Tag: 2024 NORCECA BEACH TOUR PUERTO CORTEZ

PUERTO CORTÉS, Honduras, October 20, 2024.- Amy Ozee and Kaylee Glagau from Canada claimed the gold medal at the sixth stop of the NORCECA Tour in Puerto Cortés, Honduras, defeating USA duo Katie Lindstrom and Tifanny Svenssohn 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-12).

It was an exciting final, with Lindstrom playing spectacularly in defense, but Glagau’s offense was effective in securing the route to victory in the third set.

“I feel great. It’s been wonderful being here. I’ve never been to Honduras before, and the love and effort that everyone has put into this tournament is really special,” said Ozee.

“I can see how much it means to everyone here to host this tournament. It’s been amazing to experience it firsthand, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity,” she added.

Ozee/Glagau had lost the final in Punta Cana earlier in October to another U.S. team, Xolani Hode and Alexis Durish, but this time they stayed focused and secured the desired first place.

In semifinals, Ozee and Glagau defeated Sofía Vega and Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-17, 21-14), while Lindstrom and Svenssohn triumphed over fellow Americans Rachel Kramer and Jade Race 2-0 (21-9, 21-11).

In the bronze medal match, Kramer/Race (USA) won 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) over Sofi  Vega/Ramírez (CRC).

Other Results:

Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez from Nicaragua won 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) against Shana Rivera/Cecille Johnson (HON) and later won 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) over Sarah Penner/Melanie Valenciana from the U.S. Virgin Islands to secure fifth place.

Natalia Girón and Paola Alvarado from Guatemala lost 0-2 (13-21, 18-21) to Sarah Penner/Melanie Valenciana from the U.S. Virgin Islands, but secured seventh place by “walkover” against Shana Rivera/Cecille Johnson (HON).

Final Standings:

1.- Ozee/Glagau CAN; 2.- Lindstrom/Svenssohn USA; 3.- Kramer/Race USA; 4.- Sofí Vega/Ramírez CRC; 5.- Silva/Lolette NCA; 6.- Penner/Valenciana ISV; 7.- N. Girón/Alvarado GUA; 8.- Rivera/Johnson HON; 9.- Smith/Lumsden JAM; 10.- Dyer/Gumbs SKN; 11.- Rodríguez/Cardona HON.

PUERTO CORTÉS, Honduras, October 20, 2024. – Rubén Mora and Dany López of Nicaragua made history by claiming the gold medal at the sixth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, defeating Lev Priima/David Wieczoreck of the United States 2-0 (21-18, 21-16).

This was Mora’s second gold medal, the first was in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on September 15, 2019, when he paired with Denis López to defeat the Mexican duo of José Luis Rubio/Josué Gaxiola.

“It was an unfinished task for me because I had only won bronze medals. This is just the second gold medal for Nicaragua in the NORCECA Tour, which shows the level of difficulty of these tournaments, and it involves a lot of sacrifice and hard work,” said Dany López.

“The truth is, this requires a lot of sacrifice, and for Nicaragua, it’s very important to win this medal. Now we have two tournaments left where we hope to achieve good results,” López added.

Diego Pérez/Ryan Ierna from the United States won the bronze medal, defeating Bryce Mayer/Tyler Penberthy from the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-14, 21-18).

In the semifinal, Mora/López defeated Bryce Mayer/Tyler Penberthy 2-0 (21-13, 21-17). Meanwhile, Lev Priima/David Wieczoreck prevailed in three sets (21-16, 16-21, 20-18) over Pérez/Ierna.

Other results:

Axel Gutiérrez and Denis López from Nicaragua won 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) against Edgar Maldonado/Luis Garcia of Guatemala, and then defeated Justin Solano/Esteban González from Costa Rica 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) for fifth place.

Justin Solano/Esteban González (CRC) won 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) against Irvin Reyes/Wilfredo Vega from Honduras. Edgar Maldonado/Luis Garcia from Guatemala defeated Irvin Reyes/Wilfredo Vega of Honduras 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) to secure seventh place.

