LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena head volleyball coach
Simone Asque-Favia covered her face with her hands.
As she removed them, she let out an exalted sigh of relief.
With a wide grin, she spoke proudly about how it was the highest honor for her to represent the Jamaican Senior Women's Indoor Volleyball Team on an international stage.
Then, Asque-Favia lamented how she dreamt about winning the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Senior Women's Volleyball Championship that took place from July 21-31 in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Those dreams were realized as Asque-Favia and Team Jamaica not only won, but completed a historic undefeated run through the tournament—outlasting the seven-time defending champions Trinidad and Tobago in a five-set thriller 3-2 (25-21, 13-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13) for the clincher this past Sunday at Anthony Nesty Hall.
The first Caribbean Volleyball Championship in Jamaica's history comes wrought with emotion and one of overcoming adversity. The team had come painstakingly close to winning a title several times since 1997 and took a particular bitter loss during the 2017 CAZOVA Championship when it occurred on their home soil.
In the following years, the Jamaican team were once again viable contenders, but their attempt was halted when the association decided against competition due to limited funding.
The Covid-19 pandemic further complicated the possibility of a run, acting as an added deterrent, putting competition on hold in a successive five-year stretch. Even once cleared for competition by Jamaica's Ministry of Sport in April of 2022, limited resources also put assembling this year's squad in jeopardy.
Asque-Favia had a lot to consider with her full slate of duties and evaluating the physical demand of the tournament. In the fall of 2022, she suffered a severe concussion, whiplash and pinched nerves stemming from an auto accident.
The tournament itself involved long travel times that included changing planes five times and trains twice. And, of course, student-athletes from the Siena volleyball program would be arriving on campus shortly thereafter—keeping her calendar chock full.
"Getting healthy enough to start training and juggling camps, recruiting, season preparation and the day-to-day head coaching responsibilities kept it stretched," Asque-Favia said.
"Getting asked to leave for two weeks was a lot. It was on the tail end of camps and just before the season was starting up again. So, it was really timing that made it work out."
But, the Jamaican managing and coaching staff rallied around her, implored her to join the team and fight for the gold.
"I asked them if they needed me to play and they said 'yes'," Asque-Favia said. "I can make this work only if you truly mean it. This would give us our best chance to win and it turned out to be true because all the matches were close. It was a full top-to-bottom team effort to win."
She was only one of two returning players on the team and the longest tenured starting in 2014 so her veteran leadership to hold the team together was crucial.
Asque-Favia's efforts meant so much that teammate and captain Sashalee Thomas dedicated the victory to her.
"Simone has been on the team since 2014," Thomas said. "She's been battling Trinidad & Tobago, so this win is just as important to her as to us. So I am glad we have been able to get it for her because without her this team wouldn't be a team."
"My goal was to open more doors for Jamaican volleyball. Maybe transition to being a coach. I had the privilege of having a bigger impact with Team Jamaica. I wanted to lift the program, leave a legacy and win the Caribbean Championship for the country.
In the end, it was all worth the time and energy investment, creating visibility to the country.
Jamaica won all six matches in the tournament, sweeping Barbados (25-21, 25-23, 25-17) and edging out Suriname 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17, 18-16) and Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 (25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 16-14). It continued with a 3-0 victory against Bahamas (25-16, 25-21, 25-22) to set up a semifinal match with Barbados that it also swept 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-21) before beating Trinidad and Tobago in the championship.
Asque-Favia contributed with 37 points (35 came via her kills on the attack).
The win is meaningful in that it qualifies Jamaica for the XX Panamerican Cup that will take place in 2024 as well as the North, Central American and the Caribbean (NORCECA) Continental and other championships.
As far as continuing to play on, Asque-Favia has received encouragement from the teammates to stay ready to return.
"We'll see what my body is telling me and where I am with my life," Asque-Favia said.
"I'll always be ready to play. My next dream is that the program advances enough and my skills and abilities fall short of making the roster. But, if there's a way that I can positively impact the team, then I'd be proud to represent Jamaica again."
