SPORT
Volleyballers Rebound to Capture Double Crowns
the knockout and the league.”
The team won the knockouts in September 2023, with the championship round culminating on the weekend of 9-10 December 2023. On the Saturday night, the Blackbirds won a riveting game against defending champions Burger King Clapham Toners’ with a scoreline of 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 at the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. The next night, the Blackbirds defeated Warrens Jaguars 13-25, 27-25, 25-15, 25-20 assuring themselves of the championship crown. With an impressive record of 14 wins and only two losses for the season, accumulating 59 unassailable points, the Blackbirds secured their well-deserved victory. Looking ahead to the next season, Coach Grace is determined to ensure better preparation, aiming to establish the team as a dominant force in volleyball. “I want us to be a dominant force in volleyball so when other teams come to compete against us, there is some type of fear in them.” Team captain Hall shares Coach Grace’s aspirations for the upcoming season, expressing her hope not only to defend their crown but to retain it. “Not only do I hope we defend our crown, but I hope we retain it,” Hall said, setting the stage for what is hoped to be another triumphant year for the UWI Blackbirds women in 2024. u
The UWI Blackbirds women are the new royalty of the women’s Division 1 volleyball after convincingly claiming the title of double crown queens.
I n a remarkable turnaround from their lacklustre 2022 season, the UWI Blackbirds soared to victory in both the Goddard Enterprises Limited volleyball knockout round and the championship final during the 2023 campaign, crowning them as the new queens of the court. Team Coach Renier Grace expressed his pride in the team’s remarkable 2023 performance highlighting their resilience and determination. He noted, “The mere fact that we lost last year, they used that as inspiration to come back this year with a fighting spirit. During the tournament, we played excellently in the knockout round. This gave the team a sense of accomplishment, and they honed the feeling from that victory to go on to win the championship.”
new players into the ranks: “Not only did we have national players join the team but some of the team members also played in Division 2 prior to the season; so, it didn’t take that much time to get up to date with Division 1 preparation. Even so, I also have to state that the pre-season preparation was quite intense, as we did not want to have a repeat of last year’s performance.” Team captain Shakera Hall echoed Grace’s sentiments, emphasising the seamless transition despite changes to the team: “This year, we had some changes to the team. While we had a transition of new players to the UWI squad, I would say that we had a seamless transition. We came together, trained hard, and diligently worked on our cohesion as a team.” She added, “This helped us to figure out what the strengths and the weaknesses are of each player, and we capitalised on the strong areas, and we worked hard to correct the weaknesses. Once we found that balance, it was smooth sailing for the team in both
He also disclosed that the team went through a restructuring process, welcoming
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