Tag: Beach Volleyball

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 28, 2025 – Puerto Rican duo María González/Allanis Navas defeated Americans Geena Urango/Mariah Whalen (USA1) in a thrilling three-set victory 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-10) to win the gold medal at the ninth stop of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour, which concluded successfully at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

This is the seventh medal the Puerto Ricans have won on this year’s Tour, accumulating six gold medals and one bronze.

To advance to the final, González/Navas defeated Marcela Araya/Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica 2-0 (24-22, 21-10) in the semifinals, while Urango/Whalen defeated Canadian pair Alison McKay/Darby Dunn (CAN1) 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) in the semifinals.

The bronze medal went to Canadians Alison McKay/Darby Dunn (CAN1), who easily defeated Marcela Araya/Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-12, 21-10) in straight sets.

In fifth place were Americans Katherine Reilly/Clara Stowel (USA2), who needed three sets to defeat Cubans Kailin Garrido/Maykelin Drik 2-1 (17-21, 23-21, 15-12).

In the seventh-place match, Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Azmabeth Infante (DOM1) defeated Socorro López/Norma Brenes of Nicaragua 2-0 (22-20, 21-12), while Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez (MEX1) took ninth place by defeating Canadians Kaylee Glagau/Abbey Thorup (CAN2) 2-1 (21-14, 11-21, 15-9).

Eleventh place went to Keiry Guzmán/Karla Tovar of El Salvador after defeating Angélica Torres/María Ramírez (MEX2) due to injury. Thirteenth place went to Dominicans Bethania Almanzar/Crismil Paniagua, who defeated Oriana Granadilla/Darlin Rodríguez of Venezuela 2-1 (21-23, 21-19, 15-10).

Vernecia and Verneeci Caines of the Virgin Islands finished in fifteenth place.

Other results of the day were: CUB Garrido/Drik vs. DOM1 Payano/Infante 2-0 (21-13, 21-12); USA2 vs. Reilly/Stowel vs. NCA López/Brenes 2-0 (21-13, 21-17).

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 28, 2025 – Americans James Drost and Troy Field defeated Cuban duo Damián Gómez and Eblis Veranes in a nail-biting three-set match 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-10) to win the gold medal in the ninth leg of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour, which concluded this Sunday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Drost/Field (USA) defeated Mexico’s Antonio Lares/Carlos Ayala 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) in the semifinals to advance to the final, while Cuba’s Gomez/Veranes defeated Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora/Dany Lopez 2-0 (21-16, 23-21) in the semifinals.

Mexico’s Lares/Ayala took the bronze medal, defeating Nicaragua’s Mora/Lopez 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

Venezuela’s Juliangel Vargas/Enyensser Delgado finished fifth, defeating Canada’s Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Dylan Devecseri 2-0 (21-17, 21-15).

In seventh place were Dominicans Hayerling de Jesús/Jorge Matos (DOM1), who defeated their counterparts Melvin de Jesús/Ramón de Jesús (DOM2) 2-0 (21-13, 21-16), while Justin Solano/Victorio González finished in ninth place, defeating Sean Tucker/Benjamin Barnett of Bermuda 2-0 (21-14, 21-18).

Eleventh place went to José Izaguirre/Santiago Penagos of Guatemala, who defeated Jared Brown/Colem Sommer of the Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-10, 21-13). In 13th place was Rafael Vargas/Fernando Ortiz of El Salvador, who defeated Joel Theodore/Stephen Enile of Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-7).

In fifteenth place were Aiden Hazzard/Da’Qwan Fredericks of Anguilla.

Other results of the day were: CAN Rahvanard/Devecseri in DOM2 M. de Jesús/R. de Jesús 2-0 (21-16, 21-15); VEN Vargas/Delgado in DOM1 H. de Jesús/Matos 2-0 (21-17, 21-13).

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 27, 2025.- The women’s teams from Puerto Rico, the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica advanced this Saturday to the semifinals of the ninth leg of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour, which is being held on the sand courts at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas defeated the Cuban duo Kailin Garrido/Maykelin Drik 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-13) in the Quarterfinals and will play in the Semifinals against Marcela Araya and Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica, who defeated Julibeth Payano/Azmabeth Infante (DOM1) 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 15-8).

Geena Urango and Mariah Whalen (USA1) defeated their counterparts Katherine Reilly/Clara Stowel (USA2) 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the Quarterfinals and will face Canadians Alison McKay/Darby Dunn (CAN1) in the Semifinals, who defeated Socorro López/Norma Brenes (NCA) 2-0 (21-18, 21-13).

In the qualifying matches for positions 9/12:

CAN2 Kaylee Glagau/Abbey Thorup of ESA Keiry Guzmán/Eugenia Ramírez 2-0 (21-1, 21-6)

MEX1 Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez of MEX2 Angélica Torres/Mariah Ramírez due to injury from the B team.

In the qualifying matches for positions 13/16:

DOM2 Bethania Almanzar/Crismil Paniagua of ISV Vernecia Caines/Verneeci Caines 2-0 (21-13, 21-9)

VEN Oriana Granadilla/Darlin Rodríguez-BYE

The competition begins on Sunday at 8:00 am (local time) with the semifinals and the position matches. The bronze medal match and final will be played in the afternoon.

Other results of the day were: DOM Payano/Infante d NCA López/Brenes 2-0 (24-22, 21-17); CAN1 McKay/Dunn d CRC Araya/Ramirez 2-0 (21-19, 21-12); MEX2 Angélica Torres/María Ramírez d ISV Vernecia Caines/Verneeci Caines 2-0 (21-2, 21-7); USA1 Urango/Whalen d MEX1 Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez 2-1 (21-14, 22-24, 15-10); CUB Kailin Garrido/Maykelin Drik d DOM2 Bethania Almanzar/Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-12, 21-16); PUR González/Navas d VEN Oriana Granadilla/Darlin Rodríguez 2-0 21-15, 21-18); USA2 Reilly/Stowel d CAN2 Kaylee Glagau/Abbey Thorup 2-1 (21-23, 21-17, 15-12).

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 27, 2025 – The men’s teams of Nicaragua, Cuba, the United States, and Mexico advanced to the semifinals of the ninth stage of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour, being played at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana.

Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Dany López defeated Dominicans Melvin de Jesús/Ramón de Jesús (DOM2) 2-0 (22-20, 21-15) in the quarterfinals and will face the Cuban duo of Damián Gómez/Eblis Veranes in the semifinals, who defeated Canadians Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Dylan Devecseri 2-0 (21-14, 21-13).

Americans James Drost/Troy Field defeated Venezuela’s Juliangel Vargas and Enyenser Delgado 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) in the quarterfinals and will play in the semifinals against Mexicans Antonio Lares/Carlos Ayala, who defeated Hayerling de Jesús/Jorge Matos (DOM1) 2-0 (21-11, 21-15).

In the 9th/12th place qualifying matches:

CRC Justin Solano/Victorio González d GUA José Izaguirre/Santiago Penagos 2-0 (21-18, 23-21)

BER Sean Tucker/Benjamin Barnett d ISV Jared Brown/Cole Sommer 2-0 (21-12, 23-21)

In the 13th/16th place qualifying matches:

ESA Rafael Vargas/Fernando Ortiz d AGU Aiden Hazzard/Da’Qwan Fredericks 2-0 (21-7, 21-8)

TTO Joel Theodore/Stephen Enile -BYE

The competition begins on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. (local time) with the semifinals and the position matches, and the bronze medal match and final will be played in the afternoon.

Other results of the day were: NCA Mora/López d DOM1 De Jesús/Jorge 2-0 (21-18, 21-17); MEX Lares/Ayala d ESA Vargas/Ponce 2-0 (21-4, 21-11); DOM2 M. de Jesús/R. de Jesús d BER Sean Tucker/Benjamin Barnett 2-0 (21-13, 21-17); VEN Vargas/Delgado d CAN Rahnavard/Devecseri 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 17-15); ISV Jared Brown/Cole Sommer d AGU Aiden Hazzard/Da´Qwan Fredericks 2-0 (21-14, 21-13); USA Drost/Field d CRC Solano/González 2-0 (21-5, 21-16); CUB Gómez/Veranes d TTO Theodore/Enile 2-0 (21-9, 21-12).

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 26, 2025 – The teams from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico won their respective matches on the first day of competition at the ninth stop of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour, at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana.

In Group A, Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Azmabeth Infante defeated Keiry Guzmán/Karla Tovar (ESA) 2-0 (21-6, 21-7) and earned a BYE, while Socorro López/Norma Brenes (NCA) defeated Guzmán/Tovar 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) and also earned a BYE.

In Group B, two pairs remained undefeated: Marcela Araya/Eugenia Ramírez (CRC), who defeated Vernecia Caines/Verneeci Caines (ISV) 2-0 (21-7, 21-11) and Angélica Torres/María Ramírez (MEX2) 2-0 (21-17, 21-17), while Alison McKay/Darby Dunn (CAN1) defeated Torres/Ramírez (MEX2) 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) and Vernecia and Verneeci Caines (ISV) 2-0 (21-8, 21-10).

In Group C, Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez (MEX1) defeated Cubans Kailín Garrido/Maykelin Drik 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) and Bethania Almanzar/Crismil Paniagua (DOM2) 2-0 (21-11, 21-13).

In Group D, María González/Allanis Navas (PUR) defeated Katherine Reilly/Clara Stowel (USA2) 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) and Kaylee Glagau/Abbey Thorup (CAN2) 2-0 (21-15, 21-10).

The tournament continues this Saturday with the regular round, the quarterfinals, and the losers’ round.

Other results of the day were: USA1 Urango/Whalen d DOM2 Almánzar/Paniagua 2-0 (21-15, 21-19); CUB Garrido/Drik d USA1 Urango/Whalen 2-0 (21-19, 21-18); CAN2 Glagau/Thorup d VEN Oriana Granadilla/Darlin Rodríguez 2-0 (21-16, 21-10); USA2 Reilly/Stowel d VEN Granadilla/Rodríguez 2-0 (21-7, 21-10).

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 26, 2025 – The teams from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Venezuela, Canada, and Cuba finished undefeated the first day of  competition of the ninth leg of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Tour undefeated, held at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

In Group A, the pairing of Hayerling De Jesús and Jorge Matos (DOM1) defeated José Izaguirre/Santiago Penagos (GUA) 2-0 (23-21, 21-13) with a bye. In the same group, Nicaraguans Rubén Mora and Dany López defeated Izaguirre/Penagos (GUA) 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) and also earned a bye.

Mexicans Antonio Lares and Carlos Ayala defeated in group B yhe pair of Melvin De Jesús/Ramón De Jesús (DOM2) 2-0 (21-17, 22-20) and Sean Tucker/Benjamin Barnett (BER) 2-0 (21-12, 21-11).

In Group C, Venezuelans Juliangel Vargas/Enyenser Delgado defeated Jared Brown/Cole Sommer (ISV) 2-0 (21-5, 21-7) and Aiden Hazzard/Da’Qwan Fredericks (AGU) 2-0 (21-8, 21-9), while Canadians Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Dylan Devecseri also won against Hazzard/Fredericks (AGU) 2-0 (21-9, 21-13) and Brown/Sommer (ISV) 2-0 (21-5, 21-5).

Cubans Damián Gómez/Eblis Veranes, in group D, defeated the American duo James Drost/Troy Field (USA) 2-0 (21-15, 23-21) and Justin Solano/Victorio González (CRC) 2-0 (21-15, 21-10).

The competition continues this Saturday with the continuation of the preliminary round, the quarterfinals, and the losers’ bracket.Other results of the day were: BER Tucker/Barnett d ESA Rafael Vargas/Fernando Ortiz 2-0 (21-18, 21-12); DOM2 M. De Jesús/R. De Jesús d ESA Vargas/Ortiz 2-0 (21-13, 21-6); CRC Solano/González d TTO Joel Theodore/Stephen Enile 2-0 (21-12, 21-12); USA Drost/Field d TTO Theodore/Enile 2-0 (21-7, 21-11).

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 14, 2025.- Alison McKay and Darby Dunn of Canada painted themselves with gold by winning the Gold Medal of the 8th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Tour, held at the Flor Blanca beach stadium.

