The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

While the Scotiabank Defenders, with the addition of professional player Byron Ferguson, successfully defended their men’s title in the third annual Scotiabank “Defend Ya Spike” Volleyball Tournament at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, the Auto Mall Boomers made their debut by clinching the women’s title.

The Boomers, coached by Shedrick Forbes, featured a number of players from the United States, including professional player Benavia Jenkins, who was named the most valuable player after she led her team to a 25-17, 25-21 and 25-20 triumph over the International Jammers, coached by Joseph Crooks.

“The tournament was awesome. Great competition from all of the teams,” said Jenkins, who is contemplating retirement after playing pro ball for the past eight years. “I was just glad to be able to come here and play with these girls.

“I want to thank Auto Mall for sponsoring us. We all met on Facebook and Shed (Shedrick Forbes) put together this team for us. The first day we really struggled, but at the end, we really put it together and pulled it off.”

Jenkins, a resident of Fort Pierce, Florida, said she’s already looking forward to coming back when she will bring in some players whom she play with now in the United States to defend their title.

Forbes said with the team coming in from the United States, his sole purpose was to put on a show for the public.

“Two of the women play professionally in Switzerland and we had a couple who play division one in college. They never played together, but they pulled it off,” Forbes said. “It was a dream for me because this is my first time coaching at this level. They really brought it home.”

The Boomers finished the regular season at 8-2, while the Jammers were 7-3. The Johnson’s Lady Truckers were third at 6-4 and the A-Gozar rounded out the top four at 5-5. In the semi-final, the Boomers knocked off A-Gomar 25-23, 25-24 and the Jammers rolled past the Truckers 25-17 and 25-23. The Truckers then knocked off A-Gozar for third place.

On the men’s side, the Defenders prevailed 25-15, 25-18 and 25-19 over the International Jammers, also coached by Crooks, in the championship game. Ferguson, who just completed his second pro season in Finland, was named the MVP.

“It was a competitive tournament and once again we want to thank our sponsors because we got a chance to play against some high level competition, but locally and internationally,” Ferguson said. “It was fun.

“I was surprised of how well we played considering that we haven’t practiced together. For me, it was the first time holding the ball since I came home and we were able to pull it together and come out as champions.”

After winning numerous awards on the local scene, Ferguson said he finally got to win the one award that has eluded him - the MVP.

“It was fun. I played hard in Europe and it paid off,” said Ferguson, who followed up on his recent MVP honours for his team, Saimaa Volley Club in Finland, a club he is in negotiations with on whether or not he will return for another season.

Enderick Rahming, the captain of Scotiabank, said they went out and performed exceptionally well from start to finish.

“Our performance was pretty good this tournament,” he said. “The competition that was very stiff, but we just pushed and closed out every game that we played. We’re basically getting better as we continue to play together. But it was also good to have Byron Ferguson on the team. He helped to give us that extra push to the top.”

At the end of the regular season, the Defenders and the Jammers both ended up 8-2, while the Defenders B were 6-4 and Passe 4-6. In the semis, the Defenders def. Passe 25-24 and 25-14. The Jammers had to go the distance before securing a 20-25, 25-13 and 15-6 decision over the Defenders B. The Defenders B took third place with a 25-15, 25-18 and 25-19 win over Passe.

Tournament director DeVince Ferguson said without the support of Scotiabank, they would not have been able to host the tournament again. He also thanked the National Sports Authority for coming to their aid and allowing to use the gymnasium.

“The players came, they played and they had a good time. They are now looking forward to 2014,” Smith said. “The competition was great, especially in the female division because we had a lot of pro players, who allowed our younger players to see volleyball at a higher level in terms of what we were trying to teach therm.

“They were able to see the communication level, the team spirit, the leadership roles, the consistency and the pride that a lot of these players brought with them. I think that opened a lot of eyes during the last few days.”