Bermuda’s women’s beach volleyball team finished tenth when the Under-23 North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Tour concluded in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Wednesday.

Hailey Trott and Kaylee Trott were beaten by the Canada pair of Maya Boutanos and Kate Chipman in their final game, a ninth-place play-off.

Heading into the tournament seeded twelfth, the Bermuda duo finished third in their pool, picking up a win against the US Virgin Islands pair of Kirra Lambert and Sophia Peifer.

A 2-0 triumph over Reanna Robinson and Nayelli Fergus, from St Vincent, then gave the Bermudian team a chance to play for ninth position.

Kaylee Trott, 20, used the opportunity to learn in a friendly environment but she found the competition tough.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the tournament,’’ she said. “I feel like we definitely learnt a lot, the hosts and the team were very friendly, and it was nice to make some new connections.

“Overall, the level of competition was very high being an international, but I was really proud of how we competed and how we stood our ground.

“We really learnt how to work with each other in overcoming obstacles that were thrown our way.

“Most importantly, I’m excited to bring these skills and this experience to the island to share with everyone.”

Hailey Trott, who partnered Isabella Sousa to clinch Bermuda’s first-ever medal in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Under-21 Beach Volleyball Championships in St Kitts & Nevis last month, found the tournament a gratifying experience in the heat.

“Playing beach volleyball in Punta Cana for a three-day tournament was thrilling, even though it was very hot,’’ she said.

“The sun shone down as teams competed on the sandy shores, diving and spiking among the beautiful palm trees. Despite the heat, we pushed through, and the excitement of the game combined with the scenery created great memories.

“During our first two matches, we competed against top teams such as Canada and Costa Rica, where we unfortunately lost but learnt much from them.

“In our next two matches, we were able to take our knowledge from the first games and apply it to our matches. In our last game, we were neck-and-neck with our Canadian opponents and tried hard, but unfortunately we couldn’t pull all the way through.

“All in all this has helped to shape me into a better volleyball player as well as a better person. Looking at different perspectives, being confident with the wind, and even learning a new language.”

While the women picked up two wins out of five matches, the men’s pair of Alexander Southern and Braedon Madeiros-Cooke fought hard without success on their way to finishing sixteenth.

In their final game the Bermuda men were beaten 2-0 by Bonaire's Luiyi Morales and Emmanuel Montenegro, but despite their struggles on the Dominican Republic sands, Madeiros-Cooke looked at the brighter side of things.

“It is always great to be selected to participate in these tournaments and have the opportunity to represent your country,’’ Madeiros-Cooke said.

“Unfortunately, we battled unforeseen circumstances and injuries. Nonetheless, it’s been a great opportunity to learn and grow as a volleyball player.

“Being seeded in one of the best pools, we got to play against some really tough opponents. Even though we may have lost, it taught us a lot on how to improve our own game.

“I look forward to taking everything that I’ve learnt throughout this tournament, bringing it back to the island, and implementing it into my training so that come time for the next tournament I can be that much better.”