A high-class final was played on Sunday afternoon on Court 1 of the Flor Blanca Beach Stadium, with the victory in three sets 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-8) for Canadians of Alison McKay and Darby Dunn, who defeated Kelly Belardi / Natalie Myszkowski of the United States.

This is the second medal of the season for Darby Dunn, she won the silver medal in Manzanillo alongside Mikayla Law-Heese.

McKay-Dunn reached the final thanks to their 2-0 (21-13, 21-9) victory in semifinals over Venezuelans Oriana Granadilla / Yonnielis Camacho, a match played in the morning.

Meanwhile, Americans Belardi-Myszkowski gave the surprise of the tournament by defeating in the semifinals the five-time champions, Puerto Ricans María González / Allanis Navas. The Americans came from behind to take the victory 15-21, 23-21, 17-15, in a thrilling match.

The Bronze medal match had no major complications for González-Navas of Puerto Rico, who defeated Venezuelans Oriana Granadilla / Yonnielis Camacho 2-0 (21-12, 21-15).

In placement matches, Dana Roskic / Katarina Pantovic took fifth place by defeating Natalia Girón / Paola Alvarado of Guatemala 2-0 (21-14, 21-14), while Mexicans Angélica Torres / María Jimena Ramírez defeated Katherine Quesada / Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) for seventh place.

Nicaraguans Socorro López / Lolette Rodríguez finished nineth, who beat Dominicans Yari Cleto / Rosario Payano 2-0 (21-19, 21-15). The 11th place was decided between Sofía Vigil / Karla Tovar of El Salvador and Yulimar Alvarado / Danielle Resau of Nicaragua, with the Salvadorans winning 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

13th place went to Honduras’ of Ruth Antonella Villegas / Shannia Rivera, who defeated El Salvador’s Michelle Guzmán / Donnina Argueta with a score of 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-10). Mexicans Atenas Gutiérrez / Susana Torres, who withdrew from the tournament due to injury, finished last.

Final standings:

1. McKay/Dunn CAN 2. Belardi/Myszkowski USA 3. González/Navas PUR 4. Oriana/Yonnielis VEN 5. Roskic/Pantovic CAN 6. N. Girón/Alvarado GUA 7. Torres /Ramírez MEX 8.       Quesada/Ramírez CRC 9. López/Lolette NCA 10. Cleto/Payano 11. Vigil/Tovar ESA 12. Alvarado/Resau NCA 13. Villegas/Rivera HON 14. Guzman/Donni ESA 15. Gutierrez/Torres MEX

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador. September 14, 2025.- Mexico’s number 1 pair, Sarabia/Osuna, conquered the Gold of the 8th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Tour, held at the Flor Blanca beach stadium.

Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna defeated Canadians of Martin Licht and Luke de Greeff in the grand finale with scores of 21-15 and 21-13. In semifinals, the Mexican duo had beaten Julián Araya / Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

For the duo Sarabia/Osuna, it is their fourth medal this year. In Juan Dolio they won their first Gold medal of the year, and in Puerto Cortés and Tamaulipas they achieved Bronze.

Miguel Sarabia said: “I am very happy, after the injury that kept me away from the courts for a few days, coming back and winning the Gold gives me a lot of confidence to keep being competitive, it is a very good step in this year.”

“Now our focus is on the World Championship qualifier in Punta Cana. It is a process that Jorman and I have experienced, with successes and learnings, so we are aware and confident that we are going to do very well in the world qualifier,” he pointed out with a smile.

Canadians Martin Licht and Luke de Greeff came this year with the goal of improving on the bronze medal obtained last year here in El Salvador, which they greatly surpassed by reaching the final in 2025 and taking the silver medal of the tournament.

Before the final, the now runners-up (Martin Licht / Luke de Greeff) had defeated Rouzbeh Rahnavard / Dylan Devecseri 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) in the All-Canadian semifinal.

Meanwhile, Araya/Varela of Costa Rica surprised a competitive Canadian pair Rahnavard/Devecseri to take the bronze by defeating the North Americans 2-0 (21-17, 21-16). This is the second time Araya/Varela have achieved bronze, the previous was last month in Manzanillo, Mexico.

In the placement matches:

For 5th place, Americans Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst defeated the Venezuelans Juliangel Zaid / Enyenser Delgado 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).

For 7th place, Christopher Guardado / Yoel Guardado of El Salvador defeated Rubén Mora / Dany López of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-18, 21-19). The fight for 9th place went to Mexico’s Inés Antonio Vargas / Carlos Andrés Ayala over Dominicans Francisco De Jesús / Antonio de Jesús 2-0 (21-17, 25-23).

Costa Rica’s Daniel Dyner / Victorio Esteban González took 11th place due to injury withdrawal of the Honduran pair Irvin Reyes / Manuel Serrano. For 13th place, Puerto Rico’s Cristian Encarnación / Diego Rosich defeated Guatemala’s Miguel Izaguirre / Santiago Penagos 2-0 (21-17, 21-19). The fight for 15th place was won by Bermuda’s Kyle Hamilton / Sean Tucker, who defeated Guatemala’s Fredy Luna / Jean Carlos Oliva 2-0 (21-19, 21-17).

Final standings:

1. Sarabia/Osuna MEX 2. Licht/de Greeff CAN 3. Araya/Varela CRC 4. Rahnavard/Devecseri CAN 5. Basey/Hurst USA 6. Juliangel/Esyenser VEN 7. Guardado C./Guardado Y. ESA 8. Mora/Lopez NCA 9. Lares/Carlos Andres MEX 10. De Jesus/De Jesus DOM 11. Dyner/Esteban CRC 12. Reyes/Serrano HON 13. Encarnacion/Rosich PUR 14. Izaguirre/Penagos GUA 15. Hamilton/Tucker VER 16. Luna/Oliva GUA 17. Vargas/Ponce ESA

San Salvador, El Salvador. September 13, 2025. – The two Canadian teams qualified for the semifinals of the 8th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Tour, held at the Flor Blanca beach stadium, thus ensuring one spot in the tournament final, while Costa Rica and Mexico will play the other semifinal for the second spot.

In a vibrant duel between Central American countries, Costa Rica, with Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela, defeated the Guardado twins of El Salvador in two sets, with scores of 21-18 and 22-20.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s number one pair, Miguel Sarabia / Jorman Osuna, had to push themselves to the limit and recover after losing the first set, to finally defeat Venezuelans Juliangel Zaid and Enyenser Alfonso Delgado 2-1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-13).

The Canadian pairs earned their spots in the semifinals as follows: Canada 1, of Rouzbeh Rahnavard / Dylan Devecseri, defeated Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora / Dany López 2-1 (21-15, 25-27, 15-11). Canada 2, with Martin Licht / Luke de Greeff, also advanced after overcoming Americans Gage Basey / Thomas Hurst in three sets, 2-1 (16-21, 21-18, 15-8).

The men’s semifinals will open Sunday’s action, with Araya/Varela (CRC) facing Sarabia/Osuna (MEX) at 8:30 a.m. (local time). Then, the Canadian duel between Rahnavard/Devecseri and Licht/de Greeff will take place at 9:20 a.m. (local time).

Men’s Results

Very competitive matches were played among the teams in Pool A. The first position was decided in the last round, where the duo of Julián Araya / Jhostin Varela took first place, tying in wins and losses (3-1) with Canada’s Martin Licht / Luke de Greeff, but with a better points ratio.
3rd place: Mexico’s Inés Vargas / Carlos Andrés Ayala  2-2
4th place: Cristian Encarnación / Diego Rosich (Puerto Rico) 2-2
5th place: Rafael Vargas / Fernando Ortiz (El Salvador) 0-4

Pool B was dominated Americans Gage Basey / Thomas Hurst (champions of the recently held Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay) with 4 victories. In second place were Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador, with only one loss against USA.
3rd place: Irvin Reyes / Manuel Serrano (Honduras)
4th place: José Miguel Izaguirre / Santiago Penagos (Guatemala)

Nicaraguans Rubén Mora / Dany López were the leaders in Pool C with 4 wins, relegating the Mexican pair Miguel Sarabia / Jorman Osuna to second place.
3rd place: Francisco De Jesús / Antonio De Jesús (Dominican Republic)
4th place: Fredy Ronaldo Luna / Robin Jean Carlos Oliva (Guatemala)

Venezuelans Juliangel Zaid / Enyenser Delgado finished first in Pool D, followed by Canada’s Rouzbeh Rahnavard / Dylan Devecseri.
3rd place: Daniel Dyner / Esteban González (Costa Rica)
4th place: Kyle Hamilton / Sean Tucker (Bermuda)

San Salvador, El Salvador. September 13, 2025. – Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Canada and the United States qualified for the semifinals of the 8th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Tour, held at Flor Blanca Beach Stadium.

Venezuela’s Oriana Granadilla / Yonnielis Camacho advanced after mercilessly defeating Katherine Quesada / Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica with scores of 21-14 and 21-8. At the same time, the champions of the last five stops, María González / Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico, showed no mercy and defeated Natalia Girón / Paola Alvarado of Guatemala 2-0 (21-14, 21-7).

In the All-Canadian quarterfinal, Alison McKay / Darby Dunn, defeated Dana Roskic / Katarina Pantovic with scores of 21-18 and 21-15. In the last quarterfinal match, Americans Kelly Belardi / Natalie Myszkowski secured their ticket to the semifinals by winning 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) over Mexico’s Angélica Jazmín Torres / María Jimena Ramírez.

The semifinal matches will be played between Venezuela and Canada at 10:10 a.m. (local time), and the United States against Puerto Rico at 11:00 a.m. (local time). The bronze medal match is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. and the final will be played at 3:10 p.m. (local time).

Women’s Results

Earlier in pool-play, Pool A was very tight: all the teams finished tied in matches won, lost and points. The tiebreaker was decided by point ratio, leaving Katherine Quesada and Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica in first place. In second position was the Guatemalan pair of Natalia Girón and Paola Alvarado, while El Salvador’s Sofía Vigil and Karla Tovar finished third.

Pool B was dominated by María González and Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico, the only pair in the tournament that did not concede a single set in this phase. Venezuelans Oriana Granadilla and Yonnielis Camacho took second place with two victories and one loss. The third position went to Nicaragua, represented by Yulimar Alvarado and Danielle Resau; while Ruth Villegas and Shannia Rivera of Honduras ended in fourth place.

In Pool C, Americans Kelly Belardi and Natalie Myszkowski took the group with three victories and no losses. In second place were Canadians Alison McKay and Darby Dunn with two victories and one defeat. Dominicans Yari Cleto and Rosario Payano took third place, while in fourth, to the surprise of many, were Mexicans Atenas Gutiérrez and Susana Torres.

Pool D was led by Canadians Dana Roskic and Katarina Pantovic, who secured first place thanks to their three victories. In second place were Mexicans Angélica Torres and María Jimena Ramírez (2-1). The third position went to the Nicaraguans Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez (1-2), while in fourth place were Keiry Guzmán and Donnina Argueta of El Salvador, without victories.

San Salvador, El Salvador. September 12, 2025. – The Puerto Rican duo of María Claudia González and Allanis Navas started strong in their quest for a sixth consecutive title, on the first day of action of the 8th Stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2025, held at the Flor Blanca Beach Sports Stadium.

The tournament kicked off with a commanding win by gold medal favorites María González and Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico, who swept Nicaragua’s Yulimar Alvarado and Ella Danielle Resau 2-0 (21-8, 21-10). In their second match, the Puerto Rican duo kept up their dominant pace, defeating Honduras’ Ruth Villegas and Shannia Rivera in straight sets 2-0 (21-11, 21-10).

This first position of Pool B will be decided on Saturday, as Venezuela’s Oriana Granadilla / Yonnielis Camacho also finished the day with two victories: 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) over Villegas/Rivera of Honduras and 2-0 (21-14, 21-12) over Alvarado/Resau of Nicaragua.

Another match that marked the start of the tournament was the Central American classic, and it did not disappoint. Guatemala’s Natalia María Girón / Paola Alvarado defeated Katherine Quesada / Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-12). Later, in the other Pool A match, the Costa Ricans recovered from their initial loss and beat the local duo Daniela Vigil / Karla Tovar 2-0 (21-10, 21-19). The positions in this pool will be determined on Saturday at 9:20 AM (local time) with the match between El Salvador and Guatemala.

