10th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG), Mauritius July 19 to 28 |25 July 2019

Seychelles women have won the single bronze medal

Beach Volleyball

Bronze medal for the women at inaugural tournament

The women’s A selection at the first ever beach volleyball tournament in the Indian Ocean Islands Games managed to clinch the bronze medal on accumulated set difference, while the men’s selection lost their third place playoff match.

After being eliminated in the team event, the two selections took part in the singles, where only one selection per country was allowed to play.

Seychelles was being represented by its two A selections, where the men’s team were made up of Guilly Bijoux and Gerry Lozaique, while Terryl Songoire and Nathalie Agnes-Sauer made up the women’s A selection.

In the women’s competition which was played on a round-robin league, Seychelles lost their first group match 1-2 (12-21, 22-20, 10-15) against Reunion, while in their second match, the Songoire and Agnes-Sauer duo were defeated 1-2 by a Mauritian pair. The set scores were 17-21, 21-18 and 8-15.

Technically out of the competition following the defeats, the Seychelles selection however managed to finish third and win the bronze medal based on the set difference rule.

Having won two sets in their two matches gave them an advantage over teams who were beaten in straight sets.

In the men’s’ tournament which was played on a knockout basis, Bijoux and Lozaique lost their match 0-2 (17-21, 13-21) against Mauritius, giving them a shot at the bronze medal.

In the third-place match, the Seychelles duo again lost 0-2 to Maldives. The set scores were 10-21 and 17-21.

The other members of Team Seychelles at the first ever beach volleyball tournament at the IOIG were Henrico Ernesta and Danny Marie (men’s team B), Marie-Antoinette Labiche and Ingrid Frederick (women’s team B).

Text Roland Duval in Mauritius