By Carlena Knight
Antigua and Barbuda settled for a third-place finish in the recently-concluded Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-21 Men’s Championships at the YMCA Volleyball Indoor Facility.
The home team, after losing their semi-final match-up on Saturday night to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, bounced back to trounce St. Kitts and Nevis in straight sets 25-14, 25-10, 25-12 on Sunday.
But it was St. Lucia that walked away with the highest honor when they defeated St. Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2 in sets in the finals on Sunday night.
The 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 15-9 victory confirms the Windward Island’s position at the 2020 NORCECA Championships.
The female team qualified a week earlier after winning the Under-20 event here in Antigua.
Along with securing the overall title, the St. Lucians dominated the individual awards, claiming five; while St. Vincent and the Grenadines amassed four; St. Kitts and Nevis, two; and Antigua and Barbuda, one.
Joshua Florent was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, as well as the Best Outside Hitter and Best Scorer.
Teammate Fabio Lamontagne was the Best Server while Gaspard Noah was the Best Opposite.
Enrico Louraine of SVG walked away with double awards for Best Digger and Best Receiver while teammates Kyle Liverpool and Shemar Baynes were awarded the Best Outside Hitter and Best Middle Blocker.
Making their return after 20 years was the St. Kitts and Nevis team that, despite not winning a match, had two players named to the All-Star team.
Elkreen Morlon was the Best Setter and Ajani Adams, the Best Libero.
Captain for the home team, Tejani Harvey, was named the Best Middle Blocker.