USVI Men’s Basketball Gains Fans in Peru After Loss to Puerto Rico

VIOC

The U.S. Virgin Islands (ISV) lost to Puerto Rico, 101-89, in their second game for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, but won the hearts of fans attending the event Wednesday morning.

Team ISV finished the first half 32 points behind (59-27) but dominated the second half and outscored Puerto Rico in both the third and fourth quarters, closing the gap to just 12 points.

Top scorers for the USVI were team captain and point guard Walter Hodge with 27 points; Georgio Milligan, who plays point and shooting guard, ended with 17 points; and Ivan Aska, who plays small and power forward put up 16 points. Aska also led in rebounds with nine.

The sound of thunderous applause filled the arena as fans cheered on their favorite teams for most of the second half as team ISV cut down Puerto Rico’s lead. Head coach Wilo Colon said it’s the heart of the players that made the difference.

“They put a lot of heart [in it]. When you touch the heart, it made them think they were representing the Virgin Islands and they want to play for them and that’s when their whole attitude changed,” Colon said.

Point Guard Devon Peltier, who hails from the island of St. Thomas, said the team started off flat with little momentum in the first quarter. However, after a quick pep talk in the locker room at the half, they came back with more intensity and a renewed focus on defense which was key to slowing Puerto Rico’s shooters.

“They punched first, and they punched us hard,” Peltier said. “For half time when we went in the locker, we had a little bit of back and forth. But we’re fighting for something more than ourselves. We’re fighting for our place, our community, our country, our flag—the Virgin Islands. And we came out with a vengeance in the second half.”

Peltier said hearing the support from the fans gave them the fuel to keep pushing.

“For us to fight back it shows we had determination, and we had the will to keep pushing forward no matter the circumstances in the game,” Peltier said. “The fans saw that. They saw our fight. They saw our will, and we came forth and the support and the cheering just helped to give us momentum to take the game within single digits points to come back and actually give us a fighting chance to win. We felt like we [weren’t] there alone.”

USVI Loses First Game Against USA in 2019 Pan Am Games Debut

VIOC

The U.S. Virgin Islands (ISV) men’s basketball team took a loss to the United States (USA) in their first game for the 2019 Pan American Games on Wednesday with a score of 119- 84.

The highlight for team ISV was in the second quarter when they bested the USA 20-17 even though they trailed for the entire game which took place at the Eduardo Dibós Colisuem in Lima, Peru.
Walter Hodge, ISV’s team captain and point guard took a lot of positives from the game as they look forward to playing Puerto Rico on Thursday.

“I think we did a good job moving the ball in the first half. The first quarter was okay, the second quarter was perfect for us. We moved the ball. We [were] not trying to hold the ball too much,” Hodge said.

One of team ISV’s coaches Donald Bough, agreed saying that there were many takeaways that they can apply in the upcoming days.

“We didn’t shoot too bad when we had the opportunity. So, our shooting and our offense ain’t too bad,” Bough said. “Defensively now we have a little bit of stuff to work on, because we gave up too [many] easy buckets. So, in terms of the offense, we know who the shooters are so we can penetrate.”

Devon Peltier, Ivan Aska, and Hodge were the top scoring players for team ISV. Peltier and Aska both had 16 points, and Hodge ended with 18. Aska also led the team in rebounds with eight—seven of which were on the defensive end.

Though Team ISV ended the game making 40 percent of their three-pointers, Team USA dominated with a fairly higher percentage—50 percent—something Bough says was expected but won’t deter them from re-focusing and keeping their head in the game moving forward.

“Ain’t nobody going to shoot a better three-point percentage than this team. They shot the volume of threes and the percentage of threes,” Bough said. “Even though it might look a little dismal because of the margin of loss—that’s one game like how they say, and the next game will be something hopefully a lot more positive to us.”

Team captain Hodge said that defense will need to be improved for tomorrow against Puerto Rico, who also has high percentage shooters.

“I think this is a different team. I think this is the B or C team from Puerto Rico, but at the end of the day they are great players and they play hard,” Hodge said. “They got a bunch of shooters too, so if today was hard for us to guard the three-point line tomorrow will be the same, so we have to do a better job.”

