Anguilla takes Women’s Gold Medal

BASSETERE, St Kitts and Nevis, Sept, 1. 2024: Anguilla, represented by Lavesha Richardson and Deandra Flemming defeated St Lucia’s pair of Kurtrice Jules and Marie -Therese St Clair, to pouch gold in the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-21 Championships here at the Marriot Beach.

Richardson and Flemming won 2-0 (21-17, 22-20), to ink their name as the ECVA’s women’s representatives to the FIVB Beach Volleyball Under-21 World Championships, set for Georgia 2025,

Both finalists though had to rebound from losses on day one, before navigating their way successfully to the title match.  Eventual champions- Anguilla was beaten by Bermuda, whilst St Lucia suffered at the hands of Antigua and Barbuda.

For Coach of the Anguilla outfit- Jason Liburd, the title was a testament of resilience.

“It was a tough road for us to get to the final, because we had to beat the defending champions, Dominica… We also had to beat Antigua and Barbuda, who was a finalist last year, and who had beaten us last year to get to the final.

Liburd though put the success to work done in preparation for the tournament and the experience gained in participating in the ECVA senior tournament in St Lucia, earlier this year.

Before reaching the title match, Richardson and Flemming ousted the Antigua and Barbuda pair of Jaya Carr and Jassania Joseph, 2-0 (21-18, 21-17), whilst Joseph and St Clair beat Bermuda’s- Isabella Sousa and Hailey Trott 2-1(21-10. 17-21, 15-8)

Sousa and Trott went on to win the bronze medal, as Antigua and Barbuda was forced to forfeit the match, after Joseph sustained an injury in the first set.

(Positions 5-8): As the losing quarterfinalists battled for the fifth to eighth positions, Grenada’s duo Teasia Jones and Makyala Mason had the better of Nayelli Fergus and Reanna Robinson of St Vincent and the Grenadines, 2-0 (21-15, 21-13). Dominica’s Nyla Edmund and Alyssa Bully saw off the St Eustacius pair of Gerelvia Spanner and Elshe Spanner, 2-0 (21-7, 21-9)

(Positions 9-12): In the jostle for positions 9 – 12, St Kitts and Nevis Team Three, comprising Asia Campbell and Jenieve Thomas, beat British Virgin Islands’ Natalia Drayton and Karissa Scatliffe 2-1(21-19, 20-22, 15-10) and Hannah Johnson and Selena Gomez of Saba defeated St Kitts and Nevis Team Two of Jahzara Andrew and Khimeli Jules, 2-1 (18-21, 21-13, 15-4)