SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, April 18, 2026.- Stanley Grant/Julián Araya of Costa Rica, Carlos Andrés Ayala/Inés Vargas Lares of Mexico, Luke de Greeff/Tynan Gannett of Canada, and Troy Field/Ryan Wilcox of the United States secured a spot in the men’s semifinals of the first stage of the 2026 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, following a demanding day of competition at La Sabana that included the knockout rounds.
In the quarterfinals, Costa Rica’s Grant/Araya advanced with a solid 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) victory over Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas of El Salvador. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Carlos Andres/Lares earned their spot after a hard-fought 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-13) win against Puerto Rico’s William Rivera/Daniel Rivera.
Field/Wilcox of the United States also advanced with a dominant 2-0 (21-9, 21-9) victory over Guatemala’s Manuel Estrada/José Izaguirre. Canada’s de Greeff/Gannett completed the semifinal lineup with a 2-0 (21-14, 24-22) win over fellow Americans Nathaniel Dickinson/Riley Owen.
The semifinals will be played on Sunday, featuring Grant/Araya (CRC) against Carlos Andres/ Lares (MEX), and de Greeff/Gannett (CAN) facing Field/Wilcox (USA), with a place in the final at stake.
The day began with the conclusion of pool play, which determined the matchups for the elimination rounds. In Pool A, Carlos Andres/Lares (MEX) secured first place after defeating Estrada/Izaguirre (GUA) 2-0 (21-10, 21-12), while Akerson/Oporta (CRC) closed with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) win over Greenidge/Rojas of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In Pool B, Field/Wilcox (USA) finished first after defeating Rivera/Rivera (PUR) 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-7), with both teams advancing. In the same pool, Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador defeated Bristol/Morton of St. Kitts and Nevis 2-0 (21-15, 21-16).
Pool C was led by de Greeff/Gannett (CAN), who defeated cousins Rafael and Gabo Vargas (ESA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-16), with both teams advancing. Brown/Valenciano (CRC) also closed with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-14) win over Lynee/Duty of the Cayman Islands.
In Pool D, Grant/Araya (CRC) confirmed first place with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) victory over Rubén Mora/Denis López of Nicaragua, while Dickinson/Owen (USA) advanced after defeating Aidan Labossiere/Liam Pauls of Canada 2-0 (21-11, 21-16).
With pool play completed, the quarterfinals marked the start of the knockout stage, determining the four semifinalist teams of the tournament.
RESULTS
QUARTERFINALS
Grant/Araya (CRC) 2-0 RVargas/Gabo (ESA) (21-13/21-18)
Carlos Andrés/Lares (MEX) 2-1 Rivera/Rivera (PUR) (18-21/21-19/15-13)
Field/Wilcox (USA) 2-0 Estrada/Izaguirre (GUA) (21-9/21-9)
de Greeff/Ganneth (CAN) 2-1 Dickinson/Owen (USA) (21-14/24-22)
C9/12
Mora/Lopez (NCA) 2-0 Akerson/Oporta (CRC) (21-7/21-16)
Guardado C/ Guardado Y (ESA) 2-0 Brown/Valenciano (CRC) (21-11/21-19)
C13/16
Linee/Duty (CAY) 2-0 Bristol/Morton (SKN) (21-18/28-26)
Labossiere/Pauls (CAN) 2-0 Kymani/Rojas (ISV) (21-7/21-11)
POOL-PLAY
POOL A: Carlos Andrés/Lares (MEX) 2-0 Estrada/Izaguirre (GUA) (21-10/21-12); Akerson/Oporta (CRC) 2-0 Kymani/Rojas (ISV) (21-12/21-15)
POOL B: Guardado C / Guardado Y (ESA) 2-0 Bristol/Morton (SKN) (21-15/21-16); Field/Wilcox (USA) 2-1 Rivera/Rivera (PUR) (21-19/16-21/15-7)
POOL C: de Greeff/Ganneth (CAN) 2-0 R Vargas / Gabo (ESA) (21-15/21-16); Brown/Valenciano (CRC) 2-0 Lynee/Duty (CAY) 2-0 (21–11/21-14)
POOL D: Grant/Araya (CRC) 2-0 Mora/ López (NCA) (21-18/21-16); Dickinson/Owen (USA) 2-0 Labossierr/Pauls (21-11/21-16)
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