USVI Kicks Off Competition at the 2019 Pan Am Games

VIOC

LIMA – The men’s marathon and women’s beach volleyball events kicked off the 2019 Pan American Games for the U.S. Virgin Islands (ISV) Olympic Committee’s delegation in Lima, Peru on Saturday.

Team ISV’s delegation will be represented by nearly 50 athletes, coaches, support staff and officials for the duration of the Games which takes between July 26th and August 11th. The 29 athletes will be competing in several disciplines including Boxing, Basketball, Swimming, Sailing, Beach Volleyball, and Athletics.

Events in the two latter sports were completed on Saturday by Eduardo Garcia, who competed in the Men’s Marathon event, as well as the duo of Mannika Charles and Desiree Miranda, who competed in Women’s Beach Volleyball.

Athletes will be competing in cooler weather conditions since it is currently winter in Lima. Average day temperatures during the Games will be in the low to mid 60s. During the evenings, they can expect temperatures to hover in the high 50s.

Garcia finished the chilly course Saturday morning that wove through downtown Lima with a time of 2:19:12. He edged out four other runners to finish 12th out of 16. Host country Peru took home the gold thanks to Christian Pacheco Mendoza who finished with a time of 2:10:41.

The USVI women’s volleyball team, though not successful in their matches, competed against a vast field of countries over the past few days. Their tournament, which began on Wednesday, July 24th –a few days ahead of the official start the Games—included matches with Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guatemala with the latter two matches occurring on Saturday.

Team ISV also participated in the Opening Ceremonies for the Games, which occurred on Friday, July 26 and was met with rousing support from Peruvian attendees and visitors from across the region. The show, which gave a profound and colorful depiction of the history and culture of Peru was capped off by a performance from famed Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, who is recently known for his hit song Despacito.

St. Thomas Olympic Day Two Mile Run Results

VIOC

1. Shane DeGannes 10:56
2. Kasim Upchurch 12:03
3. Michael Sheehan 12:07
4. Brad Kappel 12:34
5. Antonio Maysonet 12:39
6. Reginald Beyers 13:00
7. Alexandra Gotting 13:06
8. Leon Hunt 13:17
9. Akil Petersen 13:31.4
10. Paul Anderson 13:31.5
11. Meredith Walling 13:33
12. Amoi Foerstel 14:12
13. Sydney Nick 14:24
14. Fay Hsu 14:56
15. Clinton Stapelton 15:30
16. Valerie Washington 15:42
17. Tiarra Kappel 15:50
18. Katie Tannenbaum 16:28
19. Tonia G- Stapelton 16:31
20. Ali Slimming 16:36
21. Aden Stapelton 16:49
22. Simone Francis 16:51
23. Marcus Blyden 17:10
24. Melissa King 17:29
25. Ajoni Stapelton 18:47
26. Jami Pfister 19:00
27. Ellis Wisehart 20:16
28. Lisa Wisehart 20:17
29. Shannel Reffell 22:20
30. Keturah Montonte 22:21
31. Alyson Monsanto 22:33
32. Brenda Walwyn 23:19
33. Barry Hurst 26:48
34. Stella Butler 27:58
35. Adrianne Baird 27:59
36. Andrew Capdrew 32:50
37. Joycelyn Monsanto 33:20
38. Eric Matthias 33:32
39. Allison O’Boyle 33:41
40. Sally Winters 33:42.1
41. Casey Payton 33:42.4

St. Croix Olympic Day Run “The Magic of the Mile”

VIOC

Approximately 100 runners, walkers, volunteers, supporters representing Virgin Islands Olympic Committee membership showed up for the annual Olympic Month event which included:

6 minutes Per Mile Group
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 MALIQUE Smith 21 M V.I. Track/Field 4:43 4:43
2 RODNEY Griffin 20 M V.I. Track/Field 5:16 5:16
3 MIKAELA Smith 17 F V.I. Track/Field 5:19 5:19
4 STEPHEN Swanston 36 M V.I. Triathlon 5:28 5:28
5 MAKARI Mathew 15 M V.I. Track/Field 5:32 5:32
6 RANDLE Nielsen 51 M V.I. Track/Field 5:34 5:34
7 JELANI Willock 16 M V.I. Track/Field 5:42 5:42
8 NYAN Bansal 17 M V.I. Track/Field 5:43 5:43
9 ROBERT Vanterpool 27 M 5:54 5:54
10 MEGAN Lambert 38 F V.I. Swimming 6:19 6:19
11 GREGORY Gibson 17 M V.I. Swimming 6:35 6:35

