Tag: 2025 NORCECA Beach U23 Tour

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Cayman Islands, June 21, 2025.- The semifinal women’s lineup is set at the U23 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in the Cayman Islands, with teams from Barbados, Costa Rica, the United States, and El Salvador earning their places after standout performances in Saturday’s quarterfinal action.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd on the iconic sands of Seven Mile Beach, the Barbadian duo of Sierra Rayside and Destiny Layne booked their semifinal ticket after a hard-fought 2-1 victory (21-15, 18-21, 15-10) over Cayman Islands’ Anjia Delapenha and Joanna Robinson.

Costa Rica’s Sofia Vega and Laura Molina delivered a commanding performance against Canada’s Ariel Forgarty and Bailey Royston, winning in straight sets (21-8, 21-7) to secure their place in the final four.

Americans Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig continued their dominant form with a swift 2-0 (21-3, 21-4) triumph over Bermuda’s Megan Hands and Hailey Moss, advancing with authority to the semifinals.

Completing the semifinal quartet are El Salvador’s Karla Tovar and Daniela Vigil, who earned a 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) win over Guatemala’s Ana Sofía Arévalo and Danna Aguilar.

Earlier in pool play, the Cayman Islands’ duo A. Delapenha/J. Robinson mounted a strong comeback to defeat L’fe Roberts and Meeka Johnson of Trinidad and Tobago in a three-set thriller (19-21, 21-8, 15-10).

In Pool B, the American pair Durish/Koenig delivered a dominant performance, sweeping Brooklyn Donovan and D’Keisha Jordan of the U.S. Virgin Islands with a commanding 21-4, 21-0.

El Salvador’s Tovar and Vigil, featured a key win over Canada’s Ariel Forgarty and Bailey Royston in straight sets (21-15, 21-18) in Pool C. Meanwhile, Cayman Islands’ Luna Ebanks and Brianna Delapenha secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Jamaica’s Brandy McCarthy and Damia Sibblies (17-21, 21-8, 15-8).

In Pool D, Costa Rica’s Sofi V/Molina opened the day with a thrillin 2-1 win (21-10, 18-21, 15-8) over Ana Sofía Arévalo and Danna Aguilar of Guatemala. Canada’s Claire Neagle and Nolyn Houben also picked up a straight-sets win, defeating Celina Alwani and Jontelle Hensley Philip of St. Kitts and Nevis (21-11, 21-9).

Sunday’s action will begin with placement matches before the semifinal clashes take center stage. The winners will face off later in the day in the gold medal match.

Position matches:

9/12: Jordan/Donovan ISV d L. Ebanks /B Delapenha CAY (forfeit); Neagle/Houben CAN d Johnson/Roberts TTO 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-12)

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Cayman Islands, June 21, 2025.- The semifinal matchups are set at the U23 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in the Cayman Islands, and they will see North America take on Central America as teams from the USA and Canada go head-to-head with El Salvador and Costa Rica on the stunning shores of Seven Mile Beach.

Following a competitive round of quarterfinals on Saturday, El Salvador’s twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado continued their undefeated run, dispatching St. Kitts and Nevis’ Julian Bristol and Clerique Ward in straight sets, 21-11, 21-16.

The Salvadoran duo will now take on the American team of Ayden Keeter and Carson Barnes, who maintained their dominance with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) win over Canada’s Charles Ellinas and Colin Lash.

On the other side of the bracket, Canada’s Brandon Burnside and Reed Venning battled past Guatemala’s Daniel Delgado and Jose Guevara in a thrilling three-setter, 2-1 (21-16, 19-21, 15-8).

The Canadians now face Julian Araya and Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica, who put in a convincing 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) victory over local favorites Stephen Watson and Dylan Lynee of the Cayman Islands.

In pool play, all four semifinalist teams showed early signs of strength. The Guardado brothers of El Salvador overcame Canada’s Ellinas/Lash in a tough Pool D battle (21-13, 18-21, 15-13), while Araya/Varela of Costa Rica earned a solid win over Guatemala’s Delgado/Guevara in Pool B (21-17, 21-15). Keeter/Barnes of USA breezed past St. Kitts and Nevis (21-17, 21-15) in Pool C, and Canada’s Burnside/Venning dominated U.S. Virgin Islands of Anderson/Rojas 2-0 (21-2, 21-10) in Pool A.

Also standing out in earlier matches were Aruba’s Jeandre Kock and Thelion Coutinho, who beat the Cayman Islands’ D. Van Dam/Chisholm in Pool B 2-0 (21-15, 21-16), and Barbados’ Nkoya Williams-Bailey and Aaron Taylor, who secured a strong 2-0 (21-11, 21-13) win in Pool C over Brown/Wathey of the U.S. Virgin Islands . Jamaica’s Love-Let Blake and Ithran Softley were victorious in Pool D, defeating Duty/Cardenas of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-10, 21-15).  

Sunday’s schedule starts with position matchups, followed by the semifinals. The semifinal winners will meet later in the day to battle for gold on the iconic sands of Seven Mile Beach.

