Defending Champions Saint Lucia Fall to Bermuda in Five-Set Thriller on Day 1 of the ECVA Senior Volleyball Championship 

TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS – August 12, 2026 – Day 1 of women's competition at the 2026 Eastern Caribbean Senior Championships delivered three contrasting results in Tortola. 

The standout result of the day saw defending champions Saint Lucia fall to Bermuda 3-2 (25-18, 14-25, 21-25, 25-13, 10-15) in a nail-biting five-set thriller. The match swung back and forth with relentless intensity throughout and Bermuda held its composure in the decider to hand the reigning champions an opening-day loss.

Antigua produced the day's most emphatic performance, sweeping Grenada 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-14). Antigua came out swinging and never let up, controlling the match from the first set, while Grenada struggled to find its rhythm against a relentless Antigua attack.

Anguilla opened its campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Dominica (25-18, 13-25, 25-20, 8-25, 16-14), the third five-set match of the day. Both teams traded sets through the early stages before Anguilla edged ahead in a tight decider to close out the win.

Speaking after the match, Bermuda team captain Natalie Gazzard said the team knew the contest would be a challenge, having met Saint Lucia twice previously in the finals. She praised her hitters and setter for controlling the court and said she was proud of her team's performance, adding that she felt they dominated the match overall. Gazzard also noted that the team trained hard over the summer with a “nothing touches the ground” mindset. 

The championship continues tomorrow with more exciting matches until August 16 at the Multipurpose Complex in Tortola, BVI. Follow ECVA's official channels and ecvolleyball.com for daily schedules, live results and tournament updates.