7 minutes Per Mile Group
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 MICHELLE Smith 13 F V.I. Track/Field 5:49 5:49
2 DWIGHT Reaves 32 M V.I. Track/Field 6:32 6:32
3 MIKE Klein 54 M V.I. Track/Field 6:34 6:34
4 TROY Holloway 55 M V.I. Track/Field 6:37 6:37
5 AKYRA Joseph 12 F V.I. Track/Field 6:47 6:47
6 STEPHEN Gadziola 65 M 6:55 6:55
7 ROBIN Seila 36 F V.I. Cycling 7:28 7:28
8 KIERRA Lambert 12 F V.I. Swimming 7:36 7:36

10 minutes Per Mile Group
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 JAIDEM Comacho 15 M V.I. Swimming 6:35 6:35
2 MIREILLE Smith 49 F V.I. Track/Field 7:30 7:30
3 FAITH Eatman 7 F V.I. Track/Field 7:46 7:46
4 KATELYN Jones 9 F V.I. Track/Field 7:53 7:53
5 JENIQUA Weeks 10 F V.I. Track/Field 8:03 8:03
6 DOMINIQUE Willock 19 F V.I. Track/Field 8:21 8:21
7 MAYAH Russell 18 F V.i. Track/Field 8:30 8:30
8 MEGAN Lambert 38 F V.I. Triathlon 8:47 8:47
9 STEPHAN Swanston 36 M V.I. Triathlon 8:48 8:48
10 ROBIN Seila 36 F V.I. Cycling 8:54 8:54
11 KAT Brownsdon 47 F V.I. Triathlon 8:55 8:55
12 TROY Holloway 55 M V.I. Track/Field 8:57 8:57
13 TRAVIS Patrick 10 F V.I. Track/Field 10:28 10:28
14 ADIA Willock 18 F V.I. Track/Field 14:14 14:14
15 LOREAN Simmon 63 F 18:42 18:42

15 minutes Per Mile Group
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 LUIS Tores 11 M 8:36 8:36
2 NAYAN Bansal 17 M V.I. Track/Field 8:37 8:37
3 KIERRA Lambert 12 F V.I. Triathlon 9:02 9:02
4 MEGAN Lambert 38 M V.I. Triathlon 9:04 9:04
5 TROY Holloway 55 M V.I. Track/Field 9:49 9:49
6 ROBIN Seila 36 F V.i. Cycling 9:51 9:51
7 DWIGHT Reaves 32 M V/O/ Track/Field 10:50 10:50
8 MYKAL Piper 9 M V.I. Swimming 11:02 11:02
9 PATSY Guthrie 57 F 11:05 11:05
10 DEBY Babb 69 F V.I. Swimming 12:35 12:35
11 AARON Morales 78 M V.I. Cycling 12:48 12:48
12 B. Willock 50 M V.I. Track/Field 12:53 12:53
13 CHEAROLL Luby 59 M V.I. Track/Fiel 13:15 13:15
14 TAYLOR Babb 69 M V.I. Swimming 14:15 14:15
15 TEAGUE Gleason 9 M V.I. Swimming 14:25 14:25
16 KAIDEN Gleason 12 M V.I. Swimming 14:30 14:30
17 MASON Lambert 12 M V.I. Swimming 14:32 14:32
18 D. Babb 8 F V.I. Swimming 14:37 14:37
19 MALERIE Gleason 33 F V.I. Swimming 14:39 14:39
20 NATHALIE Piper 10 F 15:40 15:40
21 BEVA, Sage 44 M V.I. Cycling 16:10 16:10

