ST. KITTS AND NEVIS, July 12, 2024.- The Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association ECVA and the National Volleyball Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis SKAVA will be hosting a Beach Volleyball Coaches Course from August 27th to 31st.
The Beach Volleyball Coaches course is sponsored by Olympic Solidarity and conducted by FIVB Instructor Rick Bevis.
Participants arrival is scheduled on Monday August 26th and the course will be held from August 27th to August 31st.
The registration fee is US$100.00, and if participants require accommodations, meals, and local transportation, the total cost is US$1,000.00.
For further information contact: Glenn Quinlan President +1 (869) 662-4567 GQ@SISTERISLES.KN
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, July 7, 2024.- During the last day of sessions of the 27th NORCECA Congress, Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz was re-elected as the President of the North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation NORCECA. This re-election underscores the confidence and respect he commands within the regional volleyball organization.
Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, a pivotal figure in the volleyball world, has been at the helm of NORCECA since 2001. His leadership has seen remarkable growth and development in the sport across the region. Under his guidance, NORCECA has expanded its reach and influence, promoting volleyball and beach volleyball through numerous programs and competitions aimed at nurturing young talent and enhancing the sport’s popularity.
The esteemed volleyball leader retains position for another term (2024-2028).
Lic. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz
Marte Hoffiz’s tenure is marked by several key initiatives, including the enhancement of grassroots development programs and the successful organization of high-profile tournaments. His commitment to fostering talent and providing opportunities for athletes to excel has significantly contributed to the region’s vibrant volleyball culture.
The announcement of Marte Hoffiz’s re-election has been met with widespread acclaim. Most notably, Dr. Ary Graça, President of the International Volleyball Federation FIVB, extended his heartfelt congratulations. In his message, Dr. Graça emphasized the remarkable progress NORCECA has made under Marte Hoffiz’s stewardship and expressed confidence in an even brighter future ahead.
Dr. Graça stated, “Under Cristóbal’s visionary leadership, NORCECA has reached new heights. I have no doubt that the work they will continue to do will surpass even the outstanding achievements we see today. His dedication and strategic vision are invaluable to the volleyball community”.
As he embarks on another term, Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz has laid out a forward-looking agenda focused on innovation and excellence. He aims to continue building on the solid foundation established over the years, with a particular emphasis on leveraging technology to enhance training and competition.
Marte Hoffiz also plans to strengthen the cooperation with national federations and their zonal association bodies to create more opportunities for athletes and coaches. This approach is expected to further elevate the standard of volleyball and beach volleyball in the region, ensuring that NORCECA remains a powerhouse in the global volleyball landscape.
Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz’s re-election as President of NORCECA signals a continued era of progress and development for volleyball in North, Central America, and the Caribbean. With his proven leadership and the support of the global volleyball community, NORCECA is poised to achieve even greater heights in the years to come. NORCECA members eagerly anticipate the innovations and successes that this new term will bring.
NORCECA’s Executive Committee and Board of Administration was also confirmed unanimously.
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, July 5, 2024.- In a significant event for the North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation NORCECA convened its Executive Committee and Board of Administration for an extraordinary meeting on the eve (July 6-7) of to the 27th NORCECA Congress in Punta Cana.
This session marked a pivotal moment as new members were appointed to the executive committee and the board of administration for the 2024-2028 period, and crucial discussions took place, including a proposed amendment to the NORCECA constitution and the presentation of a new working commissions composition.
The meeting chaired by NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, with special guest FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça, saw the appointment of several new members to the NORCECA Executive Committee and Board of Administration. These appointments are expected to bring fresh perspectives and drive to the organization, as it continues its mission to promote and develop volleyball across the region.
NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz and FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça
These distinguished sports leaders bring a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to advancing NORCECA’s objectives. Their diverse backgrounds in volleyball administration, and business are expected to enrich the leadership of the confederation.
One of the critical agenda items was a proposed amendment to the NORCECA constitution, whereas the proposal presented by the Legal Commission, which contains an amendment to the NORCECA Constitution establishing that the President and the Board of Administration may appoint four (4) members to integrate the NORCECA Board of Administration, to adopt a similar amendment to that of the FIVB in NORCECA, and both the President and the board members have the ability to propose individuals to be appointed to the board.
The amendment will be put to a final vote scheduled for the NORCECA Congress.
Another highlight of the meeting was the proposal for the new composition of the NORCECA working commissions. These commissions play a vital role in the operational aspects of the confederation.
Each commission is tasked with specific objectives aligned with NORCECA’s strategic goals, and their composition reflects a balance of expertise and representation from the member countries.
As NORCECA looks to the future, these changes signal a strong commitment to evolving and improving the organization’s governance and operational efficiency.
The extraordinary meeting concluded with a sense of optimism and determination to build on NORCECA’s rich legacy while embracing innovation and progress.
NORCECA President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz concluded, “ As the confederation moves forward, the volleyball community can look forward to exciting developments and continued growth in our region. This meeting’s outcomes set the floor for a successful NORCECA congress which robust agenda reflects a forward-thinking approach to governance and a renewed focus on advancing volleyball throughout its National Federation members”.
BLACKROCK, Tobago, May 26, 2024.- Cayman Islands’ Joanna Robinson and Luna Ebanks emerged as champions of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)/Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) FIVB World Championship Under-19 Beach Volleyball Qualifiers to qualify to the Worlds’ main draw with unbeaten 4-0 record at the end of their five-team round-robin series.
With only the winner of the round-robin series securing a direct ticket to the FIVB World Championship main draw and the second and third placed teams to the qualification draw.
Robinson/Ebanks and Trinidad and Tobago’s L’fe Roberts and Meeka Johnson began the final day of the qualifiers both with 2-0 win-loss records and the main contenders to the automatic main draw spot for the Worlds’ event in China from August 27 to September 1.
Roberts and Johnson then improved to 3-0 when they beat Jewel Austin and Marilyn Gill of Barbados 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) while Robinson and Ebanks did likewise courtesy their defeat of Celine Hankey and Makayla Mason of Grenada 2-0 (21-5, 21-8).
And in the penultimate match of the girl’s competition, Robinson and Ebanks overcame Roberts and Johnson in the winner-take-all clash 2-1 (21-9, 11-21, 15-9) to punch their tickets to the automatic main draw while T&T ended second with a 3-1 record to earn one of the two spots to the qualification draw in China.
Joining Cayman Islands and T&T on the trip to China will be Naya Whitfield and Davy-Ann Eduards of Aruba after they outplayed Hankey and Mason (GRN) 2-0 (21-11, 21-15) to finish with the same record as Barbados, but with a better points-won to points-loss ratio of 0.9178 to 0.8224 while Grenada ended winless from their four matches.
On Saturday, Robinson and Ebanks defeated Aruba 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) and Barbados 2-0 (21-9, 21-7) while the T&T duo, veterans of the Commonwealth Youths Games at the same venue last year beat Aruba 2-0 (21-16, 21-15) and Grenada 2-0 (21-10, 21-2).
BLACKROCK, TOBAGO, MAY 26, 2024.- Rio Jaden Victor and Peter Emmanuel of St Lucia earned the lone automatic spot to the upcoming FIVB World Championship Under-19 Beach Volleyball Tournament.
This after the duo beat host Trinidad and Tobago’s Jerome Morrison, and Darion Sparks 2-0 in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)/Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) FIVB World Championship Boys’ Under-19 Beach Volleyball Qualifiers final at the Courland Beach Sports Facility 21-19, 21-12 in 43 minutes to stun the host duo.
Earlier in the semifinals, Victor and Emmanuel swept past Jedediah Pencheon, and Julian Bristol of St Kitts/Nevis 2-0 (21-15, 21-7) and Morrison/Sparks battled past Dylan Lynee and William Duty of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-18, 21-15).
When the two-day tournament resumed on Sunday morning following Saturday’s round-robin group stage and round-of-12 playoff matches, Victor and Emmanuel defeated Grenada’s Javon Charles and Kibose Hamilton 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) in their quarterfinal while Pencheon and Bristol rallied past Jamaal Key Jr and Raphael Kemp of Bahamas 2-1 (21-10, 20-22, 15-5); Lynee and Duty topped Kalen Applewhaite and Cael Greenidge of Barbados 2-0 (23-21, 21-14), and Ange Gaspard Volckaert and Lucas Berard of Martinique humbled Morrison and Sparks (2-1) 6-21, 21-17, 15-10.
However, due to Martinique being an affiliate on France they are not allowed to qualify for FIVB World Championship as a regional member country, which meant that T&T was then pitted against the next highest ranked team among the losing quarterfinalists, Bahamas for a second shot at making the semifinals, which T&T won 2-0 (21-6, 21-18).
Despite losing the final and the direct ticket to the FIVB World Championship main draw in China, T&T along with third placed finishers Pencheon and Bristol (who outlasted Lynee and Duty in their playoff 2-1 (17-21, 21-15,15-11) will still have a chance to qualify to the main draw after securing the two spots available to the qualification draw which also takes place in China from August 27 to September 1.
On Saturday, St Lucia, T&T, Cayman Islands, and St Kitts/Nevis all topped their respective round-robin pools to advance to the quarterfinals of the with perfect records.
Playing under overcast conditions which was to the players liking Morrison, who participated at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games at the same venue, and Sparks overcame British Virgins Islands’ Jason Dunkley Maduro and Alexander 2-0 (21-6, 21-7), and Grenada 2-0 (21-5, 21-15) to finish with a 2-0 record in Group A while Grenada defeated British Virgin Islands 21-16, 21-1 for the runner-up spot to qualify to the last-eight
In Group B, St Lucia (LCA) also ended with a 2-0 record in group play courtesy of victories against Martinique 2-0 (215, 21-14), and Antigua and Barbuda’s 2-0 (21-6, 21-5)
Volckaert and Berard took the second spot in the pool after beating Antigua and Barbuda 2-0 (21-12, 21-6).
