Seven Mile Public Beach was transformed into a vibrant battleground for elite youth beach volleyball athletes last weekend and Cayman volleyballers made their mark in the sand.
Both tournaments – the inaugural CAZOVA Under-21 World Championship Beach Qualifier and the NORCECA Youth Under-23 Beach Volleyball Continental Tour – saw more than 75 athletes from over 10 countries competing from 19-22 June.
The tournaments showcased the remarkable growth of local talent, a sentiment echoed by Trevor Theroulde, Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation’s technical director, who previously highlighted the programme’s significant progress and the “great chance” the Cayman players had in qualifying.
During the tournaments, that hard work was reflected in the performance of each of the Cayman teams, with a few walking away with medals.
Triple-medal victory for Cayman in CAZOVA tournament
In a stunning display for the home crowd, Brianna Delapenha and Luna Ebanks claimed gold in the women’s division of the CAZOVA U21 Tournament.
They triumphed over Barbados in the finals, winning 2-1 (21-10, 14-21, 15-9), with Delapenha sealing the victory with an ace.
Earlier, the duo overcame fellow Caymanian team Anjia Delapenha and Joanna Robinson in the semifinal match, coming from behind to win 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-5).
Anjia Delapenha and Robinson secured the bronze medal against Trinidad and Tobago, marking a fantastic showing for the Cayman women’s teams.
Reflecting on their victory, Ebanks, 16, told the Compass, “Winning the under-21 tournament with my partner … was an unforgettable experience. It meant so much to us to represent the Cayman Islands and come out on top right here at home.”
The Cayman Islands men’s team, Stephen Watson and Dylan Lynee, also delivered a stellar performance in the CAZOVA U21 Tournament, securing a silver medal.
Despite a valiant effort in the final against Barbados, they unfortunately had to forfeit due to injuries, a testament to the gruelling nature of the competition.
Lynee told the Compass that both he and Watson felt the fatigue during the finals, having played three prior games since their 9am opener that morning.
“We were just pushing through exhaustion … just like anyone was doing, [and] obviously Barbados was pushing through too, so that was pretty even,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome, he expressed immense pride in their performance, saying, “I don’t think that there was a game where we didn’t play as we should have or … the way we wanted to.”
The strong performances have qualified the Cayman Islands for the U18 and U21 World Championships qualifiers in the Dominican Republic this July.
NORCECA under-23 action on Cayman’s shores
In the NORCECA Youth Under-23 Continental Tour, Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig of the USA claimed first place in the women’s division, while Julian Araya and Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica secured their second consecutive U23 gold in the men’s division.
Durish and Koenig told the Compass that it was a nicely set-up tournament and they attributed their success to strong team chemistry.
Araya and Varela said it was very difficult to get to this result and they had devoted numerous hours of hard training, so they were extremely proud about the outcome.
Both winning teams praised the Cayman Islands’ beautiful location and excellent playing conditions.
Out of 14 women’s teams, Cayman’s women ranked 6th (Joanna Robinson/Anjia Delapenha) and 12th (Luna Ebanks/Brianna Delapenha) while the men ranked 7th (Dylan Lynee/Stephen Watson), 14th (Declan Van Dam/Liam Chisholm) and 15th (William Duty/Dimitri Cardenas) out of 16 men teams.
Mushtaque Mohammed, CAZOVA president and NORCECA executive vice president, praised the Cayman Islands’ exceptional hosting.
“In all of the events that we have held, the Cayman Islands, one of the smallest islands, have excelled. A matter of fact, they have consistently improved, and I don’t know where they can improve any more,” Mohammed told the Compass.
With a four-court layout for the tournaments, he described it as “very strategic” and “world-class design”.
Shakeina Bush, beach volleyball director for the Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation, lauded the event’s success, telling the Compass that it was an awesome atmosphere with a phenomenal crowd.
She added that she is proud of the local athlete’ performances and the growth they’ve made in the last one to two years, which led to multiple medal finishes over the weekend.
Dean Lynee, youth and development director for the Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation, told the Compass, “We had the youngest players in the [tournaments] and they’ve held their own … and this is just the start.”