20 minutes Per Mile Group
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 KEITH Smith 54 M V.I. Track/Field 11:36 11:36
2 NED Jacobs 67 M V.I. Track/Field 11:38 11:38
3 REY Lutz 65 M V.I. Track/Field 12:50 12:50
4 WILLIE Lewis 61 M V.I. Track/Field 13:01 13:01
5 RONALD Russell 65 M V.I. Track/Fie 13:29 13:29
6 GLENDA Raphael 52 F 13:30 13:30
7 FAUSTINA Aguste 46 F V.I. Track/Field 13:55 13:55
8 SHAMOI Fontnelle 6 F 14:13 14:13
9 ROYETTE Russell 60 F V.I. Track/Field 14:26 14:26
10 JANIS Valmond 60 F V.I. Track/Field 14:30 14:30
11 MATHEW Mays 20 M V.I. Swimming 15:02 15:02
12 WEBSTER BOZO 19 M V,I.Swimming 15:04 15:04
13 TEAGUR Gleason 9 M V.I. Swimming 15:59 15:59
14 MELANIE Gleason 33 F V.I. Swimming 16:00 16:00
15 HELEN Bender 56 F 16:28 16:28
16 TROY Holloway 55 M V.I. Track/Field 16:48 16:48
17 KAIDEN Gleason 12 M V.I. Swimming 16:50 16:50
18 KIERRA Lambert 12 F V.I. Swimming 16:51 16:51
19 JAIDEN Comacho 15 M V.I. Swimming 16:52 16:52
20 MASON Lambert 12 M V.I. Swimming 16:59 16:59
21 VICKY St. Ange 46 F V.I. Track/Field 17:20 17:20
22 JANICE Forde 50 F V.I. Track/Field 17:35 17:35
23 SAM Jones 37 M 17:54 17:54
24 ANETTE Sisson 48 F V.I. Track/Field 17:56 17:56
25 BRIAN Brady 31 M V.I. Swimming 18:04 18:04
26 NATAKE’ Kuipers 18 F V.I. Swimming 18:06 18:06
27 JAY Gleason 44 F V.I. Swimming 18:08 18:08
28 DAVID Morales 44 M V.I. Cycling 18:13 18:13
29 LEOCADO Comacho 48 M V.I. Swimming 18:17 18:17
30 LEANNA Comacho 13 M V.I. Swimming 18:18 18:18
31 AARON Morales 16 M V.I. Cycling 18:22 18:22

V.I. 3000m female National Championship
===== =================== === = =============== == ========== ======= =====
1 BRIDGET Klein 35 F Jolly Roger TC 10:59 5:54
2 RACHEL Conhoff 19 F Jolly Roger TC 12:07 6:30
3 KAT Brownsdon 47 F V.I. Triathlon 13:08 7:03
4 MEGAN Lambert 38 F V.I. Triathlon 13:26 7:13

2019 Olympic Month Schedule

VIOC

All Month June 1st – June 30th

Olympic Quiz
This contest has questions that test you on VIOC History and its operations. The VIOC has responsibility for the Virgin Islands Olympic movement including the development of teams for: The Central America and Caribbean Games; The Pan American Games; The Summer Olympic Games; The Winter Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.

Prizes: 
1st Place $100 and Official VIOC t-shirt
2nd Place $75 and Official VIOC t- shirt
3rd Place $50 and Official VIOC t-shirt
4th Place to 10th Place Official VIOC t-shirt.

Entry On-line – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/viocquiz

June 1st, 2019

VI Archery Championships
Time: 9:00am     Location: Isaac Gatewood James Park, St. Croix
Contact: Virgin Islands Archery Federation nold71@gmail.com

June 1st, 2019

VIOC In Action Radio Show
Time: Noon -1:00 pm      Location: (107.9 FM) LIVE
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee – Leon Hunt – leonlhunt@gmail.com

June 8th, 2019

VI National Track and Field Championships
Time: 8:00 am   Location: Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, St. Thomas
Contact: Virgin Islands Track & Field Federation – Wallace Williams – wallacewilliams@msn.com

June 8th, 2019

VIOC In Action Radio Show – VI Sailing Federation
Time: Noon -1:00 pm      Location: (107.9 FM) LIVE
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee – Leon Hunt – leonlhunt@gmail.com

June 9th, 2019

Bike Ride to Point Udal

Time: 7:00 am   Location: Solitude, St. Croix
Contact: Virgin Islands Cycling Federation – Theresa Harper tcharper@yahoo.com

June 9th, 2019

Virgin Islands Olympic Committee Golf Tournament

Time: 9:00 am   Location: Carambola, St. Croix
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (340) 719-8462 noc@virginislandsolympics.org

June 10th – 16th, 2019

International Opti Regatta

Time: All Day      Location: St. Thomas Yacht Club, St. Thomas
Contact: Virgin Islands Sailing Association internationaloptiregatta@gmail.com

