The University of The Bahamas women's volleyball team finished third overall with a 2-0 win over GB Hawks in the Battle of The Islands Volleyball Tournament at the Eight Mile Rock High School Gymnasium in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama.
Minoges took down Hawks 17-12 and 17-16 for the third-place finish and captain Anjeniker Joseph was happy with the way they developed chemistry over the course of the tournament.
"What I saw from the ladies was lots of energy," Joseph said. "We were confident in our passing, hitting, survey. So everything came together and all in one combination for us to execute every play that we've been trying to execute all season, but we are seeing it come together better now."
UB got off to a strong start in the first set with a 7-1 lead. The Hawks tried cut into the lead but the closest they got was 10-10 before UB finished the set on a spike from outside hitter Hannah McBride for the 17-12 win.
It was a closer second set as the Hawks took an early 8-3 lead. UB stormed back to make it 8-7 before the Hawks took a 16-14 lead for set point. UB tied it up at 16-16 with some key defensive plays. UB won the final point and secured the third-place finish.
UB's volleyball head coach, Raymond Wilson said that it was a very competitive tournament.
"The girls were able to compete at a higher level," Wilson said. "The girls were able to compete against some very quality teams. All of the games could have gone anyway. Success is based on how consistent you are in your play. I'm very proud of our girls and they held their own."
In addition to placing third, UB's setter, Zarria Rose and libero, Alyzza Arbatin won Best Setter and Best Digger awards.
Rose finished the tournament with five sets per set. She had 101 still sets and 60 running sets after attempting 164 sets.
"I am appreciative for the award," Rose said. "I am happy to be recognized for my efforts and my team who gave me the passes and they executed on the hits. I watched a lot of film, asked a lot of questions and break things down."
Arbatin led the tournament with 2.75 digs per set. She had 33 digs and seven receptions on 51 attempts. She said that the tournament was competitive as some of the teams were hard to read.
"I was surprised I won it," Arbatin said. "All I did was helped my team by doing my job as a defensive player."
UB won four sets and lost two sets in pool play to finish second in Pool B. They made it to the semi-final against familiar foe – the Panthers. They lost that match to play in the third-place match.
Their 2025-2026 season comes to a close. UB shown improvement on the court and in the classroom and will look to improve even more next season.