Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer

The island's top teams, the University of the West Indies (UWI) 'A' and Vikings, were the respective female and male winners of last weekend's UWI Invitational Volleyball Tournament.

At the end of the three-day tournament, held at UWI's indoor stadium at Mona Bowl, UWI's female team defeated MOSA 3-1 (25-14, 25-17, 23-25, 25-23), the same scoreline that Vikings registered over Venus 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 in men's competition.

On Friday night, Venus had beaten Vikings in the preliminary match 2-0, which triggered heated argument among the losing players as they found reasons to blame each other for the loss.

In the third-place play-offs, a rejuvenated G.C. Foster College defeated former top team' Viqueens 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) for the women's runners-up spot. In the male section, Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) defeated Scotia Defenders of The Bahamas 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15-11).

Eight male teams, led by Vikings, Venus, JDF, Scotia Defenders, UWI 'A', MOSA, G.C. Foster College and UWI 'B' - finishing in that order - took part.

On the female side (in finishing order) UWI 'A', MOSA, G.C. Foster College, Viqueens and UWI 'B' were the entrants.

Teams from North Carolina and New York in the United States, along with College of Bahamas, UWI (Cave Hill campus in Barbados) and the Cayman Islands, were expected to send male and female teams, but withdrew at the last minute.

Wayne Robertson, president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, was pleased with the tournament, saying "overall the tournament was good".

He added: "The staging of these tournaments are deliberate and it is a fundamental aspect of our strategic plan.

"The aim is for Jamaica to be known across the world as a premier volleyball destination, where tournaments of the highest standard are staged annually," he said while noting every club is mandated to host tournaments like these and invite overseas teams.

The Venus Invitational Tourna-ment, is set for March 20-22.