June 11th, 2019

Good Governance in Sports Conference

Time: 9:00 am   Location: UVI ACC Conference Room, St. Thomas
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (340) 719-8462 noc@virginislandsolympics.org

June 13th, 2019

Good Governance in Sports Conference

Time: 9:00 am   Location: UVI Great Hall, St. Croix
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (340) 719-8462 noc@virginislandsolympics.org

June 15th, 2019

VIOC In Action Radio Show – VI Basketball Federation
Time: Noon -1:00 pm      Location: (107.9 FM) LIVE
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee – Leon Hunt – leonlhunt@gmail.com

June 21st, 2019

St. Croix 3×3 Basketball Tournament

Time: TBA          Location: TBA
Contact: Choices Basketball Association Inc. – Alphonso Meade – elitebasketballvi@gmail.com

June 22nd, 2019

St. Thomas 3×3 Basketball Tournament

Time: 10:00 am                 Location: UVI, St. Thomas
Contact: Virgin Islands Basketball Federation – Dean Adams – adamsbig33@gmail.com

June 22nd, 2019

St. Croix Olympic Day Run

Time: 5:00 pm          Location:  St. Croix Educational Complex
Contact: VI Pace – Wallace Williams – wallacewilliams@msn.com

June 22nd, 2019

VIOC In Action Radio Show – Laverne Jones
Time: Noon -1:00 pm      Location: (107.9 FM) LIVE
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee – Leon Hunt – leonlhunt@gmail.com

June 29th, 2019

VIOC In Action Radio Show – VI Archery Federation
Time: Noon -1:00 pm      Location: (107.9 FM) LIVE
Contact: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee – Leon Hunt – leonlhunt@gmail.com

June 23rd, 2019

St. Thomas Beach Volleyball Tournament
Time: 9:00 am   Location: Brewer’s Beach, St. Thomas
Contact: Virgin Islands Volleyball Federation – Lucille Hobson – vivolleyballfederation@yahoo.com

June 30th, 2019

St. Thomas Olympic Day Run

Time: 7:30 am     Location: Magens Bay, St. Thomas
Contact: STAR – Therese Hodge therese10k@yahoo.com or Wallace Williams – wallacewilliams@msn.com

June 30th, 2019

St. Croix Beach Volleyball Tournament
Time: 9:00 am   Location: Fort Frederick Beach, St. Croix
Contact: Virgin Islands Volleyball Federation – Lucille Hobson – vivolleyballfederation@yahoo.co

3rd Youth Olympics Games – Buenos Aires,Argentina

VIOC

The Virgin Islands Olympic Committee sent a delegation of 11 members to the 3rd Youth Olympics Games. The VIOC participated in Swimming, Triathlon and Track at the games. The games where delivered at an Olympic standard and where organized extremely well.

Opening/Closing

Opening Flag Bearer – Ky Odlum
Closing Flag Bearer – Mikaela Smith

Athletes / Coaches

Dominic Pugliese (Triathlon) – Scott Fricks (Coach)
Dominic raced in 2 medal events, an individual triathlon on October 8th and a mixed team relay event on October 11th.

Mikaela Smith (800 m track) – Mireille Sankatsing-Smith (Coach)
October 11th – Mikaela’s race (2:23.92)
October 14th Mikaela’s race (2:19.88)

Natalia Kuipers (Swimming) – John Vasbinder & Frank Odlum (Coach)
Women 200m Freestyle 2:15.17 (34th)
Women 400m Freestyle 4:45.60 (25th)

Ky Odlum (Swimming) – John Vasbinder & Frank Odlum (Coach)

Men 100m Freestyle 56:23 (41st)
Men 100m Butterfly 1:00.73 (43rd)

ISV Golfer Maintain Solid Marks for Medal Contention

VIOC

U.S. Virgin Islands (ISV) golfers increased in rankings on Tuesday, and maintain an opportunity for medal contention after two days of competition at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.

Amira Alexander and Kevin O’Connell are representing Team ISV in the women’s and men’s golf events. O’Connell, 36, jumped three spots to tie for 6th place after round two on Tuesday. Alexander, 24, rose one spot and is tied for third place—maintaining a solid reach for a medal with just two more days of competition to go.

