The four set loss to Barbados can arguably be the biggest upset handed down to The Bahamas' senior men's national volleyball team to date, especially after the squad went undefeated in the round robin segment of the North Central, America and Caribbean 2nd Round Qualifiers for the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) Men's World Championships.

The favorites playing in Group I for a berth into the third round, The Bahamas was stunned on Sunday when Barbados defeated them in four sets 25-15, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-23. The most unsettling part of the loss for Team Bahamas was the fact that they trounced Barbados in three sets 25-23, 25-21 and 25-22, earlier in regular play. Both The Bahamas and Barbados are among the top ranked teams in the English-speaking Caribbean. While Barbados automatically moves on to the next round, The Bahamas will have to await the results from the other grouping, to see if their second place finishing ranks them among the top four in the runners-up.

The North Central, America and Caribbean 2nd Round Qualifiers for the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) Men's World Championships were played in the French St. Martin. The third round winners moves into Group O, which will play May 21-26, 2014. The other rounds inclusive of Group P, Group Q and Group R will also run in the summer of 2014. The FIVB World Championships will be held in Poland.

Captain for Team Bahamas, Prince Wilson is crossing his fingers, hoping that The Bahamas gets in. He led the squad in the game against Barbados with a game high 22 points. Wilson was assisted by Byron Ferguson who scored 10. Fabian Cox, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament led Barbados. Wilson collected the best scorer, best spiker and best server awards while Jamal Ferguson was named the best libero, best defender and best receiver.

The team playing in the second round qualifiers included Renaldo Knowles, Shedrick Forbes, Mueller Petit, Tonny Simon, Wilson, Enderiech Rahming, Byron Ferguson, Jon Isaacs Jr., Shonari Hepburn, Je'Vaughne Saunders and Kirk Greene Jr. The team will continue training for the upcoming NORCECA's Continental Championship, which will be held in Langley, Canada, September 21-29. The inaugural Caribbean Games will be played October 7-14, in Trinidad and Tobago.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian