beach Archives - NORCECA

Cheng and Hughes continue in spectacular form with Tepic Gold

Posted on March 26, 2023March 27, 2023

TEPIC, Mexico, March 26, 2023.- Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes have been a force in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour since they became partners for the second time in their careers, last November, and the Americans celebrated their fourth title in the last four months on Sunday, at the Tepic Elite16, in Mexico.

The two dropped their first set in the tournament to Brazilians Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos in the gold medal match at the Amado Nervo Auditorium, but still managed to overcome the reigning world champions in the tie-breaker (21-14, 15-21, 15-10) and stand at the top of the podium. Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho took bronze.

All Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 matches are available on demand on VBTV.

Cheng and Hughes have been nearly unstoppable in their second stint as partners, having won four of the six Beach Pro Tour events they competed at since their reunion, including the 2022 Beach Pro Tour Finals.

Champions also at both the Challenge and the Elite16 tournaments held in Torquay, Australia, last year, the Americans have won 29 of the 33 international beach volleyball matches they played in the last four months.

“It’s been amazing,” Hughes reflected. “I’m so happy to be playing with Kelly and just working with our entire team. We’re putting together the right strategies and working as hard as we can. We have all the support back home and that’s what makes a good team.”

Hughes and Cheng dropped only one set in their campaign in Tepic

Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 – Results

After a brief point exchange in the first few plays, Hughes started to make a defensive impact in the match and generated and converted several counterattacks, giving the Americans an 11-7 lead. An ace from her increased their advantage to 13-7 right before the technical timeout. Forcing errors from the Brazilians and maintaining their side out steady, Cheng and Hughes remained in control until the end and won the set 21-14 with a kill from Hughes.

The Brazilians started the second set stronger and jumped ahead at 5-2 with a block from Ana Patrícia on Cheng. The two took a 12-9 lead into the technical timeout and improved their advantage to five points at 15-10 when Cheng made an offensive error. More stable, the South Americans had no issues continuing ahead until the end and tied the gold medal match when Duda put the ball down with a tip to make them win the set 21-15.

Both team’s offences started the tie-breaker in a good rhythm and the Americans got the first break at 6-3, with Cheng blocking Ana Patrícia and Hughes digging the Brazilian blocker and putting the ball down in consecutive plays. A transition kill from Duda and a hitting error from Cheng brought the difference down to a single point at 8-7, but the Americans got back-to-back points to get up 10-7 and secured the title with a block from Cheng that ended the set 15-10.

Hughes hits around Ana Patrícia’s block during the gold medal match

Clancy and Mariafe stepped on the podium for the second time this season and the fifth in their last six events by taking bronze in Tepic and repeating the finish they got in the season-opening Doha Elite16, held in February.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalists had to work hard, but downed Italian qualifiers Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-17, 19-17) to finish third in Mexico.

The Beach Pro Tour continues next week, with a Futures tournament set to take place in Coolangatta Beach, Australia, from Wednesday to Sunday. The next Elite16 event will be played in Uberlândia, Brazil, from April 26-30.

Tepic Elite16 main draw set after top-level qualifier

Posted on March 23, 2023March 27, 2023

TEPIC, Mexico, March 23, 2023.- The last four spots in each gender in the main draw of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 were filled on Wednesday, when the qualifier took place in the two sand courts set up at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.

After the completion of the 24 matches of the day, men’s duos from Italy, the Netherlands and USA, and women’s teams from France, Italy, Spain and USA earned the right of competing among the 16 tandems that will fight for the titles in Mexico.

Watch the Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 live or on demand on VBTV.

The main draw begins on Thursday, at 9:00 local time (16:00 UTC) and the first 16 pool matches in each gender will be played. By the end of the day, each team will have played a pair of matches in Tepic.

Americans Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk were among the four men’s teams that succeeded in the men’s qualifier. A new team for the 2023 season, the two are playing in just their second tournament as partners and looking to bounce back from a 19th-place finish last week in La Paz, where they dropped both of their matches.

“Honestly, we didn’t feel at our best out there, but we’re working, we’re a new team,” Schalk remarked. “We’re working through stuff and it was awesome to find that energy and will to make it happen no matter what today. These qualifiers are absolutely gnarly, there are some amazing teams from all over the world here and to get through it was huge for us. We’re hungry and want to make a long run in the tournament.”

The Americans were challenged by a pair of Austrian teams on the qualifier in Tepic, overcoming Martin Ermacora and Philipp Waller in two sets (21-17, 21-15) and Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-19, 15-13).

Bourne and Schalk will be in Pool B in the main draw, where they’re going to face Sweden’s David Åhman/Jonatan Hellvig, Czechia’s Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner and Germany’s Nils Ehlers/Clemens Wickler.

Their fellow Americans and former partners Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner will complete Pool C, where they will compete with the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Italy’s Adrian Carambula/Alex Ranghieri and Estonia’s Kusti Nõlvak/Mart Tiisaar. The USA duo moved forward with triumphs over Canada’s Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing and Brazil’s Andre Loyola/George Wanderley.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss USA

Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 – Match Schedule & Results

Among the four women’s teams advancing in the women’s qualifier were USA’s Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, the winners of last week’s La Paz Challenge. After topping Mexico’s Esperanza Albarran/Yeray Vidaurrazaga and Japan’s Miki Ishii/Sayaka Mizoe in the qualifier, they will now have fellow Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, Australia’s Mariafe Artacho/Taliqua Clancy and Mexico’s Abril Flores/Atenas Gutierrez as their next opponents on Pool D.

10 NORCECA teams in the Main Draw

Women Sarah Hughes / Kelly Cheng – USA, Julia Scoles / Betsi Flint – USA, Melissa Humana-Paredes / Brandi Wilkerson – Canada, Sarah Pavan / Sophie Bukovec – Canada, Terese Cannon / Sarah Sponcil – USA, Atenas Gutierrez / Abril Flores – Mexico

Men Juan Virgen / Miguel Sarabia – Mexico, Tri Bourne / Chaim Schalk – USA, Trevor Crabb / Theo Brunner – USA

Kloth and Nuss secure La Paz Challenge title

Posted on March 19, 2023March 20, 2023

LA PAZ, Mexico, March 19, 2023.- Second-seeded Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss ended a solid week at the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge with the gold medals around their necks as the 25-year-old Americans were the winners of the event held in Mexico.

Kloth and Nuss prevailed in the all-American gold medal match against Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez, taking their compatriots down in two sets (21-16, 21-13) to claim the title. Brazilians Tainá Bigi and Victoria Lopes finished third in La Paz.

All Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge match replays are available on VBTV.

The Americans were strongly challenged by compatriots Simo and Rodriguez at the start of the gold medal match and trailed until the middle of the opening set, when they found their rhythm, took control and never looked back.

“What a battle,” Nuss reflected. “Hats off to our fellow Americans, what a game and what a tournament they had. We got into the final knowing it was going to be a very tough match and only focused on our side of the net. The atmosphere here in La Paz has been absolutely unreal and this is what beach volleyball is about. We loved it.”

Playing in only their second international season, Kloth and Nuss have already secured their third Beach Pro Tour title, following victories at last year’s Kuşadası Challenge, in Türkiye, and Coolangatta Futures, in Australia. The Americans have played in 11 international tournaments together and never finished outside of the top ten.

“It was a very difficult tournament,” Kloth remarked. “There were so many great teams playing and a lot of three-set matches that could really have gone either way. And the fans were amazing, there was such a great turnout to every single match that we played. It was such a fun tournament .”

Action Gold Medal Match

Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge – Results

Despite their loss in the gold medal match, the 24-year-old Simo and the 26-year-old Rodriguez also leave La Paz with a lot to celebrate. The La Paz Challenge was just their second Beach Pro Tour event and the first in which they got to play in the main draw and they advanced all the way to the gold medal match, winning seven of the eight matches they played in Mexico, starting from Thursday’s qualifier.

The Beach Pro Tour remains in Mexico for another week with the city of Tepic hosting an Elite16 tournament from March 22-26.

Three NORCECA tandems advance to La Paz Challenge Main Draw

Posted on March 16, 2023March 17, 2023

LA PAZ, Mexico, March 16, 2023.- Thee NORCECA tandems, Savvy Simo/Toni Rodriguez (USA) in women, Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing (CAN) and Jorge Alayo/Noslen Diaz (CUB) in men from the qualifier matches on Thursday, advanced in the main draw of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge.

American team of Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez, was responsible for the elimination of third-seeded Austrians Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig. The 14th-seeded Americans advanced in an empathic way, securing a 21-12, 21-16 win.

Simo and Rodríguez join other four American teams, number one-seeded Sara Hughes/Kelly Cheng and second-seed Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth, Kelley Kolinske/Hailey Harward and Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman, and the Mexican pair of Abril Flores/Atenas Gutiérrez.

Also appearing in the La Paz Challenge main draw (men) will be fourth-seeded Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing of Canada and eighth-seeded Jorge Alayo/Noslen Diaz of Cuba.

