Tag: Beach Volleyball

The 2023 NORCECA Tour returns with its Fourth Stage in Punta Cana

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, September 27, 2023 – The action of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour is back in action with its fourth stage at Playa Los Corales in Punta Cana from September 29 to October 1.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Punta Cana has hosted the most important Beach Volleyball event in the region, bringing together teams for important ranking points.

Fifteen teams per gender have completed a pre-registration for the event, representing fourteen countries of the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation.

Canada, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, the United States, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will compete in both genders. Canada, the United States, and the host country Dominican Republic, will each have two teams in each division.

El Salvador and Puerto Rico are fielding in women, Aruba, Dominica, St. Kitts, and Nevis in men. Trinidad & Tobago registered two women’s teams.

Teams will go through the preliminary interview on Thursday, and the competition will start on Friday, with the medal  matches on Sunday.

The first three stages of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour were held in Aguascalientes (Mexico), Varadero (Cuba), and Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands).

Women’s Teams CAN Dana Roskic/Calinda Kok, Lea Monkhouse/Marie-Alex Bélanger; CRC Angel Williams Paniagua/Kianny María Araya Quesada; DOM Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano Veras, Crismil Paniagua Hinojosa/Yari Manuela Cleto Rosario; ESA Kathya Vásquez/Sofía Velásquez; GRN Keshanice Mitchell/Thornia Mitchell; GUA Natalia María Girón Boesche/Paola Marie Alvarado Franco; MEX Esparanza Albarrán Castro/Yeray Vidaurrazaga Blanco; PUR Allanis Navas Sánchez/María González; TTO Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon, Danielle Noel/Apphia Glasgow; USA Lexy Denaburg/Molly Turner, Corinne Quiggle/Sarah Murphy; ISV Melanie Valenciana/Taylor Buckner

Men’s Teams ARU Eddy Toro Maldonado/Gregory A.J. De La Cruz Tavera; CAN Arran Chambers/Liam Kopp, Jake MacNeil/Alexander William Russell; CRC Daniel Dyner Villa/DMA Ray Robinson/Yahn Florent; DOM Hayerling Francisco De Jesus Goris/Rolvin Maldonado Sánchez, Jorge Isaac Rosario Cabrera/Oscar Jose Martinez Lopez; GRN Darron Christopher Oxford/Isaac Nelson; GUA Andy Alexis Leonardo Blanco/Luis Augusto Garcia Betancourt; MEX Ricardo Galindo/Isaias Oziel Aguirre Gallegos; SKN Zendai Richards/Shawn Seabrookes; TTO Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield; USA Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend, Hagen Smith/Logan Webber; ISV Robert Cronshaw/Bryce Mayer

Canadians Top Home Futures Podiums In Halifax

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September 26, 2023.- Canadian duos swept both gold medals at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Halifax last week. They pocketed the men’s bronze as well, while the remaining three podium spots were occupied by pairs from neighboring United States.

On Sunday, coach Josh Nichol’s expertise paid off with a Halifax Futures trophy for Samuel Schachter and Daniel Dearing and bronze for Jacob Van Geel and Zach Van Geel. The USA’s Hagen Smith and Logan Webber also climbed the men’s podium with silver.

In their first match of the tournament, top-seeded Schachter and Dearing suffered an unexpected 2-1 (12-21, 23-21, 16-14) upset from compatriots Zechariah Johnson and Jordan Deshane, who had made the main draw through the qualifiers. After that, however, the 33-year-old Canadians went on a five-match winning streak, losing only a set on the way to their first Beach Pro Tour medal. In the semifinals, Dearing and Rio 2016 Olympian Schachter came back against Johnson and Deshane with a 2-0 (21-10, 22-20) sweep, before producing a hard-fought 2-0 (21-17, 27-25) victory over  second-seeded Smith and Webber in the final.

The silver was also the first Beach Pro Tour medal for the pairing of 28-year-old Smith and 27-year-old Webber. They also took the detour route to the final, after losing the Pool B winners’ match to Canada’s Rouzbeh Rahnavard and Tynan Gannett in three sets. To reach the gold medal match, the Americans mastered a 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) semifinal win over Van Geel and Van Geel.

22-year-old Jacob and 20-year-old Zach marked their Beach Pro Tour debut with a medal. The Canadians started their Halifax campaign from the qualifiers and proceeded undefeated to the semifinals. Seeded 13th in the main draw, the Van Geels managed a 2-1(21-17, 16-21, 15-12) victory over 16th-seeded Johnson and Deshane for the bronze.

Canada’s Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec claimed the women’s gold in Halifax. The podium was completed by two American pairs, Kimberly Hildreth and Teegan Van Gunst with silver, and Carli Lloyd and Kylie Kuyava-DeBerg with bronze.

Earlier this year, 36-year-old two-time Olympian Bansley came out of retirement to join forces with 28-year-old FIVB World Championship 2022 silver medalist Bukovec. At their third Beach Pro Tour appearance together, they secured their first medal as a team. The top-seeded Canadians lived up to their status and cruised through their five games of the tournament without dropping a single set. In the semifinals, they delivered a 2-0 (21-15, 23-21) win over 16thth-seeded US qualifiers Kahlee York and Mariah Whalen and followed up with a 2-0 (21-16, 25-23) victory over fifth-seeded Hildreth and Van Gunst in the final.

It was the second consecutive Beach Pro Tour silver for the team of 32-year-old Hildreth and 28-year-old Van Gunst, after their second place finish at their previous appearance at the Brno Futures last month. In between, Van Gunst squeezed in one more silver, with Katie Lindstrom at the Miguel Pereira Futures earlier in September. The Americans also reached the Halifax final undefeated, crowning a four-match winning streak with a 2-0 (21-14, 23-21) victory over 11th-seeded Lloyd and DeBerg in the semifinals.

Former indoor star of the United States national volleyball team Carli Lloyd marked her international debut on the beach with a bronze. The 32-year-old Rio 2016 bronze medalist and her 24-year-old partner DeBerg managed a battled 2-1 (21-15, 19-21, 15-13) win over York and Whalen in the all-American third-place duel. The bronze was also DeBerg’s first medal on the Tour.

A total of 38 teams representing eight different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America took part in the Halifax Futures.

Official announcement of the seventh edition of the Punta Cana Beach Volleyball Classic

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SANTO DOMINGO, September 23, 2023 – Once again, Los Corales Beach will host the seventh edition of the Punta Cana Beach Volleyball Classic, which is part of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, to take place from September 28th to October 1st.

The event, endorsed by the Dominican Volleyball Federation (Fedovoli), will bring together athletes from 14 countries who are aiming to earn ranking points for the NORCECA Tour 2023.

For the seventh consecutive year, Mr. Ernesto Veloz, president of ASOLESTE, will lead the organizing committee, which includes Félix Martínez, the director of sports from the Municipality of Verón; Domingo Jiménez, director of Televisión del Este, and Henry Puello, technical director of Fedovoli.

“The Punta Cana Beach Volleyball Classic is special because it grants doubles the points awarded in the regular stages of the circuit. Countries will come with their full arsenal, both in the men’s and women’s divisions”, said Anglada, who is the technical vice president of the Dominican Volleyball Federation (Fedovoli).

Among the confirmed countries are the United States, Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Dominica, Aruba, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, among others.

The event organized by the Dominican Foundation for Sports Tourism, Marketing Sport Event, has the support of the NORCECA Confederation, the Municipality of Verón, ASOLESTE, among others.

The Punta Cana Beach Volleyball Classic has been held since 2015 in the Punta Cana area, bringing together the most prominent beach volleyball pairs from the North, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Canada’s Santiago 2023 Beach Volleyball team announced 

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September 21, 2023 – Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s beach volleyball team nominated to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

The Team Canada beach volleyball athletes – one duo per gender – for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are:

Athletes
Melissa Humana-Paredes (Toronto, Ont.)
Brandie Wilkerson (Toronto, Ont.)
Jake MacNeil (Georgetown, Ont.)
Alex Russell (Surrey, B.C.) 

The athletes qualified for Santiago 2023 based on their FIVB World Ranking. Wilkerson, MacNeil and Russell will be making their Pan American Games debuts. Humana-Paredes will make her second Pan Am Games appearance, having competed at Toronto 2015 with former partner Taylor Pischke.

Although they are still in the first year of their partnership, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are one of the top women’s beach teams in the world. Currently seventh in the FIVB World Rankings, they have had a string of Beach Pro Tour top-five finishes in 2023, highlighted by their tournament victory at the Montreal Elite 16 in August. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson both made their Olympic debuts at Tokyo 2020, with other partners. 

“This is special for me in so many ways. I’m grateful the team decided to prioritize representing Canada at the Pan Am Games given the intensity and the rigor of the Olympic qualification schedule,” said Humana-Paredes, who is a member of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission. “Any chance we can get more time playing together will benefit us! And what an opportunity for our team to gain multi-sport Games experience, especially in a setting that will test us in a whole new environment. I’m also the daughter of two Chilean immigrants so this is an incredible moment for my family. This is the first time my Chilean family will be able to watch me play live and the first time I’ve been back in almost a decade. I am already getting butterflies!”