In Pool C, the Americans Kelly Belardi / Natalie Myszkowski dominated their two matches. First, they defeated Canadians Alison McKay / Darby Dunn 2-0 (21-11, 21-15), and over  Dominicans Yari Cleto / Rosario Payano 2-0 (21-17, 21-14). The Americans still need to face Mexico’s Atenas Gutiérrez / Susana Torres), who were surprised by the Dominicans in their debut, losing 0-2 (19-21, 17-21).

In Pool D, Canadians Dana Roskic / Katarina Pantovic lead with two victories. In their first match, they defeated Torres/Ramírez of Mexico 2-1 (24-22, 18-21, 15-11) and then beat Guzmán/Donni of El Salvador 2-0 (21-10, 21-14). Canada will close the group stage facing  Nicaraguans Socorro López / Lolette Rodríguez, who have one victory 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) over El Salvador and one loss against the Mexicans Angélica Torres / María Jimena Ramírez.

The tournament will continue Saturday starting at 9:20 AM (local time). In the afternoon, the quarterfinals will be played to define the semifinalists and the classification matches for positions.

San Salvador, El Salvador. September 12, 2025. – The pairs from Costa Rica, Julián Araya / Jhostin Varela, and Nicaragua, Rubén Mora / Dany López, started undefeated in the 8th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held at the Flor Blanca Beach Sports Stadium.

The opening day was marked by very close duels and several surprises. Three group stage matches were decided in three sets, and even the ones finished in two sets were resolved with tight scores.

In the first matches of the day, Canada’s Martin Licht / Luke de Greeff defeated Rafael Alberto Vargas / Fernando Javier Ortiz of El Salvador 2-1 (14-21, 21-12, 15-9). At the same time, on court 2, Puerto Ricans Cristian Encarnación / Diego Rosich beat Mexico 2, of Inés Antonio Vargas / Carlos Andrés Ayala, 2-1 (21-19, 20-22, 15-13).

In Pool A, Araya/Varela from Costa Rica achieved two victories. The first, against Canada’s Licht/de Greeff 2-0 (21-12, 21-15), and then against Encarnación/Rosich of Puerto Rico, in what was perhaps the most exciting match of the day, with the Costa Ricans taking the win 26-24, 21-19. They still need to face El Salvador’s Vargas/Ortiz and Mexico’s Vargas/Ayala.

In Pool B,  Gage Basey / Thomas Hurst of United States (champions of the recently held Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay) and El Salvador’s Christopher / Yoel Guardado also remain undefeated. This Saturday at 8:30 AM (local time), they will face each other, and the winner could secure the first place in their pool.

In Pool C, Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora / Dany López dominated with authority. First, they beat Guatemala’s Fredy Luna / Carlos Oliva 2-0 (21-12, 21-6) and then defeated Dominicans Hayerling Francisco De Jesús / Melvin Antonio De Jesús 2-1 (21-17, 22-24, 15-10). They still need to play against Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia / Jorman Osuna, who have only played one match, which they won 2-0 (21-10, 21-8) against Guatemala.

In Pool D, Venezuela’s duo Juliangel Zaid / Enyenser Alfonso Delgado imposed their dominance by defeating Costa Rica’s Daniel Dyner / Esteban González 2-0 (21-11, 23-21) and Bermuda’s Kyle Hamilton / Sean Tucker 2-0 (21-11, 21-16).

The tournament will continue this Saturday starting at 8:30 AM (local time), and in the afternoon the quarterfinal matches will take place, which will determine the semifinalists.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 11, 2025. – Everything is set for the start of the eighth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, scheduled to take place September 12-14 at the Flor Blanca Beach Sports Stadium. Teams from twelve countries are officially registered, guaranteeing three days of high-level action for El Salvador’s fans.

The event will feature 15 women’s teams and 17 men’s teams, offering an exciting showcase of international talent.

In the women’s division, all eyes will be on Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas, who arrive motivated after capturing their fifth consecutive gold medal last week and will now pursue their sixth title of the season. Also standing out is Canadian Dana Roskic, who won silver in El Salvador in 2024 and now returns alongside Katarina Pantovic, aiming to match or improve on her previous performance.

In the men’s division, favorites include the Mexican duo of Jorman Osuna and Miguel Sarabia. Osuna recently claimed silver in Zapopan and gold in Manzanillo with José Cárdenas, while together with Sarabia he earned gold in Juan Dolio and bronze in Puerto Cortés. Local fans will have the chance to cheer for the Guardado twins, who are hoping to reach the podium for the first time on home soil.

Eduardo Paiz, event promoter, commented, “This is the third time we have the opportunity to organize this event, and we have witnessed its evolution since 2023, when we hosted the Tour for the first time. We take this opportunity to thank NORCECA for the trust they have placed in us.”

“Our greatest satisfaction is that each year more sponsors come on board and more teams join the competition, giving the Salvadoran public the chance to enjoy world-class beach volleyball,” he added.

The competition will begin with the men’s division at 8:30 AM (local time), followed by the women’s division at 9:20 AM (local time).

The pool distribution is as follows:

Women

Pool A: Vigil/TovarESA, N. Girón/Alvarado GUA y Quesada/Ramirez CRC

Pool B: Gonzalez/Navas PUR; Oriana/Yonnielis VEN, Villegas/Rivera HON y Alvarado/Resau NCA2

Pool C: Belardi/Myszkowski USA, Gutiérrez/Torres MEX, Cleto/Payano DOM y McKay/Dunn CAN2

Pool D: Roskic/Pantovic CAN, López/Lolette NCA, Guzmán/Donni ESA2 y Torres /Ramírez MEX2

Men

Pool A: R Vargas/Ponce ESA2, Encarnación/Rosich PUR, Araya/Varela CRC, Lares/Carlos Andrés MEX2 y Licht/de Greeff CAN2

Pool B: Basey/Hurst USA, Izaguirre/Penagos GUA, Reyes/Serrano HON y Guardado C./Guardado Y ESA

Pool C: Sarabia/Osuna MEX, Mora/López NCA, De Jesus/De Jesús DOM y Luna/Oliva GUA2

Pool D: Rahnavard/Devecseri CAN, Juliangel/Esyenser VEN, Hamilton/Tucker BER y D. Dyner/Gonzalez CRC2

Women’s Teams

Canada Alison Mckay/ Darby Dunn – (McKay/Dunn),  Dana Roskic / Katarina Pantovic – (Roskic/Pantovic); Costa Rica Katherine Vanessa Quesada / Eugenia Ramirez – (Quesada/Ramirez); República Dominicana Yari Manuela Cleto / Rosario Julibeth Payano – (Cleto/Payano); El Salvador Keiry Michelle Guzmán / Donnina Fernanda Argueta – (Guzmán/Donni), Daniela Sofia Vigil / Karla Jamileth Tovar – (Vigil/Tovar); Guatemala Natalia María Giron / Paola Marie Alvarado Franco – (N. Girón/Alvarado); Honduras Ruth Antonella Villegas / Shannia Rivera – (Villegas/Rivera); Mexico Atenas Angelica Gutiérrez / Susana Torres García – (Gutiérrez/Torres), Angélica Jazmín Torres / María Jimena Ramírez – (Torres /Ramírez); Nicaragua Yulimar Franchely Alvarado / Ella Danielle Resau – (Alvarado/Resau), Socorro Margarita López / Lolette Eleonor Rodríguez – (López/Lolette); Puerto Rico María Claudia González / Allanis Navas – (González/Navas); Estados Unidos Kelly Belardi / Natalie Myszkowski – (Belardi/Myszkowski); VenezuelaOriana Francis Granadilla / Yonnielis Camacho – (Oriana/Yonnielis)

Men’s Teams

Bermuda Kyle Hamilton / Sean Tucker – (Hamilton/Tucker); Canada Martin Licht / Luke de Greeff – (Licht/de Greeff), Rouzbeh Rahnavard / Dylan Devecseri – (Rahnavard/Devecseri); Costa Rica Julián Araya / Jhostin Varela – (Araya/Varela), Daniel Dyner / Victorio Esteban Gonzalez – (D. Dyner/Gonzalez); República Dominicana Hayerling Francisco De Jesús / Melvin Antonio de Jesús – (De Jesus/De Jesús); El Salvador Christopher Guardado / Yoel Guardado Rivas – (Guardado C./Guardado Y.), Rafael Alberto Vargas / Fernando Javier Ortiz (R Vargas/Ponce); Guatemala José Miguel Izaguirre / Santiago Penagos – (Izaguirre/Penagos), Fredy Ronaldo Luna / Robin Jean Carlos Oliva – (Luna/Oliva); Honduras Irvin Armando Reyes / Manuel Alejandro Serrano – (Reyes/Serrano); Mexico Inés Antonio Vargas / Carlos Andrés Ayala – (Lares/Carlos Andrés), Miguel Sarabia / Jorman Osuna – (Sarabia/Osuna); Nicaragua Rubén Alejandro Mora / Dany Antonio López – (Mora/López); Puerto Rico Cristian Encarnación / Diego Rosich – (Encarnación/Rosich); Estados Unidos Gage Basey / Thomas Hurst – (Basey/Hurst); Venezuela Juliangel Zaid / Enyenser Alfonso Delgado – (Juliangel/Esyenser)

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 10, 2025.– The eighth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour will take place September 12-14 at the Sand Sports Stadium of the Flor Blanca Sports Complex in San Salvador.

This marks the third consecutive year that El Salvador hosts a stage of the prestigious continental circuit. For this edition, there is a preliminary registration of 15 women’s teams and 17 men’s teams, with the final list to be confirmed during the preliminary inquiry a day before competition begins, where pool composition will also be determined.

In the women’s field, Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas headline the entry list as winners of all five events they have played so far this season (Juan Dolio – Dominican Republic, Puerto Cortés – Honduras, Puerto Madero – Tamaulipas, Manzanillo – Colima, and Zapopan – Jalisco). Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, consistent podium finishers in the first six stops, will also compete, looking to return to the medal stand after finishing seventh last week in Zapopan.

On the men’s side, Mexico’s Jorman Osuna, silver medalist in Zapopan and gold medalist in Manzanillo with José Cárdenas, will be back with his regular partner Miguel Sarabia, with whom he captured gold in Juan Dolio and bronze in Puerto Cortés. Fellow Mexicans Ines Vargas and Carlos Ayala (Lares/Carlos Andrés) will also compete, boasting a gold medal in Puerto Cortés, bronze in Juan Dolio, and silver in Paramaribo.

Representing Nicaragua are Rubén Mora and Dany López, silver medalists in Varadero earlier this year, while Canada’s Martin Licht and Luke de Greef aim to repeat or improve on their bronze medal performance from last year at this same venue.

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 7, 2025. – Puerto Rico’s Maria Gonzalez and Allanis Navas claimed their fifth straight gold medal of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, rallying to defeat USA’s Michelle Shaffer and Rachael Kramer 2-1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-9) in a thrilling final in Zapopan, Jalisco.

Entering the tournament as the top favorites, Gonzalez and Navas once again lived up to expectations, extending their unbeaten streak and winning every stage they have competed in this season — Juan Dolio, Puerto Cortés, Tamaulipas, Manzanillo, and now Zapopan — securing a perfect five-for-five record on the tour.

Allanis Navas expressed her pride in her teammate: “María always kept her composure during the game. We always step onto the court as warriors, no matter the score and no matter the height of our opponents. We recently graduated and are training as much as possible, with the goal of achieving the victories that lie ahead. We’re going to keep working because the road is long.”

Regarding the achievement of winning five consecutive gold medals, María González said: “It’s incredible! In every match we go in as if anyone could beat us, and we step in as warriors, ready to fight for every point, and I think that has been the key to winning these five gold medals. We don’t go in thinking about it, but rather as if it’s a completely new game.”

For Shaffer and Kramer, the silver medal marks their first NORCECA podium finish as a team, and Shaffer’s debut at an international event. Kramer previously earned bronze last year in Puerto Cortés.

In the bronze medal match, Cuba’s Kailin Garrido and Maykelin Drik defeated Canada’s Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic 2-0 (21-16, 21-19). This is Kailin/Drik’s second bronze medal of the season, having also taken third place in Varadero.

