ROAD TOWN, Tortola: St. Maarten started their Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) U23 Male championship campaign with a win, at the expense of Team Grenada, in match three of the championship. St. Maarten won in three straight sets; 25-19, 26-24 and 25-7.
Captain of St. Maarten Rajheem Meulens was the top scorer of the match with 15 points. Grenada’s attack was led by outside hitter Jamal Collins, who had 10 points.
The loss was the second straight defeat for Team Grenada, less than 24 hours after playing in match one (1).
Team St. Maarten was able to absorb the shock of a quick start from Grenada through precision serving and set plays that unsettled the opponent. They also managed to stifle brief spurts of aggression by Team Grenada.
“We are thrilled to have overcome nervousness and register our first victory. The team’s confidence increased after every set,” team captain Meulens of St. Maarten said.
“Our expectation is to always win and I am confident that our level of play will improve even more as the championship progresses,” his coach Nicholas Henrietta added.
“Of course, we wanted this victory and we are disappointed but the message to my teammates is to regroup and play with even more confidence,” Grenada’s captain Jabarie Collins said.
“It is frustrating that we are not seeing the full potential of our players. Hopefully we can decrease the number of unforced errors and string together some winning sets,” Grenada’s Coach Javin Noel offered.
Grenada is scheduled to engage host British Virgin Islands tomorrow evening (October 13). St. Maarten will face Dominica in the morning.