Although the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are not an Olympic qualifier for beach volleyball, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are using the valuable major-Games experience to prepare for Paris 2024. 

“I’m extremely excited for this event as it’ll be my first Pan Am Games and any opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage, I take with a lot of honor and pride. So I am looking forward to competing at our very best!” added Wilkerson.

MacNeil and Russell have been playing together since early 2022. The duo won a bronze medal on the NORCECA tour stop in the Dominican Republic last October and silver at the Volleyball Canada Beach Nationals in Toronto last month. 

“Alex and I are honored to wear the maple leaf and represent Canada at such a prestigious multi-sport Games. We are so excited to compete alongside the best athletes from Canada and against some of the best in the world in our sport,” said MacNeil.

“We are incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to represent Canada at the Pan Am Games in Chile. We have been training hard in Toronto and will be competing in Halifax and the Dominican Republic in other tournaments leading up to the Games,” added Russell.

Beach volleyball was introduced to the Pan American Games program at Winnipeg 1999, three years after the sport made its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996. Canada has not won a medal in the sport at the Pan Am Games since Jody Holden and Conrad Leinemann won gold on home sand in Winnipeg.

Beach volleyball will take place October 21 to 27 (Days 1 to 7) at the Parque Peñalolen.

Jake MacNeil and Alex Russell

St. Lucia reigns as ECVA U19 male Beach Volleyball Champs

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Basseterre St. Kitts, September 03, 2023.- St. Lucia duo of Peter and Rio poured in a sterling performance in the finals of the ECVA U 19 competition beach Volleyball. Their opponents were the home team pair of Vikash and Bristol and despite having the support of a small but noisy home crowd they could not find answers to the power and control of Rio in particular.

In the first set, St. Lucia took an early and extended it bigger and bigger as the game went on.  The set ended with St. Kitts and Nevis on 10 points.

A similar pattern started in the second set but this time St. Kitts and Nevis gave a spirited fight back. They were down 0-7 but pulled the score back to within 1 (8-9)

However, that’s the closest they got  as St. Lucia increased their lead once again  and then secured the game at 21-14

Rick Swann coach of the St. Kitts and Nevis team: “I am a bit disappointed in the result but extremely proud of the guys. They showed that they have the ability to fight against tough conditions. This was shown particularly in the second set when they went toe to point with St. Lucia. They (St. Lucia) are a very strong team. Rio is amazing. In order to win we needed to get him off of his game we were not able to do that and so he literally controlled most of the game. This means that we have a lot more work to do and look forward to more battles over the years to come”.

Sheldon Nicholas Coach of St. Lucia: “The guys were able to continue the energy they picked up in the semi-final hence garnering the energy in the finals was easier. We just kept our composure and controlled the game from there. Winning the finals was a great result for us. We will continue to do some more technical work with Peter in particular but at the moment he is pretty solid we have areas to work on including teamwork and communication”.

Earlier, Dominica was able to take Bronze over Grenada in straight sets thereby relegating Grenada to fourth place.

The final places are as follows:-

1. St. Lucia  2. St. Kitts and Nevis 3. Dominica 4. Grenada 5. Anguilla 6. Bermuda 7 St. Vincent  8. Antigua 9. BVI

Dominica takes top spot in ECVA U19 female Beach Tournament

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Basseterre, St. Kitts, Sept 03:-Dominica defeated Antigua and Barbuda in straight sets 21 18 21 15 in the finals of the female U-19 beach volleyball competition.

The victory was achieved in a workman-like manner. The pair of Edmund and Bully were the smallest physically in the entire tournament but they had the biggest heart and wore down the opponents with their tenacity

On the opposite side, Carr and Joseph of Antigua came into finals as somewhat the favourites and were given a shock as Bully and Edmund stuck to their guns.

Yahn Joseph Florent Coach of Dominica: “I am over the moon right now, I am just super happy with my girls right now. They are the shortest in the competition and everyone doubted them but it goes to show that height does not win volleyball. It was down to our serving, passing, and communicating with one another and being able to trust one another”.

Coach Olsen Joseph of Antigua:  “My girls fell into the trap of playing to match the style of the opponents and what is worse they were becoming annoyed and frustrated with themselves and as a result their game fell apart. I trust that this motivates them to come and work harder for the next event coming up”.

Earlier in the day, Anguilla took the third spot in a come-from-behind victory over Grenada ( 19-21, 21-18 and 15-8). Grenada missed out on the medal podium and had to settle for 4th.

The overall seeding at the end of the tournament is as follows

1. Dominica  2. Antigua 3. Anguilla 4. Grenada 5. St. Lucia 6 St. Vincent 7. BVI 8. Bermuda

St. Kitts and St. Lucia through to ECVA U 19  Males Finals

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Basseterre St. Kitts September 03, 2023 –  Both St. St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia  made the way to the finals of the ECVA beach Volley Male finals. The routes  to the finals were very similar, in that they both won their quarterfinals easily then were made to sweat in the semi.

St. Kitts first met Anguilla and won 2-0 with score of 21-11 and 21 -15. Then in their semifinal match up against Grenada they found themselves one down losing 18 – 21 in the first set. With the backing of a small partisan crowd the St. Kitts team roared back and took the other two sets 21 -17 and 15 -11

Meanwhile, St. Lucia knocked off St. Vincent and the Grenadines  21-15 and 21-9 in the quarterfinals. Then in the semis it was their Windward Island rivals (Dominica) that pushed them to bring out their best.

After sharing the first two sets  21-14 and 13-21 both teams rallied point for point in the third set  until St. Lucia was able to pull away in the crucial part of the decider eventually winning 15 -13.

Hence the St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis meet at 5 pm to determine the champion each having played 5 sets to get there.

Grenada males and Dominica females take top seed at ECVA U19 Beach Volleyball Day 1

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Basseterre, St. Kitts September, 2nd – When the sand settled at the Marriot Beach on the Atlantic side of St. Kitts, it was Grenada males and Dominica females who took the pole positions in the male and female categories respectively at the end of day 1 in pool play.

In the male category, it was the Grenada team that surprised everyone with their dominance over their opponents. They were unbeaten winning by huge margins over BVI (21 -3 and 21 – 5) and comfortable margins (21- 12 and 21- 12 )over Bermuda.

St. Lucia too were unbeaten when they played their games against St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua Barbuda. The St. Kitts and Nevis opponents challenged for a while could not extend the fight losing 21 -12 and 21 -15.

However, Antigua and Barbuda made them sweat for almost every point but eventually, St. Lucia persevered winning 21-18 and 21 -16. It was this point ratio that gave Grenada the edge over St. Lucia.

Attaining the number 1 seed after being in this type of competition for the first time made Coach Deannedre John very pleased. “I am very proud of my boys as I think they listened and executed what I was trying to impart. I know it might get tougher as we go along but regardless of the outcome they have already made me proud”. She said.

In the female category, it was Dominica that eclipsed the 7 other teams for the top spot. They won comfortably against BVI (21-15 and  21-6)

Added to that,  they pipped archrival St. Lucia 2-1 after losing the first set (13-21, 21-15, and 15-6).

“We did well, very well, I was satisfied that the girls kept their composure and executed when it was necessary”.  Coach Joseph Florent said.

Matches continue on Sunday 3rd September including quarter-finals, semis, and finals in both categories to determine the eventual winners

St. Kitts and Nevis Welcomes ECVA U19 Beach Volleyball Tournament

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Basseterre, St. Kitts September, 2nd – Everyone lauded the idea of having a male and female competition in this age category with the long-time objective of having the best ECVA team compete in the World Youth Games in 2025.

Nine male teams and eight female teams will compete with each other and the eventual winner in the long run will get the opportunity to compete as an ECVA entity in the NORCECA segment of the World Youth games (U21) in 2025.

Consequently, there was a common theme among all the coaches. It is mainly about development but winning was a secondary objective.

Coach Alli Settle of Bermuda was excited about the proposal being played out. “This is definitely about development for us as we have brought some new girls and boys to this competition, but of course, along the way, we hope to win some games.” She said.

Jason Liburd coach of the Anguilla team said that it was a great idea. “The introduction of this competition aligned itself with the goals and objectives for volleyball in Anguilla as we too try to grow the sport. Also, it comes at a time when we are preparing for an indoor competition in October. Hence it is all about the transferring of skills from the hard court to the sands”. He intimated

Rick Swann, the head coach of the beach volleyball teams in St. Kitts and Nevis had this to say. “Every time one enters a competition one wants to win but for these boys, it is an opportunity to grow and learn each time they step onto a court”. He said

The view of first-time Deanne John of Grenada was an assessment of progress while in competition. “I believe in exposure, I think it is a good initiative and a chance for us to learn and grow and improve next time around. It will be their first time in a competition like this hence there will be no pressure just to do their best”. She concluded.

Olsen Joseph o Antigua and Barbuda was focused both on the long term and the present. “We are hoping to do well but this is also a pilot project so we are looking to see where we are so we can chart a development course. I think it a great idea as by the time we get to the U 21 level we can compete”. He said.

