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Dominica win bronze at the ECVA U23 Male Championship
Road Town, Tortola. October 15, 2023. - Dominica are the bronze medal
winners of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) U23 Male
Championship. They dominated St. Maarten in match 23, three straight
sets, to claim the hardware. The final score was 25 23, 25 5 and 25 20.
Top scorer of the match was Dominica’s outside hitter Sherron Peter
Vidal, with 12 points. The leading scorer for St. Maarten was Marcin
Kwiatkowski, with 6 points.
Both teams exchanged points in the early stages, in what seemed an
exploratory session, to find the right combinations. By the second
technical timeout, Dominica had a slight lead and extended it thereafter
with a key block, a finesse play by the setter and unforced errors by
St. Maarten. St. Maarten fought back but that slight advantage that
Dominica had created was enough to get them over the hump and seal the
first set.
In the second set Dominica rushed out the gates and established a
seven-point lead by the first technical timeout. That lead quickly
increased with St. Maarten struggling to pass and make any potent
attacks. Two huge blocks from Dominica brought up the second technical
timeout and a 13-point lead in hand. A serving error summarized the
torrid time St. Maarten had and underscored the dominance Dominica
displayed in the second set.
St. Maarten erased the previous set from memory and produced some
spirited volleyball to lead at the first technical timeout. The
offensive was short-lived, however, as Dominica returned to their
aggressive form and took a two-point lead at the second technical
timeout. They created some additional space and finished the match with
a resounding block.
“We had something to prove tonight. We are a quality team and we wanted
to make sure that we showcased that,” captain Keaun Reefe of Dominica
stated.
“I am happy that our team was able to capture the bronze medal and this
would serve as some encouragement for them as they take the next steps
in their volleyball lives. Some may well be preparing for call-up to the
senior team,” head coach of Dominica Jeffrey Edmund shared.
“I am proud of my team. Some of these players have been playing
volleyball for a very short time and for the team to be in the top four
says a lot about our potential,” St. Maarten’s captain Rajheem Meulens
said.
“We did well just to be in this position and we can only improve as we
go forward,” coach Nicholas Henrietta added.
The final, between St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, starts at 8 p.m.
Follow the game live:
https://www.youtube.com/@ecva.volleyball |
