The United States Virgin Islands (ISV) senior beach volleyball teams finished the 2024 North, Central America, and Caribbean (NORCECA) Beach Tour in San Jose, Costa Rica, with a record-breaking performance.
The ISV Beach Volleyball program has participated in the NORCECA tour for many years. This year, ISV men sent at least one team to all nine NORCECA Beach Tour events, while the women participated in eight. This was the first time all season that one of the ISV teams made the podium.
Garret Bucklin and Tyler Penberthy defeated teams from Barbados, Nicaragua, and Mexico to finish the opening round of the tournament in first place in Pool C. This earned them a spot in the quarterfinals, where they faced a familiar foe, the other men’s team from the Virgin Islands, Williams Shaw Clements and Devin Van Siclen. Clements, a graduate of Antilles School, and his partner Van Siclen earned the second spot in Pool D. Bucklin/Penberthy swept Clements/Van Siclen 22-20; 21-10. Bucklin/Penberthy took care of Americans Silila Tucker and Cody Caldwell in the semifinals, guaranteeing ISV a spot-on the podium. Bucklin/Penberthy lost to Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna of Mexico (21-19; 21-13) for a second-place finish. This was the best any beach team from the United States Virgin Islands has done on the NORCECA level.
Clements/Van Siclen rebounded from their quarterfinal loss by defeating De’ Jesus Goris and Rolvin Maldonado Sanchez of the Dominican Republic (21-14; 16-21; 16-14). However, Clements/Van Siclen lost their final match of this season to Stanley Grant Brown and Julian Araya Alas of Costa Rica (21-10; 31-29) to finish in sixth place.
Here are all the men who represented ISV in the nine NORCECA Beach Tour Tournaments in 2024:
Garret Bucklin; William Shaw Clements; Robert Cronshaw; Marc Lomeli; Bryce Mayer; Tyler Penberthy; Kendall Ratter; and Devin Van Siclen
Taylor Buckner and T’ara Austin represented ISV in the women’s tournament. The pair just missed the podium with their fourth-place finish in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in October.
Buckner/Austin were placed in Pool B, where Barbados, El Salvador, and Costa Rica teams were waiting. ISV took care of all three pairs in straight sets, launching them into the quarterfinals. Angelica Gutierrez Guzman and Susana Torres Garcia of Mexico defeated Buckner/Austin (21-19; 21-12). The partners from ISV then faced the Guatemalans Natalia Maria Giron Boesche and Paola Marie Alvarado Franco, beating them (16-21; 21-15; 16-14). ISV women lost the final match of the season to Sophia Hladyniuk and Myriam Robitaille of Canada (22-20; 22-20).
Here are the women who represented ISV on the 2024 NORCECA Beach Tour:
Cristina Almeida-Anz; T’ara Austin; Amber Bennett; Taylor Buckner; Mannika Charles*; Sarah Penner; Melanie Valenciana
*Mannika Charles – Mannika is a graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School. She passed away during the summer. May her soul rest in eternal peace.