“We are cautiously optimistic in a competition of this nature. This is a combination of both wanting to win as well as development. We have just one experienced person on each team and so the focus is also building”. Said  Sheldon Nicholas of St. Lucia.

Coach Arnel Horn of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was excited over the prospect of playing in this tournament. This is definitely about development but we want to win a few games along the way.  This is an ideal opportunity for them to learn as it is their first time and so they are all ecstatic” He Stated.

Coach of the Dominica team Yan Joseph Florent’s eyes lit up when he was asked for his opinion. “It’s not just a good idea it’s a great idea as it gives us a chance to learn and grow. Both teams are new to the sand and it’s now an opportunity for them to apply what they learned. He noted.

Matches in both males and females begin simultaneously on September 2nd at 9 a.m. on the sands of the Atlantic Beach now known as the Marriott Beach. There, the nervousness will dissipate and competition will be in full swing.

Williams and Araya of Costa Rica Central American Senior Beach Champions

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 26, 2023 – Undefeated and showcasing their remarkable improvement on the sand, Costa Ricans Ángel Williams and Kianny Araya were crowned champions of the 21st Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship, held in Guatemala.

Williams and Araya, who also hold the Central American under 21 title, defeated Nicaraguans Nahima Silva and Lolette Rodríguez 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) in the championship match to secure their first gold medal at the senior category.

“We conclude another tournament, emerged victorious, it was a tournament with a lot of pressure, but we achieved the result. We want to thank all the people who are always supporting us, all our coaches, and we are very satisfied with the outcome” highlighted Williams.

Araya, on the other hand, expressed that the result is that of the effort and sacrifice they have been working towards, “it’s the outcome of the constant effort we’ve been putting in to achieve this goal, which makes us very happy considering the news we just received that we are qualified for the senior world championship in Mexico. We thank all the people who support us”.

On their road to the gold medal match, champions Williams and Araya defeated Kathya Vásquez/Sofía Velázquez (ESA1) 2-0 (21-17/21-09) in the semifinals, while Silva/Rodríguez (NCA1) overcame Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Paola Alvarado 2-0 (21-15/21-14).

Natalia Girón and Paola Alvarado team one of Guatemala completed the podium with the third place after defeating El Salvador’s Kathya Vásquez and Sofia Velázquez (ESA 1) 2-1 (15-21/21-18/11-15).

Nicaragua (silver medal), Costa Rica (gold medal), Guatemala (bronze medal)

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

Podium

GOLD: ÁNGEL WILLIAMS Y KIANNY QUESADA CRC1

SILVER: NAHIMA SILVA Y LOLETTE RODRÍGUEZ NCA1

BRONZE: NATALIA GIRÓN Y PAOLA ALVARADO GUA1

Results Day 3

P5-8: ESA2 2-0 GUA2 (21-18/21-08)

P5-8: CRC2 2-0 NCA2 (21-14/21-17)

SF: CRC1 2-0 ESA1 (21-17/21-09)

SF: NCA1 2-0 GUA1 (21-15/21-14)

F7: GUA2 1-2 NCA2 (12-21/22-20/12-15)

F5: ESA1 2-1 CRC2 (21-13/23-25/15-09)

THIRD PLACE: ESA1 1-2 GUA1 (15-21/21-18/11-15)

FIRST PLACE: CRC1 2-0 NCA1 (21-19/21-16)

Mora and López from Nicaragua, New Central American Beach Champions

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 27, 2023 – In a display of courage and determination on the court, Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Dany López emerged victorious against Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala of El Salvador, to become the new monarchs at the 21st Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship.

Rubén Mora and Dany López reclaimed the title they had lost in 2021 to their compatriots Jefferson Cascante and Dennis López. This is the duos fourth title, having previously won the gold medals in 2015, 2018, and 2019.

In Sunday’s championship match at the sand courts of Campo Marte in Guatemala, Mora and López defeated the El Salvador 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) to win the gold medal undefeated.

On their path to victory, the champions overcame team two of El Salvador, Yoel and Christopher Guardado 2-1 (21-17/19-21/15-10) in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Flores/Guatemala defeated Andy Leonardo alongside Edgar Maldonado (GUA1) 2-0 (21-16/22-20).

“We are very happy to earn another gold medal, this is our fourth medal as a pair, and we hope to continue winning more titles”, expressed Mora.

López, his teammate, highlighted the challenge of the tournament: “This was a somewhat challenging tournament because there are teams with a lot of experience and skill. Thankfully, things worked out for us again and we achieved the victory”.

Completing the podium was Guatemala’s duo of Andy Leonardo and Edgar Maldonado, who defeated the Guardado brothers 3-2 (20-22/23-21/15-09).

Dany López (2) and Rubén Mora (1) AFECAVOL Champions

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

PODIUM

ORO Rubén Mora y Dany López NCA2

PLATA Franklin Flores y Armando Guatemala ESA1

BRONCE Andy Leonardo y Edgar Maldonado GUA1

Results Day 3

F9: HON1 2-0 CRC1 (FORFEIT)

F7: BIZ1 0-2 CRC2 (12-21/14-21)

F5: NCA1 2-0 GUA2 (21-15/21-13)

SEMIFINAL: GUA1 0-2 ESA1 (16-21/20-22)

SEMIFINAL: NCA2 2-1 ESA2 (21-17/19-21/15-10)

THIRD PLACE: GUA1 2-1 ESA2 (20-22/23-21/15-09)

FIRST PLACE: ESA1 0-2 NCA2 (19-21/19-21)

Full slots in route to the medal contention

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 26, 2023 .- With steady pace in pursuit of the ticket to compete for medals, Ángel Williams/Kianny Araya (CRC1), Natalia Girón/Paola Alvarado (GUA1), Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA1), and Kathya Vázquez/Sofía Velázquez (ESA1), secured their spot in semifinals of the XXI Central American Beach Volleyball Championship, taking place in Guatemala, this Saturday.

In Saturday’s schedule, the teams completed their group stage matches. In Group A, Costa Rica’s number one team, Williams and Araya, clinched two victories, first defeating Zoé Ebanks/Reizeo Bruhier (HON) 2-0 (21-09/21-15), and then in an exciting match against Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina (ESA2), which finished 2-1 (18-21/25-25/15-10).

Soler/Molina (ESA2), had previously triumphed over NCA2 of Alejandra Rosales/M. Fernanda Jarquín 2-0 (24-22/21-10). Later, Girón/Alvarado (GUA1) defeated NCA2 2-0 (21-11/21-10). Guatemala 1 had previously overcome Honduras 2-0 (21-10/08-21).

In Group B, two matches were contested. Silva alongside Rodríguez (NCA1) were victorious 2-0 (24-22/21-10) against Costa Rica’s team 2, Sofía Vega/Aliza Aguilar. In the other duel, Vásquez/Velázquez (ESA1) triumphed over Maritza Zúñiga/Danna Aguilar (GUA 2), 2-0 (21-15/21-10).

With these results, the four teams that qualified for the semifinals will battle for their spot in the finals on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m., on the last day of activity on the sand courts of Campo Marte.

Nicaragua 1 in action

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

Results Women Day 2

GROUP A

-HON1 0-2 GUA1 (10-21/8-21)

-ESA2 2-0 NCA2 (24-22/21-10)

-CRC1 2-0 HON1 (21-9/21-15)

-NCA2 0-2 GUA1 (11-21/10-21)

-ESA2 1-2 CRC1 (21-18/23-25/10-15)

GROUP B

-NCA1 2-0 CRC2 (24-22/21-10)

-GUA2 0-2 ESA1 (15-21/10-21)

Williams/Araya and Silva/Rodríguez start with double victory in Women Central American Beach

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 25, 2023 – Angel Williams/Kianny Araja (CRC1) and Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA1) opened the XXI Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship, which kicked off at Campo Marte in Guatemala City with two victories.

In Group A, Costa Rica’s team 1 of Angel Williams and Kianny Araya, secured two wins. First, they dominated Alejandra Rosales/M. Fernanda Jarquín (NCA2) with a 2-0 (21-12/21-11) victory, and then they triumphed over the host team of Natalia Girón/Paola Alvarado (GUA1) by 21-12, 21-18.

Rosales and Jarquín (NCA2) later defeated Zoé Ebanks/Reizel Bruhier of Honduras 2-0 (21-12/21-07), while Girón and Alvarado (GUA1) came from behind to win 2-1 (17-21, 25-22, 15-8) against the Honduran team.

Yvonne Soler and Laura Molina (ESA2) won the only match they played against Honduras by 2-0 (21-6, 21-11).

In Group B, Nahima Silva along with Lolette Rodríguez (NCA1) triumphed 2-1 (15-21/21-7/15-10) against Guatemala’s team 2 of Maritza Zúñiga/Danna Aguilar, and against El Salvador’s team one, Kathya Vásquez/Sofia Velázquez 21-15, 21-14. Vásquez and Velázquez had earlier defeated Sofía Vega/Aliza Aguilar from CRC2 21-12 and 21-7.

Vega and Aguilar (CRC2) improved their record to 1-1 after defeating Zúñiga/Aguilar (GUA2) 21-13, 21-18.

