The St. Thomas-St. John Interscholastic Athletic Association Volleyball League started with six exciting varsity matches held at Antilles School’s Mark C Marin Center on Saturday.
The two-time defending champions, Charlotte Amalie High School Lady Hawks, took on All Saints Cathedral School Lady Vikings. All Saints played well, winning the opening set 28-26. But the Hawks made some changes to their lineup and won the next three sets (25-14; 25-23; 25-10). Virgin Islands Montessori School and Peter Gruber International Academy Lady Volts had no trouble with the Lady Barracudas of Gifft Hill School dismissing them in straight sets (25-8; 25-15; 25-7). Antilles School Lady Hurricanes followed the Volts’ lead by defeating Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in three sets (25-14; 25-9;25-14).
The boys’ matches proved to be more competitive as all three matches took longer than the minimum three sets. VIMSPGIA and Gifft Hill got things started for the boys. The Volts won the first two sets (25-19; 25-16). However, the young Barracudas showed heart as they came back to win the third set 25-22. But in the end, the Volts were just too much, claiming the fourth 25-13. Antilles School Hurricanes and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School’s match followed the same pattern. The Canes used the strong serving game of Miguel Toussaint Jr. and the consistency of Jean-Rene Oriol to claim the first two sets (25-13; 25-12). However, the third set saw a new and revived Rays team and they took that set (25-21). The Rays continued their stellar play in the fourth, jumping out to a large lead but the Hurricanes came back to win the final set 25-18. The final boys’ match of the evening turned into a five-set marathon thriller that saw the Vikings come out on top (26-28; 25-22; 17-25; 25-20; 15-12).
Tuesday saw the commencement of the Middle School Girls’ and Junior Varsity Girls’ divisions at the Charlotte Amalie High School Gymnasium. St. Peter & Paul Lady Jaguars did battle with the Lady Barracudas from Gifft Hill School in the middle school division. The Jaguars claimed the opening set 25-20. However, the Barracudas turned things around, winning the final two sets (25-17; 15-7). In the final game of the evening, host CAHS JV Girls needed all three sets to get by St. Peter & Paul (26-24; 16-25; 15-12).
Action continues on Wednesday, with six varsity matches. Charlotte Amalie High School will face Gifft Hill School at 4:00 p.m., with boys on court 1 and girls on court 2.
Antilles School will play host to VIMSPGIA, boys on court 1 and girls on court 2. Both games will be played at the MCM Center on Antilles School campus. Ivanna Eudora Kean High School will host the other two matches. The Rays will be hosting All Saints Cathedral School girls at 4:00 p.m. and the boys will take the court around 5:15 p.m.
