Bermuda defeats the British Virgin Islands in the battle of the Bs

Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten Saturday 6^th August 2016: Following an airline delay, Team British Virgin Islands (IVB) suffered a defeat at the hands of Bermuda with a score line of 25-8;  25-17; 25 – 20 .  Bermuda actively exploited the weaker passers in sets one and two causing many passing faults.  Bermuda’s march to victory was led by outside hitter Khinda Pearmon- Watson (10) who scored eleven points and produced some solid defense.  The victor’s tactical style and the errors of their opponents gave them the match.

The British Virgin Islands did not acquiesce but fought valiantly to the end.  As the sets progressed, team British Virgin Islands continually improved and players showed a sense of urgency. The mother, daughter combination of Captain Sabina Clement (5) and Dainyah Mason (8) led the team offense with nine (9) and six (6) points respectively.  Their example helped to settle their team mates and boost morale.   

Alison Settle – Smith (4) indicated Bermuda had good intensity and passed well.  She was of the view the team needs to communicate more but the victory was a good start to the tournament.  Coach Elisabeth Rae was pleased with the game plan execution, serving and communication.  However, she would like to see a reduction in the number of errors made. 

Captain Sabina Clement felt her team showed the lingering effects of a very late flight, tiredness and this impacted their psyche.  Though the team started on a loose footing and somewhat jittery, the team corrected itself and improved during the course of the game.  Coach Stephan Payne echoed similar sentiments to that of the team captain.  He further stated there were too many unforced errors.  “If those were removed the result could have been different”.