This Saturday, starting at 9:00 AM, the second day of the qualification phase will be played, leading up to Sunday’s matches for positions and the teams advancing to the semifinals and finals.

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

Paola Alvarado of Guatemala digs

Women Results

Day 1

Group A

-CRC1 2-0 NCA2 (21-12/21-11)

-HON1 0-2 ESA2 (06-21/11-21)

-NCA2 2-0 HON1 (21-12/21-07)

-GUA1 0-2 CRC1 (12-21/18-21)

-HON1 1-2 GUA1 (21-17/22-24/8-15)

Group B

-ESA1 2-0 CRC2 (21-12/21-7)

-NCA1 2-1 GUA2 (15-21/21-7/15-10)

-CRC2 2-0 GUA2 (21-13/21-18)

-ESA1 0-2 NCA1 (15-21/14-21)

Reigning Champions Cascante/López start the Central American Senior Beach Championship on the right foot

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 25, 2023 – The reigning Central American champions Jefferson Cascante and Denis López (NCA1) started the XXI Senior Central American Beach Volleyball Championship on the right foot at Campo Marte in Guatemala City.

The current Central American champions Jefferson Cascante and Denis López from Nicaragua-1, in Group A, triumphed 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) over Edgar Martinez/Fabriel Nuñez from Belize.

Also from Nicaragua, Rubén Mora and Dany López in Group C, first defeated Daniel Dyner/Clifforth Lobo from Costa Rica 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) and number two team of Honduras, Wilfredo Vega/Manuel Serrano, 2-0 (21-13, 21-14).

In the same group, Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala from El Salvador defeated Hondurans Wilfredo Vega/Manuel Serrano 2-0 (21-8, 21-12). Flores and Guatemala fought hard to control Daniel Dyner/Clifforth Lobo (CRC1) 2-0 (21-11/17-21/15-12).

Also, with a double victory in Group B, Guatemala’s Andy Leonardo and Edgar Maldonado (GUA1) prevailed 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) against twin brothers Yoel and Christopher Guardado of El Salvador-2, and then defeated the number one team from Honduras, Carlos Ramos/Irvin Reyes, 2-0 (21-17, 21-15).

This Saturday, the group stage will continue in the morning. In the afternoon, starting at 2:30 pm, matches will be played to determine the positions for the qualifiers. On Sunday, the games for positions, semifinals, and finals will be played.

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

Guatemala’s Andy Blanco battling against Honduras

Men’s Results

Day 1

GROUP A

-BIZ 0-2 GUA2 (11-21/12-21)

-NCA1 2-0 BIZ (21-14/21-16)

GROUP B

-GUA1 2-0 ESA2 (21-18/21-17)

-HON1 0-2 CRC2 (17-21/18-21)

-ESA2 2-0 CRC2 (21-16/21-18)

-GUA1 2-0 HON1 (21-17/21-15)

GROUP C

-ESA1 2-0 HON2 (21-8/21-12)

-CRC1 0-2 NCA2 (17-21/19-21)

-HON2 0-2 NCA2 (13-21/14-21)

-ESA1 2-1 CRC1 (21-11/17-21/15-12)

Teams ready for the AFECAVOL Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 24, 2023. – Six countries in the men’s and women’s genders  will seek to become the new champions of the 21st edition of the Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship 2023 organized by AFECAVOL, from August 25 to 27 in Guatemala.

Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala as the host country concluded their preliminary interview on Thursday, presenting all the necessary documents and uniforms that make them eligible to be part of the Seniro Central American Beach Volleyball event.

The tournament, to be held at the sports facilities of Campo Marte, will kick off on Friday, August 25, starting at 9 a.m., with the first qualification matches. On Saturday, August 26, the quarterfinals will take place, and the event will conclude on Sunday, August 27, with the medal matches.

AFECAVOL CENTROAMERICANO MAYOR DE PLAYA

In the men’s field the 11 participating teams are divided into three groups: one group of three teams and two groups of four, as follows:

GROUP AGROUP BGROUP C
NCA1GUA1ESA1
BIZHON1CRC1
GUA2CRC2NCA2
 ESA2HON2

In the women’s division 9 pairs are divided into two groups as follows:

GROUP AGROUP B
GUA1ESA1
CRC1NCA1
HONGUA2
ESA2CRC2
NCA2 

In 2021, in El Salvador, the women’s champions were Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt of Guatemala, while Nicaraguans Denis López and Jefferson Cascante took the title in men.

Team Guatemala

AFECAVOL Senior 2021 Winners

Women: 1. Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt (GUA1); Ivonne Soler/Sofía Velásquez (ESA1); Valeska Hernández/Socorro López (NCA1)

Men: 1. Denis López/Jefferson Cascante (NCA1); Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA2); Andy Leonardo/Luis García (GUA1)

Participating Teams: 21st Central American Senior Beach Volleyball Championship 2023

Men: Edgar Martinez/Fabriel Nuñez (BIZ); Daniel Dyner/Clifforth Lobo (CRC1); Julián Araya/Yulius Brown (CRC2); Orlando Flores/Armando Guatemala (ESA1); Yoel Guardado/Christopher Guardado (ESA2); Andy Blanco/Edgar Maldonado (GUA1); J. Miguel Izaguirre/Mario Ventura (GUA2); Carlos Ramos/Irvin Reyes (HON1); Wilfredo Vega/Manuel Serrano (HON2); Rubén Mora/Danny López (NCA1); Jefferson Cascante/Denis López (NCA2).

Women: Ángel Williams/Kianny Araya (CRC1); Sofía Vega/Aliza Aguilar (CRC2); Kathya Vásquez/Sofia Velázquez (ESA1); Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina (ESA2); Natalia Girón/Paola Alvarado (GUA1); Maritza Zúñiga/Danna Aguilar (GUA2); Zoé Ebanks/Reizel Bruhier (HON); Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA1); Alejandra Rosales/M. Fernanda Jarquín (NCA2). 

Canada clinch Beach Volleyball double at Commonwealth Youth Games

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, August 10, 2023.- Canada won both Beach Volleyball gold medals on the final day of competition at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

24 teams, 12 per gender took part of the Beach Volleyball tournament of the seventh edition Commonwealth Youth Games that ran from August 4-11.

NORCECA representatives were Canada and Trinidad & Tobago in both genders, Cayman Islands and Bermuda in the men’s field, and  St. Kitts & Nevis alongside St. Lucia in women.

Katarina Drozd and Calinda Kok triumphed in the women’s final and Oliver Toomes and Andon Kiriakou in the men’s gold medal match at the Black Rock Facility.

Drozd and Kok did not drop a set in route to their gold and won both 21-14 against Jasmine Rayner and Cameron Zajer of Australia in the final.

Toomes and Kiriakou took men’s gold with a 21-16, 21-14 victory against Peter Soczewka and Rob Morgan of England.

New Zealand won both the men’s and women’s bronze matches.  
 
Full results and stats can be found on the event web site:https://www.trinbago2023.com/

Panamerican Volleyball Union, UPV, announces countries qualified for Santiago 2023 Beach Volleyball

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 9, 2023. – The Panamerican Volleyball Confederation  announces the list of countries qualified for the Women’s and Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournaments of the XX Pan American Games Santiago 2023, to be held in Chile from October 20 to November 5.

The Beach Volleyball Tournament will feature the 32 teams, 16 per gender, using the following qualification system: one quota for the host country (Chile), one quota for the highest-ranked team from each Confederation (NORCECA and South American Confederation CSV) during the  I Junior Pan American Games held in Cali in 2021, three quotas based on the FIVB World Ranking, and five quotas based on the Ranking of each Confederation (NORCECA and South American Confederation CSV).

Therefore, these are the qualified countries for the Women’s Beach Volleyball tournament: Chile (host), Brazil and Puerto Rico (I Junior Pan American Games Cali 2021); United States, Canada and Paraguay (FIVB World Ranking); Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Costa Rica (NORCECA Ranking); Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay (CSV Ranking).

The qualified countries for the Men’s Beach Volleyball tournament is as follows: Chile (Host), Brazil and Cuba (I Junior Pan American Games Cali 2021); United States, Argentina and Canada (FIVB World Ranking); Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua (NORCECA Ranking); Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia and Bolivia (CSV Ranking).

Each National Federation alongside their respective National Olympic Committee must officially confirm their registration to compete at the Pan American Games.

Gold for Mexico in Men’s Beach Volleyball at Central American and Caribbean Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 27, 2023.- Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico beat Ruben Mora and Jefferson Cascante 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) in the championship match of the Men’s Beach Volleyball tournament of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023.

This is the first gold medal for Mexico, and for Juan Virgen as well, who has two silver medals and one bronze; and he came here from losing the past edition of the Games in Barranquilla 2018 against Cuba.

In the final match, Mexico was completely dominant in the first set, where Nicaragua couldn’t read Mexico’s serves and both Virgen and Sarabia’s attacks.

Mora and Cascante were stronger in the second set, battling every point, and fighting up to the end when a bad serve and a Mexican block stopped their intentions.

This is Nicaragua’s first medal in Beach Volleyball at the CAC Games.

