After winning gold last July at the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association’s Youth and Junior Championships, the territory’s Youth National Team will open play Tuesday at 2 p.m. against the United States in the Under 19 Girls’ North Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) Volleyball Confederation Pan American Cup and become the first female V.I. squad ever to do so.
“I want to congratulate the USVI, Ruthlyn Hobson, president of the USVI Volleyball Federation, and the entire staff for doing an amazing job to get us here. But the real accolades go to the athletes for making this historic achievement,” Isaac Raphael, head coach of the USVI team shared in a recent interview.
Raphael said he understands the Virgin Islands is now swimming in a sea populated with much bigger fish but he doesn’t expect his young team to be intimidated.
“Our first match is against the USA, which includes a full roster of Division 1 athletes,” said Raphael. “However, I expect us to go out and play strategically, fighting for every point and leaving the court with no regrets.”
Raphael sees this event as an opportunity that will shape this young and growing program for the future. “Expectations are to learn as much as we can from this experience. No matter the outcome, we will come out with some great feedback to prepare us for our future matches,” he said.
The USVI will rely heavily on their two outside hitters, Anna Gillens and Captain Jala Dixon, who coaches say bring their experience, knowledge, and toughness to the team. Gillens was named the Most Valuable Player of the CAZOVA tournament held in Pleasantville, Trinidad. Setters, Jahyra Thomas and Nikaya Sarauw will be directing the team on the court. The anchors of the defense will be liberos Sapphire Cruz and Jadyn Webb.
Raphael believes one of the keys to finding success at the level is, “First we need to take in the moment and understand what we have achieved. We are already a success by just making it here,” said Isaac. “Then we need to go out and play and show that we belong here by owning the spotlight. We need to play hard, with no regrets, and have fun playing the game that we all love.”
The Virgin Island plays their first match against the United States of America at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The team will them face Mexico at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The USVI will play its final pool play match against Costa Rica at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
All matches will be streamed live on the Federacion Puertorriquena de Voleibol’s Facebook page.
