Once again, some of the best volleyball players in the region will descend upon these shores for the annual 'Defend Ya Spike' Volleyball Classic. The fourth annual tournament is set for this weekend, Friday to Sunday, at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. As it stands now, 14 teams are expected to take part - seven in each gender.
The invitational, which is once again being supported by Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd., will feature players from the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and The Bahamas. The host club, Scotiabank Defenders, is encouraging all to come out and support this hard-hitting affair which promises to provide entertainment for the entire family.
"First of all, we'd like to thank Scotiabank for the support that they have showed to our club over the past seven years," said Defenders player Rajahl Moxey yesterday. "Despite ongoing economic challenges, Scotiabank continues to give back to the community. In particular, they remain committed to the Defenders and was more than willing to partner with us in the hosting of this international club volleyball invitational. We'd like to thank them for that."
The tournament is being staged by the Defenders in conjunction with the Bahamas Volleyball Federation (BVF), and will get underway at noon on Friday. It will run until about 9 p.m. on Friday, and then teams will play all day on Saturday from about 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The classic will wrap up around 7 p.m. on Sunday. There is a charge of $2 for adults, $1 for high school students, and children under 10 years of age get in free of charge.
The host club Defenders is the two-time champions of the classic, and has also won four New Providence Volleyball Association (NPVA) men's titles in a row.
"It certainly is a great pleasure to announce our partnership with the Scotiabank Defenders, hosting this 4th Annual "Defend Ya Spike" volleyball tournament. We also take great pleasure in congratulating the Scotiabank Defenders on their victory once again in the NPVA," said Leah Davis, Scotiabank's Senior Manager of Marketing and Public Relations. "This tournament continues to grow, and it not only showcases the athletic talent of our volleyball athletes, but it also showcases The Bahamas which is great for sports tourism.
"This event goes beyond the promotion of the sport of volleyball. It gives us an opportunity to showcase the beauty and culture of The Bahamas. As you know, Scotiabank is an active participant in the community and we are excited to be a part of this event. We wish the Defenders and all of the participating and visiting teams the very best of luck this weekend."
The Defenders have won four straight NPVA titles, and five of the past seven. They are also the two-time defending champions of the 'Defend Ya Spike' tournament, and they are certainly looking to win again this weekend. That task is expected to be much more tougher this time around, with a number of quality teams taking part. The International Jammers out of North Carolina are expected to bring a male and female team down to The Bahamas, and for the first time, two teams, male and female, will come from Freeport, Grand Bahama. A few foreign professional players are expected to add to the competitive nature of the tournament as well.
"Word has gotten out about this action-packed tournament. It is highly anticipated," said Moxey. "The international players from the Caribbean and the U.S. are expected to add to this tournament."
The Defenders are expected to field two men's teams for the tournament - an 'A' squad featuring national team players such as Byron Ferguson, Shedrick Forbes, Tony Simon, Ian 'Wire' Pinder and Endierich Rahming; and a 'B' squad featuring players such as Moxey, Garry Greenslade and Lorenzo Williams, just to name a few. Some of the local female players expected to take part in the tournament are Melinda Bastian, Cheryse Bain, Laval Sands, Krystel Brown, Je'Nae Saunders, Avoni Seymour and Brittney Bonamy, just to name a few.
"The Bahamas Volleyball Federation fully endorses the Defenders in this tournament," said BVF President Joe Smith. "The federation saw fit that this tournament was meaningful, not just to our local players, but to the region as well. From the federation perspective, we would like to see this continuing to happen. We endorse any club that wants to stage a tournament of such magnitude. There are players coming from throughout the Caribbean, and this tournament could serve as a good warm-up for our teams for CVC. It tells us where we are as a nation in the sport of volleyball. We would just like to congratulate the Defenders for a splendid endeavor. Volleyball is the number one team sport over the past three years in The Bahamas, and we want corporate Bahamas to support volleyball like Scotiabank is doing."
Both the men and women's national teams will play in the Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) this summer, and the men have qualified for the 22nd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Veracruz, Mexico, in November. The men also just returned from the third of qualifying for the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) World Championships with a third place finish, just missing out on an opportunity to advance further.
The Bahamas' only professional volleyball player, Byron Ferguson, said yesterday that tournaments such as the 'Defend Ya Spike' Volleyball Classic helped to aid in his development and prepared him for international competition.
"The excitement for this tournament is in the air," said Defenders' coach Devince Smith. "We'd just like to thank Scotiabank for their continued support. Words can't express how grateful we are to them. We're looking forward to a lot of clean fun, and a very exciting tournament. We just want the general public to come out and support us. It's going to be pretty competitive."
International players have already begun arriving in town for the start of the tournament, and more players will come in today.

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