Shaffer/Kramer advanced to the final after winning a tough three-set battle 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 15-11) over Kailin/Drik in the semifinals, while Gonzalez/Navas stormed past Canada’s Grewal/Pantovic 2-0 (21-17, 21-13).

Canada’s Dunn/Law-Heese finished fifth after a straight-sets victory 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) against Nicaragua’s Lopez/Lolette.

Mexico’s Torres/Gutierrez secured seventh place with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) win over Venezuela’s Ramirez/Valeria.

Guatemala’s Alvarado/Guerra claimed ninth place after defeating Venezuela’s Oriana/Yonnielis in three sets 2-1 (21-19, 13-21, 15-10).

El Salvador’s Vigil/Tovar took eleventh place, beating Bennett/Valenciana of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-12, 21-15).

Mexico’s Cruz/Torres finished in thirteenth place with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) win over Costa Rica’s Quesada/Aguilar.

Classification Matches:

C 5/8: Lopez/Lolette NCA d Ramirez/Valeria VEN 2-1 (21-10, 19-21, 21-19); Dunn/Law-Heese CAN 2-1 (13-21, 21-14, 15-8).

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 7, 2025. – Evan Cory and Derek Bradford of the United States clinched the gold medal at the seventh stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, defeating home favorites José Cardenas and Jorman Osuna of Mexico 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) in a thrilling final at the Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas in Zapopan, Jalisco.

This victory marks Cory/Bradford’s first medal together as a team and Bradford’s first-ever NORCECA gold medal. Cory, a seasoned competitor, previously claimed two gold medals in Mexico in 2022 (La Paz and Aguascalientes), as well as a silver and a bronze in the Dominican Republic in 2024.

Speaking after the win, Cory said: “As professional athletes, we work so hard for this moment every time we play, and it doesn’t happen often. So, this is amazing and special. Doing it against a really strong Mexican team and in front of their home crowd was really fun.”

Bradford added: “It’s fantastic. This tournament was amazing. Mexico is a great host, the venue was set up perfectly, and the crowd was incredible.”

For Cardenas and Osuna, the silver medal is their first of the 2025 season after taking gold just last week in Manzanillo. Osuna also won a gold medal from Juan Dolio earlier this year, along with two bronzes from Puerto Cortés and Tamaulipas.

The bronze medal went to Cuba’s Damian Gomez and Eblis Verane, who prevailed over Canada’s Cameron Chadwick and Robert Kemp 2-0 (21-14, 23-21). This is Gomez/Veranes  second bronze medal of the season, following their podium finish in Varadero.

In the semifinals USA’s Cory/Bradford beat Cuban Gomez/Veranes 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) and Mexico’s Cardenas/Osuna defeated Chadwick/Kemp (CAN) 2-0 (21-12, 21-13).

Venezuelans Jualiangel Zaid/Esynser Delgado won a three-set battle recovering from losing the first set over Ines Vargas/Carlos Andrés Ayala of Mexico 2-1 (21-23, 21-15, 15-11) to finish in fifth place.

In the battle for seventh place, between two Central American duos, Mora/Lopez of Nicaragua beat Guardado twins of El Salvador in three sets 2-1 (21-17, 20-22, 17-15).

Gannett/Rivest of Canada finished ninth place with a 2-0 victory (21-16, 21-13) against Izaguirre/Maldonado of Guatemala.

Butcher/Enile of Trinidad and Tobago took eleventh place with a know show of Puerto Rico’s Rivera/Rosich due to an injury.

Venezuelan duo Harrison/Hernandez took position thirteen over Encarnacion/Pacheco of Puerto Rico 2-1 (15-21, 23-21, 15-13). Finally, D. Dyner/Varela of Costa Rica finished in position fifteen.

Classification Matches:

C 5/8: Lares/Carlos Andres MEX d Guardado C./Guardado Y. ESA 2-0 (21-13, 22-20); Esyenser/Juliangel VEN d Mora/Lopez NCA 2-0 (21-17, 25-23).

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 6, 2025 – The men’s semifinals are set in Zapopan, with Mexico’s José Cardenas/Jorman Osuna, Canada’s Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp, Cuba’s Damian Gomez/Eblis Verane, and USA’s Evan Cory/Derek Bradford advancing at the seventh stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

Sunday’s semifinals will see local favorites Cardenas/Osuna take on Chadwick/Kemp of Canada, while Cubans Gomez/Verane will clash with Americans Cory/Bradford for a place in the gold medal match.

Cardenas/Osuna delighted the home crowd with a straight-set quarterfinal win, defeating Venezuela’s Juliangel Zaid/Esynser Delgado 2-0 (23-21, 21-17). Chadwick/Kemp of Canada secured their semifinal berth with a convincing 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) victory over Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora/Dany Lopez.

In one of the most dramatic matches of the day, Cubans Gomez/Verane came from behind to stun Mexico’s Ines Vargas/Carlos Andrés Ayala 2-1 (20-22, 23-21, 15-6). Meanwhile, Cory/Bradford of the United States downed El Salvador’s twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) to remain perfect in the tournament.

Earlier in the day, the final round of pool play set the stage for the quarterfinals. Mexico’s Lares/Carlos Andrés dominated Pool A with a commanding 2-0 (21-10, 21-4) win over Trinidad and Tobago’s Butcher/Enile. Chadwick/Kemp of Canada finished atop Pool B after edging Guatemala’s Izaguirre/Maldonado 2-0 (21-14, 24-22), followed by Cuba’s Gomez/Verane, who defeated Venezuela’s Harrison/Hernandez 2-0 (21-14, 21-18).

In Pool C, Esynser/Juliangel of Venezuela emerged first after a hard-fought 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 15-10) victory over Puerto Rico’s Rivera/Rosich, who were forced to withdraw due to an injury. The Guardado twins earned their quarterfinal ticket with a thrilling 2-1 (25-23, 17-21, 15-12) win over Costa Rica’s D. Dyner/Varela.

Cory/Bradford of the USA topped Pool D undefeated, beating Puerto Rico’s Encarnacion/Pacheco 2-0 (22-20, 21-16). Mexico’s Cardenas/Osuna claimed second place in the pool after an exciting comeback win over Canada’s Gannett/Rivest 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-13).

Placement Matches:

C 13/16: Encarnacion/Pacheco PUR (bye); Harrison/Hernandez VEN d D. Dyner/Varela CRC 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 15-9).

C 9/12: Izaguirre/Maldonado GUA d Rivera/Rosich PUR (forfeit); Gannett/Rivest CAN d Butcher/Enile TTO 2-0 (21-10, 21-12).

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 6, 2025 .– Cuba’s Kailin Garrido and Maykelin Drik pulled off a major upset on Saturday, defeating Mexican home favorites Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) in the quarterfinals to secure a spot in the women’s semifinals of the seventh stage of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

The win ended Torres and Gutiérrez’s streak of reaching the podium at every stage this season, marking the first time they will miss the top three.

On Sunday, Kailin/Drik will face USA’s Michelle Shaffer and Rachael Kramer in the semifinals, while Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas – the tournament favorites – will take on Canada’s Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic.

González and Navas, aiming for their fifth gold medal in as many appearances this season, advanced with a dominant 2-0 (21-6, 21-11) win over Nicaragua’s Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez.

Shaffer and Kramer fought through a thrilling three-set battle to overcome Canada’s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese 2-1 (27-25, 19-21, 15-13) and book their place in the final four.

Meanwhile, Grewal and Pantovic reached their second consecutive semifinal with a commanding 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) victory over Venezuela’s Aidana Mejías and Valeria Moreno.

In pool play, Torres/Gutiérrez dominated Bennett/Valenciana of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-13, 21-9) to comfortably claim the top spot in Pool A. Meanwhile, González/Navas stayed perfect in Pool B, defeating El Salvador’s Vigil/Tovar 2-0 (21-13, 21-12).

Over in Pool C, Grewal/Pantovic powered past USA’s Shaffer/Kramer 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) to secure first place, and in Pool D, Dunn/Law-Heese clinched the group with a convincing 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) victory over Venezuela’s Ramírez/Valeria. Capping off the action, Guatemala’s Alvarado/Guerra fought hard to earn a 2-1 (21-18, 12-21, 15-11) win over Costa Rica’s Quesada/Aguilar to take third in the pool.

Placement Matches:

C 13/16: Quesada/Aguilar CRC (bye); Cruz/Torres MEX (bye).

C 9/12: Alvarado/Guerra GUA d Bennett/Valenciana ISV 2-0 (21-9, 21-14); Oriana/Yonnielis VEN d Vigil/Tovar ESA 2-0 (23-21, 21-13).

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 5, 2025.– Canadians Darby Dunn/Mikayla Law-Heese, Venezuela’s Aidana Mejías/Varlria Moreno  and Americans Michelle Shaffer/Rachael Kramer each celebrated two victories on Friday’s opening day of the women’s competition at the seventh stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held in Zapopan, Jalisco.

Dunn and Law-Heese dominated Pool D, going undefeated with back-to-back wins. They opened with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) victory over Guatemala’s Paola Alvarado/Estefanie Bethancourt and followed with another straight-set triumph, 21-10, 21-13, against Costa Rica’s Katherine Quesada/Aliza Aguilar. Venezuela’s Aidana Mejías/Valeria Moreno also finished the day with a 2-0 record in Pool D, defeating Quesada/Aguilar 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) before rallying from a set down to beat Alvarado/Bethancourt 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-10).

Dunn/Law-Heese and Ramirez/Valeria will clash on Saturday to decide Pool D top finisher.

In Pool C, USA’s Shaffer and Kramer earned their two wins, starting with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-16) victory over Mexico’s Naomi Cruz/Angélica Torres. They were then tested by Venezuela’s Oriana Granadillo/Yonnielis Camacho but prevailed in straight sets, 21-19, 24-22. Cruz/Torres managed to split their matches, edging Canada’s Akash Grewal/Katarina Pantovic 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-9) earlier in the day. Grewal/Pantovic closed with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) win against Granadillo/Camacho.

Pools A and B featured three-team groups, with each pair playing one match and receiving a bye.

In Pool A, host duo Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez thrilled the home crowd with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-10) win over Nicaragua’s Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez. The Nicaraguans had earlier defeated Melanie Valenciana/Amber Bennett of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-6, 21-13).

Tournament favorites, María González/Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico, endured a hard-fought Pool B opener, taking down Cuba’s Kailin Garrido/Maykelin Drik 2-0 (21-17, 21-19). Garrido/Drik had previously posted a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) victory against El Salvador’s Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil.

Pool play will conclude on Saturday, followed by the quarterfinals and classification matches.

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, September 5, 2025. – USA’s Evan Cory/Derek Bradford, Canada’s Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp, and Venezuela’s Juliangel Zaid/Esynser Delgado opened the seventh stage of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour with unbeaten records at the Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas in Zapopan, Jalisco.

Evan Cory and Derek Bradford of the United States dominated Pool D, winning both matches on opening day. After rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Canada’s Tynan Gannett/Guillaume Rivest 2-1 (18-21, 21-11, 16-14), they secured a straight-set victory 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) over Mexico’s José Cárdenas/Jorman Osuna. Earlier, Cárdenas/Osuna earned a convincing 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) win over Puerto Rico’s Cristian Encarnación/José Pacheco, who later fell in three sets 2-1 (21-17, 16-21, 15-9) to Gannett/Rivest.

In Pool B, Cameron Chadwick and Robert Kemp of Canada posted a perfect 2-0 mark. They opened with a commanding 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) win against Venezuela’s Harrison Rivero/José Hernández, then overcame a spirited effort from Cuba’s Damian Gómez/Eblis Verane to close 2-0 (21-17, 23-21). Gómez/Verane had earlier cruised past Guatemala’s José Izaguirre/Edgar Maldonado 2-0 (21-18, 21-9), but the Guatemalans bounced back later to edge Rivero/Hernández 2-0 (21-16, 21-19).

Venezuela’s Juliangel Zaid and Esynser Delgado stayed flawless in Pool C with two solid victories. They opened with a hard-fought 2-1 (21-17, 22-24, 15-10) triumph over El Salvador’s twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado, then followed up with a convincing 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) win against Costa Rica’s Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela. Dyner/Varela had earlier dropped a close three-set match to Puerto Rico’s William Rivera/Diego Rosich 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-10). The Guardado twins closed their day strong, defeating Rivera/Rosich 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-12).

