Behind a dominant showing from Lisa Casimie, Saint Lucia romper to victory on September 28 in the title match of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Women’s Final Four. Their win at the YMCA in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda punched their ticket to represent the sub-region next September at the XXIII Pan-American Cup in Mexico.
As was the case last year, when Saint Lucia won the full-scale ECVA women’s competition for the second year in a row, they lost to Bermuda in the preliminaries, falling 3-2. In the final, they roared back, with a hard-fought triumph, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 over the girls from the North Atlantic.
After a seven-year absence from the national team, Casimie doesn’t appear to have lost a step. The 29-year-old, an alumna of Babonneau Secondary School and the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, collected three of Saint Lucia’s seven individual awards.
Now a member of the Jackson State University athletic department, the 5-11 Casimie scored 25 points for Saint Lucia in the championship decider. That clinched her nomination as best scorer, best opposite, and most valuable player. Bermuda’s Megan Hands, who won best server, contributed 12 points in the decisive fixture.
Also receiving individual honours from Saint Lucia were Tenayestlgni Joseph and Amalia Louis. Joseph repeated as best digger, adding the trophy for best libero. Louis took home the best spiker and best receiver gongs.
Aside from Hands, Kaylee Trott and Amber Simmons were the non Saint Lucian honourees. The Bermudan players were adjudged best setter and best blocker.
In the third place playoff, the hosts Antigua and Barbuda beat Grenada for bronze.
