| CASTRIES, St Lucia: Twelve men’s teams and ten women’s teams battle for supremacy in the 2024 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.
Twelve teams are slotted in the Men’s segment. In Group A are St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands. Making up Group B are St Lucia Team One, Bermuda and Dominica Team Two, with St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia Team Three, along with Antigua and Barbuda, composing Group C. And, completing the lot, are Grenada, Anguilla and St Lucia Team Three, are stashed in Group D. Meanwhile, the women’s teams have been placed into two groups. In Group A are St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia Team One, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Bermuda. Comprising Group B are duos representing St Lucia Team Two, Grenada, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda. St Lucia trumped both segments in 2023, when sixteen teams contested for honours. The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent beat the St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, in straight sets, 2-0 in the final. In the women’s title match, Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans kept the Grenadian duo of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford, at bay, to win 2-1. And, the defending champions are more than confident of retaining their titles. The seasoned Clercent, underscored that whenever he enters the court, he has one aim and that is to win. “ We are going out their to do our best … When we go out to play Volleyball, we go out to play and win”, Clercent commented. Likewise, Chenao Evans believes she and Prospere have what it takes to take the gold medal again. “ We are seeing some new faces who were not here last year, but winning is always what is first and foremost on our minds… My partner and I are confident of coming out on top once more and with the home support we can do it. The format of the men’s category sees the tops in each of the four groups earning direct places to the quarter finals, whilst the other eight will engage in play offs for the other four spots. Among the women, the top four teams in each group head to the quarter- finals, whilst the fifth places will vie for the ninth and tenth spots. Eight matches are carded for the opening day in men’s play, while ten are to be decided among the women. The playing days for the tournament are February 23 to 25. |