In Pool A, Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Dany López split results, first defeating Josiah Butcher/Stephen Enile of Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 (21-15, 21-10) before falling to Mexico’s Ines Vargas/Carlos Andrés Ayala 2-0 (21-8, 21-16).

Saturday’s schedule will feature the conclusion of pool play, followed by the quarterfinals and classification matches.

ZAPOPAN, Jalisco, Mexico, September 4, 2025. – The excitement of the seventh stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour comes to Zapopan, Jalisco, this weekend at the iconic Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas, with teams from eleven countries officially registered to compete.

The tournament will feature 14 women’s teams and 15 men’s teams, promising three days of high-level beach volleyball competition.

In the women’s field, all eyes will be on Puerto Rico’s Maria Gonzalez and Allanis Navas, who have already captured four gold medals this season and are aiming for a fifth. Local favorites Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez will look to shine on home sand, while the United States’ Rachael Kramer, bronze medalist in Puerto Cortés last year, is set to be a strong contender.

On the men’s side, Mexican duo José Cárdenas and Jorman Osuna, fresh off their gold medal win in Manzanillo last week, will headline the competition. They will face tough challengers, including silver medalists Cameron Chadwick and Robert Kemp of Canada and bronze medalist Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica. Also in the mix are the United States’ Evan Cory, bronze and silver medalist in 2024, in two stages in Dominican Republic and in 2022 gold medalist in La Paz and Aguascalientes, partnered with Derek Bradford, bronze medalist in Suriname this year. As well as Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora and Dany López, medalists in numerous stages throughout the NORCECA Tour.

The event promises thrilling matches and a festive atmosphere as Zapopan hosts international athletes aiming to climb the NORCECA Tour rankings.

Pool distribution is as follows:

Women

Pool A: Torres/Gutiérrez MEX; Bennett/Valenciana ISV; Lopez/Lolette NCA

Pool B: Gonzalez/Navas PUR; Vigil/Tovar ESA; Kailin/Drik CUB

Pool C: Grewal/Pantovic CAN; Shaffer/Kramer USA; Cruz/Torres MEX; Oriana/Yonnielis VEN

Pool D: Alvarado/GuerraGUA; Quesada/Aguilar CRC; Ramirez/Valeria VEN; Dunn/Law-Heese CAN

Men

Pool A: Lares/Carlos Andres MEX; Mora/Lopez NCA; Butcher/Enile TTO

Pool B: Kemp/Chadwick CAN; Izaguirre/Maldonado GUA; Gomez/Veranes CUB; Harrison/Hernandez VEN

Pool C: D. Dyner/Varela CRC; Guardado C./Guardado Y. ESA; Esyenser/Juliangel VEN; Rivera/Rosich PUR

Pool D: Cory/BradfordUSA; Encarnacion/Pacheco PUR; Cardenas/Osuna MEX; Gannett/Rivest CAN

Women ‘s Teams

CANADA Akash Grewal/Katarina Pantovic (Grewal/Pantovic); Darby Dunn/Mikayla Law-Heese (Dunn/Law-Heese); COSTA RICA Katherine Quesada/Aliza Aguilar (Quesada/Aguilar); CUBA Kailin Garrido/Maykelin Drik (Kailin/Drik); EL SALVADOR Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil (Tovar/Vigil); GUATEMALA Paola Alvarado/Estefanie Bethancourt (Alvarado/Guerra); MEXICO Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez (Torres/Gutiérrez); Naomi Cruz/Angélica Torres (Cruz/Torres); NICARAGUA Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (Lopez/Lolette); PUERTO RICO María González/Allanis Navas (González/Navas); USA Michelle Shaffer/Rachael Kramer (Shaffer/Kramer); U.S. Virgin Islands Melanie Valenciana/Amber Bennett  (Valenciana/Bennett); VENEZUELA Oriana Granadillo/Yonnielis Camacho (Oriana/Yonnielis); Aidana Mejías/Valeria Moreno (Ramirez/Valeria).

Men’s Teams

CANADA Tynan Gannett/Guillaume Rivest (Gannett/Rivest); Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp (Chadwick/Kemp); COSTA RICA Daniel Dyner /Jhostin Varela (D.Dyner/Varela); CUBA Damian Gomez/Eblis Verane (Gomez/Veranes); EL SALVADOR Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado (Guardado C./Guardado Y.); GUATEMALA  José Izaguirre/Andrés Maldonado; MEXICO José Cardenas/Jorman Osuna (Cardenas/Osuna); Ines Vargas/Carlos Andrés Ayala (Lares/Carlos Andrés); NICARAGUA Rubén Mora/Dany López; PUERTO RICO Cristian Encarnación/José Pacheco (Encarnación/Pacheco); William Rivera/Diego Rosich; TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Josiah Butcher/Stephen Enile (Butcher/Enile); USA Evan Cory/ Derek Bradford (Cory/Bradford); VENEZUELA Jualiangel Zaid/Esynser Delgado/ (Esynser/Juliangel); Harrison Rivero/José Hernández (Harrison/Hernández).

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, September 3, 2025. – The excitement of beach volleyball comes to Guadalajara for the first time with the seventh stop of the 2025 NORCECA Continental Tour, to be held September 5-7 at the Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas in Zapopan.

Mexico is hosting four Tour stops during the 2025 season, with Puerto Madero, Tamaulipas, and Manzanillo, Colima already completed. Guadalajara marks the third Mexican stop before their final leg in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.

The 2025 NORCECA Tour is key for collecting points in both the continental and world rankings, and it is part of the qualification process for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, making it highly competitive and attractive for the participating national teams.

This stop has a pre-registration of 29 teams from 12 countries. The official confirmation will take place after the technical meeting, held one day before the competition kicks off.

Following the success in Manzanillo, the medalists from that stop return to the sand: on the women’s side, Puerto Rico’s María González and Allanis Navas remain unbeaten with four golds in as many appearances in 2025, along with Canada’s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese, and Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, who will look to capture the top spot in front of their home crowd.

On the men’s side, Mexico’s Jorman Osuna and José Cárdenas arrive as favorites after winning gold in Manzanillo. Also competing are Canada’s Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick, as well as Costa Rica’s Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela, silver and bronze medalists respectively.

Guadalajara is set for a weekend of top-level action, with the region’s best duos battling for crucial points ahead of the season finale and the road to Santo Domingo 2026.

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 31, 2025.- Mexico’s José Cárdenas and Jorman Osuna were crowned champions of the sixth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour at Playa Azul, Manzanillo, defeating Canada’s Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick 2-0 in the final with scores of 21-16 and 21-19.

Osuna arrived with strong credentials, having already claimed one gold medal and two bronze medals earlier this season alongside Miguel Sarabia, further strengthening Mexico’s dominance in this circuit.

The podium was completed by Costa Ricans Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela, who achieved a historic 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) victory over Americans Timothy Brewster and Ryan Ierna in the bronze medal match. For the Costa Rican pair, it was the first podium finish of their careers at a senior-level stop.

The semifinals highlighted the high level of competition. Cárdenas/Osuna defeated Araya/Varela 2-0 (26-24, 21-19), while Kemp/Chadwick came from behind to overcome Brewster/Ierna 2-1 (13-21, 21-16, 15-10).

In placement matches, Mexicans Lares and Carlos Andrés secured fifth place after defeating Americans Lev Priima and Charles Siragusa 2-0 (24-22, 21-16). In an all-Puerto Rican clash, Cristian Encarnación and José Pacheco captured seventh place with a 2-1 (17-21, 21-15, 17-15) win over William Rivera and Diego Rosich.

With this result, Mexico confirmed its status as favorite with a pair already collecting medals, Canada repeated as protagonists after winning bronze in Paramaribo, and Costa Rica climbed onto the podium for the first time this season.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Cárdenas / Osuna (MEX1)

2. Kemp / Chadwick (CAN1)

3. Araya / Varela (CRC)

4. Brewster /Ierna (USA)

5. Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX)

6. Priima/Siragusa (USA)

7. Pacheco/Encarnación (PUR)

8. Rosich/Rivera (PUR)

9. Gannett/Rivest (CAN)

10. MEJIA/Vargas (ESA)

11. Garcia/Maldonado (GUA)

12. Butcher/Enile (TTO)

13. Izaguirre/Penagos (GUA)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 31, 2025. Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas reaffirmed their status as favorites and captured their fourth gold medal of the season, claiming the championship at the sixth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held at Playa Azul, Manzanillo, Colima.

The Puerto Rican duo, who had already defeated Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez in previous finals, once again showcased their superiority by prevailing in the gold medal match 2-1 over Canada’s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese with scores 21-15, 18-21, 15-12.

The bronze medal went to local favorites Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, who secured a spot on the podium before their home crowd with a straight-sets victory (21-15, 21-19) over Canada’s Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic

The semifinals were also intense: González and Navas edged Torres and Gutiérrez 2-1 (20-22, 21-19, 15-13), while Dunn and Law-Heese advanced with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) win over Grewal and Pantovic.

In placement matches, Mexico’s Naomi Cruz and Angélica Torres finished fifth after defeating Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt 2-0 (21-15, 21-18). Meanwhile, Costa Ricans Katherine Quesada and Aliza Aguilar secured seventh place with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) win over USA’s Amarie Bremel and Arika Johnson, but later fell 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) against Cruz and Torres.

With this result, Puerto Rico consolidates its dominance in the women’s division, while Mexico celebrates a podium finish at home, closing an intense sixth stop of the continental circuit.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. González / Navas (PUR)

2. Dunn/Law-Heese (CAN2)

3.Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX) 

4. Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 

5. Cruz/Torres MEX  

6. N. Giron/Guerra GUA

7. Quesada / Aguilar (CRC)

8. Bremel / Johnson (USA)

9. Tovar/GUZMAN (ESA)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 30, 2025.-The sands of Playa Azul came alive once again as the men’s event defined its semifinalists. Mexico’s José Cárdenas and Jorman Osuna, the U.S. pair Timothy Brewster and Ryan Ierna, Costa Rica’s Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela, and Canada’s Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick advanced to the penultimate stage of the tournament.

Sunday’s semifinals will see Mexico’s Cárdenas/Osuna face the American duo Brewster/Ierna, while the other bracket features Costa Rica’s Araya/Varela against Canada’s Kemp/Chadwick.

In the all-Mexican quarterfinal clash, Cárdenas/Osuna prevailed 2–1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-9) over Lares/Carlos Andrés. Meanwhile, in the all-American contest, Brewster/Ierna battled past Priima/Siragusa with a thrilling 2–1 (21-16, 17-21, 15-12) win

Araya/Varela advanced convincingly, defeating Puerto Rico’s Pacheco/Encarnación 2–0 (21-13, 22-20), becoming the only Central American representatives in the semifinals. Finally, Canada’s Kemp/Chadwick came from behind to overcome Puerto Rico’s Rosich/Rivera 2–1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-10), ensuring Canadian presence in the penultimate round.

Earlier in the day, the group stage clarified the picture. In Pool A, Lares/Carlos Andrés defeated Trinidad & Tobago’s Butcher/Enile 2–0 (21-5, 21-10). In Pool B, Brewster/Ierna topped El Salvador’s Mejía/Vargas 2–0 (21-14, 21-14).

In Pool D, Araya/Varela delivered a dramatic finish by edging Rosich/Rivera 2–1 (21-19, 25-27, 15-10), while Canada’s Gannett/Rivest beat Guatemala’s Izaguirre/Penagos 2–0 (21-7, 21-9).

With these results, the men’s bracket enters its decisive stretch. Mexico, the United States, Costa Rica, and Canada remain in contention, all chasing the coveted ticket to Sunday’s grand finale at Playa Azul, Manzanillo.

