The two teams that contested last year’s event will return to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the 2025 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-21 Beach Volleyball Championships in St. Kitts next month.
The female team comprised Jassania Joseph and Jaya Isaac Carr, and the male team consisted of Khaliq Joseph and Miguel Lena Lugo.
The two teams have once again been chosen by the Antigua and Barbuda Volleyball Association (ABVA) to participate in this year’s beach competitions, which will once again take place at Marriott Beach in St. Kitts from June 6 to 8.
Both teams will be hoping to improve on their performances at last year’s event. Antigua and Barbuda claimed third place in the men’s competition in 2024.
The Antigua duo of Joseph and Pena-Lugo captured bronze after prevailing 2-0 (21-17 and 21-16) against Kibose Hamilton and Zerick Walcott of Grenada in the playoff for third place.
Joseph and Lugo missed out on a place in the final after losing 2-0 (11-21 and 17-21) in the semi-finals to eventual men’s champion Bill Frederick and Mervin Mingo of Dominica.
Antigua and Barbuda’s team of Jaya Carr and Jassania Joseph finished fourth in the women’s segment at last year’s ECVA Under-21 Championships.
Carr and Joseph forfeited their match in the playoff for third place to Bermuda’s duo of Isabella Sousa and Hailey Trott.
The Antiguan female duo missed out on reaching the final after losing in the semi-finals, going under 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) against eventual champion Lavesha Richardson and Deandra Flemming of Anguilla.
This year, St. Kitts will once again welcome the region’s top junior beach volleyball talent as it hosts the 2025 ECVA Under-21 Beach Volleyball Championships.
This is the third consecutive year St. Kitts and Nevis has been selected as the host nation for this prestigious tournament. The 2025 high-profile sub-regional beach tournament will bring together several teams from 10 countries, one less than last year. Saba, which contested last year’s event, will not return to participate this year.
However, the high level of participation at this year’s event highlights the growing importance of beach volleyball across the Eastern Caribbean and ECVA’s ongoing efforts to foster youth athletic development.
As the host nation, St. Kitts and Nevis will once again field three male and three female teams, benefiting from the privilege extended to the host country.
Countries set to compete are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, the British Virgin Islands, St. Eustatius, Bermuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, and host St. Kitts and Nevis.