The Canadian team of Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing earned a bye into the second round where they downed Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich of Italy 2-0 (22-20, 23-21) and

Cuban duo Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz eliminated Americans William Kolinske and Hagen Smith 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-13) and Germans Robin Sowa and Lukas Pfretzschner 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).

The other NORCECA men entering the main draw are Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico, alongside Americans Trevor Crabb/Theodore Brunner and Chaim Schalk/Tri Bourne.

The main draw begins on Friday, at 9:00 local time (16:00 UTC), and 52 matches are scheduled to take place during the day. The entire pool play schedule will be completed on Friday and only 16 of the 24 teams in each gender will progress for Saturday, when the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals will be held. The semifinals and the medal matches will take place on Sunday.

Schedule and Results: 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge

Volleyball Canada’s beach athletes recognized with annual award

Posted on February 27, 2023March 12, 2023

ONTARIO, Canada, February 27, 2023.- Beach volleyball athletes Sophie Bukovec and Sam Schachter have been awarded Volleyball Canada’s annual Tom Ng award.

The athletes were chosen based on their performances in 2022. Toronto’s Bukovec had a stand-out year in 2022, winning silver at the World Championships with then partner Brandie Wilkerson. Team veteran Sam Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ontario, along with partner Dan Dearing, took silver at the Commonwealth Games and gold at the NORCECA tour finals.

The Tom Ng Beach Volleyball Athlete Assistance Fund was created in 2013 in partnership with Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Annually, the Fund awards a high-performance beach volleyball athlete(s) an amount to offset training and competition expenses. This is the first time the Tom Ng award has gone to a male and female athlete at the same time.

“Both Sophie and Sam have been great representatives of Team Canada both on and off the court,” said Volleyball Canada’s Beach High Performance Director Ed Drakich. “We are pleased that the Tom Ng fund can assist them on the road to Paris 2024 as they work toward Olympic qualification.”

Bukovec now plays with Sarah Pavan, while Schachter continues to be partnered with Dearing.

USAV Beach National Championship to Return to Fort Lauderdale in 2023

Posted on February 27, 2023March 12, 2023

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, February 27, 2023.- It may be chilly outside, but summer is coming and so is the 2023 USA Volleyball Beach National Championship, which will return to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 18-23.

The USA Volleyball Beach National Championship is the premier annual event for girls and boys beach teams in the 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age groups. In 2022, more than 300 beach teams competed at the championship in Fort Lauderdale.

“USA Volleyball is excited to bring the Beach National Championship back to Fort Lauderdale,” said USA Volleyball President & CEO Jamie Davis. “This pinnacle junior beach volleyball event brings together the best young players in the country for great competition on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. I’d like to thank Visit Lauderdale for their support in making this a truly special event.”

“Visit Lauderdale is thrilled to once again host the USA Volleyball Beach National Championship in Broward County,” said Glen Allen, Vice President of Sports & Entertainment for Visit Lauderdale. “This event will attract the best beach volleyball athletes from across the United States to compete on one of the most well-known beaches in the world. The abundance of new dollars and the rise in hotel occupancy created by the USA Volleyball Beach National Championships will be welcomed by the hospitality community.”

Teams in the girls and boys 16U divisions and the girls 12U division will compete July 18-20. Boys 12U, 14U and 18U teams and girls 14U and 18U teams will play July 21-23.

The 2023 USA Volleyball Beach National Championship will be the culmination of the 2022-23 USA National Beach Tour, which started in August. Teams earned bids to the national championship by competing in beach national qualifiers and beach regional qualifiers around the country.

The Open and American Divisions require teams to have earned a bid for that division. The Patriot Division does not require a bid and is open to all athletes.

St Lucia wins both titles at ECVA Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament

Posted on February 27, 2023March 12, 2023

CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 27, 2023: St Lucia won both the Male and Female segments of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament that ended here at the Cul de Sac Bay, on February 26.

The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent copped the Male Division, with the duo of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans, trumping the Females.

Descartes and Clercent, representing St Lucia Team One beat the experienced St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, 2-0 ( 21-14, 21-14) , thus ending the tournament undefeated. It

It was a similar pathway for Prospere and Evans, as they too were unbeaten.

Also representing St Lucia Team One, Prospere and Evans saw off Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford of Grenada 2-1( 21-16, 18-21, 15-11) in the gold medal match.

Speaking after his team’s victory, the much travelled Clercent on behalf of his partner- Descartes disclosed that they had planned for match up versus the Kittians in the final.

“ The final was not that difficult for us because we used more techniques … We knew we were approaching a more experienced team… We watched a few of their games … We didn’t slip or slide because we knew if we did, we would have been punished”, Joseph reasoned.