Final standings:

1.- Mora/López NCA; 2.- Priima/Wieczoreck USA; 3.- Pérez/Ierna USA; 4.- Mayer/Penberthy ISV; 5.- Gutiérrez/López NCA; 6.- Solano/Esteban CRC; 7.- Maldonado/García GUA; 8.- Reyes/Vega HON; 9.- Rahnavard/Garnnett CAN; 10.- Fernández/Moreira HON.

PUERTOCORTÉS, Honduras, October 18, 2024 – The two teams from the United States remain undefeated at the sixth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in this city, which began on Friday with heavy rain but gradually gave way to better weather, allowing the athletes to deliver a great spectacle.

In Pool  B, Lev Priima/David Wieczoreck from the USA secured two victories. First, they defeated Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) and then, in one of the best matches of the day, they won in three sets 2-1 (21-18, 25-27, 15-6) against Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Tynan Gannett from Canada. On Saturday, Rahnavard/Gannett will face Mora/López at 9:50 a.m. to determine the second place in the group.

In Pool C, Diego Pérez/Ryan Ierna (USA) won 2-0 (21-14, 22-20) against Axel Gutiérrez/Denis López from Nicaragua, and then secured another 2-0 victory (21-11, 21-11) over Kenny Fernández/Germán Zelaya (HON), advancing to the quarterfinals. Bryce Mayer/Tyler Penberthy from the Virgin Islands also won 2-0 (21-7, 21-19) against Fernández/Zelaya but fell 0-2 (8-21, 16-21) to Gutiérrez/López.

In Pool A, Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) defeated Justin Solano/Esteban González (CRC) 2-0 (21-18, 21-12), and then the Costa Ricans secured a 2-0 victory (21-19, 21-16) over the local team Irvin Reyes/Wilfredo Vega. On Saturday, Maldonado/García will play Reyes/Vega at 9:00 a.m. to determine the pool standings for the quarterfinals.

Also, on the second day of competition, Pérez/Ierna will face Mayer/Penberthy at 10:40 a.m., and Gutiérrez/López will go up against Fernández/Moreira at 11:30 a.m. to define group standings.

Friday Results. Pool-play Pool A: Maldonado/García (GUA) d. Solano Esteban (CRC) 2-0 (21-18, 21-12); Solano/Esteban (CRC) d. 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) Reyes/Vega (HON). Pool  B:Priima/Wieczorek (USA) d. 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) Mora/López (NCA);  Priima/Wieczorek (USA) d 2-1 (21-18, 25-27, 15-6)Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN). Pool C: Perez/Ierna (USA) d.2-0 (21-14, 22-20) Gutiérrez/López (NCA); Mayer/Penberthy ISV d. 2-0 (21-7, 21-19) Fernandez/Moreira (HON); Perez/Ierna (USA) d. 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) Fernández/Moreira. Gutiérrez/López (NCA) d. 2-0 (21-8, 21-16) Mayer/Penberthy (ISV).

PUERTO CORTÉS, Honduras, October 17, 2024.- The sixth stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour will kick off this Friday, October 18, in Puerto Cortés, the main harbour of Honduras, which could become the logistical hub for beach volleyball in the country.

The President of the Honduran National Volleyball Federation (FNVH) and President of the Association of Central American Volleyball Federations (AFECAVOL), Félix Sabio, expressed his gratitude to NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte for his trust, stating, “Central America had to organize four events of the NORCECA Tour, and we now have two, with this one in Honduras and one in Nicaragua, plus the ones to be organized in El Salvador and Costa Rica.”

“Thanks to this support and trust, we can have more participation from Central American pairs, as it is difficult for us to attend other stops outside the region. The idea was conceived within AFECAVOL and supported by President Marte”, Sabio added.

He also thanked the local authorities for their support, including the mayor, the president of the Municipal Sports Institute, CONDEPAH, and individuals like Luis Baide, “who is highly credible”, along with the Porteña Volleyball League and others who contributed to making this unique event in Honduras’ history a reality.

