The top T&T men and women beach volleyball teams of Daneil Williams and Daynte Stewart, and Rheeza Grant and Abby Blackman, both advanced to the main draw knockout when the fifth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit began yesterday.
This after both T&T pairings, competing in three-team pools won their opening matches in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
Competing in Pool B, Williams and Stewart swept whipped Jamaicans Triston Hitchman and Noley Ferguson 21-11, 21-10 and will meet Canada's Sam Pedlow and Sam Schacter today from 8 am in their group decider and a direct spot to the quarterfinals.
Pedlow and Schacter defeated the Jamaicans 21-13, 21-11 in their opener.
The T&T-B pair of Joel Theodore and Marlon Phillip were still in contention to qualify from Pool F after they were beaten by Cubans, Enrique Reyes and Karell Pina, 19-21, 9-21 and but rebounded to defeat El Salvadoreans, Carlos Escobar and David Vargas, 19-21, 21-16, 15-11 for a 1-1 record.
Today in their final round-robin match, Theodore and Phillip face Arubans, Fransua Angela and Darvick Anthony from 10.30 am, with a win cementing a spot in the 'Top 12 payoffs'.
Grant and Blackman enjoyed a straight sets win, 21-11, 21-14 over US Virgin Islands' Cristina Almeida-Anz and Melanie Valenciana in Pool A before losing in their pool decider with Canada's Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson, 8-21, 6-21.
Bansley and Wilkerson powered past Almeida-Anz and Valenciana 21-7, 21-11 in their first match.
The other T&T women's pair of La Teisha Joseph and Suraya Chase went into their final match versus Mexicans Martha Revuelta and Zaira Orellana last night with no chance of advancing to the Top 12 today.
This after Joseph and Chase went under to Guatemalans, Natalie Giron and Estefanie Bethancourt 10-21, 17-21; and Curacao's Angjeny Tolentino and Christine Anthony, 12-21, 13-21.
At stake for all participating teams representing more than 15 pointed towards qualification for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.