Tag: 2023 ECVA Beach U19

Basseterre St. Kitts, September 03, 2023.- St. Lucia duo of Peter and Rio poured in a sterling performance in the finals of the ECVA U 19 competition beach Volleyball. Their opponents were the home team pair of Vikash and Bristol and despite having the support of a small but noisy home crowd they could not find answers to the power and control of Rio in particular.

In the first set, St. Lucia took an early and extended it bigger and bigger as the game went on.  The set ended with St. Kitts and Nevis on 10 points.

A similar pattern started in the second set but this time St. Kitts and Nevis gave a spirited fight back. They were down 0-7 but pulled the score back to within 1 (8-9)

However, that’s the closest they got  as St. Lucia increased their lead once again  and then secured the game at 21-14

Rick Swann coach of the St. Kitts and Nevis team: “I am a bit disappointed in the result but extremely proud of the guys. They showed that they have the ability to fight against tough conditions. This was shown particularly in the second set when they went toe to point with St. Lucia. They (St. Lucia) are a very strong team. Rio is amazing. In order to win we needed to get him off of his game we were not able to do that and so he literally controlled most of the game. This means that we have a lot more work to do and look forward to more battles over the years to come”.

Sheldon Nicholas Coach of St. Lucia: “The guys were able to continue the energy they picked up in the semi-final hence garnering the energy in the finals was easier. We just kept our composure and controlled the game from there. Winning the finals was a great result for us. We will continue to do some more technical work with Peter in particular but at the moment he is pretty solid we have areas to work on including teamwork and communication”.

Earlier, Dominica was able to take Bronze over Grenada in straight sets thereby relegating Grenada to fourth place.

The final places are as follows:-

1. St. Lucia  2. St. Kitts and Nevis 3. Dominica 4. Grenada 5. Anguilla 6. Bermuda 7 St. Vincent  8. Antigua 9. BVI

Basseterre, St. Kitts, Sept 03:-Dominica defeated Antigua and Barbuda in straight sets 21 18 21 15 in the finals of the female U-19 beach volleyball competition.

The victory was achieved in a workman-like manner. The pair of Edmund and Bully were the smallest physically in the entire tournament but they had the biggest heart and wore down the opponents with their tenacity

On the opposite side, Carr and Joseph of Antigua came into finals as somewhat the favourites and were given a shock as Bully and Edmund stuck to their guns.

Yahn Joseph Florent Coach of Dominica: “I am over the moon right now, I am just super happy with my girls right now. They are the shortest in the competition and everyone doubted them but it goes to show that height does not win volleyball. It was down to our serving, passing, and communicating with one another and being able to trust one another”.

Coach Olsen Joseph of Antigua:  “My girls fell into the trap of playing to match the style of the opponents and what is worse they were becoming annoyed and frustrated with themselves and as a result their game fell apart. I trust that this motivates them to come and work harder for the next event coming up”.

Earlier in the day, Anguilla took the third spot in a come-from-behind victory over Grenada ( 19-21, 21-18 and 15-8). Grenada missed out on the medal podium and had to settle for 4^th.

The overall seeding at the end of the tournament is as follows

1. Dominica  2. Antigua 3. Anguilla 4. Grenada 5. St. Lucia 6 St. Vincent 7. BVI 8. Bermuda

Basseterre St. Kitts September 03, 2023 –  Both St. St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia  made the way to the finals of the ECVA beach Volley Male finals. The routes  to the finals were very similar, in that they both won their quarterfinals easily then were made to sweat in the semi.

St. Kitts first met Anguilla and won 2-0 with score of 21-11 and 21 -15. Then in their semifinal match up against Grenada they found themselves one down losing 18 – 21 in the first set. With the backing of a small partisan crowd the St. Kitts team roared back and took the other two sets 21 -17 and 15 -11

Meanwhile, St. Lucia knocked off St. Vincent and the Grenadines  21-15 and 21-9 in the quarterfinals. Then in the semis it was their Windward Island rivals (Dominica) that pushed them to bring out their best.

After sharing the first two sets  21-14 and 13-21 both teams rallied point for point in the third set  until St. Lucia was able to pull away in the crucial part of the decider eventually winning 15 -13.