Meanwhile, relishing the Female title, Team Captain Evans related , “ We have been training hard, about five times per week… We have been active in Tournaments since last November, so we were prepared for this”.

Making the separations between the two teams on the day, Evans analysed, “ We tried to keep the focus our movements, our fitness and our agility were better than the Grenadians …The errors we made were our own errors”.

The Tournament, originally slated for last October, saw participation from seven countries, featuring 32 players.

The participating countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and host St Lucia.

Nine teams contested the Male Division and seven were in the Female Division.

President of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Glenn Quinlan considers the recently concluded beach volleyball tournament hosted by Volleyball St. Lucia to have been one of the better-staged events he has attended.

Descartes and Joseph stay tops

Posted on February 26, 2023March 12, 2023

CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 26, 2023: The pair of Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent confirmed their supremacy as the top team in the Men’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.

Facing the experienced St Kitts and Nevis’ St Clair Hodge and Shawn Seabrookes, Descartes and Clercent, saw off their opponents, 2-0 ( 21-14, 21-14) to cop the gold, and ended the tournament undefeated.

It was a triumph that pleased, Clercent, who said that they planned for their in the finals.

The experienced Joseph added that winning the title on home soil, made it all the more rewarding.

Meanwhile, Clercent’s opposite- Hodge, stated, “ Overall we are happy with our performance… We came through a zone where we weren’t actively pushed and in this the final, we lost some of our focus and made some unforced errors and we didn’t make the adjustments on court and that led to us dropping the championships”.

The two reached the title match with similar victories over their opposing semi- finalists.

As such, Descartes and Clercent eased past Bermuda’s Ryan Davies and Brandon Sousa, 21-12, 21-14, while Hodge and Seabrookes ousted Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant and Jamarie James, 21-19, 21-17.

Constant and James ensured a podium finish with a 21-19, 21-13 win over Davies and Sousa in the bronze medal match.

Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia Team Two and Team Three competed the lineup of participants.

St Lucia Women take gold medal

Posted on February 26, 2023March 12, 2023

CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 26, 2023: Playing unbeaten throughout, St Lucia Team One pouched the gold medal of the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.

Buoyed by some vocal home support, the pair of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans thwarted the meticulous play of the Grenadian duo of Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford, 21-16, 18-21, 15-11.

Relishing the title, Evans related , “ We have been training hard, about five times per week… We have been active in Tournaments since last November, so we were prepared for this”.

Apart from their presence and abilities on the court, Evans said that playing in the presence of friends and family was boost in their confidence, as well as keeping them focused.

Gracious in defeat, Mitchell said: “ Placing second, we are proud; We are happy with the result… We had good team spirit, we were supportive of each other”.

Mitchell however noted that it was their own undoing that cost them the title.

“We made some simple errors, service errors, hitting the ball into the net”, Mitchell concluded.

Before reaching the final, Prospere and Evans blanked a spirited St Lucia Team Two of Clio Phillip and Jemima Evans , 21-14, 22-20.

In the other half of the semis, Grenada defeated St Kitts and Nevis’ Brenda Allen and Zenelle Edwards 15-21, 21-18, 15-13.

St Kitts went to take the bronze medal, as Allen and Lake registered a 2-1 ( 19-21, 21-13, 15-8) win over Phillip and Evans.

The other competing teams were Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Women set up title charge in ECVA Beach Volleyball

Posted on February 25, 2023March 12, 2023

CASTRIES, St Lucia, February 25, 2023.- Following two days of play, the semi-finalists are known in the Women’s segment of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Tournament here at the Cul de Sac Bay.

Advancing to the last four from the initial seven team race, are Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, along with St Lucia’s Team One and Team Two.

Grenada, represented by Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford emerged as Pool A winners, after beating St Lucia’s Team Two of Clio Phillip and Jemima Evans 21-14, 19-21, 15-9.

Topping Pool B was St Lucia Team One of Denila Prospere and Chenao Evans, who beat Tamerca Cabey and Nyla Edmund, 2-0 ( 21-15, 21-12).

Prospere and Evans also defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Shanadia Sylvester and Saquanna Duncan, 21-11, 21-7.

Other Day Two Results

St Kitts and Nevis’ Brenda Allen and Genelle Lake beat Sylvester and Duncan, 21-10, 21-14 and Josanne Lewis and Zenelle Edwards of Antigua and Barbuda 21-14, 21-11.

And, St Lucia’s Team Two of Phillip and Evans beat Cabey and Edmund 21-7, 21-14.

The semi-finals pit Grenada against St Kitts and Nevis, with St Lucia One and Two battling in the other.

The winners then go for gold, with the losers seek the consolation bronze.