Umag, Croatia, June 20, 2013 – A last minute arrival and lack of sleep cost St. Lucia their first match at the U21 World Championships in Umag. Agustin Faulkner and Coen Caesar were no match for Edvarts Buivids and Pekmanis Reinis, in just 24 minutes they lost 21-4 21-13 to the Latvians. “We tried to play our best”, Caesar said. “But we didn’t even have a chance to warm up.” The team from St. Lucia had to move heaven and earth to get to Umag in time. They left home on Tuesday but got stuck in London on Wednesday morning. “We had to wait for a flight to Croatia and couldn’t find a hotel in London”, Faulkner said. “Today we finally flew to Zagreb and after a long bus ride we arrived in Umag.” When they set foot on the Stella Maris Sports Complex the guys were just in time to change into their sports gear. Get into the groove After a crushing first set loss, the boys recovered in the second. Faulkner: “We got warmed-up, we got into the groove and could read their game better. Believe me, this was not our best, we are tired, we didn’t get much sleep these last days. The first thing we are going to do right now is eat and sleep…and do better tomorrow.” It is the first time a team from St. Lucia qualified for the U21 World Championships. In fact this year the Caribbean island also qualified for the U23 and U19 events. Seventeen-year old Faulkner will also compete at the U19 World Championships in Porto in July. “So mark my words, I will be back.”FIVB U21 World Championships Tournament Page Twitter: @FIVBBVBU21 Facebook: FIVB - International Volleyball Federation YouTube: FIVB Video