The National Under-19 Schools Female Volleyball Tournament continued with two encounters at the Vigie Sports Complex in Castries on Thursday.
The first matchup saw Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School (LHCSS) defeat Beanfield Comprehensive Secondary School (BCSS) in straight sets 2-0 (25-8, 25-7). The match, which lasted 27 minutes, featured a dominant service game from LHCSS. Despite the loss, Beanfield Comprehensive Secondary School, with many of its players participating in school volleyball for the first time, showcased moments of resilience.
Assistant Coach for the victorious team, Windell Dupree, highlighted positive takeaways from the game, noting:
“Our girls gained a lot of experience. In terms of serving, I was very pleased. The passing could use a little more tweaking, but overall, the performance was spectacular,” he said.
Physical Education teacher and representative for Beanfield, Nahshon Augustin, expressed pride in his team’s resilience:
“I was actually proud of the girls because some of them weren’t ready, and many were actually nervous. But they brought exactly what I wanted to see—hustle and determination. I wasn’t looking for perfection, just effort, and that’s why I’m proud. We’re just looking forward to the next set of games,” he said.
In the second encounter, defending champions Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) defeated Micoud Secondary School with a well-contested, but ultimately decisive 2-0 straight-set victory (26-24, 25-15). The match started intensely, with MSS putting up a strong fight.
The lead exchanged hands several times as both teams battled for dominance. However, it was the ladies from the college who emerged victorious after a late surge. SALCC carried their confidence into the second set, taking control early, while MSS struggled to maintain their rhythm.
Head coach for SALCC, Florian Combie, noted that early nerves contributed to the team’s struggles in the first set:
“I think most of the players were a bit nervous,” he said. “They were hesitant to play the ball. But we are hoping that after this first game everything is behind us now, and we can gain momentum as the tournament progresses.”
Head coach for Micoud Secondary School, Anton Richard highlighted ways in which his team can improve moving forward.
“The game was there for the winning, it was there for us to take the points, but lack of focus at the end cost us at the end,” he said. “We need to improve on our communication skills and consistency of our service.”