Group C comprised only two teams with St Kitts/Nevis beating Barbados 2-0 (22-20, 21-15) to advance to the quarterfinals while Cayman Islands won Group D after beating Bahamas 2-0 (21-16, 211-6).
And in the round-of-12 Bahamas got the better of British Virgin Islands 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-12) and Barbados won 2-1 (13-21, 21-14, 17-15) against Antigua and Barbuda.
BLACKROCK, Tobago, May 25, 2024.- The duo of host Trinidad and Tobago and Cayman Islands both ended the opening day of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)/Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) FIVB World Championship Under-19 Beach Volleyball Qualifiers with unbeaten 2-0 records in the five-team round-robin series.
With only the winner of the round-robin series securing a direct ticket to the FIVB World Championship main draw and the second and third placed teams to the qualification draw all participating teams knew the important of a positive start in the two-day qualifying event with the aim of qualify to the grand tournament in China from August 27 to September 1.
And at the end of the first day of competition which was briefly interrupted by rain due to the passing of a Tropical Wave, host Trinidad and Tobago duo L’fe Roberts and Meeka Johnson, veterans of the Commonwealth Youths Games at the same venue last year also made an impressive start beating Arubans Nayah Whitfield and Davy-Ann Eduards 2-0 (21-16, 21-15), followed by a similar 2-0 (21-10, 21-2) triumph against Grenada’s Celine Hankey and Makayla Mason.
Not to be overshadowed, Joanna Robinson and Luna Ebanks of Cayman Islands defeated Aruba 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) and Barbadians Jewel Austin and Marilyn Gill 2-0 (21-9, 21-7) to improve to a 2-0 mark as well from their first two matches.
Both Barbados and Aruba ended the day with 1-2 records after the latter won their duel 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) while Grenada is without a win.
On Sunday, Barbados has one match left to play against Trinidad and Tobago, while the latter also faces Cayman Islands who will meet Grenada in their other encounter as well. Grenada and Aruba also face off in the other match on the day, but with no chance of any team advancing.
Trinidad and Tobago
CAZOVA/ECVA FIVB World Championship Under-19 Beach Volleyball Qualifiers results:
BLACK ROCK, Tobago, May 23, 2024.- Following on the successful hosting of the volleyball competition at the Courland Beach Sports Facility in Black Rock, Tobago for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago last year, the venue will once again take the spotlight where a Development Camp and the U19 World Championships Qualification event will be held.
Additionally, the Trinbago Beach Volleyball Tour (TBVT) hosted by the T&T Volleyball Federation (TTVF) serves off on at the same venue. The event will be held from the 23-26 May 2024.
The first two days of the four-day event will be dedicated to a development training camp for the young athletes and their coaches supported by Panam Sports. This will be followed by the FIVB Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-19 World Championship Zonal Qualifiers featuring teams from Aruba, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Martinique, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, Suriname and host Trinidad & Tobago.
The Trinbago Senior Open Championship, will be contested alongside the U19 Championships.
The development training Camp will be conducted by Brazilian FIVB Instructor Augusto Sabbatini, and all National Coaches accompanying the teams will participate with their respective teams.
The winning team in each gender of the World Championship Qualifying U-19 Tournament, will secure their tickets to the main draw of the FIVB World Championship in China from August 27 to September 1 while the runners-up will qualify for the qualification draw of the FIVB World Championship in China August 27 to September 1.
Mushtaque Mohammed, President of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA), said it is a grand opportunity for all the participating countries in the Caribbean to win the grand prize of qualifying to the FIVB Under-19 Beach Volleyball World Championship later this year.
Mohammed added, “So, an Under-19 boys and girls team on Sunday (May 26) will win that opportunity to go to the World Championships and it is a first for the Caribbean and we are happy to facilitate these opportunities.”
A former T&T Volleyball Federation boss Mohammed was also full of praise for the merger between the two associations in the Caribbean coming together for the qualifiers, the ECVA and CAZOVA.
He said, “The merger of the two zones of the ECVA and CAZOVA provides another great opportunity because it’s one Caribbean. Playing together is a unique opportunity for all the countries and players to develop because the more the players compete together and against each other is the more likely they are to develop as players and teams.
Looking at the participating teams and players, Mohammed stated, “We have athletes here competing over the two days who are 14 years-old and this is an Under-19 FIVB World Qualification Tournament, so it means that in eight years time for the Brisbane Olympics in Australia that individual will be 22 years of age which is considered the peaking years to play your sport at the Olympics.
“And the ones who are already 18-years and competing in Tobago, the next two cycles they will be 26 which is even better for them at the Olympics, so the Under-19 category here is really outstanding.
In terms of the technical aspects of the game, Mohammed said, “We also have many coaches here who will be sharing their ideas together with the four international coaches that we have here, so they will all learn and benefit from each other in the preparation of athletes for higher level competitions.
“Overall, this is great start and a wonderful investment and hopefully, we can see at the end of this in eight to 12 years that some of the athletes who started here qualify for the Olympics, and that will be the crowning moment for us.”
Speaking on the eve of the competition, T&TVF President, Daymian Stewart said, “I’m very happy and pleased to see the progress that we are making and the Trinbago Tour in terms of the milestones and markers that we had set ourselves in our strategic plan for 2032.
“This is our second season of the Trinbago Tour and we would have learnt a lot from our first season in 2023 and now for the start of the second season with the combined ECVA and CAZOVA teams competing in the FIVB Under-19 World Beach Volleyball Championship Qualifiers we are delighted.”
Looking ahead for the two-day FIVB Under-19 Qualifiers, Stewart noted that 10 countries have confirmed participation for the chance to qualify one team in the men and women categories to the FIVB World Championship.
“So, it’s really a big tournament and at the same time we are very thankful for the sponsors and of the Tobago House of Assembly and the other sponsors and we also want to implore that corporate T&T also get on board.”
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 25, 2024.- St. Lucia Team One, represented by Joseph Clercent and Sheldon Descartes were required to come from a set down to take gold in the Men’s Final of Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
In an all St Lucia finale, Clercent and Descartes, beat the St Lucia Team Two, composed of Rio Victor and Darnell Eudoxie, 2-1 (14-21, 21-15, 15-4).
Experienced showed when it mattered most, as Clercent and Descartes, with their title on the line, kept their composure, clawing back after trailing.
They, thus played unbeaten in the Tournament, finishing with five wins.
Both Clercent and Descartes were happy that they were able to maintain their hold on the title, stating that their experienced counted.
“We have the experience, the knowledge and we have the game ethics, hence we were able to outpower them with our shots. We attacked them mentally and that broke down the younger players and we were able to capitalize on them”, Clercent assessed.
Meanwhile, Descartes is pleased that younger players are coming through.
“I like that we are seeing new talents coming through which means that more Volleyball is being played in those countries, hence, I am encouraging the young players to play Beach Volleyball, as it will help them in their indoor or court game”, Descartes said.
Before reaching the final, Clercent and Descartes had earlier in the day three, saw off St Lucia’s Team Three of Jevauny Roberts and Peter Emmanuel, 2-0(21-12, 21-11), as they dueled in the quarter finals.
They then had a 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) trumping over the St Vincent and the Grenadines duo of Jamaar Cropper and Ronaldo Franklyn, in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Victor and Eudoxie beat Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant and Jamarie James 2-0 (21-19, 21-14) in their semifinal pairing. Before that, they overcame St Kitts and Nevis’ duo of Elkreen Morton and Clerique Ward 2-1( 21-16, 18-21, 15-10) in the quarter final.
In other quarter final results, Constant and James had a 2-0 ( 21-19, 21-14) win over Grenada’s Darren Oxford and Isaac Nelson, while Cropper/ Franklyn in combination beat Yahn Florent and Ray Robinson of Dominica 2-0(21-17, 21-11).
St Vincent and the Grenadines took the bronze medal, as Cropper and Franklyn outdid Constant and James, 2-0 (21-16, 23-21)
The other teams that sought honours in the tournament were Bermuda, Dominica Team Two, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 25, 2024.- The pair of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford took gold, as Grenada bossed the women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Mitchell and Stafford on day three of the tournament, kept their perfect record intact, defeating St Lucia’s Team One of Chenoa Evans and Denila Prospere 2-1( 22-10, 17-21, 15-9) in the final to take the gold medal.
The Grenadians thus avenged their loss in the 2023 final, as they fell to Evans and Prospere.
Commenting on the victory, Mitchell put it down to composure.
“ For us, it was about assuring each other. We were there for each and pushed ourselves”, she outlined.
Noting that it was always their ambition to be at the top of the podium, Mitchell related, “We came here with the main intention to execute and that is what we did. We are proud of ourselves. This a moment for us and for Grenada to win an ECVA title. It is a dream come true”.
En route to the final, Mitchell and Stafford won 2-0( 21-17 , 21-17) over Bermuda’s Megan Hands and Hailey Moss in the semifinals and overcame Saquanna Duncan and Shanadia Sylvester of St Vincent and the Grenadines 2-0( 21-9, 21-16 )) ,
On the other hand, Evans and Propere beat Dominica’s Zahidu Henry and Nyla Edmund 21-9, 21-5 in the semifinals. This after they had taken care of Antigua’s pair of Sharifa Simmons and Jassania Joseph 2-0 ( 21-9, 21-13) in the quarter finals.
