Road Town, Tortola: 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.
Photo: Vidal of Dominica providing the offense
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.
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