St Joseph’s Convent (SJC) are the new queens of the National Under-19 Volleyball Competition following their straight-set victory against Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) in the finals held on Thursday at the Vigie Sports Complex.
With this victory, the Cedars-based school dethroned their opponents, who entered the fixture as the reigning champions. The match was also a rematch of last year’s finals.
Unlike the other games in the competition, the finals followed a best-of-five set format. The first set was a nail-biting encounter, with SJC narrowly edging out their opponents, winning 25-22. The next two sets followed a similar pattern, as SJC gained momentum early, making it difficult for SALCC to find their rhythm. Both sets ended with identical scorelines, with SJC securing victory at 25-17 in each.
Stuart Albert, coach of the victorious team, noted that the final score did not fully reflect the difficulty of the match. However, he emphasised that hard work and resilience ultimately paid off.
“We faced some tough challenges, but we overcame them because the girls have been working hard since September. Last year, we played Sir Arthur in the final, and we knew there was a strong chance we would face them again, so we came prepared,” he said. “I’m proud of the girls.”
Earlier in the day, Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School (SCSS) defeated Micoud Secondary School (MSS) in straight sets to claim third place in the competition. However, this victory did not come easily. A fiercely contested first set saw Micoud Secondary take an early lead. A series of consistent service games from Soufriere allowed them to fight back, leveling the score at 15-15. Soufriere ultimately won the first set 25-19.
The second set was just as intense. Once again, the girls from the East Coast fought hard, leading 23-13 at one point. However, they were unable to maintain their advantage, allowing Soufriere to tie the score at 25-25. In a thrilling finish, Soufriere completed the comeback, overcoming a set point deficit to win 26-24.
Mark Antoine, head coach of Soufriere, credited his team’s determination for their hard-fought victory.
“As I tell them, the game isn’t over until the final point is won, so you just keep fighting, keep playing, and enjoy the game,” he said. “They went out there, worked together, played for each other, and were ultimately victorious.”