The other quarter finals saw Henry and Edmund outlasting Tenayshestigni Joseph and Clio Phillip, representing St Lucia Team Two 2-1 (21-12, 19-21, 18–16) in their match up, while Hands and Moss defeated St Kitts and Nevis’ Shanella and Shania Harris 2-1(21-9, 11-21, 16-14).
Also, on day three, the British Virgin Island’s team of Zoe Richards and Makalia Powell defeated Anguilla’s Deandra Flemming and Lavesha Richardson 2-0( 21-16, 21-10), in the match to determine the ninth and tenth places.
And, Dominica’s Henry/ Edmund took bronze defeating Bermuda’s Hands/ Moss 2-0 (21-11, 21-17).
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 24, 2024.- St Lucia Team One, represented by Chenoa Evans and Denila Prospere and the Grenadian pair of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford, head into the quarter finals of the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay, undefeated.
After day two, Evans and Prospere led Group A with 4:0 win/loss ratio, with Mitchell and Stafford also having four wins from as many matches, to top Group A , at the end of the preliminary round.
In day two action, Evans and Prospere beat Saquanna Duncan and Shanadia Sylvester of St Vincent and the Grenadines 2-0( 21-15, 21-13)) , but were taken to three sets by Dominica’s Zahidu Henry and Nyla Edmund, winning 2-1(21-8, 17-21, 15-12)
Mitchell and Stafford were more clinical in their two matches on the day, registering 2-0 wins over Anguilla’s Deandra Flemming and Lavesha Richardson 21-14, 21-7, as well as the St Kitts pair of Shanella and Shania Harris, 21-5, 21-9.
Other results from day two, St Lucia Team Two, of Tenayshestigni Joseph and Clio Phillip beat Antigua’s Sharifa Simmons and Jassania Joseph2-0 (21-10, 21-12), as well as the Harris’ of St Kitts, 2-0( 22-20, 21-14)
St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Duncan and Sylvester won their first match, beating the British Virgin Islands’ pair of Zoe Richards and Makalia Powell 2-0 ( 21-13, 21-14)
Richards and Powell were also beaten by Bermuda’s Megan Hands and Hailey Moss 2-0 (21-10, 21-14) . The combination of Hands and Moss also had a 2-0 ( 23-21, 21-15) triumph over Dominica’s Henry and Edmund.
And, Simmons and Joseph saw off Flemming and Richardson, 21-15, 21-11, to record their lone win.
The quarter finals pairings see St Lucia Team One versus Antigua and Barbuda; Bermuda faces St Kitts and Nevis, with Grenada taking on St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica meets St Lucia Team Two.
The minor place pits the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla in a battle for the ninth and tenth position.
Meanwhile, the semifinals match ups show the winner between St Lucia Team One meeting the winner of the Dominica versus St Lucia Two match , and the winner of the St Vincent and the Grenadines versus Grenada encounter, faces either Bermuda or St Kitts and Nevis.
The winners of the semifinals advance to the gold medal match and the losers in the third place.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 24, 2024.- A grand stand finish looms as quarter finalists in the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay, have been decided, after eight matches that were completed on day two.
St Kitts and Nevis winners of Group A, will face off against St Lucia Team Two , while St Lucia Team One, who took Group B will oppose St Lucia Team Three.
Group C winners- St Vincent and the Grenadines will take on Dominica Team One and Grenada, winners of Group D faces Antigua and Barbuda.
In the final set of group matches, St Kitts and Nevis pair of Elkreen Morton and Clerique Ward beat Dominica’s Yahn Florent and Ray Robinson 2-0 ( 21-17, 21-13) to maintain their unbeaten run.
But a little more challenge was on offer for the St Lucia Team One of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent who had to dig deep to ward off Bermuda’s Kyle Hamilton and Benjamin Barnett 2-1( 21-8, 27-29, 15-9) to also register their second win in as many matches.
To top Group C, St Vincent and the Grenadines pair of Jamaar Cropper and Ronaldo Franklyn had a hard -fought 2-0 ( 21-17, 23- 21) triumph over Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant and Jamarie James, with Darron Oxford and Isaac Nelson of Grenada comfortably defeating Anguilla’s Aiden Hazzard and Da’ Qwan Fredericks 2-0( 21-11, 21-15).
It was Anguilla’s second loss for the day, as they were beaten by St Lucia’s Team Three of Jevauny Roberts and Peter Emmanuel, 2-0 ( 21-14, 21-16)
In the play offs to decided the other quarter finalists Rio Victor and Darnell Eudoxie of St Lucia Team Two ousted the Dominica Team Two combination of Bill Frederick and Mervin Mingo 2-1 ( 21-15, 17-21, 15-12)
Antigua and Barbuda’s Constant and James, overcame Bermuda’s Hamilton and Barnett 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) and Dominica’s Florent and Robinson Anguilla’s Hazzard and Fredericks 2-0( 21-9, 21-14).
Also advancing from the play off was St Lucia Team Three represented by Jevauny Roberts and Peter Emmanuel. They beat the British Virgin Islands’ J’adon George and Jose Ramirez 2-0( 21-12, 21-13).
The semifinals will feature the winner between St Lucia Team Two and St Kitts and Nevis versus either Antigua and Barbuda or Grenada, and the winners of the St Lucia Team One versus St Lucia Team Three, against the St Vincent and the Grenadines/ Dominica duel.
A mouth- watering final pits the winners of the semi-finals, while the losers battle for the consolation third place.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 23, 2024: Honours were even on day one of the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Spreading across all four groups, seven matches were decided, with five registered 2-0 wins, while two needed a third set.
In Group B, defending pair, Joseph Clercent and Sheldon Descartes beat Dominica Team Two representatives, Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick, 2-0 (21-14, 21-8).
Also, in Group B, Bermuda’s Kyle Hamilton and Benjamin Barnett defeated Mingo and Fredrick, 2-1(16-21, 21-8, 15-13).
The tale was similar in Group A, as St Kitts and Nevis’ Elkreen Morton and Cleric Ward stopped the British Virgin Islands’ duo of J’adon George and Jose Ramirez 2-0 (21- 6, 21-6).
Then, Yahn Florent and Ray Robinson, who formed Dominica’s Team One, had a comfortable 2-0 ( 21-5, 21-4) triumph over George and Ramirez.
Likewise, Group C hosted two matches. St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Jamaar Cropper and Ronaldo Franklyn defeated St Lucia Team Two’s Darnell Rio Victor and Darnell Eudoxie 2-1( 20-22, 21-17, 15-13).
However, Victor and Eudoxie rebounded to go past Jamarie James and Adrian Constant 2-0 ( 25-23, 21-16).
And, the lone match in Group D, saw Grenada’s Darron Oxford and Isaac Nelson, recording a 2-0( 23-21, 21-13) trumping at the expense of St Lucia Team Three’s Jevauny Roberts and Peter Emmanuel.
Day Two Group Fixtures
Group A: Morton/ Ward vs Florent/ Robinson
Group B: Hamilton/ Benjamin vs Descartes/ Florent
Group C: James/ Constant vs Cropper/ Franklyn
Group D: Roberts/ Emmanuel vs Aiden Hazzard / Da’ Qwan Fredericks( Anguilla)
Hazzard/ Fredericks vs Oxford/ Nelson
Following the remainder of matches in the Group stage, the second and third places in the four groups will duel for four quarter final places.
The winners of the group advance directly to the quarter finals.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 23, 2024: St Lucia Team One, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Grenada Women’s outfits, left day one of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay, with two wins under their belts.
The St Lucian pair of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans, beat Zoe Richards and Makalia Powell of the British Virgin Islands 2-0 ( 21-13, 21-11), before ousting Bermuda’s Megan Hands/ Hailey Moss, 2-0 ( 21-9, 21-14).
Also, in Group A, Dominica’s Zahidu Henry and Nyla Edmund, defeated the British Virgin Islands’ pair of Richards and Powell, 2-0 (21-10, 21-19), then handed a 2-0(21-16, 21-15) defeat to Vincentians Shanadia Sylvester and Saquanna Duncan.
Meanwhile, St Kitts and Nevis and Grenada recorded their double wins in Group B.
The St Kitts and Nevis’ duo of Shanella Harris/ Shania Harris, defeated Antigua and Barbuda’s , Jassania Joseph and Sharifa Simmons, 2-0 (21-13, 21-6), as well as Anguilla’s Deandra Flemming and Lavesha Richardson 2-0 ( 21-18, 21-15).
Likewise, Grenada’s Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford beat St Lucia Team Two, comprising Jemima Evans and Clio Phillip, 2-0 (21-14, 21-17), then continued their winnings ways over Antigua’s Joseph and Simmons, also 2-0 (21-13, 21-12).
In other day one results, Bermuda beat St Vincent and the Grenadines 2-0 (21-13, 21-12) and St Lucia Team Two defeated Anguilla, 2-0 (21-15, 21-13).
Group A fixtures for day two: Bermuda vs British Virgin Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines vs St Lucia Team One, Bermuda vs Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines vs British Virgin Islands, and St Lucia vs Dominica.
And, Group B matches pit St Lucia Team Two vs St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada vs Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda vs St Lucia Team Two, St Kitts and Nevis vs Grenada and Anguilla versus Antigua and Barbuda.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 22, 2024: Twelve men’s teams and ten women’s teams battle for supremacy in the 2024 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Twelve teams are slotted in the Men’s segment. In Group A are St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands. Making up Group B are St Lucia Team One, Bermuda and Dominica Team Two, with St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia Team Three, along with Antigua and Barbuda, composing Group C. And, completing the lot, are Grenada, Anguilla and St Lucia Team Three, are stashed in Group D.
