BASSETERRE, St. Kitts & Nevis, June 8, 2025.- Dominica’s Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick were crowned ECVA U21 Men’s Beach Volleyball Champions for the second year in a row, delivering a confident 2-0 win (21-17, 21-15) over St. Lucia’s Victor Rio and Peter Emmanuel in Sunday’s gold medal match at the scenic shores of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Dominican duo reaffirmed their dominance in the region with another stellar performance, despite going through the round of 12 after finishing second in Pool A of the preliminary round, coincidently losing to St. Lucia’s duo Rio/Emmanuel.
In the championship match, Mingo and Frederick displayed control, keeping their composure under pressure and dictating the pace of the match. Their consistency and experience proved too much for the St. Lucian team, who fought hard but couldn’t break through.
Speaking after winning the gold medal, Frederick said “We feel very excited, because it’s another accomplishment in our books and I can’t even explain it, I am flabbergasted”.
Mervin Mingo added a warm thank you to their parents, coaches and fans “their support was very important for us”.
In an exciting bronze medal match, Grenada’s Walcott Zerick and Kibose Hamilton battled past home favorites Jedediah Pencheon and Vikash Sundar of St. Kitts and Nevis in a thrilling 2-1 victory (21-17, 12-21, 15-11). After taking the opening set, Zerick and Hamilton faced a fierce response in the second but regrouped with determination to seal the deciding set and claim the bronze medal.
The top three finishers of the event move on to represent the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) at the NORCECA World Championships Qualifier Tournament.
Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick of Dominica took a confident step toward back-to-back titles with a straight-sets semifinal victory 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) against Grenada’s Walcott Zerick and Kibose Hamilton. The Dominican pair showcased their experience and composure in key moments.
St. Lucia’s duo, Rio/Emmanuel, secured a swift and convincing 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) victory in their semifinal match against the home team of Sundar and Puncheon. They took both sets by comfortable margins, while Rio was particularly effective at the net, consistently shutting down St. Kitts’ scoring efforts.
Positioning matches:
POS 11-12: Dos Santos Martin/Mello BER vs. Hassel/De Jesus EUX 2-0 (21-19, 21-15)
POS 9-10: Smith/Reid AGU vs. Alexander/Stephen VIN 2-1 (21-18, 16-21, 15-12)
POS 5-8: Bristol/Fraites SKN vs. Lugo/Joseph ANT 2-0 (21-14, 21-8); Lall/Walters SKN vs. Wheatley/Dunkley IVB 2-0 (21-10, 21-17)
POS 7-8: Lugo/Joseph ANT vs. Wheatley/Dunkley IVB 2-0 (21-18, 21-16)
POS 5-6: Bristol/Fraites SKN vs. Lall/Walters SKN 2-0 (28-26, 21-12)
