By Samuel Peters
Antigua and Barbuda failed to advance to the knockout stages of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-23 Women’s Championships which ended on Sunday.
Having been drawn in a very tough group, Antigua and Barbuda lost their first three games to St Lucia, St Martin and St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Championships. Their only win came against Saba whom they dominated with a 3-0 margin in their fourth game.
In their second game against St Martin, they showed more fight after the heavy defeat suffered in their opening match against their nemesis, St Lucia. In a see-saw encounter, the young Antiguans won the first set 25-20, then lost 15-25, then won 25-17. But the ladies from the small island of St Martin were very much keen on taking it into the fifth set by winning the fourth set 25-21. With the match tied 2-2, both teams fought valiantly to the end, but St Martin had the edge over Antigua and won the set 17-15.
In their third match versus St Vincent, Antigua and Barbuda were beaten by the Vincentians who won with a 3-0 margin. They were able to string together some very good plays, but unfortunately ended up on the losing side with scores of 22-25, 22-25 and 16-25 respectively.
Antigua and Barbuda were scheduled to play for seventh place against Anguilla on Sunday.