Bermuda teams continued their fine form at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Championships in BVI yesterday, with both sides recording straight-set victories over Anguilla.

The men opened with a 25-21, 25-12, 25-21 victory for their second straight win, while the women made it three in a row by sweeping past their opponents 25-14, 25-14, 25-13.

After finishing fifth at the last tournament, men’s captain Eron Woods said the team is targeting gold when the competition enters the knockout phase this weekend.

“We’ve got a good shot at going all the way to the final,” Woods told The Royal Gazette.

“I think we’re definitely going to bring home some silverware. My hope is that we bring home some hardware.

“I feel the team’s pretty confident right now, which is good. We do want to remain humble and I think one thing that we’ve been doing really well as a team is remaining teachable and adjusting to a different pace of the game.

“Bermuda’s play style is very different from the other islands that we are coming up against. So us staying open-minded within the game and playing at our own pace is really helping us pull off these wins.”

Coach Mike Smith is also targeting the top spot when the tournament wraps up tomorrow.

“We’re hoping for gold and I think we have a shot at it,” Smith said.

“We were fifth at the last two tournaments and we’re hoping for a medal this time around. All the guys are really stepping up and play their part in the team’s success.

“We played our toughest pool match against Dominica and really competed with them. After that we’ve had a lot of experience on the court and I think we’ll be able to execute going into the crossover matches.

“I think the team’s finally getting into a groove where the players are feeling a lot more confident. We know we can play with these guys, everyone’s stepping up and we're playing our Bermuda game.

“It’s a bit different to how the Caribbean guys play down here, but I think it’s working out well for us.”

Facing a team with one win in two, Gary LeBlanc had the luxury of fielding some of the young players on the women’s squad.

“We don't take anything for granted and don’t underestimate anyone,” LeBlanc said.

“Some teams are harder than others. We had our first three-set match and we were able to put in some younger players today, but again, respect to all the teams here, I know they train and play hard.

“We just look to play our best game. We look to rely on our training, fundamentals, experiences, collective experiences and just go in heads down to do the job.”

Middle blocker Megan Hands, one of the senior members of the women’s team, spoke about playing a motivational role for the young players.

“I think it’s all about keeping everyone in a good mindset,” she said.

“It means checking in on the players, seeing what they need, giving them advice here and there. I think they need it, just giving all the girls confidence and I think its key.”