Juan Virgen (2) and Miguel Sarabia (1) of Mexico

Juan Virgen said “the gold medal was missing and today we won it with Miguel. We are glad, we continue to make history for Mexico with our results and we want to thank all the people supporting us back home. I had two silver medals and one bronze and now winning a gold medal motivated me to continue to fight, continue our preparation for what lies ahead”.

 “Our goal was the gold medal; we had our minds sets for a long time” expressed Miguel Sarabia. “We are happy with the result. With Juan, we complement each other, my youth, and his experience. During the match I told him that he gave me confidence and that helps me grow and maybe I can help him to reach better results”.

Noslen Diaz and Jorge Luis Alayo of Cuba won the bronze medal after beating Kevin Rodriguez and Josué Rivera  of Puerto Rico 2-0 (21-16, 21-14).

Jorge Luis Alayo of Cuba

Tuesday’s Results

7-8 .- CCS 2-0 CRC

5-6 .- COL 2-0 VEN

Bronze .- CUB 2-0 PUR  21-16, 21-14

Gold .- MEX 2-0 NCA 21-10, 21-19

Final Ranking

1.-MEX, 2.-NCA, 3.-CUB, 4.-PUR, 5.-COL, 6.- VEN, 7.-CCS, 8.-CRC, 9.-DOM, 10:-ESA, 11.-SKN, 12.-ISV, 13.-LCA, 14.-JAM, 15.-CAY, 16.-HAI, 17.-VIN, 18.-ANT, 19.-PAN, 20.-BIZ, 21.-TCI

Puerto Rico tops Women’s Beach Volleyball at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 27, 2023.- María González and Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico beat Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Bethania Almanza 2-1 (19-21, 21-11, 15-12) to climb to glory winning the gold medal of the Women’s Beach Volleyball tournament at the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023.

González/Navas won the first gold medal for Puerto Rico in the history of Central American and Caribbean Games. Puerto Rico has a silver medal won by Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo during the 2010 CAC Games of Mayagüez.

The first set went to the Dominican duo controlling Puerto Rico with Payano’s kills and Almanza’s blocks, as well as anticipating their opponents moves. In the second and third sets, González/Navas adjusted with side out touches and made their opponents lose focus while attacking long shots.

Navas said “I am super proud, it’s an honor for us to take so much happiness to Puerto Rico and even more with a gold medal. For me, it’s just the beginning of our plans, we have the idea to work hard every single day”.

“We were off in the first set, out of rhythm, but the key was to find our rhythm, calm down to come out to win the second and third sets. We are satisfied for sure, mission accomplished”, said María González.

Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico spikes

Mexicans Abril Flores and Atenas Gutiérrez prevailed 2-0 (21-16, 21-9) over Yenifer Rivera and Amanda Armenteros of Cuba, to win the bronze medal.

Flores and Gutiérrez showed their strength on the court, jumping to an early four point lead that grew to come out with the victory over Cuba.

This is Mexico’s first bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Previously they had won three gold medals and two silvers, to continue to be top winners in the history of the CAC Games.

Atenas Gutierrez (1) and Abril Flores (2)of Mexico

Tuesday’s results

Position 7-8: ESA 2-0 GUA (DNS). Position 5-6 : VEN 2-0 NCA (21-13, 21-12); Bronze Medal Match: MEX 2-1 CUB (21-16, 12-9). Gold Medal Match: PUR 2-1 CUB (19-21, 21-11, 15-12)

Final ranking

1.-PUR, 2.-DOM, 3.-MEX, 4.-CUB, 5.-VEN, 6.-NCA, 7.-ESA, 8.-CCS, 9.-CRC, 10.-COL, 11.- TTO, 12.-JAM, 13.-ISV, 14.-BIZ, 15.-CAY, 16.-VER, 17.-PAN, 18.- GRN, 19.- SKN, 20.-LCA, 21.-HON, 22.-ANT

Nicaragua makes history at CAC Games and will face Mexico in men’s Beach Volleyball

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 26, 2023.- Nicaragua and Mexico advanced to the men’s beach volleyball final match at the 2023 San Salvador Central American Games after beating Puerto Rico and Cuba respectively, in dramatic three set semifinals.

Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora alongside Jefferson Cascante made history qualifying to the finals after defeating Kevin Rodriguez and Josué Rivera a Puerto Rico who won the first set but couldn’t keep their rhythm in the second and in the third set Mora/Cascante tied at point 14 and from there on the advantage changed for Nicaragua.

Rubén Mora said “this is a victory for everyone who supports us, our coach Erasmo Palomo has been a key element and thanks to his work we are here. Nicaragua had never finished in the top four and we have secured a medal”.

“We are satisfied with our result; Nicaragua had never before won a medal in these Games, and advancing to the final is to put Nicaragua’s name up high” added Cascante.

Ruben Mora (1) and Jefferson Cascante (2) Nicaragua celebrate semifinal win over Puerto Rico

Mexicans Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia prevailed 2-1 (21-23, 21-15, 26-24) over Cubans Noslen Diaz and Jorge Luis Alayo in a marathonic match, under a persistent rain that didn’t stop the fans to cheer “let’s go Cuba” and “viva México”.

After losing an advantage in the first set, Virgen/Sarabia witnessed how Cuba had a partial victory, but they came from behind to win the second and in the third set, there were consecutive “match points” that in the end was decided by a serve from Sarabia which made it difficult for Cuba and they left the ball on the net.

The match for third place will be on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. between Puerto Rico and Cuba, and the final match between Mexico and Nicaragua will be at 3:00 p.m.

Virgen, who has two silver medals and one bronze at CAC Games, of an overall four silver medals and two bronze of Mexico, said to feel very excited and with part of their goal complete, “we came for a medal, we wanted to reach the final, we knew that Cuba is a strong, hard; at the end of some sets things god complicated, but we were able to come out with the win”.

After the last point, Juan Virgen stayed lying on the sand, with his face down, maybe crying, for several minutes. “I only thought it’s over, we made it, I was exhausted, and I just kept on the sand” he said.

Sarabia said “in the end I didn’t know whether to jump, run, I didn’t know what to do… There are no words to describe the feeling. We were able to beat a tough Cuban team, we knew who they were as a team, we had faced them on other occasions and today we came out victorious. Nicaragua is coming like every team, eager to win, they want the medal just like we do, but we will both battle hard to win it”.

Miguel Sarabia of Mexico celebrates beating Cuba in semifinals

Monday’s results matches for positions

Posición 15.- CAY 2-1 HAI (21-17, 17-21, 15-12

Puesto 13.- LCA 2-1 (17-21, 26-24, 15-11)

SKN vs ISV 2:00 p.m. DNS

Puesto 9no.- DOM 2-0 ESA (21-19, 21-17)

Semifinals

NCA 2-1 PUR 19-21, 21-16, 18-16

MEX 2-1 CUB 21-23, 21-15, 26-24

Puerto Rico reach the women’s beach volleyball finals against Dominican Republic

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 26, 2023.- Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic advance to the women’s beach volleyball tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games after defeating Mexico and Cuba respectively.  

Puerto Rico with María González and Allanis Navas defeated Mexicans Abril Flores and Atenas Gutiérrez 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 15-9) in battled match where both tandems fought hard to reach the finals.

The gold medal match will be played at the soccer beach National Stadium in Costa del Sol at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday following the definition of the bronze medal at noon between Mexico and Cuba.

Mexico recovered from a 3-point deficit in the first set to win 22-20, but in the second set, Puerto Rico reached a 5-point advantage (15-10) which they kept up to point 20 with Mexico trying to recover with three consecutive points. María González won the set for Puerto Rico 21-18 with a block.

Allanis Navas (2) digs and Maria Gonzalez (1) of Puerto Rico

In the third set, González and Navas came out with determination and jumped to a 5-1 lead which the Mexican duo was unable to overcome falling 9-15.

Allanis Navas said “every time we come out on the court, we want to leave our skins for our country, and this wasn’t the exception. We were strongly prepared for this, and we made it, it has been a great effort and we reached once again a final match”.

“In the past Games (Barranquilla) we came off short, we finished fourth, but we knew we could give more”, said María González.

In the other semifinal, Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Bethania Almanza controlled Cuba’s attack of Yenifer Rivera and Amanda Armenteros, beating them 2-0 (1-18, 21-17), to advance in the first ever final match for a Dominican team.

Cuba jumped to a 12-9 lead in the first set, but Payano’s good defense and Almanza’s kills helped them recover and put distance after point 16 to win the first set and get on track to win the game.

“We are proud and excited to be in a final match for the first time. It has been a mentally demanding, we have prepared physically for this, we practiced yesterday with this match on our mind,” said Julibeth Payano.

Her partner, Almanza, stated “we dedicate this victory to all Dominicans, to all the working team that supports us, to our families, for everybody’s sacrifice. Now we must focus on Puerto Rico who is a great opponent, but we know we can aspire for more”.

