Knox College, Papine High lift ISSA all-island schools volleyball crowns

Knox College's girls and Papine High's boys were lifted to ISSA all-island volleyball titles on Wednesday as the schools competition wrapped up at G C Foster College in St Catherine.

Knox, who have ruled the schoolgirls' code since 2023, sealed a fourth straight national crown, while Papine collected the schoolboy title for the first time in the institution's history.

In the girls' decider, the defending champions brushed aside urban winners Immaculate Conception High 3-0. The opening set was tightly contested, with the sides trading points to 14-14 before Knox pulled clear behind the steady hand of captain and tournament MVP Treviann Taylor. Taylor anchored the red and black through every phase, and Knox closed the set 25-22.

Immaculate slipped up in defence as the contest wore on, and the more seasoned Knox unit punished those errors to take the second 25-22. The challengers refused to surrender in the third, but Knox kept the pressure on and shut the match out 25-18.

The boys' final between holders Oracabessa High and Papine High turned into a showcase of heavy serving and aggressive hitting at the net. Papine, chasing their maiden national title, played a high-risk attacking game above the tape while Oracabessa adopted a more measured approach.

MVP Ithran Softley was the standout for Papine as the St Andrew side took the first set 25-20. Carrying that momentum into the second, Papine raced away to a 25-15 result.

Oracabessa lifted their level in the third stanza, but the recovery came too late and Papine sealed the historic championship with a 25-22 set, completing a 3-0 sweep.