SKN Dominates Women’s Division Championship Challenge
For the third consecutive time, Saint Lucia’s stellar players Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent have claimed the title at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Men’s Beach Volley Ball Championship.
On Sunday, this top-ranked duo demonstrated their dominance in the sub-regional competition with an impressive three-peat.
Team Saint Lucia defeated Bermuda’s Benjamin Barnett and Sean Tucker in the final match (21-14, 15-21, 15-8) at the Buckeye Beach Facility in Cul de Sac, wrapping up three days of intense competition featuring 12 teams.
Barnett, who struggled in the previous year’s group stage alongside former partner Kyle Hamilton, found more success this time with Tucker. The Bermudians powered through pool play, securing a victory over Anguilla’s Aiden Hazzard and Da’Qwan Fredericks and edging out Saint Lucia’s Diallo Albert and Lindan Clarke in the qualifiers.
Their most challenging test came in the semifinals, where they triumphed over Dominica’s Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick in a grueling marathon match that ended 32-30, 21-16.
However, the final presented a formidable challenge against the reigning champions. Descartes and Clercent had already bested Barnett and Tucker in previous pool play (21-18, 21-9) and moved past Hazzard and Fredericks in the quarterfinals.
The Saint Lucian duo then dominated St Vincent & the Grenadines’ Ronaldo Franklyn and Shadron Delpesche before overcoming St Kitts & Nevis’ Julian Bristol and Jedediah Pencheon, the only team to take a set from them throughout the entire tournament, in the semifinals.
On the women’s side, St Kitts & Nevis’ Shajunee Gumbs and Shanicia Dyer claimed the gold, decisively avenging earlier losses to defeat Bermuda’s Hailey Moss and Megan Hands (21-14, 22-20) in the final.
Defending champions Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford of Grenada settled for bronze after defeating Saint Lucia’s Clio Phillip and Tenayestlgni Joseph.
Gumbs and Dyer faced a challenging path to victory. After dropping group-stage matches to Saint Lucia’s Phillip/Joseph and Grenada’s Mitchell/Stafford, they fought through a thrilling three-set of 12 match against Grenada’s Teasia Jones and Sienna Dominique. They surged through the knockout rounds, toppling Saint Lucia’s Denila Prospere and Chenoa Evans before exacting revenge on Phillip and Joseph to reach the final.
The tournament showcased an impressive 56 matches, with participation from eight of ECVA’s 14-member nations.
The spotlight now shifts to St Kitts & Nevis, the next host for the Under-21 Beach Championships in June.
Last year’s U-21 silver medalists, Saint Lucia’s Kurtrice Jules and Marie-Therese St Clair, are determined to improve and claim the gold this time.