Julibeth Payano (1) and Bethania Almanza (2) of Dominican Republic

Semifinals Results

PUR 2-1 MEX 20-22, 21-18, 15-9

DOM 2-0 CUB 21-18, 21-17

Results for position matches

Puestos 15-16 .- CAY 2-0 BER (21-11, 21-10)

Puestos 13-14 .- ISV 2-0 BIZ 21-12, 21-16

Puestos 11-12 .- TTO 2-1 JAM 21-17, 17-21, 15-13

Puestos 9-10 .- CRC – COL 25-23, 21-7   

Exciting Men’s Beach Volleyball semifinals at the CAC Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 25, 2023.- The men’s Beach Volleyball semifinals at the 2023 San Salvador Central American Games will be exciting and hot just like the sand and sun at the beach soccer National Stadium in Costa del Sol, that has been the home for athletes, volunteers and technical supervisors for a week.

Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico are looking to dethrone Cuba, who has won four gold medals in the history of the Games, while Mexico has four silver medals and two bronze. Juan Virgen has won two of the silver medals for Mexico and one bronze medal.

This is the first time that Cubans Noslen Diaz and Jorge Luis Alayo reached a Central American and Caribbean semifinal, but their predecessors have won the past two editions consecutively.

The semifinal match between Mexico and Cuba will be on Monday June 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Rubén Mora and Jefferson Cascante de Nicaragua, the tournament’s surprise, after qualifying to their first medal round, will face (6:00 p.m.) Puerto Ricans Kevin Rodriguez and Josué Rivera who want to put Puerto Rico back at the beach volleyball podium. Puerto Rico won the gold medal in 2002 and two bronze medals (1998 and 2010).

In Sunday’s classification matches for positions results, Ryck Webb/Martin Blake (JAM) won 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-10) over Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria (CAY) and will battle for position 13 against Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent (LCA) who prevailed 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) to Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando (HAI). Haiti and Cayman Islands will play for position 15.  

Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) won 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) over St. Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes (SKN) and will play against Franklin Flores y Armando Guatemala (ESA) for position 9, who beat Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen (ISV) 2-0 (21-18, 21-12 ) who will face St. Kitts and Nevis for position 11.  

José González/Jason Quintero (PAN) won 2-0 (23-21, 21-19) over Ernest Broaster/ Gabriel Nuñez (BIZ) and finished 19.  Small Jahmal/ Cluevvan Cumberbatch of St. Vincent won 2-0 (21.-13, 21-12) against Dwight Bonnie /Cairon David (ANT) to finish in position 17.

Monday’s schedule

CAY vs HAI 10:00 a.m. Por puesto 15

JAM vs LCA 11:00 a.m. Por puesto 13

SKN vs ISV 2:00 p.m. Por puesto 11

DOM vs ESA 3:00 p.m. Por puesto 9

Semifinals

PUR vs NCA 6:00 p.m.

MEX vs CUB 7:00 p.m.

Sunday’s Results

JAM 2-1 CAY 19-21, 21-15, 15-10

DOM 2-0 SKN 21-15, 21-13

LCA 2-0 HAI 21-18, 21-16

VIN 2-0 ANT 21-13, 21-12 (Por puesto 17)

PAN 2-0 BIZ 23-21, 21-18

VEN 2-0 CRC 21-12, 21-11

COL 2-0 GUA 21-16, 21-19

ESA 2-0 ISV 21-18, 21-12 

Dominicans and Puerto Rico seek the feat in women’s volleyball against Cuba and Mexico

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 25, 2023.- The semifinals of the women’s beach volleyball tournament at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games to be played on Monday at the beach soccer National Stadium in Costa del Sol, with two countries seeking to dethrone Cuba, the top winners in the history of the Games.

Puerto Rico’s duo of Maria Gonzalez/Allanis Nava, one of the tournament favorites, will face Mexicans Abril Flores/Atenas Gutiérrez at 4:00 p.m. Puerto Rico has only one silver medal, won during the 2010 Mayagüez, while Mexico has been a finalist in five of the six editions, winning three gold medals (1998, 2002 y 2010) and two silvers (2006 y 2014).

While Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Bethania Almanza will face Cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armentero at 5:00 p.m. Dominican Republic earned a bronze medal in 2002 and Cuba has three gold medals, two of them in a row in 2014 and 2018, and also a silver medal in 1998.

Today in classification matches for positions 9 to 15, Almeida/Bennett (ISV) won 2-0 (21-16, 21-6) over Tulloch/Gaetos (CAY) and will face Ramirez/Arnold (BIZ) who won 2-0 (21-10, 21-6) against Leblanc/Calhoun (BER), for position 13 and the defeated ones will go for position 15.

Beltrand/ Moreno (COL) prevailed 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) over Joseph/Glasgow (TTO) and will play for position 9 against Williams/Araya (CRC) who beat Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith (JAM) 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) who will play for position 11.

Silva/Rodríguez (NCA) won 2-0 over Girón/Betancourt (CCS) and will face Venezuela who beat Soler/Molina (ESA) 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) for fifth place on Tuesday. El Salvador will face CCS for position 7.

Monday’s schedule

Puestos 15-16 .- CAY vs BER 8:00 a.m.

Puestos 13-14 .- ISV vs BIZ 9:00 a.m.

Puestos 11-12 .- TTO vs JAM 10:00 a.m.

Puestos 9-10 .- COL vs CRC 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals

MEX vs CUB 4:00 p.m.

CUB vs DOM 5:00 p.m.

Sunday’s results

ISV 2-0 CAY 21-16, 21-6

COL 2-0 TTO 21-11, 21-12

BIZ 2-0 BER 21-10, 21-6

CRC 2-0 JAM 21-10, 21-19

NCA 2-0 CCS (Forfeit por lesión)

Por lugar 19 SKN 2-0 LCA  21-15, 21-19

Por lugar 17 PAN 2-0 GRN 21-5, 21-16

VEN 2-0 ESA (21-12, 21-12)

NORCECA awarded a recognition to Dr. Ary Graça for his valuable support during his presidency

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PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, June 24, 2023.- The North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation NORCECA awarded a special recognition to FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça, for his valuable support to all the successful actions towards NORCECA during his presidency.

NORCECA President, Dominican Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, handed out the recognition to Dr. Graça in appreciation for all the support to the National Federations members of NORCECA during his presidency.

“There is no way to thank all the support you have given to the different initiatives presented by NORCECA to the FIVB and we’ve received their solidarity, even at hard moments, such as those during the COVID pandemic in 2020-2021”, said Marte Hoffiz.

FIVB President Dr. Ary da Silva Graça, was thankful for the recognition from NORCECA and motivated them to continue working hard, with planning and vision to keep the global volleyball family together.

PHOTO GALLERY

“We are a family, and we are always seeking the best for every actor who intervenes for a solid and robust FIVB, where innovation can reach every corner of the world” said FIVB president.

The FIVB Board of Administration, presided by its President Dr. Ary Graça, concluded this past week a productive three-day meeting in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where they discussed several important topics.

During the meeting, all members were presented with a complete report of Volleyball around the world by its General Director, Finn Taylor.

He highlighted the remarkable success of the ongoing 2023 VNL, with a 50% improvement in attendance compared to last year, as well as substantial improvement in subscribers since the beginning of the event.

Highly Successful FIVB Board Of Administration Meeting Concludes In Dominican Republic

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Updates to the composition of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission were also approved

The FIVB Board of Administration, led by FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F°, today concluded its productive three-day gathering in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with a number of important topics discussed.

During the meeting, the members received comprehensive updates on Volleyball World from its CEO, Finn Taylor. He highlighted the remarkable success of the ongoing VNL 2023, with a notable 50% increase in attendance compared to last year’s edition, as well as substantial growth in OTT subscribers since the beginning of the event.

In addition, the Board discussed and approved a number of proposals from the FIVB Commissions and Councils.

Beach volleyball Olympian Doaa Elghobashy from Egypt is now part of the Athletes’ Commission

In particular, the FIVB Board of Administration approved, with immediate effect, the following proposals of the Athletes’ Commission:

1) For Simone Anzani (ITA) to substitute resigned Samuele Papi (ITA) as an Athletes’ Commission Member

2) For Sam Deroo (BEL) to substitute Samuele Papi (ITA) as the Athletes’ Commission Secretary

3) For Doaa Elghobashy (EGY) to substitute resigned Anouk Verge-Depre as an Athletes’ Commission Member.

World champion, Simone Anzani joins the FIVB Athletes’ Commission

Moreover, Kare Mol (NOR), a head coach of the Norwegian Vikings, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, joins the Technical and Coaching Commission as an observer representing beach volleyball.

During the meeting, the Presidents of all five Continental Confederations presented their projects for the years 2023-2024, while updates on volleyball and beach volleyball events were also shared, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua reach CAC Games Beach Volleyball Men’s semifinals

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 23, 2023.- Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua advanced to the men’s beach volleyball tournament semifinals of the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games.

The semifinals will be held on Monday June 26.

Noslen Diaz/Jorge Luis Alayo of Cuba had no difficulties in beating Rolando Hernández/José Gómez of Venezuela 2-0 (21-15, 21-12), thanks to Alayo’s blocking and serves, and to Diaz unstoppable kills.

Cuba will face Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico who won their semifinal ticket over Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-10, 21-17). Virgen finished second place in the last two editions of the Central American and Caribbean Games after falling to a Cuban team and the table is now served.

Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora and Jefferson Cascante qualified to semifinals for the first time in the history of the Central American and Caribbean Games after a challenging victory 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-11) over Colombian duo of Juan Carlos Noriega/Yeferson De La Hoz.

Ruben Mora (1) and Jefferson Cascante (2) of Nicaragua

Mora/Cascante will face Kevin Rodriguez/ Josué Rivera of Puerto Rico, who beat the Centro Caribe team of Andy Leonardo/Luis García 2-0 (21-18, 21-9).

Results postions 9 to 21

In classification matches for positions 9 to 23, Ernest Broaster/ Gabriel Nuñez (BIZ) beat  Sebastián Simmons/ Scott Hawking (TCI) 2-0. Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) won 2-0 (21-15, 21-5) against Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria (CAY). St Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes (SKN) prevailed 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) over Ryck Webb/Martin Blake (JAM).  Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen (ISV) beat Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent (LCA) 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-10). Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala (ESA) beat Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando (HAI)2-0 (21-18, 21-9).

Saturday’s Results

Cuartos de final

MEX 2-0 CRC (21-10, 21-17)

CUB 2-0 VEN (21-15, 21-12)

PUR 2-0 GUA (21-18, 21-9)

NCA 2-1 COL (18-21, 21-14, 15-11)

Juegos por posiciones del 9 al 21

BIZ 2-0 TCI 10 forfeit

PAN 2-0 MQE forfeit

JAM 2-0 SKN (21-16, 21-19)

DOM 2-0 CAY (21-15, 21-5)

ESA 2-0 HAI (21-15, 21-9)

ISV 2-1 LCA (18-21, 21-14, 15-10)

TCI – MQE (DNS)

Kevin Rodriguez (1) and Josué Rivera (2) of Puerto Rico

Sunday’s Classification matches

JAM vs CAY 10:00 a.m. C2

SKN vs DOM 10:00 a.m. CC

HAI vs LCA 11:00 a.m. C2

ANT vs VIN 11:00 a.m. CC

BIZ vs PAN 12:00 md CC

CRC vs VEN 2:00 p.m. CC

GUA vs COL 3:00 p.m. CC

ESA vs ISV 7:00 p.m. CC

Puerto Rico, México, Cuba and Dominican Republic advance to Women’s Semifinals

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 24, 2023.- Three Caribbean countries and one from the North will battle for the two tickets into the women’s finals beach volleyball tournament of the 2023 San Salvador Central American Games.

Puerto Rico with their flawless performance (velocity and strength), Mexico with their calm and effective game, Dominican Republic with their blocking reach and strong kills, and Cuba with youth and energy, are the four best teams of the Games to advance into Monday’s semifinals.

The semifinal matches will be on Monday June 24.

María González and Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico with great defense, combined with a good touch and power, dominated Gabriela Brito and Juliennis Regalado of Venezuela 2-0 (21-16, 21-16).

Mexico’s Abril Flores and Atenas Gutiérrez beat Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina of El Salvador 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) and will face Puerto Rico’s González/Navas in semifinals who are having a great season.

Abril Flores of Mexico tips the ball

Cubans Yenifer Rivera and Amanda Armenteros won their semifinal spot after defeating Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt (CCS) who couldn’t complete their quarterfinal match because Bethancourt suffered a knee injury.

Cuba’s semifinal opponents are Julibeth Payano and Bethania Almanzar of Dominican Republic who beat Nahima Silva and Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-14, 21-16), to set the Caribbean derby.

Yennifer Rivera of Cuba

Position matches 9-23

In classification matches for positions 9 to 23, Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith (JAM) won 2-0 (12-8, 12-10) against Lisa Leblanc/Megan Calhoun (BER). Denila/Neptune (LCA) won 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) against Edwards/Lewis (ANT); Joseph/Glasgow (TTO) beat Almeida/Bennett (ISV) 2-0 (21-18, 21-19); Beltrand/ Moreno (COL) won 2-0 (21-5, 21-5) to Tulloch/Gaetos (CAY); Honduras finished their performance in position 21. Williams/Araya (CRC) won 2-0 21-17, 21-13) to Ramirez/Arnold (BIZ).

Quarterfinal Results

MEX 2-0 ESA (21-14, 21-17)

PUR 2-0 VEN (21-16, 21-16)

CUB def CCS (injury team B)

DOM 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) NCA

Positions 9 to 23

SKN 2-0 HON (21-14, 21-17)

LCA 2-0 ANT (21-14, 21-9)

TTO 2-0 ISV (21-18, 21-19)

COL 2-0 CAY (21-5, 21-5)

JAM 2-0 (2-8, 21-10)

CRC 2-0 BIZ (21-17, 21-13)

HON 2-0 ANT (DNS)

Sunday’s schedule (Positions 5-16)

ISV vs CAY 8:00 a.m. C2

TTO – COL 8:00 a.m. CC

BER vs BIZ 9:00 a.m. C2

JAM vs CRC 9:00 a.m. CC

CCS vs NCA 1:00 p.m. CC

SKN vs LCA 4:00 p.m. CC

GRN vs PAN 5:00 p.m. CC

ESA vs VEZ 6:00 p.m. CC 

Ariel Sainz: “Beach Volleyball at San Salvador 2023, challenge overcome”

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 24, 2023.- Beach Volleyball was the first sport in action at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games; that required a series of challenges that were overcome with the efforts of many.  

The International Technical Director for Volleyball, Cuban Ariel Sainz, NORCECA first-vice president, oversees ensuring the running of the tournament and said it has been a challenging task, but they have managed to overcome every obstacle.

“This event originally was set to be held in 2002 in Panama but given the impossibility of their National Committee to organize the Games, El Salvador came out to organize them with great quality” said Sainz.

“We’ve had long working days, there have been many obstacles along the way, but in the end, it was achieved. I consider that beach volleyball has a great competition venue, adapted, because we all know that it’s the National Beach Soccer Stadium and it was at the last minute, because we had already made inspection visits in a different venue, but the organizing committee announced they weren’t going to be ready on time”.

“I first want to thank the confidence from Centro Caribe Sports, as that of the Organizing Committee (COSSAN) and the multidisciplinary working group that were involved in the task; we have the event running, without setbacks, 100 percent satisfaction of the athletes, coaches, delegates, and that fills us with satisfaction because we can evaluate the response capacity to overcome difficulties”, added Sainz.  

Costa del Sol Stadium

It’s important, said Sainz, “to give recognition to the National Volleyball Federation of El Salvador (FESAVOL), to everyone involved in setting up the courts, Roberto García, Guillermo Polanco, Eduardo Paiz, Pedro Rivas, who one way or another have been collaborating for this event to be possible”.

NORCECA first vice-president added “we had the challenge to open the Games as one of the first sports in competition; NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, had the confidence and vision in us all, the experienced members of the Control Committee with

José Luis Jiménez Lao, Salvador Bautista, Amos Anglade, Claudia Rivera, Bertha Cuadra, Jacqueline Cowan, Julio Martínez, Martin Swasey, Donibal Alvarez, Emir Alfaro, Ernesto Beltré, all involved in the success of the event, responding and solving every inconvenience and the director of competition Ed Drakich, who has conducted the event effectively”.

“We are working, but we are enjoying the twenty fourth Central American and Caribbean Games and that for the third occasion have been held in El Salvador” he expressed.

In addition, Sainz Rodriguez said “we have also taken up the challenge of indoors, we have made two inspections to the competition and training halls during these days. The official venue is the National Sports Palace Carlos El Famoso Hernández, which we inspected this past Friday, and the construction will be finished today and the court will be installed for a successful competition at the Games”.

San Salvador 2023 officially established

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SAN SALVADOR.- The XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games, San Salvador 2023, were inaugurated under a colorful atmosphere of sporting fraternity.

The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, welcomed each of the countries that will compete from June 23 to July 8 in the main sports event of the region.

“Welcome to El Salvador, the heart of America”, said Bukele during the opening speech of the games.

He indicated that San Salvador 2023 will serve to demonstrate the existing brotherhood between nations of Central America and the Caribbean.

He indicated that the assembly of the sports event has not been an easy task, but he pointed out that they assumed the responsibility of the assembly because it was an opportunity to show the world the change that El Salvador has had as a country.

While the President of Centro Caribe Sports, Luis Mejía Oviedo, thanked the Salvadoran people for saving and rescuing the Central American and Caribbean Games, which were affected by the economic recess caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“President Bukele, you have given us a lesson and that is to have faith and trust in ourselves”, said Mejía Oviedo, who highlighted that every time he spoke with the Salvadoran Prime Minister, he expressed confidence and trust that the games would be a reality.

“Thank you El Salvador for saving our games. Long live the Central American and Caribbean Games,” he said.

Opening ceremony 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games

He also took the opportunity to thank the Dominican Republic and the government of Luis Abinader, for opening the doors of the Caribbean nation to serve as a sub-venue for several sports.

Mejía Oviedo took the opportunity to congratulate each National Olympic Committee: “You have done a titanic job”.

The President of the Organizing Committee of San Salvador 2023 (COSSAN 2023), Yamil Bukele, detailed the adversities they overcame and how they remained optimistic in the face of the doubts and pessimism of many people.

