Saint Lucia’s women’s team started their title defence with a loss, while the men pulled off an upset as the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Championships got underway on Wednesday in the British Virgin Islands.
The women, who are the Final Four champions, lost a close five-set match to Bermuda. Meanwhile, the men came from behind to beat Antigua & Barbuda at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town, Tortola.
The men won 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-10). “A hard-fought opening match, but our men showed determination and resilience to secure the victory,” the Saint Lucia Volleyball Association shared.
Saint Lucia captain Sheldon Descartes said the team were aware that “we had to put our best foot forward”.
“Even in practice, we were making sure that we were planning out some of our routes as to what we need to execute to get the game done,” Descartes said.
“We dropped two sets, we lost our focus, and forgot the mission for a while. But as soon as we got back in the game, we made sure we stayed on point.”
The women lost a thriller 3-2 (18-25, 25-14, 25-21, 13-25, 15-10). Speaking after the match, Bermuda captain Natalie Gazzard said the team knew the contest would be a challenge, having previously lost to Saint Lucia twice in finals.
Gazzard praised her hitters and setter for controlling the court and said she was proud of the team’s performance as she felt they dominated the match.
She added that the team trained hard over the summer with a “nothing touches the ground” mindset.
(TF)