Hence the St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis meet at 5 pm to determine the champion each having played 5 sets to get there.

Basseterre, St. Kitts September, 2^nd – When the sand settled at the Marriot Beach on the Atlantic side of St. Kitts, it was Grenada males and Dominica females who took the pole positions in the male and female categories respectively at the end of day 1 in pool play.

In the male category, it was the Grenada team that surprised everyone with their dominance over their opponents. They were unbeaten winning by huge margins over BVI (21 -3 and 21 – 5) and comfortable margins (21- 12 and 21- 12 )over Bermuda.

St. Lucia too were unbeaten when they played their games against St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua Barbuda. The St. Kitts and Nevis opponents challenged for a while could not extend the fight losing 21 -12 and 21 -15.

However, Antigua and Barbuda made them sweat for almost every point but eventually, St. Lucia persevered winning 21-18 and 21 -16. It was this point ratio that gave Grenada the edge over St. Lucia.

Attaining the number 1 seed after being in this type of competition for the first time made Coach Deannedre John very pleased. “I am very proud of my boys as I think they listened and executed what I was trying to impart. I know it might get tougher as we go along but regardless of the outcome they have already made me proud”. She said.

In the female category, it was Dominica that eclipsed the 7 other teams for the top spot. They won comfortably against BVI (21-15 and  21-6)

Added to that,  they pipped archrival St. Lucia 2-1 after losing the first set (13-21, 21-15, and 15-6).

“We did well, very well, I was satisfied that the girls kept their composure and executed when it was necessary”.  Coach Joseph Florent said.

Matches continue on Sunday 3^rd September including quarter-finals, semis, and finals in both categories to determine the eventual winners

Basseterre, St. Kitts September, 2^nd – Everyone lauded the idea of having a male and female competition in this age category with the long-time objective of having the best ECVA team compete in the World Youth Games in 2025.

Nine male teams and eight female teams will compete with each other and the eventual winner in the long run will get the opportunity to compete as an ECVA entity in the NORCECA segment of the World Youth games (U21) in 2025.

Consequently, there was a common theme among all the coaches. It is mainly about development but winning was a secondary objective.

Coach Alli Settle of Bermuda was excited about the proposal being played out. “This is definitely about development for us as we have brought some new girls and boys to this competition, but of course, along the way, we hope to win some games.” She said.

Jason Liburd coach of the Anguilla team said that it was a great idea. “The introduction of this competition aligned itself with the goals and objectives for volleyball in Anguilla as we too try to grow the sport. Also, it comes at a time when we are preparing for an indoor competition in October. Hence it is all about the transferring of skills from the hard court to the sands”. He intimated

Rick Swann, the head coach of the beach volleyball teams in St. Kitts and Nevis had this to say. “Every time one enters a competition one wants to win but for these boys, it is an opportunity to grow and learn each time they step onto a court”. He said

The view of first-time Deanne John of Grenada was an assessment of progress while in competition. “I believe in exposure, I think it is a good initiative and a chance for us to learn and grow and improve next time around. It will be their first time in a competition like this hence there will be no pressure just to do their best”. She concluded.

Olsen Joseph o Antigua and Barbuda was focused both on the long term and the present. “We are hoping to do well but this is also a pilot project so we are looking to see where we are so we can chart a development course. I think it a great idea as by the time we get to the U 21 level we can compete”. He said.

“We are cautiously optimistic in a competition of this nature. This is a combination of both wanting to win as well as development. We have just one experienced person on each team and so the focus is also building”. Said  Sheldon Nicholas of St. Lucia.

Coach Arnel Horn of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was excited over the prospect of playing in this tournament. This is definitely about development but we want to win a few games along the way.  This is an ideal opportunity for them to learn as it is their first time and so they are all ecstatic” He Stated.

Coach of the Dominica team Yan Joseph Florent’s eyes lit up when he was asked for his opinion. “It’s not just a good idea it’s a great idea as it gives us a chance to learn and grow. Both teams are new to the sand and it’s now an opportunity for them to apply what they learned. He noted.

Matches in both males and females begin simultaneously on September 2^nd at 9 a.m. on the sands of the Atlantic Beach now known as the Marriott Beach. There, the nervousness will dissipate and competition will be in full swing.