GÜIBIA, Dominican Republic, May 9, 2026. – The Dominican Republic placed both of its teams in the semifinals, joined by one pair each from Mexico and Canada, at the second stop of the NORCECA 2026 Beach Volleyball Tour on Güibia Beach.
The Dominican duo of Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano advanced with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) win over Puerto Rico’s Mariana Feliciano/Camila Nazario and will face compatriots Crismil Paniagua/Yari Cleto, who defeated Nicaragua’s Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez 2-0 (21-16, 21-16).
Mexico’s Susana Torres/Abril Flores delivered one of the day’s biggest upsets, defeating USA’s Torrey Van Winden/Lindsey Sparks—winners of the Tour’s first stop in Costa Rica—2-0 (21-16, 21-14). They will meet Canada’s Darby Dunn/Alison McKay, who advanced with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-18) victory over Costa Rica’s Aliza Aguilar/Laura Molina.
Earlier in pool play, Van Winden/Sparks surged to the top of Pool A with a commanding 2-0 (21-6, 21-13) victory over Nicaragua’s López/Lolette.
Dunn/McKay, aiming for a podium finish, claimed first place in Pool B after a convincing 2-0 (21-9, 21-6) win against Guatemala’s Alvarado/Maldonado.
Dominican duos Paniagua/Cleto and Almanzar/Payano finished atop Pools C and D, respectively. Paniagua/Cleto secured a notable 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) victory over Cuba’s Kailin/Dirk, while Almanzar/Payano defeated Costa Rica’s Aguilar/Molina 2-0 (21-14, 21-19).
In classification matches for positions 9–12, Cuba’s Kailin Rodríguez/Maykelin Drik defeated the Dominican pair Zoe Paniagua/Yerelin Reyes (DOM3) 2-0 (21-10, 21-9), while Canada’s Anna Prokofieva/Claire Crossfield (CAN2) beat Guatemala’s Paola Alvarado/Daphne Mendoza 2-0 (21-14, 21-11).
The tournament resumes Sunday at 8:45 a.m. (local time) with placement matches and semifinals and concludes in the afternoon with the bronze and gold medal matches.
Other results:
(USA) Torrey Van Winden/Lindsey Sparks d (NCA) Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez 2-0 (21-6, 21-13); (DOM3) Zoe Paniagua/Yerelin Reyes d (CAY) Chante Smith-Johnson/Joanna Robinson 2-0 (21-16, 21-14); (CAN1) Darby Dunn/Alison McKay d (GUA) Paola Alvarado/Daphne Mendoza 2-0 (21-9, 21-6); (PUR) Mariana Feliciano/Camila Nazario d (MEX2) Anna González/Ana Juarez 2-0 (21-11, 21-12); (MEX1) Susana Torres/Abril Flores d (ESA) Dana Funes/Adriana Vargas 2-0 (21-6, 21-6); (SUN2) Crismil Paniagua/Yari Cleto d (CUB) Kailin Rodríguez/Maykelin Drik 2-0 (21-18, 21-18); (SUN1) Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano d (CRC) Aliza Aguilar/Laura Molina 2-0 (21-14, 21-19); (CAN2) Anna Prokofieva/Claire Crossfield d (HON) Shanna Rivera/Ruth Villegas 2-0 (21-12, 21-9).
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