ROAD TOWN, Tortola: St. Vincent and the Grenadines downed their neighbours St. Lucia in a five set thriller, at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex yesterday, October 12. The pool B clash was match seven (7) of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) U23 Male Championship.
Captain Jamaar Cropper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines took his team on his shoulder and launched a barrage of attacks on his opponents. He finished the game with a mammoth 34 points. His heavy hitting is what led his team to come back from two sets down to claim the epic encounter. Ironically, it was a calculated dink from Cropper that ended the match, a stark contrast to his thunderous spikes.
Outside attacker Lamontagne was the top scorer for St. Lucia with 20 points.
St. Lucia won the first set 25 22, took the second set 25 23 and then Cropper and his team went into overdrive, roaring back 25 15, 25 22 and 15 13.
The match had all the elements of an instant classic. St. Vincent and the Grenadines overcame a red card, a yellow card, the scare of injury to their captain and persistent attacks from St. Lucia in the latter part of set two to turn the tide of the match.
“We needed this win and my teammates came through,” the St. Vincent and the Grenadines captain exclaimed.
His coach, Daryl Franklyn, indicated that the game plan was to improve on several aspects of the game that they felt failed them in their earlier match and he saw a significant improvement.
“It was a tough loss but a great match, nonetheless. We will just have to regroup for our next match,” the St. Lucia captain Remy indicated.
“We did not execute several fundamentals and that cost us dearly. However, the game was very competitive and I applaud both teams,” the St. Lucia Coach Terry Verdant stated.
It was the second match of the championship for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the first one for St. Lucia.
St. Lucia plays Saba this morning (October 13) while St. Vincent and the Grenadines play Antigua and Barbuda later in the evening.