Meanwhile, the women’s teams have been placed into two groups. In Group A are St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia Team One, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Bermuda. Comprising Group B are duos representing St Lucia Team Two, Grenada, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.
St Lucia trumped both segments in 2023, when sixteen teams contested for honours. The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent beat the St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, in straight sets, 2-0 in the final.
In the women’s title match, Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans kept the Grenadian duo of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford, at bay, to win 2-1.
And, the defending champions are more than confident of retaining their titles.
The seasoned Clercent, underscored that whenever he enters the court, he has one aim and that is to win.
“ We are going out their to do our best … When we go out to play Volleyball, we go out to play and win”, Clercent commented.
Likewise, Chenao Evans believes she and Prospere have what it takes to take the gold medal again.
“ We are seeing some new faces who were not here last year, but winning is always what is first and foremost on our minds… My partner and I are confident of coming out on top once more and with the home support we can do it.
The format of the men’s category sees the tops in each of the four groups earning direct places to the quarter finals, whilst the other eight will engage in play offs for the other four spots.
Among the women, the top four teams in each group head to the quarter- finals, whilst the fifth places will vie for the ninth and tenth spots.
Eight matches are carded for the opening day in men’s play, while ten are to be decided among the women.
The playing days for the tournament are February 23 to 25.
St. KITTS, December 10, 2023.- The 2023 Congress of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) reached a successful conclusion on Sunday at the St Vincent Meeting Room at the St Kitts Marriott. Delegates convened for insightful discussions, key decisions, and the election of officers, marking a momentous occasion for volleyball in the Eastern Caribbean.
One of the significant outcomes of the Congress was the unanimous approval of the addition of U19 men and women indoor editions scheduled for December 2024 in St. Maarten. This expansion signals a commitment to nurturing young talent in the region. The ECVA affirmed its support for the participating national federations, emphasizing collaboration and shared growth.
In the final session, the election of officers took place, reflecting a harmonious continuation of leadership. President Glenn Quinlan (St. Kitts & Nevis), Vice President Sabinah Clement (British Virgin Islands), Secretary General Shayne Felicien (St. Lucia), and Treasurer Wilbur Harrigan (Antigua & Barbuda) were returned unopposed. Additionally, member Elvin Henriquez (St. Eustatius) secured victory over challenger Leonardo Romeo (Sint Maarten) by an 8 – 5 vote, demonstrating the democratic process within the ECVA.
NORCECA President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz administered the oath of office to the newly elected executive, emphasizing their commitment to working in the best interest of the zone without fear or favor. This moment symbolizes a new chapter in the leadership of ECVA, dedicated to advancing volleyball in the Eastern Caribbean.
To celebrate the successful conclusion of the Congress, delegates will partake in a fun event this evening. They will boat over to St. Kitts’ sister island, Nevis, for a delightful dinner, fostering camaraderie and unity among the volleyball community.
ST. KITTS & NEVIS, December 9, 2023. – The picturesque island of St. Kitts hosted the highly anticipated 2023 Congress of the East Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA). Organized by the Amateur Volleyball Association of San Cristobal, this Congress serves as a vital meeting for the East Caribbean volleyball community.
Under the coordination of President Glenn Quinlan, who also holds the positions of ECVA President and NORCECA Vice President, the event showcased a harmonious blend of collaboration and shared dedication to the sport. Distinguished guests, including NORCECA Confederation President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, provided valuable insights into the regional volleyball scenery.
The elective Congress will feature crucial elections for key ECVA positions, with Glenn Quinlan as the current president, Vice President Sabinah Clement (BVI), Secretary General Shayne Felicien (LCA), Treasurer Wilbur Harrigan OBE, and member Elvin Henríquez (EUX). Their roles are fundamental in guiding the course of volleyball in the East Caribbean region.
Marking a significant return to in-person meetings since 2019, delegates engaged in discussions on the 2024 competition schedule, conducted comprehensive reviews of the activities carried out in 2022 and 2023, and expressed gratitude for the valuable contributions of member federations. The exchange of ideas underscored the collective commitment of East Caribbean nations to the growth and development of volleyball.
Representatives from Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Eustatius, Saba, Anguilla, Saint Martin, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the hosts, San Kitts and Nevis, gathered to foster unity and camaraderie.
The 2023 ECVA Congress celebrated past achievements while laying the groundwork for an exciting future for volleyball enthusiasts throughout the East Caribbean.
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 4th.
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, 2nd – 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 3rd September including quarter-finals, semis, and finals in both categories to determine the eventual winners
Basseterre, St. Kitts September, 2nd – 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 2nd 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.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 27, 2023: St Lucia won both the Male and Female segments of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament that ended here at the Cul de Sac Bay, on February 26.
The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent copped the Male Division, with the duo of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans, trumping the Females.
Descartes and Clercent, representing St Lucia Team One beat the experienced St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, 2-0 ( 21-14, 21-14) , thus ending the tournament undefeated. It
It was a similar pathway for Prospere and Evans, as they too were unbeaten.
Also representing St Lucia Team One, Prospere and Evans saw off Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford of Grenada 2-1( 21-16, 18-21, 15-11) in the gold medal match.
Speaking after his team’s victory, the much travelled Clercent on behalf of his partner- Descartes disclosed that they had planned for match up versus the Kittians in the final.
“ The final was not that difficult for us because we used more techniques … We knew we were approaching a more experienced team… We watched a few of their games … We didn’t slip or slide because we knew if we did, we would have been punished”, Joseph reasoned.
Meanwhile, relishing the Female title, Team Captain Evans related , “ We have been training hard, about five times per week… We have been active in Tournaments since last November, so we were prepared for this”.
Making the separations between the two teams on the day, Evans analysed, “ We tried to keep the focus our movements, our fitness and our agility were better than the Grenadians …The errors we made were our own errors”.
The Tournament, originally slated for last October, saw participation from seven countries, featuring 32 players.
The participating countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and host St Lucia.
Nine teams contested the Male Division and seven were in the Female Division.
President of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Glenn Quinlan considers the recently concluded beach volleyball tournament hosted by Volleyball St. Lucia to have been one of the better-staged events he has attended.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 26, 2023: The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent confirmed their supremacy as the top team in the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Facing the experienced St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, Descartes and Clercent, saw off their opponents, 2-0 ( 21-14, 21-14) to cop the gold, and ended the tournament undefeated.
It was a triumph that pleased, Clercent, who said that they planned for their in the finals.
“ The final was not that difficult for us because we used more techniques … We knew we were approaching a more experienced team… We watched a few of their games … We didn’t slip or slide because we knew if we did, we would have been punished”, Joseph reasoned.
The experienced Joseph added that winning the title on home soil, made it all the more rewarding.
Meanwhile, Clercent’s opposite- Hodge, stated, “ Overall we are happy with our performance… We came through a zone where we weren’t actively pushed and in this the final, we lost some of our focus and made some unforced errors and we didn’t make the adjustments on court and that led to us dropping the championships”.
The two reached the title match with similar victories over their opposing semi- finalists.
As such, Descartes and Clercent eased past Bermuda’s Ryan Davies and Brandon Sousa, 21-12, 21-14, while Hodge and Seabrookes ousted Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant and Jamarie James, 21-19, 21-17.
Constant and James ensured a podium finish with a 21-19, 21-13 win over Davies and Sousa in the bronze medal match.
Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia Team Two and Team Three competed the lineup of participants.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 26, 2023: Playing unbeaten throughout, St Lucia Team One pouched the gold medal of the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Buoyed by some vocal home support, the pair of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans thwarted the meticulous play of the Grenadian duo of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford, 21-16, 18-21, 15-11.
Relishing the title, Evans related , “ We have been training hard, about five times per week… We have been active in Tournaments since last November, so we were prepared for this”.
Making the separations between the two teams on the day, Evans analysed, “ We tried to keep the focus our movements, our fitness and our agility were better than the Grenadians …The errors we made were our own errors
Apart from their presence and abilities on the court, Evans said that playing in the presence of friends and family was boost in their confidence, as well as keeping them focused.
Gracious in defeat, Mitchell said: “ Placing second, we are proud; We are happy with the result… We had good team spirit, we were supportive of each other”.
Mitchell however noted that it was their own undoing that cost them the title.
“We made some simple errors, service errors, hitting the ball into the net”, Mitchell concluded.
Before reaching the final, Prospere and Evans blanked a spirited St Lucia Team Two of Clio Phillip and Jemima Evans , 21-14, 22-20.
In the other half of the semis, Grenada defeated St Kitts and Nevis’ Brenda Allen and Zenelle Edwards 15-21, 21-18, 15-13.
St Kitts went to take the bronze medal, as Allen and Lake registered a 2-1 ( 19-21, 21-13, 15-8) win over Phillip and Evans.
The other competing teams were Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 25, 2023.- Following two days of play, the semi-finalists are known in the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Advancing to the last four from the initial seven team race, are Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, along with St Lucia’s Team One and Team Two.
Grenada, represented by Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford emerged as Pool A winners, after beating St Lucia’s Team Two of Clio Phillip and Jemima Evans 21-14, 19-21, 15-9.
Topping Pool B was St Lucia Team One of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans, who beat Tamerca Cabey and Nyla Edmund, 2-0 ( 21-15, 21-12).