After ranking fourth on the first day of play with +2 over par, Alexander, who hails from St. Thomas, ended round two on Tuesday just one over par and placing second for the day, which ultimately rose her into third place overall.

The rainy weather, a rare occurrence in Barranquilla according to residents, was a major factor to consider for both golfers after the tournament had to be delayed twice because of downpours and thunder.

“The first couple of holes were a little shaky, but I feel like my rhythm is coming,” Alexander said. “The breaks are kind of annoying, but I’m just trying to keep my mind in the game.”

Alexander, who has been doing physical training and competing in several mini tour and open events to prepare for the CAC Games, said the course has some challenges that she plans to focus moving forward.

“I’ve noticed the greens are a little tricky on some holes. Some of them go a little faster, some go slower, so I just need to pay attention to that when I get to those holes, and make sure I make a firm put for each downhill and uphill puts that I have,” she said.

With two more days to go, Alexander says she feels good about her pace so far and looks forward to the rest of the tournament.

Athletics and Men’s Basketball begin competition for Team ISV at the 2018 CAC Games

VIOC

The U.S. Virgin Islands Olympic Committee announced, on Sunday, the results of their delegation’s Athletics and Men’s Basketball teams’ first day performances at the 2018 CAC Games, as well as an update on beach volleyball.

Team ISV’s Athletics team had four athletes compete in semifinal races Sunday evening.  Laverne Jones and Nia Jack both ran the women’s 100m race.  Fred Dorsey III competed in the men’s 100m, and Malique Smith ran the men’s 800m race.

Eduardo Garcia, 25, competed in the men’s 10,000m final and finished 8th with a time of 31:48.41.

Smith, 20, ran a time of 1:52.86, a season best, to place 9th in his 800m semifinal race.

Doresy, 22, ran a time of 10.59 and placed 7th in his 100m semifinal race. Jack, 19, finished 7th with of time of 11.93.  Jones, 36, ran a time of 11.69 and placed 7th.

“Going into this race, I wanted to run a season best, because I was lacking competition, so I did that in the first round.  Advancing to the semis was the goal, and then I’m not making any changes until my coach reviews the race and he tells me I need to make changes,” Jones said.

Men’s Basketball also began on Sunday, where Team ISV was defeated by host country, Colombia, 82-72.

The ISV Women’s Beach Volleyball team defeated Panamá, however, in two back to back sets.

Monday begins Golf and Archery for Team ISV, as well as a continuation of Athletics, Beach Volleyball and Men’s Basketball.

Beach Volleyball and Fencing Kickstart Second Week of VI Competition at 2018 CAC Games

VIOC

The second and final week of competition began on Saturday for the U.S. Virgin Islands delegation with Men’s and Women’s Beach Volleyball, as well as Fencing.

Both the men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams lost their matches against Cayman Islands and Venezuela, respectively. Fencer, Theodore Weller, 28, was defeated by Anthony Deans of Jamaica, 15-8, in the Men’s Individual Sabre Round of 16.

The men’s beach volleyball team, represented by Edward Peter, Jr., 23, and Miguel Lopez, Jr., 18, lost two back to back sets against the Cayman Islands to end the match 2-0. Peter said the high heat and humidity are major factors to consider moving forward.

“I feel we played okay [considering] that my partner is new,” he said. “I feel like our strategy for the next game: we just keep hydrated and just be ready and play hard.”

Lopez, who is traditionally an indoor volleyball player, is competing in his first major beach volleyball tournament, and expects to adjust more and more to the sand over the coming days.

“The transition is very difficult, but adjustments during the game coming easier and easier [with] each point. The more you play and the more you can adjust, the more the game kind of comes to you,” he said. “If you can play volleyball indoors, it’s just slight adjustments on the sand that’s going to make the game come easier.”

Amber Bennet, 26, and Mannika Charles, 30 are representing Team ISV in women’s beach volleyball. They also lost back to back sets against Venezuela to end the game 0-2.

Bennett said the team didn’t make any errors, but they need to do more than that when competing at this level.

“You really have to put the ball away, and I think tomorrow that’s going to be the main thing that we’re going to focus on: being okay with making more mistakes, but being more aggressive,” she said.

On Sunday, the women’s team will be playing Panamá, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. The men will be playing Curaçao and México.

Team ISV also begins competition on Sunday in Athletics and Men’s Basketball, where the team will be playing host country, Colombia.