RESULTS

QUARTERFINALS

Cárdenas/Osuna (MEX1) 2-1 Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX2) (14-21, 21-17, 15-9)

Brewster/Ierna (USA1) 2-1 Priima/Siragusa (USA2) (21-16, 17-21, 15-12)

Araya/Varela (CRC) 2-0 Pacheco/Encarnación (PUR2) (21-13, 22-20)

Kemp/Chadwick (CAN2) 2-1 Rosich/Rivera (PUR1) (14-21, 21-18, 15-10)

POOL-PLAY

POOL A: Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX2) 2-0 Butcher/Enile (TTO) (21-5, 21-10)

POOL B: Brewster/Ierna (USA1) 2-0 MEJIA/Vargas (ESA) (21-14, 21-14)

POOL C: Kemp/Chadwick (CAN2) vs Garcia/Maldonado (GUA1)

POOL D: Gannett/Rivest (CAN1) 2-0 Izaguirre/Penagos (GUA2) (21-7,21-9); Araya/Varela (CRC) 2-1 Rosich/Rivera (PUR1) (21-19, 25-27, 15-10)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 30, 2025. All eyes were on the favorites, and this Saturday they confirmed their status. Canada’s two pairs, Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese, and Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic, along with Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, and Puerto Rico’s María González and Allanis Navas, advanced to the women’s semifinals of the tournament.

Sunday’s semifinals will feature an all-Canadian showdown between Dunn/Law-Heese and Grewal/Pantovic, while the other matchup brings a NORCECA classic as Mexico’s Torres/Gutiérrez face Puerto Rico’s González/Navas.

In the quarterfinals, Canada’s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese came from behind to defeat Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt 2–1 (17-21, 21-9, 15-6), who fought hard until the end. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez swept the United States’ Amarie Bremel and Arika Johnson 2–0 (21-9, 21-9).

Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas showed their strength by eliminating Costa Rica’s Katherine Quesada and Aliza Aguilar with a convincing 2–0 (21-14, 21-9). To close out the day, Canada’s Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic defeated Mexico’s Naomi Cruz and Angélica Torres 2–0 (22-20, 21-13), sealing a full Canadian presence in the semifinals.

Earlier, the group stage also featured intense battles that shaped the path forward.
In Pool A, Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez topped Costa Rica’s Katherine Quesada and Aliza Aguilar 2–0 (21-18, 21-6).

In Pool B, Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt surprised with a 2–1 (21-13, 20-22, 15-12) win over the USA’s Amarie Bremel and Arika Johnson. And in Pool C, Puerto Rico’s María González and Allanis Navas prevailed in a thriller, defeating Canada’s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese 2–1 (14-21, 21-14, 15-13).

With these results, the women’s tournament enters its decisive stage. Two Canadian duos, along with the power of Mexico and Puerto Rico, keep the race alive toward the grand final to be played at Playa Azul, Manzanillo, Mexico.

RESULTS

QUARTERFINALS

Dunn/Law-Heese (CAN2) 2-1 N. Girón/Guerra (GUA) (17-21, 21-9, 15-6)

Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX1) 2-0 Bremel/Johnson (USA) (21-9, 21-9)

González/Navas (PUR) 2-0 Quesada/Aguilar (CRC) (21-14, 21-9)

Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 2-0 Cruz/Torres (MEX) (22-20, 21-13)

POOL-PLAY

POOL A: Torres/Gutierrez (MEX1) 2-0 Quesada/Aguilar (CRC)(21-18, 21-6)

POOL B: N. Girón/Guerra (GUA)  2-1 Bremel/Johnson (USA) (21-13, 20-22, 15-12)

POOL C: Gonzalez/Navas (PUR) 2-1 Dunn/Law-Heese (CAN) (14-21, 21-14, 15-13)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 29, 2025. — The opening men’s day of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour kicked off with great intensity in Manzanillo, where Puerto Ricans William Rivera and Diego Rosich and Costa Ricans Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela recorded two victories each, while Americans Timothy Brewster and Ryan Ierna needed three sets to edge out Mexico’s José Cárdenas and Jorman Osuna.

In Pool D, Rivera/Rosich confirmed their status as favorites after defeating Canada’s Tynan Gannett and Guillaume Rivest (21-19, 21-19) and Guatemala’s José Izaguirre and Santiago Penagos (21-18, 21-19). Araya/Varela also shined in this group with two clear wins: first against Izaguirre/Penagos (21-12, 21-15) and later over Gannett/Rivest (21-12, 21-12).

In Pool B, Cárdenas/Osuna opened strong against El Salvador’s Carlos Mejía and Gabriel Vargas (21-18, 21-13) but fell in a high-pressure duel against Americans Brewster/Ierna, who closed with a tight 2-1 victory (21-18, 19-21, 15-12).

The biggest surprise came in Pool A, where Mexicans Lares and Carlos Andrés Ayala defeated the U.S. duo Lev Priima and Charles Siragusa in straight sets (21-15, 22-20), after the Americans had earlier swept Trinidad & Tobago (21-7, 21-12).

In Pool C, Canadians Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick showed consistency by defeating Puerto Ricans Cristian Encarnación and José Pacheco (21-18, 21-15), after the Puerto Ricans had opened with a win against Guatemala’s Luis García and Andrés Maldonado (21-14, 21-19).

With these results, the day confirmed the favorites but also left room for surprises, with Mexico and Costa Rica raising the excitement heading into the next stage this Saturday.

RESULTS

POOL A

Priima/Siragusa (USA2) 2-0 Butcher/Enile (TTO) (21-7,21-12)  

Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX2) 2-0 Priima/Siragusa (USA2) (21-15, 22-20)

POOL B

Cárdenas/Osuna (MEX1) 2-0 Mejía/Vargas (ESA) (21-18,21-13)

Brewster/Lerna (USA1) 2-1 Cárdenas/Osuna (MEX1) (21-18,19-21,15-12)

POOL C

Pacheco/Encarnación (PUR2) 2-0 García/Maldonado (GUA2) (21-14,21-19)

Kemp/Chadwick (CAN2) 2-0 Pacheco/Encarnación (PUR2) (21-18, 21-15)

POOL D

Araya/Varela (CRC) 2-0 Izaguirre / Penagos (GUA) (21-12, 21-15)

Rosich / Rivera (PUR1) 2-0 Gannett/Rivest (CAN1) (21-19, 21-19)

Rosich/Rivera (PUR1) 2-0 Izaguirre / Penagos (GUA2) (21-18,21-19)

Araya/ Varela (CRC) 2-0 Gannett/Rivest (CAN1) (21-12, 21-12)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 29, 2025.– Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas confirmed why they are the top favorites at the sixth stop of the NORCECA Tour by debuting with a victory in Manzanillo, Colima.

The Caribbean duo, who already have three gold medals this season, defeated Mexico’s Naomi Cruz and Angélica Torres 2–0 (21-15, 21-9). Meanwhile, locals Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, champions of the last stop in Paramaribo, Suriname, defended the home sand by topping El Salvador’s Karla Tovar and Keiry Guzmán 2–0 (21-10, 21-11).

In Pool A, Costa Rica also celebrated as Katherine Quesada and Aliza Aguilar secured a 2–0 win over Tovar and Guzmán (21-11, 21-18) to get their campaign off to a strong start.

Pool B had a Canadian touch thanks to Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic, who came out victorious in back-to-back matches. First, they edged Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt in three sets (21-14, 19-21, 15-12) and later closed the day with a 2–0 win against Americans Amarie Bremel and Arika Johnson (21-17, 22-20).

In Pool C, their compatriots Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese defeated Cruz and Torres 2–0 (21-12, 30-27), before González and Navas sealed their winning debut against the same Mexican pair.

With these results, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica stood out as the main protagonists of the opening day, starting the group phase on the right foot. The competition will continue tomorrow, Saturday, in Manzanillo with decisive matches on the road to qualification.

RESULTS

Pool A: Quesada/Aguilar (CRC) 2–0  Tovar/GUZMAN (ESA) (21-11, 21-18); Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX1) 2-0 Tovar/GUZMAN (ESA) (21-10,21-11)

Pool B: Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 2-1 Girón/Bethancourt (GUA)  (21-14,19-21,15-12); Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 2-0 Bremel/Johnson (USA) (21-17, 22-20)

Pool C

Dunn/Law-Heese (CAN2) 2-0 Cruz/Torres (MEX2) (21-12,30-27); González/Navas (PUR) 2-0 Cruz/Torres (MEX2) (21-15/21-9)

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 28, 2025-  The Mexican Pacific coast is set to welcome the continent’s top pairs with the sixth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, taking place August 29–31 in Manzanillo.

Following the preliminary inquiry, it was confirmed that the competition will feature 23 teams: 9 in the women’s division and 14 in the men’s division, representing a total of eight countries.

In the women’s field, Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas stand out, with three gold medals this season in the same number of appearances—all against the local duo of Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, who arrive as champions of the most recent stop in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Joining the local pairs Jorman Osuna/José Cárdenas and Inés Vargas/Carlos Andrés Ayala in the men’s division are Puerto Ricans William Rivera and Diego Rosich, winners in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas. Also competing are Timothy Brewster/Ryan Ierna of the United States, silver medalists earlier this year in Juan Dolio.

With this stage, Mexico reaffirms its role as a strategic host in the international circuit, adding up to four venues this year: Ciudad Madero, Manzanillo, Guadalajara, and Ciudad del Carmen.

POOL DISTRIBUTION

WOMEN

Pool A: MEX1: Torres/Gutiérrez; ESA: Tovar/Guzmán; CRC: Quesada/Aguilar;

Pool B: CAN1: Grewal/Pantovic; USA: Bremel/Johnson; GUA: Aguilar/Monney;

Pool C: MEX2: Cruz/ Torres; CAN2: Dunn/Law-Heese; PUR: González/Navas

MEN

Pool A: MEX1: Cárdenas/Osuna; USA2: Priima/Siragusa; TTO: Butcher/Enile;

Pool B: MEX2: Vargas/Ayala; USA1: Brewster/Ierna; ESA: Mejía/Vargas;

Pool C: CAN2: Kemp/Chadwick; GUA1: Maldonado/García; PUR2: Encarnación/Pacheco

Pool D: CAN: Gannett/Rivest; CRC: Araya/Varela; GUA2: Izaguirre/Penagos; PUR1: Rivera/Rosich

TEAMS

WOMEN: CANADA: Akash Grewal/Katarina Pantovic; Darby Dunn/Mikayla Law-Heese; COSTA RICA: Katherine Quesada/Aliza Aguliar; EL SALVADOR: Karla Tovar/Keiry Guzmán; GUATEMALA: Danna Aguilar/Naomi Monney; MEXICO Naomi Cruz/Angélica Torres; Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez; PUERTO RICO: María González/Allanis Navas; UNITED STATES: Amarie Bremel/Arika Johnson;

MEN: CANADA: Tynan Gannett/Guillaume Rivest; Robet Kemp/Cameron Chadwick; COSTA RICA Julián Araya/Jhostin Varela; EL SALVADOR: Carlos Mejía/Gabriel Vargas; GUATEMALA: Andrés Maldonado/Luis García; Josè Izaguirre/santiago Penagos; MEXICO: José Cardenas/Jorman Osuna; Ines Vargas/Carlos Ayala; PUERTO RICO: William Rivera/ Diego Rosich; Cristian Encarnación /José Pacheco; TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Josiah Butcher/Stephen Enile; UNITED STATES: Timothy Brewster/Ryan Ierna; Lev Priima/Charles Siragusa;

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 26, 2025.- The women’s pairs from Mexico, Canada, Suriname and the United States secured their spots in the semifinals of the fifth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, taking place at the Telesur Cus Complex in Paramaribo, Suriname.

In the quarterfinals, Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez cruised past locals Chayeney Soemadah and Chanice Myr with a commanding 2-0 (21-3, 21-5) victory. Meanwhile, Canada’s sisters Kayleen and Emma Glagau also dominated their match, defeating Suriname’s Margaret Ketura and Charice Frankel 2-0 (21-0, 21-12).

The home duo of Janneke Tammenga and Chagnaz Frankel battled through a tight three-setter against Melanie Valenciana and Cristina Almeida of the U.S. Virgin Islands, earning their semifinal berth with a 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 15-3) win. The U.S. pair Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep advanced directly to the semifinals with a bye.

On Sunday, the semifinals will feature Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX) facing Glagau/Glagau (CAN) and Tammenga/Frankel (SUR) against Ferch/Inskeep (USA), with the decisive matches starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Telesur Cus Complex.

Other results of the day were: MEX Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez d ISV Melanie Valenciana/Cristina Almeida 2-0 (21-9, 21-10), CAN Kayle Glagau/Emma Glagau d SUR Janneke Tammenga/Chagnaz Frankel 2-0 (21-12, 21-9), USA Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep d Chayeney Soedamah/Chanice Myr 2-0 (21-1, 21-3).