Prospere and Evans also defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Shanadia Sylvester and Saquanna Duncan, 21-11, 21-7.
Other Day Two Results
St Kitts and Nevis’ Brenda Allen and Genelle Lake beat Sylvester and Duncan, 21-10, 21-14 and Josanne Lewis and Zenelle Edwards of Antigua and Barbuda 21-14, 21-11.
And, St Lucia’s Team Two of Phillip and Evans beat Cabey and Edmund 21-7, 21-14.
The semi-finals pit Grenada against St Kitts and Nevis, with St Lucia One and Two battling in the other.
The winners then go for gold, with the losers seek the consolation bronze.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 25, 2023: St Lucia Team One, Bermuda, St Kitts and Nevis as well as Antigua and Barbuda, are through to the semi-finals of the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
The match ups feature St Lucia Team One against Bermuda, while St Kitts and Nevis opposes Antigua and Barbuda.
The four emerged from Pool play and elimination matches decided on day two.
St Lucia Team One , composed of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent beat Grenada’s Darron Oxford and Isaac Nelson 21- 13, 21-16 , to top Pool A, before gaining a 2-0 win over St Lucia Team Three, who forfeited their elimination match.
The Descartes and Clercent combination meet Bermuda’s Ryan Davies and Brandon Sousa in the semi-finals.
Bermuda, after finishing second in Pool B, with a 1-1 win/loss ratio, crossed path with second place in Pool C, St Vincent and the Grenadines. Davis and Sousa though beat Asmond Franklyn and Jad Martin 2-0 (21-13, 21-16).
Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant and Jamarie James had straight sets win 21-15, 21-9, over the St Lucia’s Team Three, composed of Charles Blair and Mario Victor, to finish Pool C perfect with two wins.
Constant and James then defeated Yhan Florent and Keaun Reefe 2-1( 16-21, 21-19, 15-11), to clinch their semi-final spot.
Similarly, St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes overcame St Lucia’s Team Three duo of Rio Victor/ Anil Larcher 21- 6, 21-12, to top Pool B .
Hodge and Seabrookes then went on to beat Darren Oxford and Isaac Nelson of Grenada, 21-8, 21-7, to set up their showdown with Antigua Barbuda.
The other result on day two, saw St Lucia’s Team Two of Rio Victor and Anil Larcher defeating St Lucia Team Three of Charles Blair and Mario Victor, 21-18, 21-17.
The two semi-final winners meet in the Gold medal match, before the two losers left to battle for the bronze.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 24, 2023.- Both St Lucia Women’s teams, as well as Grenada, completed day one, with a win apiece in their segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
St Lucia Team Two and Grenada registered wins in Pool A. The combination of Clio Phillip and Jemima Evans was taken to three sets by St Kitts and Nevis’ Brenda Allen and Genelle Lake, but prevailed 9-21, 21-18, 15-13.
Also, in Pool A, Grenada’s Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford got past St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Shanadia Sylvester and Saquanna Duncan 2-0 (21-19, 21-18).
More success came for St Lucia in Pool B, as Denila Prospere and Chenoa Evans, making up Team One, defeated Antigua and Barbuda’s Josanne Lewis and Zellene Edwards, 2-0 (21-17, 21-13).
This was after Lewis and Edwards had recorded a 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 15-10) win over Dominica’s Tarmeca Cabey and Nyla Edmund.
Among Day Two’s matches are Dominica versus St Lucia Team One, St Lucia Team Two against Grenada, as well as St Vincent and the Grenadines versus St Kitts and Nevis.
Also slated for Day Two are three single elimination matches.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 24, 2023.- St Lucia Team One, St Kitts and Nevis, along with Antigua and Barbuda, played unbeaten on Day One, in the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Playing in Pool A, St Lucia Team One, composed of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent beat the Dominican duo of Yahn Florent and Keaun Reefe 2-0( 21-11, 21-15).
Likewise, in Pool B, St Kitts and Nevis, represented by St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes defeated Bermuda’s Ryan Davies and Brandon Sousa, also 2-0( 21-13, 21-13).
Meanwhile, in Pool C, Antigua’s duo of Adrian Constant and Jamarie James beat St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Asmond Franklyn and Jad Martin 2-0 (21-18, 21-14).
However, it was Franklyn and Martin who got the days proceedings going, as they beat St Lucia Team Three of Charles Blair and Mario Victor, 2-0 ( 21-12, 21-5). The Vincentians thus ended the day, with a 1-1 win/loss ratio.
Also registering one win and one loss were Dominica and Bermuda.
Dominica’s Florent and Reefe beat Grenada’s Isaac Nelson and Darron Oxford 2-0( 21-19, 21-19), with Bermuda’s Davies and Sousa overcoming St Lucia Team Two of Rio Victor and Anil Larcher 2-0 ( 21-16, 21-8).
On Day Two, Saturday, Pool play concludes with Antigua and Barbuda meeting St Lucia Team Three, St Kitts and Nevis plays St Lucia Team Two and St Lucia Team One opposes Grenada.
Also slated for Day Two are five matches in a Single Elimination round.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 23, 2023: Nine male teams and seven female outfits, will battle for honours in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Making up the nine male teams are pairs from Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and host St Lucia will feature three teams. They are stashed in three pools.
Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines , St Kitts and Nevis and two teams from St Lucia, make up the female lot. The females are placed in two pools.
Ahead of the opening matches, teams are eagerly looking forward to show their wares on the courts.
St Clair Hodge- St Kitts and Nevis’ Male team
“ We are truly happy that the tournament is back. Our goal is to come out on top, but we are also looking at developing the sport, because we have some young players who we are mentoring so it is important that we do well”.
Asmond Franklyn- St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Male team
“ We are here to do well and play some hard Volleyball. I know that we have some experienced players, some I have played against, so my partner and I are up to the challenge”.
Brandon Sousa- Bermuda Male team
“We are relatively new to this. We had our first Norceca Tournament in the Cayman Islands last November. Despite this, our expectations are high as we have been training hard for this and do well”.
Tonya Mitchell – Grenada Female team
“ I expect us to perform well because we have been in training for a while and we have been playing together for sometime now, having attended some major tournaments before. In saying so, we know that others are well prepared, but we are here to do our best and make our country proud”.
Joseann Lewis – Antigua and Barbuda Female team
“My expectation for this tournament is for us to go out and play hard and have a lot of positive energy. We have been training hard for this and I believe that we will do well and go home with the first- place trophy”.
Clio Phillip- St Lucia Female Team Two
“ My partner and I have been training for this tournament for the past six weeks. We plan to play well, because we normally play well together and do our best and hopefully win the tournament”.
The Tournament’s format shows that the males will have nine matches in pool play, along with five matches in the single elimination round, while the females host seven matches in the pool play, three matches in the single elimination round.
In both genders, four teams will emerge to the semi-finals, before the finalists are determined.
The Tournament serves off on Friday, February 24, with six matches in Men’s play, with four matches scheduled among the females.
It was an eruption of joy by players and spectators when the final point was attained for Antigua and Barbuda, at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
But, the eventual winners looked dead and buried after being down two sets to nil, but some tactical adjustments, saw them surging back from the third set, whilst St Lucia began to mount their errors.
Antigua and Barbuda’s scoring was led by Adrian Constant who hit 20 points. Aiding him were Jamarie James and Cairon Davis, who both scored 15 points.
For St Lucia, Tevin St Jean scored 20; Sheldon Descartes- 17 and Anfernee Ferdinand had 12.
On the night, Antigua and Barbuda were proficient on Blocks, winning 22-9. St Lucia though won on Attacks 46-43 and Serve aces 6-2.
Winning the title, was welcomed by Antigua and Barbuda’s Head Coach- Fitzroy Benjamin.
With a smile from ear to ear, Benjamin disclosed the formula used to subdue the St Lucians.
“ We changed the line- up, by taking our number seven (Cairon Davis), our tallest player and putting him in the middle… He was able to get some good blocks from the second set onwards and that helped us”. Benjamin related.
He also listed apparent fatigue amongst the St Lucians as well as the vociferous Antigua home support, which contributed to them rebounding from the third set.
“ They were looking tired and began dinking the ball low so our defence stepped … We had the home crowd behind us and that helped us big time”, Benjamin added.
For the St Lucia Head Coach- Terry Verdant, it was a case of his team did not get their game together on the big occasion.
“They were not blocking and were rushing the game and even when they went to the front court, they did not focus on the position of their opponents and that would have worked against us”, Verdant analysed.
He however praised his players for their efforts in spite of not crossing the final.
Final standings: 1. Antigua and Barbuda 2. St Lucia 3. St Maarten 4. Grenada 5. St Vincent and the Grenadines 6. Bermuda 7. St Kitts and Nevis 8. Dominica 9. Anguilla.
St. JOHN’s ANTIGUA , July 10, 2022: Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships.
The left handed Constant, who plays in the Opposite position, was also named Best Opposite and Best Scorer.
Speaking soon after receiving the awards, Constant said that he does not set out to gain personal accolades, as he is more focused on the team’s accomplishments.
“ I only set goals to be consistent and help my team”, Constant admitted.
He however embraced the awards.
“But it feels really good, as it just shows all the work that I have put in, with coaches, without coaches is paying off”, the MVP commented.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 10, 2022 – St Maarten conjured up skills and determination, to record a straightforward 3-0 (25- 23, 25-14, 25-20) win over Grenada and take the bronze medal in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Thus, St Maarten put the disappointment of losing to Antigua and Barbuda in the semi-final, to be sharper and more efficient in all components of the game, while , who lost to St Lucia in the other semi-final, never found any momentum.
