lead in the first set and never let up to go on to win 25-6, 25-4 and 25-14.
Volleyball action continues today at the same venue from 17:00hrs.
