by Kirk Corbin Compliments of the Nation News Published on: 11/24/06. In the classroom at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), national volleyball player Shari Matthews may be studying business administration, but on the courts she might well be majoring in history, because all she has been doing is rewriting it. The outside hitter, in her junior year, was recently selected as the 2006 NCAA Division II Daktronics Women's Volleyball Player-Of-The-Year, which is decided by votes from the division's sports information directors. < Read more >

Date February 07, 2006 by KENMORE BYNOE Compliments of the Nation News

BARBADOS LAUNCHED the FIVB Regional Development Centre at the Wildey Gym on Sunday to herald in a new and historical chapter in the volleyball sporting chronicles of this island.

In a brief ceremony which was twinned with the opening and awards presentations for the new volleyball season, the Barbados Volleyball Association's president, John Griffith, described the launching of the centre as the realisation of the dream to continue the rapid development of volleyball in Barbados and within the English-speaking Caribbean. Both Neil Murrell, deputy director of the National Sports Council, and Erskine Simmons, the general secretary of the Barbados Olympic Association, lauded the establishment of the centre which is the first in the English-speaking Caribbean, and is the 11th to be set up in the world by the governing FIVB.

Date March 15, 2006
Brief Volleyball deciders tonight
by Kenmore Bynoe Compliments of the Nation News

THE 2006 kings and queens of the Co-operators General Insurance Volleyball Knockouts will be crowned at the Wildey gym of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex tonight!

The all-important deciding games will be staged with the Ambi Toners meeting Consumer Guarantee Insurance Deacons at 6:30 p.m. in the women's division and old opponents Progressive battling defending champions, RBTT Deacons men at 8 p.m.

Deacons took both first games with the women stunning the previously unbeaten Toners in straight sets, while the men turned away Progressive in four sets. Games Two saw a remarkable turnaround in fortune as well as the score line with the Toners winning in three and Progressive triumphing in four.< Read more >

The regional Caribbean was represented by Patricia Garel, the president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, and Rupert Sorhaindo, the head of the Dominica Volleyball Association.

Sorhaindo, who was also representing Norceca as one of its executive members, promised active participation by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in taking part in the upcoming courses at the centre.

"Previously, all Norceca countries were expected to attend the centre which is in the Dominican Republic with the language difference being a tremendous hindrance," Sorhaindo added.

Barbados will be utilising the facilities at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex to run the various programmes for the centre. A one-week FIVB Referees' refresher course started yesterday, the first day of the new centre's existence, with Jose Sanler Diaz of Cuba conducting the seminar for over 20 Bajan officials.

Two regional coaches' courses are already booked for later in the year.

The BVA has been fortunate in being accorded an office in the Barbados Olympic Association administration building presently under construction.

Meanwhile, the presentation ceremony for the 2006 season saw champions Deacons capturing the lion's share of the awards for 2005. Veterans Andrew Culpepper and Valmay Stapleton captured the MVP titles in the Cooperators General Insurance Knockout and the Division One women's league respectively.

Dale Addison and Sharon Bovell won the MVP titles for Chargers in the league and knockout respectively.

The new season begins in earnest tomorrow with CGI Deacons meeting the newly-promoted Royals, and the rebooted Ambi Toners taking on Erdiston Rockets in the women's action. Deacons' men battle Friendly Hall, and Chargers will clash with the Rockets.

Date January 02, 2006

by KENMORE BYNOE Compliments of the Nation News

NATIONAL VOLLEYBALLER Alain London has received the best new year's gift of his sporting life.

The highly talented 18-year-old setter left the island yesterday to embark on a four-year volleyball scholarship at the University of Lindenwood, Missouri, United States.

London has been a reserve setter on the Barbados senior team since 2002. However, as a key member of the junior team he led Barbados to the Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) title in Aruba last June.

Tallest setter

His all-round ability also led the Barbados Community College (BCC) to double crown honours during the 2004/05 season.

The 6ft 3in player is the tallest setter to don national colours. That height gives him the blocking edge which setters generally lack at the net.

He has represented Barbados at two Junior CVCs, two Senior CVCs, the CAC Games, the Pan American Championships, two NORCECA tournaments and World Championships Qualifiers.

London's scholarship came about by his No.1 fan, mother Roxanne London, targeting North American universities and colleges.

Ironically, the positive response from Lindenwood arrived at the same time as an offer from New Haven, where several Barbados girls have gotten scholarships in the past.

"However, the offer from Lindenwood was more attractive," said Ms London who will be travelling with her son to assist in his settling in.

London, who studied mechanical engineering at BCC, will be taking up computer studies at Lindenwood.

He expressed great thanks to the coaches and management of both the junior and senior national teams as well as the support of his teammates.

However, the greatest thanks were reserved for his mother who supported him in all of his volleyball matches for Christ Church Foundation, BCC, the BNB Juniors as well as the Barbados junior and senior teams.

Early days

London also highlighted the work of Foundation coach Fernando Skeete who helped to mould him from his early days on the Foundation's under-15 team.

The new year promises a lot for volleyball with "Cawmere" player Fabian Bartlett also getting a scholarship to the United States.

This is the first time that males from Barbados have received volleyball scholarships to the United States, unlike the females who have landed more than 20 scholarships since 1986

Sporting islands

BARBADOS