Krystal Eddy Earns Best Blocker Award at NORCECA Tournament

The United States Virgin Islands (ISV) U21 Women’s Volleyball Team, current champions of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA), secured a place at the U21 Women North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Continental Championship. This championship serves as the second of three phases in the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) global tournament aimed at crowning the world’s top U21 women’s volleyball team. The tournament champion will earn an automatic bid to the U21 World Championship in 2025.

The ISV U21 team was one of eight NORCECA countries to advance to the continental phase of the FIVB tournament, competing alongside teams from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Suriname. The event took place in Toronto, Canada, from June 23 to July 1.

Head coach Isaac Raphael had high hopes that the two-week training camp in Orlando would prepare the team for the intense competition. “We have a young team, and we are looking forward to seeing them perform at this level. It’s going to be a tough competition, but I believe that is the way you improve,” Raphael stated in an interview during the event.

ISV faced a challenging start, losing their first-round matches against Mexico (25-13, 25-8, 25-15), Canada (25-18, 25-11, 25-7), and Costa Rica (25-21, 25-19, 25-20). Despite the losses, team captain Anna Gillens and player Mya Brown showed strong performances, with Gillens scoring 9 points against Mexico and Brown leading with 7 points against Canada.

After a rest day, ISV played a rematch against Mexico in the classification matches. Despite changes to the lineup, Mexico again won in straight sets (25-15, 25-14, 25-17). Gillens and Eddy were standout players, with Eddy continuing to excel in blocks. In their final match, ISV triumphed over Suriname, a familiar opponent, securing a 25-13, 25-19, 25-16 victory and finishing seventh in the tournament.

The USA team claimed the NORCECA title, securing an automatic spot in the 2025 U21 World Championship. Among the individual accolades, Krystal Eddy, a 2024 Ivanna Eudora Kean High School graduate, was honored as the top blocker of the tournament.

ISV Team Members and Staff at NORCECA Tournament:

• Players:
  • Mya Brown
  • Sapphire Cruz
  • Jala Dixon
  • Krystal Eddy
  • Anna Gillens
  • Jayden Gorman
  • Sophie Hertz
  • Hailey Pierce
  • Sarai Simpson
  • Jahyra Thomas
  • Zyia Toussaint
  • Mya Vigilant
• Coaching Staff:
  • Isaac Raphael – Head Coach
  • Myriam Rodney – Assistant Coach
  • Vanessa James – Statistician
  • Gisele Schjang – Team Manager

The team is set to continue their busy schedule, with both men’s and women’s teams from the U.S. Virgin Islands heading to the U19 CAZOVA Championship in Jamaica from July 26 to August 4.