Leonardo Jeffers led St Maarten’s scoring with 12 points. For Grenada , Jerron Phillip had 13 points.
St Maarten finished with a 4:2 win/ loss ratio, while Grenada secured three wins and the same number of losses.
Head Coach of the St Maarten outfit, Clayton Holiday, was happy that his team was able to finish on a high.
Satisfied, that his charges were able to rebound after their loss in the semi -final, Holiday quipped,” Coaches lose games, players win games”.
Looking back on his team’s triumph over the Grenadians, Holiday stated: “ I really wanted to play against them in the semi- finals, but I am happy that the guys closed off the championships, the way they did”.
Evaluating his team’s performance in the championships, Holiday summed up, “Overall, considered we are not seen as one of the top brass and look at what we have done going through the preliminaries and clinching the third place 3-0; I am very proud”.
JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 – St Lucia kept the unbeaten run in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-2 ( 26-28, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12) win over Grenada in the semi -final the YMCA Indoor Facility.
St Lucia’s win though was punctuated with some nervy moments, as the pugnacious Grenada team did not let up on the well drilled unit.
Sheldon Descartes and Anfernee Ferdinand, both registered 17 points each for St Lucia and Tevin St Jean added 16.
For Grenada, Darron Oxford had 19 points; Dwane Walcott – 15 and Akim Andrews- 14.
Despite losing, Grenada was more clinical in Attacks, making good 62 of 150, while St Lucia had 49 of their 133 counted.
St Lucia though was outstanding in Blocks, as they registered 16 to Grenada’s 8. It was Grenada the won the Serve aces, 6-4.
But St Lucia’s Head Coach- Terry Verdant, while happy for the win, was not entirely convinced with the output of his charges on the court.
“ We won but we did not do what we suppose to be doing, but I am confident going into the final, but we have to play to win and lessen some of the mistakes that we made here in the semi- finals against Grenada”, Verdant underscored.
In the case of Grenada’s Coach- Raphael Braithwaite, he believed his players were good on the night, but fell short.
“ My boys, their heads may be down, but I am really satisfied that we came out of the semi-finals as winners, despite not reaching the final and I personally, am not disappointed coming in third or fourth”, Braithwaite assessed.
He thought that experience carried St Lucia over the line.
“They came out and played a good game as you can see they are more experienced that we are…Congratulations to St Lucia”, Braithwaite submitted.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 – Antigua and Barbuda advanced to the gold medal match of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-1 ( 22-25, 25- 21, 25-22 , 27-25) hard fought battle against St Maarten, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Going into the semi- final as the first place in Pool A, Antigua and Barbuda was put on the back foot in the first set by a St Maarten team that drew on all their experiences.
However, the home team rallied back in the other three sets to finally cross the line and a place in the final.
Again, Antigua and Barbuda’s Captain- Adrian Constant was almost unstoppable, as he poured in 30 points. He was ably assisted by Jamarie James, who contributed 22 points.
For St Maarten, Reigmar Vallies had 18 points, Rajheem Muelens– 14 and Leonardo Jeffers- 13 points.
Antigua and Barbuda was more proficient on Attacks, winning 61 of their 117, while St Maarten made good 44 of their 115.
Likewise, the Antiguans were better on Blocks 10-5, however, St Maarten aced 7 serves to Antigua and Barbuda’s -2.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Constant who led from the front in many aspects of the semi- finals, remarked in a post -match interview, “ It was a roller coaster game for us emotionally, because at times the other team was completely out of it and we were on top and there were times they were on top of us and we were out of it”.
Constant thus praised the home crowd’s response in his team’s time of need.
“ The crowd kept us 70/80% and we just needed to find the other 20”, Constant related.
Looking forward to the final versus St Lucia, Constant quipped: “ When you are in the final, you are expected to win”.
Joining Constant in lauding the performance of the Antigua and Barbuda team was Rosemarie Simon, the Assistant Coach.
A happy Simon said:” My players came into the semi- final with a mission and that was to leave and go to the final and we did that”.
“ There were times when we were down and we had to pull the guys back together, but overall they played a splendid game”, the female Assistant Coach commented.
Anticipating that Antigua and Barbuda will trump St Lucia, Simon projected that her team has what it takes to go all the way and take gold.
And, in spite of losing the match, St Maarten Head Coach- Clayton Holiday, was high in praise for his team.
Holiday assessed: “ I am proud of the way they played… My guys did well … It is regrettable that they ran short of courage to press on when we took the lead, but I must give them credit from rebounding from the previous match against St Lucia… We made some changes which panned out well”.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 – St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Kitts and Nevis took the minor places in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships Facility.
St Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed Bermuda 3-0 ( 25-20, 25-10, 25-20) to gain the fifth spot.
Daryl Franklyn scored 15 points and Ronaldo Franklyn registered 14 for St Vincent and the Grenadines, with Tyler Hurdle scoring 9 for Bermuda.
Meanwhile while St Kitts and Nevis edged out Dominica 3-2 (25-17, 19-25, 25-13, 17-25, 22-20), to cop the seventh place in the nine team championships.
For St Kitts and Nevis, the joint leading scorers were Nage Hendrickson and Zendai Richards, who both had 16 points. Dominica’s Yahn Florent had 21 points for his team.
Daryl Franklyn- SVG’s Captain
Reviewing their final match, Franklyn said: “ All we needed was some adequate rest as you in the beginning of the competition, we played basically three matches in the less than 24 hours and that took a toll us”.
“ Placing fifth was not the position we expected, because we were the defending champions, but I see great things in the future for the team, as most are under 25 , so just have to regroup and come back stronger”, Frankly proffered.
St Kitts and Nevis Head Coach- Richard Swan
“ It has been a learning experience for many of these young guys that we have and they have learnt… They have learnt how to take better care of their bodies… They had two games in one day and playing four matches in less than 36 hours , but they fought had and we were able to gain two wins from our five matches and that is commendable for our team”, Swan reflected.
Bermuda’s Head Coach- Robert Saraiva
“ I think we put it all on the court… My guys went out there and gave it their all and I am proud of all of them”, Saraiva said.
Dominica’s Head Coach- Ericson LeBlanc
“ I am not disappointed in my team… We have not played competitive Volleyball as a country in about four years and we are basically building back a brand of Volleyball over the years with youths because the youths are the future … We are building back… Throughout the region, there is a rebranding of Volleyball as almost every team is starting over with fresh players and those who are hungrier will take it”, LeBlanc commented.
St Vincent and the Grenadines had 2 win and 2 losses; Bermuda registered three wins and two losses, while St Kitts and Nevis won two matches and lost three. Dominica did not register a win from their four matches.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022: Antigua and Barbuda to close out the preliminary phase of the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-1 ( 22-25, 25- 11, 25-20 , 25-11) trumping over St Kitts and Nevis at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
The win gave Antigua and Barbuda a semi- final berth from Pool A.
Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda, all finished with a 3:1 win/loss ratio, however, Antigua and Barbuda topped Pool A, with Grenada – second and Bermuda – third.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Captain- Adrian Constant ensured there was no letting up, as he led from the from pouring in 23 points. He was assisted by Jamarie James, who had 11 points.
For St Kitts and Nevis, Nage Hendrickson contributed 12 points.
Reacting to his team’s win Constant said in a post -match interview: “ We have achieved what we had set out to do and that was to reach the semi- finals and getting to the semi- finals, means that you are one of the good teams”.
Constant said that his team is mentally prepared for the semi- final challenge.
Meanwhile, Rosemarie Simon, Antigua and Barbuda’s Assistant Coach, said that her team came with one mission to dominate St Kitts and Nevis, hoping to win 3-0.
According to Simon: “ The guys got a little flustered, but pulled ourselves together and win the game and into the semi- finals”.
Simon underscored that the players generally rise to the big occasions and she foresees no exception in the semi- finals.
Antigua and Barbuda will play second place in Pool B, St Maarten, while Pool B winner- St Lucia takes on Grenada, in the semi- final match ups.
In the case of St Kitts and Nevis, who ended Pool A with a solitary win and three losses, their Captain- James Matthew commended his players for their output.
“ I am impressed with the guys because it is a young and inexperienced team, and we are prepared to develop the talents we possess and come stronger next time”, Matthew commented.
The next match is the championships, is the play off fixture for the seventh and eighth places, featuring St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica. St Kitts and Nevis ended fourth in Pool A, likewise Dominica in Pool B.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – Grenada beat the previously undefeated Bermuda 3-0 ( 25-20, 25-22, 25-17) to remain perfect in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Darron Oxford continued his rich vein of scoring form with 11 points for Grenada. For Bermuda, Tyler Hurdle scored 10 points.
Bermuda won the Blocks segment, 7-5, with Grenada trumping the serve aces, 9-7.
For Grenada’s Head Coach- Raphael Braithwaite, it is seldom that his team is able to put together three wins on the trot.
“ This is not normal for us to start that well, but I welcome it puts us basically in the semi-finals”, Braithwaite remarked.
Whilst lauding the efforts of his players, Braithwaite that Bermuda brought the game to them, but they were able to respond in like manner.
Braithwaite is looking forward to his team’s match up versus home team Antigua and Barbuda which he plans to use as a rehearsal for the semi- finals.
His opposite number- Robert Saraiva believe that the defeat was a “ humble pie”, taken them down from the ecstatic feelings from their two previous winning outings.
“ It cannot all go well, but we have to keep our heads up and prepare for our next match against St Kitts and Nevis and hopefully we can get maximum points and bid strongly for s semi- final place”, Saraiva commented.
