The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH a more youthful team this time around, head coach Jason Saunders said he's still confident that the Bahamas will perform very well at the FIVB World Championship Qualifier Round 2 and Caribbean Volleyball Championship.

Saunders, assisted by Margaret 'Muggy' Albury, left town on Sunday for Kingston, Jamaica, with a 12-member team in advance of the commencement of the tournament on Wednesday when they take on Guadeloupe.

The next two matches in their round robin play pool will be against Martinique and Trinidad & Tobago before the playoffs get underway. The tournament will wrap up on Sunday.

The team is comprised of the following: Eugenie Adderley, Leandrea Armbrister, Melinda Bastian, Brittany Bonamy, Latavia Braynen, Brittney Deveaux, Raechel Knowles, Mechelle Moss, Tia Moss, Laval Sands, Je'Nae Saunders and Ashley Webb.

"I think the team looks pretty good," said Saunders just before they departed the capital. "I'm happy with the way the young girls are playing.

"The federation has given us a mandate going forward to have an infusion of the younger players with a view of rebuilding the team. To that end, most of the team are made up of players 23 years and younger."

In the aftermath of the mixture of youth and experience men's team that failed to win a game in their tournament a few weeks ago, Saunders said they have qualified to be a part of the tournament which gives them the incentive to perform at a high level.

"Trinidad & Tobago are the team to beat. They are the perennial champions and they have been playing together for a number of years," he said.

"They are still the cream of the crop, but we are hoping that we can put a dent into their winning tradition."

Looking at the makeup of Team Bahamas, Saunders said their strength is definitely in their backcourt defence.

"I think we have a very good defensive team in the backcourt and we are a very good serving team," he said.

"Hopefully, those two things will propel us into some great performances and we can win a few games.

"I would think that once we play our game and our defence holds up, we should be okay."

As for any weaknesses on the team, Saunders admits that it's in their blocking at the net.

"I really don't think that we are bad at it, but I think for most teams that is going to be an issue," he projected.

"Until you have played those games, it's difficult to say how we will do.

"I haven't coached at this level for a while, so I will have to watch some of the teams play and see how they play to see if we really have to change our game plan. For the most part, we will be up to the task."

During one of their practice sessions, the team got a special visit from Olympic gold medallist Demetrius Pinder, who stopped in and gave the players some words of encouragement.

"He came in as he promised some of the girls who saw him at the gym and he gave them some words of inspiration and they got to take some pictures with him," Saunders said.

"I think that bodes well for us because we are one national team representing the Bahamas, whether it's basketball, volleyball, track and field, swimming, cricket or judo, we are all supporting each other."

The good thing, according to Saunders, is that the team will be in Jamaica for a few days to get acclimatised before they start competing in the qualifier.