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Monday, August 10, 2026
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BVA To Participate In The 2026 ECVA Championships
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The Bermuda Volleyball Association (BVA) is pleased to announce that the Women’s & Men’s National Team Program will send teams to compete in the 2026 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Championships in the British Virgin Islands.
The teams will depart Bermuda on Tuesday, August 11. The women’s team will be led by Head Coach Gary LeBlanc and Assistant Coach Kayla Grant as they prepare to represent the island against some of the region’s top volleyball nations. Mike Smith will head coach the men’s team with Robert Saraiva supporting as Assistant Coach.
The championships will be hosted at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, with seven women’s teams and eight men’s teams confirmed for the tournament.
On the women’s side, defending champions Saint Lucia will return to defend their title, while Bermuda, Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Dominica, and Grenada will join host nation British Virgin Islands in a competitive battle for regional supremacy and the championship trophy.
The tournament is expected to showcase the highest level of women’s volleyball in the Eastern Caribbean, providing Bermuda’s athletes with an opportunity to compete against strong regional opposition and continue the development of the national program.
Head Coach, Gary LeBlanc, said: “We’ve landed on two silver medal finishes over the last two ECVA competitions and we’re hungry for gold. We’ve done our best to identify areas for improvement and have been focused on doing what we need in order to finish on top. Regardless of our outcome, I’m extremely proud of this team and eagerly looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish.”
On the men’s side, Antiqua & Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be competing.
From Head Coach, Mike Smith: “As we head into the 2026 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Championships, we are excited for the opportunity to represent Bermuda on the regional stage. Reaching this point has taken months of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice from every player and member of our staff.
We are excited for the opportunity ahead, and ready to compete with passion, unity, and determination.
We are grateful for the opportunity ahead, proud to represent Bermuda, and ready to give our very best at the 2026 ECVA Championships. We look forward to making our country proud.”
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Tuesday, July 21, 2026
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Gazzard & Hands, Hamilton & Tucker Crowned Champions
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The 2026 Bermuda Open National Beach Volleyball Championships delivered a weekend of high-intensity action on the sand, culminating in hard-fought victories across both the men's and women's divisions.
In the Women’s Championship, Natalie Gazzard and Megan Hands produced a clinical campaign on the sand to secure the national title.
The pair fended off a spirited push in the final from Hailey Trott and Kayley Hamilton, who took home the silver medal. The podium was completed by Isabella Sousa and Olivia Gazzard, who earned a well-deserved third-place finish after navigating a testing bronze-medal match.
The Men’s Division saw Kyle Hamilton and Sean Tucker rise to the top of the standings following a series of commanding performances throughout the tournament.
The duo held firm in a fast-paced final against Benjamin Barnett and Braedon Medeiros-Cooke, who claimed runner-up honors. Marcus Rodriguez and Olek Rymon Lipinski rounded out the top three to take home the bronze.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2026
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Government Praises Women’s Volleyball Gold Medal
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The Department of Sport and Recreation has extended its heartfelt congratulations to Bermuda’s Senior Women’s volleyball team following their spectacular gold medal triumph at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Championships.
The island’s contingent captured the regional crown in emphatic fashion, completing a dominant tournament run on the international stage to cement their status as the queens of Eastern Caribbean volleyball.
In an official government statement, the Department praised the squad for their relentless pursuit of success, noting that the landmark achievement was a direct reflection of structural growth within the sport domestically.
"This outstanding achievement is a testament to the athletes' hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence, as well as the unwavering support of their coaches, families, and the Bermuda Volleyball Association," the statement read.
The tournament victory represents a significant milestone for the Bermuda Volleyball Association's national program, which has seen an influx of young talent transition seamlessly into the senior international ranks over the last calendar year.
Bermuda's disciplined defensive systems and explosive net play proved far too much for their regional rivals to handle throughout the tournament phase, culminated by a clinical display in the championship final.
"You have represented Bermuda with immense pride," a government spokesperson added. "Through your success on the international stage, you have inspired the next generation of young athletes who will look to follow in your footsteps."
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Sunday, July 12, 2026
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Bermuda Pair Finish 15th in Honduras After Walkover Win
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Bermuda’s Benjamín Barnett and Connor Somerville concluded their campaign at the seventh stop of the 2026 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Honduras with a 15th-place finish.
The Bermudian duo, looking to bounce back from a grueling sequence of pool stage and placement matches on the sand of Tabyana Beach in West Bay, were handed a walkover victory on the final day of action.
Barnett and Somerville had been scheduled to face the US Virgin Islands partnership of Eric Sommer and Cole Sommer in the classification play-off to decide 15th and 16th place.
However, an injury sustained by Eric Sommer forced the US Virgin Islands pair to forfeit the match ahead of the opening serve, handing the encounter to the Island contingent.
The result brings a positive end to a challenging week of continental competition for Barnett and Somerville, who continue to gain valuable international experience and ranking points against top-tier opposition across the North, Central American, and Caribbean region.
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Saturday, July 11, 2026
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Disappointment for Barnett and Somerville in Roatán
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Bermuda's Benjamín Barnett and Connor Somerville endured another tough day on the sand at the seventh stop of the 2026 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour on Tabyana Beach in West Bay, Roatán.
The island duo began their morning looking to cause an upset in their final Pool B encounter against Canada's Louis Charbonneau and Henry Heider. Despite a spirited effort, the Bermudians succumbed to a straight-sets two-nil defeat. The sharp Canadian pairing took the match twenty-one to fifteen, and twenty-one to fourteen in a brisk thirty-two minute battle.
The result relegated Barnett and Somerville to the classification bracket, where they faced home favorites Reyes and Galvez of Honduras in the thirteen-to-sixteen playoff.
The first set proved to be a highly entertaining, toe-to-toe affair. The Bermudians showed great resilience to push their opponents all the way, only to narrowly lose out twenty-one to nineteen.
The narrow loss seemed to deflate the island tandem, and the Hondurans capitalised on that shift in momentum to run away with the second set twenty-one to twelve. The thirty-eight minute defeat leaves Barnett and Somerville searching for answers as they look ahead to their 15/16th place match tomorrow.
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