St Lucia took one hour and 53 minutes to complete the win, thus ended the Pool flawless, trumping all three matches.
There were four players who were double figures contributors for St Lucia.
Sheldon Descartes scored 18 points; Tevin St Jean- 16, Anfernee Ferdinand- 13 and 10 came from Darnel Eudoxie.
Scoring the bulk of the points for St Maarten were Rajheem Meulens with 17 and 13 were scored by Riegmar Valies.
St Lucia’s Head Coach- Terry Verdant, despite the margin of victory, was not satisfied with the various passages of play.
“ We struggled a lot in the reception in the third set and although we were able to make amends in the fourth set, overall we have to improve in this area in our semi- final match”, Verdant emphasised.
Clayton Holiday, Head Coach of St Maarten after the match stated: “ We were unable to put it together in this the last preliminary match… We had a break in between the matches and that did not work for us … We start again in the semi-finals and I believe the guys have what it takes
Holiday said he, his coaching staff and players are ready and raring for whosoever are their semi- final opponents.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – St Kitts and Nevis got off the mark with a 3-1(25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-11) win over Anguilla in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Anguilla jumped out at the Kittians, to win the first set, but lost their way in the other three sets that followed.
Accounting for St Kitts and Nevis’ scoring were Zendai Richards and Aziel Belle, who registered 22 and 21 points, respectively.
For Anguilla, the lead scorer was Captain Calvin Samuel, who recorded 13 points.
St Kitts and Nevis led on Blocks 5-4 and service aces, 7-5.
It was a win that was welcomed by St Kitts and Nevis’ Head Coach- Richard Swan, who was delighted in the efforts on the court by his charges.
“ I was excited to see our players knowing how to compete… We struggled and got frustrated a little bit in set one, but stayed composed in the other sets and at the same time gained greater confidence”, Swan analysed.
Swan was also happy that the players were bettering their skills during the match.
“During the match, we got better, the players learnt as they went along and that is what I want to see… They learn and improve and do so rapidly”, Swan advanced.
Likewise pleased with his team’s efforts, was Anguilla’s Head Coach- Jason Liburd.
“ We were able to take a set and that was commendable and all along there was evident improvements among the players and that is what I am pleased for coming out to a competitive tournament like this”, Liburd related.
He assessed that from the four matches played by Anguilla, it was all about “upward movement”.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – Antigua and Barbuda inflicted a 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-18, 25-21) defeat on the high -flying Grenada in match 15 of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
The decisive match in Pool A, saw the home team never allowing Grenada a foot hold in the match. Antigua and Barbuda, buoyed by home support pressed gas from the get go, and never looked back.
Led by the left -handed Adrian Constant, with 17 points and Jamarie James- 14 points, Antigua and Barbuda, won an additional 11 points on Blocks.
For Grenada, Darron Oxford, came away with 15 points.
The win though set up Antigua and Barbuda’s final match against St Kitts and Nevis, is critical to the two teams that will advance to the semi- finals from the Pool.
Head Coach of the Antigua and Barbuda team, Fitzroy Benjamin heaped praises on his charges for the execution of the game plan.
“The guys did well with proper execution of the game plan”, Benjamin lauded.
Going into some technicalities, Benjamin informed, “ We tried not to go into the centre line and hit the back court , but we had some difficulties in stopping their middle blocker”.
On the downside, Benjamin lamented, “We have some serving errors which we must correct going forward”.
But for Head Coach of Grenada- Raphael Braithwaite, the intensity of the championships, affected them.
“Not to make any excuses, but we had a very hard game against Bermuda and that took a toll on the players as the tiredness showed up in this match”, Braithwaite explained.
On the other side, according to Braithwaite, “ Antigua and Barbuda came out and had a very good game… I must say it is the best they have played in the championships so far and they caught us struggling to find consistency”.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – Bermuda ensured that there were no more hiccups, as they pushed for a semi- final berth, by stopping St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-12, 25-14) in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Bermuda thus ended the preliminary phase with a 3:1 win/loss ratio, while St Kitts and Nevis, with a game in hand, has one win and two losses.
The pair of Tyler Hurdle and Eron Woods, each registered 14 points for the Bermudans, while for St Kitts and Nevis, the topscorer was Aziel Belle, with 11 points.
Putting his team’s efforts into perspective, Head Coach of Bermuda, Robert Saraiva, stated, “It was a slow start… We had to get the engine warm before start kicking off”.
Saraiva accepted that at times, St Kitts and Nevis caused them a few anxious moments, but “give it away at some crucial moments”.
Meanwhile, Kyle Hamilton, the Bermuda team’s Captain remarked, “It is an incredible feeling… We started off a little bit slowly, but we told one another we can go forward and win this match with a 3-0…We want to get the medal round and that is what we are playing for”.
In review of his team’s efforts, Head Coach of St Kitts and Nevis- Richard Swan, apportioned defeat on the strengths of the Bermuda team, as well as his team’s deficiencies.
“ Bermuda was a solid team; They practically served us off the court and we never found a rhythm and struggled badly with our ball control and it was always trying to battle back”. Swan summed up.
“We gave then easy opportunities to score and we did not keep the pressure on them”, Swam added.
Despite the loss, Swan is hopeful for a better showing in their final match up against Antigua and Barbuda.
The best scoreR for St Vincent and the Grenadines was Ronaldo Franklyn who had 20 points and for Dominica, Keaun Reefe had 6 points.
SVG thus ended the Group stage with a 2-1 win-loss ratio.
Coach of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team – Eardley Martin said that it was good for the team to deliver a win, amidst the travails.
“ We ended it with a win in our preliminary round, and to do so 3-0 against Dominica gives us an outside chance still for a fight semi- final place”, Martin reasoned.
He said that they will await the outcome of the St Lucia versus St Maarten match, as it can go down to points and sets, depending on the margin among the teams.
Martin noted that should St Lucia beat St Maarten in straight sets, will set up the application of the permutations.
Losing Dominica Head Coach, was evidently disappointed that his charges did not execute his plans.
“We came in with a game plan, which was to go through the middle because, I have noticed that St Vincent and the Grenadines does not defend well through the middle, but unfortunately my team did not carry out that plan and there is where we lost the match
LeBlanc further disclosed that he insisted that the St Vincent and the Grenadines team was tired, hence called on his players to capitalize on this.
“I told them that the St Vincent and the Grenadines team was tired as they had little sleep and had had already played two matches, whilst we only played one, but the guys got excited, did not capitalize on this… They lost focus and lost the match”, LeBlanc recalled with disappointment.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Grenada took down a youthful St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-22, 25-16), as the two got their Pool A campaign going, in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Darron Oxford scored a game high 12 points for Grenada and for St Kitts and Nevis, Aziel Belle scored 9 for his team.
Grenada outdid St Kitts and Nevis in Blocks, 7-3 and had 37 successful attacks, as against St Kitts and Nevis’ 10.
Oxford, speaking on behalf of his team said that it was good to get a win under their belt from the start.
“ It is a good feeling to get this first win… We had the right energy coming into this game… We realise also that we were a bit more experienced than the Kittians, which seem to be a young team”, Oxford related.
He however, said that his team is bracing for the anticipated “opposition” from the other teams in Pool A.
Accepting that his team lacks experience at this level, St Kitts and Nevis Coach- Ricard Swan said: “ We have a bunch of young players who are getting their first exposure at this level and for me they did a good job… They came out hard, but there are a lot of things we need to work on”.
Rating his team’s performance versus Grenada, Swan stated: “ I will put it down the middle, about 5 or 6 out of 10, but as I said, we are here to develop the young talent that we have…. Get them to look at the other teams and gain the experience”.
St Kitts and Nevis Captain- James Matthew sees playing alongside the bunch of new players as “ inspirational”.
Despite the youthfulness of the team, Matthew is hoping that they learn fast, and at leave an impression on the tournament.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Bermuda came from two sets down to beat Antigua and Barbuda 3-2 in a Pool B humdinger of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
The host, bolstered by partisan home support, won the first two sets, 25-22, 25-20, but Bermuda took the third 27-25 and the fourth 28-26, to set up a grand stand finish.
Bermuda took the early lead in the decisive fifth set, and held their nerve to win 15-11.
The top scorers for Bermuda were Kyle Hamilton who had 18 points; Eron Woods- 16 points and Ryan Davies – 13 points.
For Antigua and Barbuda, Adrian Constant scored 28 points and Jamanie James had 21 points.
A delighted Bermuda Head Coach- Robert Saraiva in assessment of the match, related: “ The Antiguans did not let up on us and with the crowd behind them it put a lot of pressure on us… But we just fought back, we did not have anything lose… We came here to do the best we can and we proved that in this match, especially in the last three sets”.
Equally elated for the come from behind win was Bermuda’s Captain- Kyle Hamilton, who gave his piece.
“We were a little nervous with the home support, so we came out in the third set and said we were going to give it our all… We were able to take it to five sets and eventually won”, Hamilton beamed with joy.
A dejected Head Coach of Antigua Barbuda- Fitzroy Benjamin, thumbed the loss of momentum on his team’s defeat.
“We started off well, but the players lapsed with their passing and at times were flat footed and allowed Bermuda to get back into the game”, Benjamin noted.
Meanwhile, Constant- Antigua and Barbuda’s team, believed that his team mates paid too much attention on things which did not go their way, hence lost focus during the last three sets.
Constant though wants to see his team refocus for the other matches.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022- Bermuda stuck to the basics, to register a 3-0 ( 25-15, 25-22, 27-25) win over Anguilla in match four of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
Leading Bermuda’s scoring was their captain- Kyle Hamilton, who registered 11 points, while Hamilton’s opposite number – Calvin Samuel, had 8 points for his team.