“That is why I commit today to supporting all efforts to make this city the logistical hub for beach volleyball in Honduras, from which all initiatives and projects for this beautiful sport will emerge”, Sabio said.

Jean Carlos Rodríguez, Deputy Mayor, stated, “This places us in a position of prestige, it honors us, and efforts will be made to ensure that it is always held in Puerto Cortés”.

The welcoming speech was delivered by Iris Lovo, President of the Municipal Sports Institute, who noted, “This is an incredible event. We are going to attend a spectacle because all of you are at a very high level. We are delighted to have you here, and we hope you feel at home. We have the warmth to host you and ensure everything runs smoothly, and that sports bring us together”.

Luis Baide, the local organizer, said, “This is the biggest beach volleyball event ever held in Honduras, and we are here to meet all your needs. We are doing everything to make you feel at home”.

PUERTO CORTÉS, Honduras, October 18, 2024 – United States, Canada, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have secured their spots in the quarterfinals by winning two matches at the start of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Puerto Cortés, Honduras.

Natalia Girón and Paola Alvarado of Guatemala advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) and then Shanna Rivera/Cecille Johnson of Honduras 2-0 (21-12, 21-15). The two losing pairs will face each other for second place in Pool A at 9:00 a.m.

In Pool B, Katie Lindstrom/Tiffany Svenssohn from the USA won both their matches, defeating Valery Rodríguez/Greisy Cardona of Honduras 2-0 (21-8, 21-7) and later Petal Smith/Kristina Lumsden of Jamaica 2-0 (21-9, 21-7). In the same pool, Sofía Vega/Eugenia Ramírez from Costa Rica also secured two victories, the first 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) against Smith/Lumsden and then 2-0 (21-5, 21-10) against Rodríguez/Cardona.

The top spot in Pool B will be decided on Saturday at 9:50 a.m. between Lindstrom/Svenssohn and Vega/Ramírez, and at 10:40 a.m., Smith/Lumsden will play against Rodríguez/Cardona.

In Pool C, Amy Ozee/Kaylee Glagau of Canada defeated Rachel Kramer/Jade Race of the USA 2-0 (21-10, 21-13), and the Canadians closed with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-8) win over Shanicia Dyer/Shajunee Gumbs of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sarah Penner/Melanie Valenciana of the U.S. Virgin Islands also secured two wins, overcoming Dyer/Gumbs 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) and later Kramer/Race 2-1 (15-21, 21-14, 15-11).

On Saturday, in a battle of undefeated teams, Ozee/Glagau will face Penner/Valenciana at 11:30 a.m., and Dyer/Gumbs will take on Kramer/Race at 12:20 p.m.

The quarterfinals will be played in the afternoon (starting at 3:00 p.m.) on the municipal beach courts of Puerto Cortés, following the morning session that concludes the group phase.

Friday Results. Pool-play Grupo A: N. Girón/Alvarado (GUA) d Silva/Lolette (NCA)2-0 (21-19, 21-17); N. Girón/Alvarado (GUA) d Rivera/Johnson (HON) 2-0 (21-12, 21-15). Grupo B: Sofi V/Ramírez (CRC) d Smith/Lumsden (JAM) 2-0 (21-13, 21-11); Lindstrom/Svenssohn (USA) d Rodríguez/Cardona (HON) 2-0 (21-13, 21-11); Lindstrom/Svenssohn (USA) d Smith/Lumsden (JAM) 2-0 (21-9, 21-7); Sofi V/Ramírez (CRC) d Rodríguez/Cardona (HON) (21-5, 21-10). Grupo C:Penner/Valenciana (ISV) d Dyer/Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-19, 21-13); Ozee/Glagau (CAN) d Kramer/Race (USA) 2-0 (21-10, 21-13); Penner/Valenciana (ISV) d Kramer/Race (USA)2-1(15-21, 21-14, 15-11); Ozee/Glagau (CAN) dDyer/Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-11, 21-8).