Position Matches:

13/16: Anderson/Rojas ISV d Duty/Cardenas CAY 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-11); D. Van Dam/Chisholm CAY d Brown/Wathey ISV 2-0 (21-16, 21-13)

9/12: Miguel/Morrison TTO d Blake/Softley JAM 2-0 (21-10, 21-12); Nkoya/Taylor BAR d Kock/Coutinho ARU 2-0 (21-17, 23-21)

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Cayman Islands, June 20, 2025. – Women’s duos from El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala along with Canada-1 enjoyed a perfect start at the 2025 NORCECA U23 Beach Volleyball Tour, each securing two victories on opening day at the picturesque Seven Mile Beach in the Cayman Islands.

El Salvador’s Karla Tovar and Daniela Vigil, Costa Rica’s Sofia Vega and Laura Molina, Guatemala’s Ana Sofía Arévalo and Danna Aguilar, along with Ariel Forgarty and Bailey Royston of Canada-1, all remained unbeaten with two wins in as many matches.

El Salvador’s Tovar/Vigil were in top form in Pool C, winning both of their matches in straight sets. First against Jamaica’s Brandy McCarthy and Damia Sibblies (21-11, 21-4), and then against Cayman Islands’ Luna Ebanks and Brianna Delapenha (21-9, 21-7). Canada’s Forgarty/Royston edged out Ebanks/Delapenha in a tight 2-1 (20-22, 21-19, 18-16) thriller and later defeated McCarthy/Sibblies 2-0 (21-11, 21-8).

In Pool D, Costa Rica’s Sofia V/Molina overpowered with convincing victories, starting with a 2-0 (21-7, 21-7) over St. Kitts and Nevis’ Celina Alwani and Jontelle Hensley Philip, and then a 2-0 (21-17, 21-8) over Canada’s Claire Neagle and Nolyn Houben. Guatemala’s Arévalo/Aguilar were equally dominant, defeating Neagle/Houben in a highly-competitive 2-0 (21-12, 23-21) and then taking down Alwani/Hensley Philip 2-0 (21-18, 21-7).

In other results, Cayman Islands’ Anjia Delapenha and Joanna Robinson claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory (17-21, 21-17, 15-5) over Bermuda’s Megan Hands and Hailey Moss in Pool A. Earlier in the day, the Bermudian duo had opened with a straight-set win, 2-0 (21-7, 21-15), against L’fe Roberts and Meeka Johnson of Trinidad and Tobago.

In Pool B, Americans Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig delivered a commanding 2-0 (21-4, 21-3) win over Barbados’ Sierra Rayside and Destiny Layne. Earlier, the Rayside/Layne had opened strong with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-5) victory against Brooklyn Donovan and D’Keisha Jordan of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Pool play continues Saturday morning, followed by the quarterfinal round and classification matchups for positions.

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Cayman Islands, June 19, 2025.– After claiming gold in the opening stop of the 2025 NORCECA U23 Beach Volleyball Tour, Costa Rica’s Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela arrive in the Cayman Islands as the team to watch for the second leg of the tour, which will take place from June 20 to 22 on the iconic shores of Seven Mile Beach.

Araya and Varela were crowned men’s champions in the first stage of the tour held in May at Juan Dolio beach, Dominican Republic. They triumphed in a thrilling three-set final against the United States’ Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst, winning 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-12).

All eyes now turn to the second stage of the tour, where 14 women’s teams and 16 men’s teams representing 13 countries will compete over three days. A total of 28 matches are expected on the opening day alone.

The tournament serves as a crucial stepping stone for rising beach volleyball athletes aiming to compete at major international events, including the 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.

The competition begins at 9:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday with pool play and continues Saturday with the quarterfinals and classification matches. The event concludes on Sunday with semifinals and medal matches, promising a weekend full of high-level action and emerging talent on the sand.

Pool distribution

WOMEN

POOL A: Anjia Delapenha/Joanna Robinson CAY-1, Meeka Johnson/L’fe Roberts TTO, Megan Hands/Hailey Moss BER

POOL B: Alexis Durish/Audrey Koenig USA, Brooklyn Donovan/D’Keisha Jordan ISV, Destiny Layne/Sierra Rayside BAR

POOL C: Ariel Forgarty/Bailey Royston CAN-1, Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil ESA, Brandy McCarthy/Damia Sibblies JAM, Brianna Delapenha/Luna Ebanks CAY2

POOL D: Ana Sofía Arevalo/Danna Aguilar GUA, Sofia Vega/Laura Molina CRC, Celina Alwani Jontelle Hensley Philip  SKN, Claire Neagle/Nolyn Houben CAN2

MEN

POOL A: Stephen Watson/Dylan Lynee CAY, Jerome Morrison/Jahreef Miguel TTO, Armani Anderson/Aden Rojas ISV-1, Brandon Burnside/Reed Venning CAN-2

POOL B: Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela CRC, Daniel Delgado/Jose Guevara GUA, Jeandre Kock/ Thelion Coutinho ARU, Liam Chisholm/Declan Van Dam CAY-3

POOL C: Ayden Keeter/Carson Barnes USA, Julian Bristol/Clerique Ward SKN, Nkoya Williams-Bailey/Aaron Taylor BAR, Armani Anderson/Aden Rojas ISV-2

POOL D: Charles Ellinas/Colin Lash CAN, Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado ESA, Love-Let Blake/Ithran Softley JAM, William Duty/Dimitri Cardenas CAY-2