Team wise, Bermuda led in Attacks, 30-14, but registered 41 errors, in contrast to Anguilla’s 40.
For coach of the Bermuda team- Robert Saraiva, it was simply getting the job done.
“ We came here to play our basic game… We did not try anything fancy we stuck to what we know just the fundamentals, hence we try to build on everyone focusing on the basics “, Saraiva assessed.
Noting that it was good to be back in the fray, Saraiva added, “ We have not been to one of these tournaments for quite a while, so we will be making the best of the experience and obviously, like the other teams, we are here to win”.
Team leader- Hamilton in assessing the win said: “It was a good victory for us a team I was pleased with our services and our passing… We will be looking to build on this victory in our other matches”.
Meanwhile, Anguilla’s Coach- Jason Liburd: “ I must say that we played a lot better than in our first match versus Antigua and I felt we should have won the last two sets but some unforced errors cost us the match”.
“ This is what we came here for and we are achieving our goal, that is to get better and better with every match”, Liburd indicated.
Match five of the tournament pits St Maarten against St Vincent and the Grenadines in Pool B.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Grenada saw off Anguilla 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-20) in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
The win put the Grenadians 2:0 in their win/ loss ratio, having defeated St Kitts and Nevis in their opening match.
For Grenada, Darren Oxford and Nikel John, both scored 7 points each, while for Anguilla, the lead scorer was Calvin Samuel with 16 points.
Raphael Braithwaite, Head Coach of the Grenada outfit, was complimentary on his players’ execution of their duties in the match.
“ We made it simple… We did not allow the Anguillans to get into the match… All in all, it was a good win for the team, and hopefully we can continue in this vein”, Braithwaite related after the encounter.
The Grenada Head Coach though anticipates stiffer competition in his team’s upcoming matches.
“ We have to continue to prepare as we expect more challenges in the matches to come”, Braithwaite projected.
Meanwhile, sticking to his mantra of “ improving”, Head Coach of the Anguilla team- Jason Liburd, believed his script continues to stay true to form.
“ As I said from the start, we are here to improve and that is taking place and this is evident from the improved score line in each match”, Liburd supported.
ST JOHN ‘S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Lucia and arch rivals St Vincent traded points and sets, but St Lucia finally trumped 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13, in an epic battle of the Saints, as Pool B of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships heated up at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
With no quarter given and none asked, Asmond Franklyn made good of 28 points for the Vincentians, while his team mates Jahmal Small and Jamaar Cropper each registered 14 points.
Tevin St Jean had 11 points for St Lucia, to be his team’s top scorer.
St Vincent and the Grenadines outdid St Lucia in Blocks 11-8 and Serves 5-2. But it was St Lucia who conceded fewer errors- 38 to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ 47.
A beaming St Lucia Head Coach Terry Verdant was bubbling for the win.
“ I am feeling great, because in our last two outings, St Vincent and the Grenadines had beaten St Lucia and for me that was not normal so I had to take revenge tonight”, Verdant said.
Stating that his team made some adjustments during the match, Verdant commented: “We tried to play an easier game, because at the beginning we were trying to rush the game… In addition, we noticed that they wanted the ball cross court, so began to block them inside”.
Verdant’s opposite number – Eardley Martin was gracious in defeat.
According to Martin, “The guys played their hearts out … Playing St Lucia is never always easy… We know each other and there will always be that type of intensity between the two”.
Martin believed that despite the loss , he is confident of his players resetting and coming back stronger in their remaining matches.
“We started the competition and we are going to end it”, Martin projected of a St Vincent and the Grenadines versus St Lucia final.
Match four in the tournament features Anguilla and Bermuda in Pool A.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – Nine teams divided into two Pools will battle for honours in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
In Pool A are St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Bermuda, with St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica and St Martin stashed in Pool B.
The robin format serves off today, Wednesday July 6, with three matches.
Serving off the Championships will be the Pool B fixture between Dominica and St Martin from 1800hours today. The encounter between Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis follows from 2000hours, with St Vincent and the Grenadines meeting St Lucia from 2200hours.
The intense championships the host six matches on Thursday July 7 and Friday, July 8.
On Saturday, July 9, the last Pool A match is carded, along with the two semi-finals featuring the two top place finishers from each Pool., along with the play offs for the minor places- 5th/6th places as well as the 7th/8th.
Sunday hosts the grand finale involving the two semi- finals winners . The play off for the 3rd/4th spots, precede the Final.
The Championships will be played under strict covid- 19 guidelines , inclusive of no shaking of hands among players; regular sanitizing of all match balls and minimal physical interaction of teams.
It is the first time since 2019, that the ECVA is hosting any of its championships.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Maarten dug deep to beat Dominica 3-2, as Pool B of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships got going here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
St Maarten thus defeated Dominica 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9, in a ding- dong tussle for early honours.
Leading the scoring for St Maarten was Riegmar Valies with 18 points and Lenoard Jeffers recorded 17 points.
Dominica’s Captain- Yahn Florent was the leading scorer for his team with 25 points,
In a post -match interview St Maarten Head Coach – Clayton Holiday assessed: “My guys started off well, but lost a little focus, eventually they walked back into their game and they did what was necessary …It was a case about mind over matter, as we had the will power to win”.
The St Maarten Head Coach said that he detected a flaw in the Dominica’s play, in which they had difficulty in dealing with balls in position one, and his team exploited this to good effect
Meanwhile, St Maarten Captain- Leonard Jeffers stated, “ It was a wonderful game… We came up with a well- balanced team, having experienced players and new ones and the coaches did a phenomenal job by bringing in the right players at the right time, causing the team to mesh perfectly… I cannot complain”.
Looking forward to the rest of the tournament, Jeffers said “ We can only get better.
For Dominica , Florent said, “ I thought we had it but our service and passing let us down”.
Facing their next opponents, Florent is cognisant of the abilities of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team, but said that they will be looking to correct their flaws in order to stay in contention for a semi- final berth.
Joining Florent in reviewing his team’ first match, Head Coach- Ericson Le Blanc reported : “ It is always disappointing when you lose, but on the night the other team wanted it more than we did … We have to go back to the drawing board ad take some decisions so going forward in the next game we can do better”.
Match two in the tournament is in Pool A, pitting Antigua and Barbuda versus Anguilla.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Maarten dug deep to beat Dominica 3-2, as Pool B of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships got going here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
St Maarten thus defeated Dominica 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9, in a ding- dong tussle for early honours.
Leading the scoring for St Maarten was Riegmar Valies with 18 points and Lenoard Jeffers recorded 17 points.
Dominica’s Captain- Yahn Florent was the leading scorer for his team with 25 points,
In a post -match interview St Maarten Head Coach – Clayton Holiday assessed: “My guys started off well, but lost a little focus, eventually they walked back into their game and they did what was necessary …It was a case about mind over matter, as we had the will power to win”.
The St Maarten Head Coach said that he detected a flaw in the Dominica’s play, in which they had difficulty in dealing with balls in position one, and his team exploited this to good effect
Meanwhile, St Maarten Captain- Leonard Jeffers stated, “ It was a wonderful game… We came up with a well- balanced team, having experienced players and new ones and the coaches did a phenomenal job by bringing in the right players at the right time, causing the team to mesh perfectly… I cannot complain”.
Looking forward to the rest of the tournament, Jeffers said “ We can only get better.
For Dominica , Florent said, “ I thought we had it but our service and passing let us down”.
Facing their next opponents, Florent is cognisant of the abilities of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team, but said that they will be looking to correct their flaws in order to stay in contention for a semi- final berth.
Joining Florent in reviewing his team’ first match, Head Coach- Ericson Le Blanc reported : “ It is always disappointing when you lose, but on the night the other team wanted it more than we did … We have to go back to the drawing board ad take some decisions so going forward in the next game we can do better”.
Match two in the tournament is in Pool A, pitting Antigua and Barbuda versus Anguilla.
ST JOHN ‘S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Lucia and arch rivals St Vincent traded points and sets, but St Lucia finally trumped 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13, in an epic battle of the Saints, as Pool B of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships heated up at the YMCA Indoor Facility.
With no quarter given and none asked, Asmond Franklyn made good of 28 points for the Vincentians, while his team mates Jahmal Small and Jamaar Cropper each registered 14 points.
Tevin St Jean had 11 points for St Lucia, to be his team’s top scorer.
St Vincent and the Grenadines outdid St Lucia in Blocks 11-8 and Serves 5-2. But it was St Lucia who conceded fewer errors- 38 to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ 47.
A beaming St Lucia Head Coach Terry Verdant was bubbling for the win.
“ I am feeling great, because in our last two outings, St Vincent and the Grenadines had beaten St Lucia and for me that was not normal so I had to take revenge tonight”, Verdant said.
Stating that his team made some adjustments during the match, Verdant commented: “We tried to play an easier game, because at the beginning we were trying to rush the game… In addition, we noticed that they wanted the ball cross court, so began to block them inside”.
Verdant’s opposite number – Eardley Martin was gracious in defeat.
According to Martin, “The guys played their hearts out … Playing St Lucia is never always easy… We know each other and there will always be that type of intensity between the two”.
Martin believed that despite the loss , he is confident of his players resetting and coming back stronger in their remaining matches.
“We started the competition and we are going to end it”, Martin projected of a St Vincent and the Grenadines versus St Lucia final.
Match four in the tournament features Anguilla and Bermuda in Pool A.
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