USA powers up against St. Lucia at NORCECA U-20

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, July 9, 2014. -  United States defeated St. Lucia 3-0 (25-5, 25-4, 25-3) in the closing match of the second day of actions of the Women’s U-20 NORCECA Continental Championship at Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium.

United States powered up in their first appearance in the tournament, jumping to a comfortable straight set victory.

USA blocked St. Lucia’s offensive line with an 11-0 margin; they pushed strongly with a huge advantage in kills by 38-3 and superiority in service points by 6-0. USA had only 9 unforced errors while St. Lucia committed 20.

Opposite player Hayley Hodson and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan scored 13 points apiece to top USA’s scorers. Mikaela Foecke contributed with nine points to the winning cause, with 4 blocks included.

“We came out strong and taking care of every point; it’s always a pleasure to play volleyball facing teams who want to battle hard. We’re excited and prepared to face Mexico tomorrow and hopefully we’ll have another win” said USA’s captain Hayley Hodson.

“For us it’s a privilege to face one of the top teams in the world. Our defense was better yesterday; I believe we need a better attitude and expect the unexpected in our next matches” said captain Jedda Alcee of St. Lucia.

USA’s Coach Thomas Hogan said “every point in this competition matters, we executed well and start off in a good way. St. Lucia had many good plays during the match, with good defense; it’s the first time in my 13 years as a coach that I face them and it’s important for them to attend more international competitions so their level can climb”.

St. Lucia’s coach Keam Charlery indicated “our defense did better today, but our blocking wasn’t as good, allowing USA offensive line perform stronger. Facing USA is a learning experience for us, which helps us to improve our tactics”.