The United States Virgin Islands junior program concluded the U19 Girls NORCECA Continental Championships in eighth place after an impressive showing in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The USVI played Cuba in the 7/8 classification game to determine seventh- and eighth-place in the tournament. Cuba controlled the first two sets by building a wall at the net. The USVI girls were swinging hard but rarely penetrated the Cuban block. The USVI dropped the first two sets, 25-13, 25-16.
The Cuban coach made some changes to his lineup, giving the VI hitters an opportunity that they took full advantage of, taking an 11-6 lead in the third set. Once the Cuban starters returned, the VI hitters had gained momentum and their confidence. The VI won that set 25-22.
The third-set win showed that the USVI could compete with the worldwide volleyball powerhouse. The VI ladies did not back down in the fourth set. The match remained close throughout, with the V.I. serving to win the set at 24-23. However, Cuba was able to weather the storm, capturing the final set 27-25 to win the match 25-13, 25-16, 22-25, 27-25.
Finishing eighth out of nine teams and not winning a match may seem like an unsuccessful tournament by most standards. But if you factor in the age of the players on the Virgin Islands team compared with those of their opponents, consider the small population of just over 100,000 individuals competing against countries with millions of citizens, and the resources available to the bigger countries, the USVI gained the respect of the top teams in the region.
The USVI competes in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association. Two countries from the zone participated in this event. Neither won a match in the tournament; however, the USVI won a set against Puerto Rico and Cuba. The V.I. also reached set point in another game against Cuba, which the USVI eventually lost 27-25.
Jamaica played hard but was held below 12 points in seven of the nine sets it played in the tournament. The most points Jamaica scored was 16.
Mexico was the only team that swept the Virgin Islands girls; however, the V.I. was in all the games, scoring 22, 16 and 15 points, respectively.
USVI coach Isaac Raphael said, “Once we keep our girls training together, a lot of these countries will be in trouble when they play us in the next U19 tournament.”