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 26, 2025.- The fifth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, being held at the Telesur Cus Complex in Paramaribo, has its men’s semifinalists set.

The teams advancing are: Antonio Lares/Carlos Ayala of Mexico (MEX), Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp of Canada (CAN), and the two U.S. duos: Taylor Crabb/Trevor Crabb (USA1) and Derek Bradford/Zephyr Dew (USA2).

Antonio Lares and Carlos Ayala secured their spot after defeating Suriname’s Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia in the quarterfinals 2-0 (21-11, 21-8). In the semifinals, they will face Canada’s Chadwick/Kemp, who advanced after beating Elkreen Morton/Zendai Richards of Saint Kitts and Nevis 2-0 (21-13, 21-17).

The second semifinal will feature brothers Taylor and Trevor Crabb, who downed local pair Dean Kasdi/Anferney Schmeltz 2-0 (21-10, 21-13), against Bradford/Dew, who earned their spot by defeating Suriname’s David Pinas/Keven Sporkslede with identical scores of 2-0 (21-12, 21-12).

The semifinals, finals, and placement matches will take place this Sunday, July 27, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Telesur Cus Complex.

Other results of the day were: SUR Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia of SKN Elkreen Morton/Zendai Richards 2-0 (21-15, 23-21); CAN Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp of USA Derek Bradford/Zephyr Dew 2-0 (21-18, 23-21); MEX Antonio Lares/Carlos Ayala of ISV Jared Brown/Cole Sommer 2-0 (21-3, 21-10).

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 25, 2025. – The pairs from Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United States started unbeaten in the women’s division of the fifth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held for the first time in Suriname at the Telesur Cul Complex sand courts in Paramaribo.

In Pool A, Melanie Valenciana and Cristina Almeida (U.S. Virgin Islands) defeated Suriname’s Margaret Ketura/Charis Frankel with identical scores 2-0 (21-16, 21-16). In the same pool, Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, runners-up in the previous four stops, comfortably topped Ketura/Frankel 2-0 (21-6, 21-14).

In Pool B, the United States’ Piper Perch and Erin Inskeep earned two wins: first against the home team of Janneke Tammenga/Chagnaz Frakel 2-0 (21-10, 21-5), then in a thrilling three-set battle over Canada’s Kayleen and Emma Glagau 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15-6).

Action continues Saturday with the conclusion of the preliminary round, followed by the quarterfinals and the losers’ bracket.

Other results of the day included: CAN K. Glagau/E. Glagau vs. SUR Cheyeney Soedamah/Chanice Myr 2-0 (21-5, 21-3); SUR Tammanega/Frankel vs. SUR Soedamah/Myr 2-0 (21-11, 21-15).

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 25, 2025. – The pairs from Mexico, Canada and both U.S. teams opened with a perfect record in the men’s division of the fifth stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, which kicked off Friday on the sand courts at the Telesur Cul Complex in Paramaribo.

In Pool A, brothers Taylor and Trevor Crabb won both of their matches, first defeating Elkreen Morton/Zendai Richards of Saint Kitts and Nevis 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) and then easing past locals Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia 2-0 (21-12, 21-8).

Pool B also saw U.S. dominance as Derek Bradford/Zephir Dew beat Suriname’s Dean Kasdi/Anferney Schmeltz 2-0 (21-13, 21-16). In the same pool, Canada’s Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp claimed a commanding win over Kasdi/Schmeltz 2-0 (21-12, 21-6).

The only men’s match that went to three sets was in Pool C, where Mexico’s Antonio Lares and Carlos Ayala rallied to edge Suriname’s David Pinas/Keven Sporkslede 2-1 (21-10, 10-21, 17-15).

Action continues Saturday with the conclusion of the preliminary round, followed by the quarterfinals and the losers’ bracket.

Other results of the day included: SUR David Pinas/Keven Sporkslede d ISV Jared Brown/Cole Sommer 2-0 (21-16, 21-11).

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 24, 2025. – A total of 16 teams from 6 different countries will compete in the fifth stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, an event being held for the first time ever in Suriname, with the Telesur Cul Complex in Paramaribo serving as the venue.

Nine men’s teams and seven women’s teams confirmed their participation during the preliminary meeting held on Thursday.

All pairs will give their best in the preliminary round, which kicks off this Friday at 10:00 AM, aiming to advance from the group stage to the knockout rounds.

A total of 12 matches, six per gender, are scheduled for the opening day. The preliminary round will conclude on Saturday, along with the quarterfinals. Semifinals, the consolation round, and the grand final will take place on Sunday.

Men’s Teams: SUR Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asinia, Dean Kasdi/Anferney Schmelt, David Piñas/Keven Sporkslede; USA Derek Bradford/Zephir Dew, Taylor Crab/Trevor Crab; MEX Antonio Vargas/Carlos Ayala; ISV Jared Brown/Cole Sommer; CAN Cameron Chadwick/Robert Kemp; SKN Elkreen Morton/Zendai Richards.

Women’s Teams: MEX Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez; CAN Kaylee Glagau/Emma Glagau; SUR Janneke Tammenga/Chagnaz Frankel, Ketura Margaret/Charise Frankel, Chanice Myr/Chelleney Soedamah; ISV Melanie Valenciana/Taylor Buckner; USA Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, July 23, 2025. – Suriname will make history this week as it hosts the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour for the first time ever, welcoming teams from across the region to the fifth leg of the 2025 season. The competition will take place July 25-27 in Telesur Cul Complex in Paramaribo.

A total of sixteen teams have pre-registered to compete, with final participation confirmed during the preliminary inquiry scheduled for July 24.

In the women’s field, looking to break through are Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, who have finished second place at all four stages so far.

In the men’s competition, Mexico’s Inés Vargas Lares and Carlos Andrés Ayala also enter the tournament with strong credentials, having won gold in Puerto Cortés and bronze in Juan Dolio.

The event also marks the 2025 debut of the American duo Taylor and Trevor Crabb, who bring a wealth of international experience. Taylor Crabb last competed on the NORCECA Tour in 2022, when he paired with Taylor Sander in the qualification tournament for the FIVB World Championship.

The 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour awards valuable points toward both the continental and world rankings. Importantly, it also marks the start of the qualification process for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, set to take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic—adding an extra layer of motivation for all participating teams.

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 13, 2025.- María González and Allanis Navas have done it again. The Puerto Rican duo captured the gold medal at the fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, securing their third straight victory of the season, all against Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez.

This time, they clinched the title with a 2-1 (21-18, 21-19) win in a tightly contested final that leaned in Puerto Rico’s favor, especially after an injury disadvantaged Atenas Gutiérrez’s performance. Torres/Gutierrez finished second place in all four stages this year.

Navas and González have dominated the season with impressive gold medal runs in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Cortés, and now on Mexican soil, firmly establishing themselves as the team to beat on the tour.

The bronze medal went to Canada’s Devin Corah and Alicia Thibodeau, who battled past Mexico’s Yeray Vidaurrazaga and María Ramírez in a thrilling 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-13) match. The Mexican duo capped off a strong tournament with a fourth-place finish.

Before the final, the podium matchups were decided with authority. Torres and Gutiérrez defeated Vidaurrazaga and Ramírez in the semifinals 21-19, 21-16, while González and Navas cruised past Corah and Thibodeau with a dominant 2-0 (21-11, 21-9) win to book their place in the gold medal match.

In the battle for fifth place, Canada’s Emma Cudmore and Claire Simmonds delivered a clear 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) victory over Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua. Earlier, López and Rodríguez had defeated Cristina Almeida and Amber Bennett (U.S. Virgin Islands) 2-0 (21-14, 21-10), while Cudmore and Simmonds eliminated Danna Aguilar and Ana Sofía Arévalo (Guatemala) with a convincing 2-0 (21-5, 21-10) scoreline.

The seventh-place match went to Aguilar and Arévalo, who beat Almeida and Bennett in two very different sets: 21-7 and a close 22-20. Megan Hands and Natalie Gazzard of Bermuda finished the tournament in ninth place.

Final Women’s Ranking NORCECA Ciudad Madero 2025

                1.            María González / Allanis Navas (PUERTO RICO)

                2.            Susana Torres / Atenas Gutiérrez (MÉXICO 1)

                3.            Devin Corah / Alicia Thibodeau (CANADÁ 1)

                4.            Yeray Vidaurrazaga / María Ramírez (MÉXICO 2)

                5.            Emma Cudmore / Claire Simmonds (CANADÁ 2)

                6.            Socorro López / Lolette Rodríguez (NICARAGUA)

                7.            Danna Aguilar / Ana Sofía Arévalo (GUATEMALA)

                8.            Cristina Almeida / Amber Bennett (ISLAS VÍRGENES)

                9.            Megan Hands / Natalie Gazzard (BERMUDAS)

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 13, 2025. – William Rivera and Diego Rosich of Puerto Rico were crowned champions of the fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour after defeating USA’s  Skyler Kaufman and Christopher Shaffer in the gold medal match 2-0 (21-12, 24-22).

With this victory, the Puerto Rican duo claimed the gold medal on Mexican soil following a strong and consistent performance throughout the event.

The bronze medal went to Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna, who earned a 2-0 (21-19, 22-20) win over Rubén Mora and Denis López of Nicaragua. With this result, Sarabia and Osuna secured their third medal of the 2025 NORCECA Tour season: gold in Juan Dolio (Dominican Republic), bronze in Puerto Cortés (Honduras), and now another bronze in Tamaulipas, solidifying their status as one of the most consistent pairs on the circuit.

In the semifinals, Rivera and Rosich advanced after battling past Mora and López in three intense sets (21-17, 20-22, 15-7), while Shaffer and Kaufman eliminated Sarabia and Osuna with straight sets of 21-14 and 21-19.

The fifth-place match was won by the Mexican pair Inés Lares and Carlos Andrés Vargas, who came from behind to defeat Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 18-16). Earlier, the Guardado twins had beaten Devin Van Siclen and Daniel Samuelson of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-17, 21-18), while Lares and Vargas edged out Colin Lash and Dylan Devecseri of Canada 2-1 (21-14, 15-21, 15-11).

Van Siclen and Samuelson bounced back to claim seventh place by defeating Devecseri and Lash 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-12). Meanwhile, Edgar Maldonado and Santiago Penagos of Guatemala secured ninth place with a dominant 2-0 (21-10, 21-13) win over Kyle Hamilton and Connor Somerville of Bermuda, who finished the tournament in tenth place.

Men’s Final Ranking NORCECA Ciudad Madero 2025

1. William Rivera / Diego Rosich (PUERTO RICO)
2. Skyler Kaufman / Christopher Shaffer (ESTADOS UNIDOS)
3. Miguel Sarabia / Jorman Osuna (MÉXICO 1)
4. Rubén Mora / Denis López (NICARAGUA)
5. Inés Lares / Carlos Andrés Vargas (MÉXICO 2)
6. Christopher Guardado / Yoel Guardado (EL SALVADOR)
7. Devin Van Siclen / Daniel Samuelson (ISLAS VÍRGENES)
8. Colin Lash / Dylan Devecseri (CANADÁ)
9. Edgar Maldonado / Santiago Penagos (GUATEMALA)
10. Kyle Hamilton / Connor Somerville (BERMUDAS)

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 12, 2025.- Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna of Mexico, Rubén Mora and Denis López of Nicaragua, William Rivera and Diego Rosich of Puerto Rico, and Skyler Kaufman and Christopher Shaffer of the United States are the semifinalists of the fourth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

In the semifinals, Sarabia/Osuna (Mexico) will face Shaffer/Kaufman (USA), while Rivera/Rosich (Puerto Rico) will take on Mora/López (Nicaragua).

In an all-Mexican quarterfinal clash, Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna came out on top in a dramatic 2-1 victory (21-17, 14-21, 15-9) over Carlos Andrés and Jorge Lares, cheered on by a supportive Tamaulipas crowd.

Meanwhile, the Central American duel delivered plenty of thrills, as Rubén Mora and Denis López of Nicaragua defeated El Salvador’s’ Christopher and Yoel Guardado in straight sets 26-24, 21-18 to secure their place among the final four.

