U. S. Virgin Islands defeats Turks & Caicos to book NORCECA Qualifier finals ticket  
 

St. Croix, Virgin Islands, August 7, 2016 - Host U. S. Virgin Islands booked a spot at next year’s second round 2018 NORCECA World Championship Qualification Tournament beating Turks & Caicos in straight sets. 

Playing in the second match on Sunday’s morning session, U. S. Virgin Islands won their second match in-a-row as well to win 25-3, 25-11 and 25-9 at the Ronald "Ranche" Basketball Arena. 

With the win, the U. S. Virgin Islands improved to 2-0 and maximum ten points, the same as Curacao who they meet in the final round of matches on Sunday night to determine the Group A winner of the tournament which is the Round One qualifier to the 2018 FIVB World Indoor Championship to be jointly hosted by Italy and Bulgaria.
 
When asked how she felt about the game today, Captain Sacha Gumbs of the U. S. Virgin Islands stated “ We came in knowing the Turks and Caicos were one of the weaker teams but we couldn’t take them lightly, as for any other team. My coach incorporated the bench so that they can have a feel to play against Turks and Caicos. “
 
Turks and Caicos Captain, Yanike Lee stated that “Today’s game was another experience for us and this is only our second international game being that we’ve only been playing for two weeks. It’s a learning experience for us and its mandatory that we stay focus and positive which comes from within.”
 
Turks and Caicos’s coach Donnovan Garvey explained that today’s game was another learning experience. He stated “It’s growth, the more my girls play the sweeter I'm enjoying it. They’re learning to recognize my voice while playing and that’s a good thing in an arena that is foreign to them. They were able to pick up more hits this game than the previous game. The more we play, the more they learn.

Coach Jerall Nicholas of the U. S. Virgin Islands stated that he’s thankful for the competition in all the teams. He then stated “We used that game for trying to execute some plays for future games.” With absence  of key players, practice, and other essentials, he’s proud of his team’s progression in the tournament.