Representing the Caribbean, William Rivera and Diego Rosich of Puerto Rico dominated their quarterfinal match against Devin Van Siclen and Daniel Clements of the U.S. Virgin Islands, earning a 2-0 win (21-10, 21-13). On their part, Americans Skyler Kaufman and Christopher Shaffer eliminated Canada’s Dylan Devecseri and Colin Lash in straight sets (24-22, 21-17).

The day began with the last pool-play matches, where Rivera/Rosich topped Pool A after defeating Sarabia/Osuna 2-0 (21-13, 21-17), pushing the Mexican duo into second place.

In Pool B, Shaffer/Kaufman (USA) started strong with a 2-0 win over Clements/Van Siclen (21-14, 21-14). Later, the Guardado brothers also defeated the Caribbean pair 2-0 (21-19, 21-13). In the group’s final match, the Americans edged out the Salvadorans in a close contest, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19), claiming the top spot. El Salvador finished second, with U.S. Virgin Islands in third.

Pool C saw Lares/Carlos Andrés take first place after sweeping Hamilton/Somerville of Bermuda (21-5, 21-10). However, Mora/López shook up the group by defeating Devecseri/Lash form Canada 21-15, 21-11, earning second place in the pool.

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 12, 2025.- The women’s semifinals are set at the fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, currently taking place at Playa Miramar in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The qualified pairs are Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez (MEX1), Yeray Vidaurrazaga and María Ramírez (MEX2), Devin Corah and Alicia Thibodeau (CAN1), and María González with Allanis Navas (PUR).

Sunday’s matchups promise intense action, with an all-Mexican semifinal between Torres/Gutiérrez and Vidaurrazaga/Ramírez. The other semifinal will feature Canada’s Corah/Thibodeau against Puerto Rico’s González/Navas for a spot in the final.

In the quarterfinals, Torres and Gutiérrez dominated Nicaragua’s Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez with a commanding 21-11, 21-12 win. Similarly, Vidaurrazaga and Ramírez advanced after defeating Cristina Almeida and Amber Bennett from the U.S. Virgin Islands (21-12, 21-6).

In an all-Canadian clash, Corah and Thibodeau overcame Emma Cudmore and Claire Simmonds 21-18, 21-13. Meanwhile, González and Navas of Puerto Rico cruised past Guatemala’s Danna Aguilar and Ana Sofía Arévalo with scores of 21-07 and 21-10.

Earlier in pool-play, home favorites Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX1) got off to a strong start, also defeating Aguilar and Arévalo (GUA) 21-11, 21-07 to top Pool A.

In Pool B, González/Navas (PUR) were dominant against López and Rodríguez (NCA), winning 21-12, 21-9. Over in Pool C, Corah/Thibodeau (CAN1) took control with a 21-15, 21-9 victory over Almeida/Bennett (ISV).

With the level of play seen so far, the semifinals are expected to deliver high-stakes, tightly contested battles. Mexico is guaranteed to compete for the gold medal, while Puerto Rico and Canada arrive with experience, consistency, and podium ambitions.

The semifinals, finals, and classification matches will be played this Sunday, July 13, starting at 10:00 a.m. at Playa Miramar.

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 11, 2025.- Mexico’s Torres/Gutiérrez and Puerto Rico’s González/Navas delivered commanding performances on the opening day of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Ciudad Madero.

In Pool A, Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez (MEX1) dominated from start to finish, defeating Canada’s Emma Cudmore and Claire Simmonds (CAN2) 21-14, 21-16. Earlier, Cudmore and Simmonds had opened pool play with a solid win over Guatemala’s Danna Aguilar and Ana Sofía Arévalo, with scores of 21-18 and 21-10. While the first set was closely contested, the gap widened significantly in the second.

In Pool B, Puerto Rico’s María González and Allanis Navas made a strong statement with a straight-sets victory over Mexico’s Yeray Vidaurrazaga and María Ramírez (MEX2), 21-19, 21-14, in one of the most thrilling matches of the day. The Puerto Ricans held their nerve in a tightly contested first set before pulling away in the second, showcasing their experience and composure. Earlier, the Mexican duo had opened with a dominant 21-16, 21-9 win over Nicaragua’s Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez, adding even more weight to Puerto Rico’s impressive performance.

Pool C also delivered excitement. Amber Bennett and Cristina Almeida of the U.S. Virgin Islands defeated Bermuda’s Megan Hands and Natalie Gazzard in straight sets (21-14, 21-17), displaying solid court control. Later, Canada’s Devin Corah and Alicia Thibodeau (CAN1) made quick work of Hands/Gazzard, winning 21-8, 21-12 in a match that posed little challenge for the Canadians.

The women’s opening day made it clear: both local and Caribbean teams have serious podium ambitions.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

POOL A: SIMMONDS/CUDMORE (CAN2) 2-0 AGUILAR/ARÉVALO (GUA) (21-18/21-10); TORRES/GUTIÉRREZ (MEX1) 2-0 SIMMONDS/CUDMORE (CAN2) (21-14/21-16)

POOL B: VIDAURRAZAGA/RAMÍREZ (MEX2) 2-0 LÓPEZ/LOLETTE (NCA) (21-16/21-9); GONZÁLEZ/NAVAS (PUR) 2-0 VIDAURRAZAGA/RAMÍREZ (MEX2) (21-19/21-14)

POOL C: BENNETT/ALMEIDA-ANZ (ISV) 2-0 HANDS/GAZZARD (BER) (21-14/21-17); CORAH/THIBODEAU (CAN1) 2-0 HANDS/GAZZARD (BER) (21-8/21-12)

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 11, 2025.-Mexican duos Lares/Carlos Andrés and Sarabia/Osuna kicked off the fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas with thrilling performances and a clear message: as tournament favorites, they are here to compete, not speculate.

In Pool C, where the most exciting match of the day took place, Carlos Andrés and Miguel Lares (MEX2) defeated Canada’s Colin Lash and Dylan Devecseri in three sets (21-12, 19-21, 15-8), showing composure and resilience. Earlier, they had already edged Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Denis López in two intense sets (27-25, 21-13), with a nail-biting first set.

Lash/Devecseri had previously defeated Bermuda’s Kyle Hamilton and Connor Somerville 2-0 (21-7, 21-14). The Bermudans couldn’t bounce back in their second match either, falling to Nicaragua 2-0 (21-11, 21-8).

Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna (MEX1), placed in Pool A, dominated Guatemala’s Edgar Maldonado and Santiago Penagos with a smooth and precise performance, winning 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) to solidify their presence in the tournament. Puerto Rico’s William Rivera and Diego Rosich also defeated the Guatemalan duo 2-0 (21-15, 21-14).

Pool B featured the tightest matches of the day. El Salvador’s Christopher and Yoel Guardado beat Devin Van Siclen and Daniel Samuelson of the U.S. Virgin Islands with scores of 21-19 and 21-13, in a match that began neck and neck. The Guardado twins later faced Americans Skyler Kaufman and Christopher Shaffer, who emerged victorious in a thrilling battle, taking both sets 21-19 and proving that every point was hard-fought.

On this opening day, the teams from Mexico, the United States, and Canada showed power and poise, making it clear that it won’t be easy to take group leadership away from them. The competition is just getting started and promises even more excitement ahead.

MEN’S RESULTS

POOL A: Rivera/Rosich (PUR) 2-0 Maldonado/Penagos (GUA) (21-15/21-14); Sarabia/Osuna (MEX1) 2-0 Maldonado/Penagos (GUA) (21-13/21-11)

POOL B: Guardado/Guardado (ESA) 2-0 Clements/Van Siclen (ISV) (21-19/21-13);

Shaffer/Kaufman (USA) 2-0 Guardado/Guardado (ESA) (21-19/21-19)

POOL C: Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX2) 2-0 Mora/López (NCA) (27-25/21-13); Devecseri/Lash (CAN) 2-0 Hamilton/Somerville (BER) (21-7/21-14); Lares/Carlos Andrés (MEX2) 2-1 Devecseri/Lash (CAN) (21-12/19-21/15-08); Mora/López (NCA) 2-0 Hamilton/Somerville (BER) (21-11/21-08)

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 9, 2025.– The sands of Playa Miramar will host a historic moment for Mexican sports: for the first time ever, Tamaulipas will stage an international beach volleyball competition. The fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Tour will take place from July 11 to 14 in Ciudad Madero, featuring top teams from North, Central America, and the Caribbean.

This event marks the beginning of the 2025 NORCECA circuit in Mexico, which is set to host four stops this year. After Ciudad Madero, the tour will continue in Manzanillo (August 29–31), Guadalajara (September 5–7), and Ciudad del Carmen (October 10–12).

The tournament will bring together 19 teams—10 men’s and 9 women’s—representing nine countries.

The Mexican pairs arrive highly motivated with strong performances in the 2025 circuit. In the women’s division, Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez—winners of three silver medals—will be aiming for gold in front of their home crowd. In the men’s division, Inés Vargas and Carlos Andrés Ayala, champions in Puerto Cortés, along with Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna, gold medalists in Juan Dolio and bronze medalists in Puerto Cortés, will look to dominate on home soil.

POOL DISTRIBUTION

WOMEN

POOL A: CAN1: Simmonds/Cudmore; MEX1: Torres/Gutiérrez; GUA: Aguilar/Arevalo

POOL B: MEX2: Vidaurrazaga/Ramírez; PUR: Nieves/Musignac; NIC: López/Lolette

POOL C: BER: Hands/Gazzard; CAN2: Corah/Thibodeau; ISV: Bennett/Almeida-Anz

MEN

POOL A: GUA: Maldonado/García; MEX2: Sarabia/Osuna; PUR: Rivera/Rosich

POOL B: ESA: Guardado/Guardado; USA: Shaffer/Kaufman; ISV: Clements/Van Siclen

POOL C: MEX1: Lares/Carlos Andrés; CAN: Devecseri/Lash; NIC: Mora/López; BER: Hamilton/Somerville

TEAMS

WOMEN GUA: Danna Aguilar /Ana Sofía Arevalo; MEX1: Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez; MEX2: Yeray Vidaurrazaga / María Ramírez; NIC: Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez; ISV: Cristina Almeida/Amber Bennet; PUR: María González/Allanis Navas; CAN1: Emma Cudmore/Claire Simmonds; CAN2: Devin Corah/Alicia Thibodeau; BER: Megan Hands/Natalie Gazzard

MEN BER: Kyle Hamilton/Connor Somerville; CAN: Colin Lash/Dylan Devecseri; ISV: Devin Van Siclen/Daniel Samuelson; GUA: Edgar Maldonado/Luis García; MEX1: Inés Vargas/Carlos Ayala; MEX2: Miguel Sarabia/Jorman Osuna; USA: Skyler Kaufman/Christopher Shaffer; NIC: Rubén Mora/Denis López; PUR: William Rivera/Diego Rosich; ESA: Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado

CIUDAD MADERO, Tamaulipas, July 9, 2025. – For the first time ever, the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico will host an international beach volleyball competition with the arrival of the Fourth Stage of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, set to take place from July 11 to 14 at the Playa Miramar Sports Complex in Ciudad Madero.

The Tamaulipas event marks the first stop of the 2025 NORCECA Tour in Mexico, a country that will host four stages this season: Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas – July 11–14; Manzanillo, Colima – August 29–31; Guadalajara, Jalisco – September 5–7; Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche – October 10–12

The tournament will welcome teams from nine countries in the region, with a preliminary registration of nine women’s pairs and ten men’s pairs, whose participation will be officially confirmed during the preliminary meeting held the day before the start of the competition.

Mexican teams arrive highly motivated, aiming to reach the podium in front of their home crowd.

In the women’s division, Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, who have claimed three silver medals so far in the 2025 tour, are hoping to strike gold on home soil and break past the silver barrier.

On the men’s side, Inés Vargas and Carlos Andrés Ayala, champions of the third stop in Puerto Cortés, are aiming to repeat their success in Madero. Meanwhile, the duo of Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna, who took gold in Juan Dolio and bronze in Puerto Cortés, are also setting their sights on the top of the podium.

With the sands of Playa Miramar as the stage and the enthusiasm of the local fans as fuel, Ciudad Madero is getting ready to welcome the region’s top beach volleyball pairs for what promises to be an exciting competition.