“These games will remain for history, because where many saw difficulties, we saw opportunities”, considered the also Ad Honorem president of the National Sports Institute of El Salvador (Indes).

He thanked the collaborators and workers who worked long hours for the assembly of San Salvador 2023.

The XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games, San Salvador 2023, will be held in the Dominican Republic, which hosted seven sports disciplines.

Eight duos to battle for the Men’s Beach Volleyball semifinals at the CAC Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 23, 2023.- The best eight duos of the men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games are ready to win their ticket to Saturday’s semifinals, after a hard battle in the knockout round.

Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico won 2-0 (21-15, 21-9) over Ryck Webb/Martin Blake of Jamaica and advanced to meet Daniel Dyner/ Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica who left behind 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) St. Clair Hodge/Shwa Seabrookes  (SKN).

In the other bracket, Noslen Diaz/Jorge Luis Alayo of Cuba, had no complications in beating Dominicans Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez 2-0 (21-7, 21-14) and they are set to face Rolando Hernández/José Gómez of Venezuela in quarterfinals, who earlier won 2-0 (21-9, 21-8) against Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria (CAY).

Cuban monster block against Dominican Republic

Kevin Rodriguez/ Josué Rivera of Puerto Rico won 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) over the home team of  Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala (ESA) and will look for their semifinal spot against the team of Centro Caribe Sports, Andy Leonardo/Luis García, who defeated Hati’s  Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando 2-0 (21-11, 21-19).

Colombians Juan Carlos Noriega/Yeferson De La Hoz prevailed 2-0 (21-13, 21-10) over Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent of St. Lucia and will play in quarterfinals against  Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante of Nicaragua who earlier overcame  Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen of US Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-12, 21-12).

Friday’s Results

MEX 2-0 (21-15, 21-9) JAM

CRC 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) SKN

CUB 2-0 (21-7, 21-14) DOM

VEN 2-0 (21-9, 21-8) CAY

PUR 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) ESA

GUA 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) HAI

NCA 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) ISV

COL 2-0 (21-13, 21-10) LCA

Kevin Rodriguez of Puerto Rico spikes

Saturday’s schedule

Quarterfinals

MEX vs CRC 2:00 p.m. CC

CUB vs VEN 3:00 p.m. CC

GUA vs PUR 6:00 p.m. CC

COL vs NCA 7:00 p.m. CC

Matches for positions 9-23

BIZ vs TCI 10 :00 a.m. CC

PAN vs MQE 10:00 a.m. C2

JAM vs SKN 11:00 a.m. CC

DOM vs CAY 11:00 a.m. C2

HAI vs ESA 2:00 p.m. C2

ISV vs LCA 3:00 p.m. C2

Battles for a ticket into women’s semifinals are ready

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 23, 2023.- The quarterfinal round to win a ticket into the semifinals of the women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games are ready.

Abril Flores/Atenas Gutiérrez of Mexico beat Teisha Joseph/Apphia Glasgow of Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 (21-8, 21-6) to advance into quarterfinals where they will face Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina of El Salvador. Soler/Molina prevailed 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) against Cristina Almeida/Amber Benneth of US Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico’s Maria Gonzalez/Allanis Navas  defeated Ana Maria Beltrand/Yaleny Moreno of Colombia 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) and their quarterfinal opponent is Gabriela Brito/Juliennis Regalado of Venezuela who came from a 2-0 (21-6, 21-4) victory over Deajra Tulloch/Chlouie Gaetos (CAY).

Nahima Silva of Nicaragua

The team of Centro Caribe Sports -CCS -(Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt) dominated Lisa Leblanc/Megan Calhoun of Bermudas 2-0 (21-5, 21-4) and will battle for a semifinal spot against  cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros who earlier beat Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith of Jamaica 2-0 (21-15, 21-9).

Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua recovered from falling in the first set and came on top 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-11) to Angel Williams/Kianny Araya of Costa Rica. Nicaragua’s next opponent is Dominican Republic of Julibeth Payano/Bethania Almanzar who beat Nelissa Ramirez/Shantell Arnold of Belize 2-0 (21-8, 21-8).

Friday’s results

ESA 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) ISV

MEX 2-0 (21-8, 21-6) TTO

PUR 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) COL

VEN 2-0 (21-6, 21-4) CAY

CCS 2-0 (21-5, 21-4) BER

CUB 2-0 (21-15, 21-9) JAM

NCA 2-1 CRC (19-21, 21-15, 15-11)

DOM 2-0 (21-8, 21-8) BIZ

Maria Gonzalez of Puerto Rico reaches to spike

Quarterfinal schedule, Saturday June 24

MEX vs ESA 12:00 md CC

PUR vs VEN 1:00 p.m. CC

GUA vs CUB 4:00 p.m. CC

NCA vs DOM 5:00 p.m. CC

Posiciones del 9 al 22

HON vs SKN. 8:00 a.m. CC

LCA vs ANT 8:00 a.m. C2

TTO vs ISV 9:00 a.m. CC

COL vs CAY 9:00 a.m. C2

BER vs JAM 12:00 a.m. C2

CRC vs BIZ 1:00 .m. C2

Financial And Legal Presentations Discussed At The FIVB Board Of Administration Meeting

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FIVB accounts 2022 approved alongside some changes to the FIVB Regulations

The FIVB Board of Administration meeting continued today with the 2022 Accounts and legal presentations, as well as the reiteration of the initial decision, in line with the latest IOC recommendations, regarding the participation of the national teams from Russia and Belarus in international and continental events.

During the meeting, the Board of Administration approved the Business Report 2022 – Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet, as well as the report of the FIVB Controller 2022 and the Deloitte External Auditors’ Report 2022.

Additionally, the Board of Administration was presented with the legal presentation and proposals of the Legal Commission, which included changes to a number of FIVB Regulations, the appointment of the FIVB Disciplinary Panel and approval of the CAVB Constitution.

Following the detailed review of the FIVB Legal Commission, the FIVB Board of Administration also reiterated its previous decision that all Russian and Belarusian national teams, clubs, officials and beach volleyball and snow volleyball athletes are not eligible to participate in all international and continental events until further notice, which is in line with the latest IOC recommendations. It has also been decided not to display Russia and Belarus in the World Rankings for the duration of their non-participation at events as their ranking points remain frozen as per the decision of the FIVB Board of Administration in October 2022.

Men’s Beach Volleyball at the CAC Games reaches the round of 16

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, 22 de junio de 2023.- With intense and battled matches, the men’s beach volleyball tournament of the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games has reached the most exciting phase, with 16 teams qualified to the knockout round to reach the quarter finals, semifinals and finals.

Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico beat Kevin Rodriguez/ Josué Rivera (PUR) 2-0 (21-16, 21-11) to finish first place in pool A and will face Ryck Webb/Martin Blake (JAM).

In pool B, Juan Carlos Noriega/Yeferson De La Hoz (COL) prevailed 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) over Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) and took first place in pool B; they will face Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent (LCA) who beat Small Jahmal/Cluevvan Cumberbath (VIN) 2-0 (21-11, 21-3) in the last match of the day.

The Central Caribe Sports team, Andy Leonardo/Luis García, topped pool C after defeating St Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes (SKN) 2-0 (21-09, 21-16) and in the match that qualifies them to the quarterfinals they will play Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando (HAI).

Luis Garcia of CCS (GUA) in action against SKN

Rolando Hernández/José Gómez (VEN) defeated Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen (ISV) 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) to lock pool D and will face Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria (CAY).

Noslen Diaz/Jorge Luis Alayo (CUB), beat Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante 2-0 (21-19, 21-12) a Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante (NCA) and as top place in pool E they will face De Jesús/Martínez (DOM) second of B.

In pool F Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala (ESA) prevailed 2-1 (21-18, 22-24, 21-19) against Daniel Dyner/ Jhostin Varela (CRC) to face Puerto Rico in the next round who finished second place in pool A.

Dyner/Valera (CRC), second in pool F, will meet second place of pool C, St Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes (SKN) in the round of 16. While Mora/Cascante (NCA), second in pool E, will clash with Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen (ISV), second in pool D.

Noslen Diaz of Cuba against Nicaragua

Resultados del jueves

Virgen/Sarabia MEX      2-0 (21-16, 21-11)        Rodriguez/Rivera PUR 

Noriega/Yeferson COL 2-0 (21-19, 21-15)  De Jesus/Martinez DOM     

Blanco/Garcia L. CCS 2-0 (21-9, 21-16) Hodge/Seabrookes SKN

BOSQUI/BRICE MQE    0-2 (0-0, 0-0) Forfeit of team A Small/Cluevvan VIN

Peter/Tigrito VEN         2-0 (21-10, 21-15)  Lomeli/Austin ISV 

Hawkins/Simmons TCI  0-2 (2-21, 4-21)  Bonnie/Cairon ANT

Mora/Cascante NCA      0-2 (19-21, 12-21) Diaz/Alayo CUB        

Broaster/Nunez BIZ      0-2 (14-21, 17-21)  Webb/Blake JAM

FLORES/Guatemala ESA 2-1 (21-18, 22-24, 21-19) D. Dyner/Varela CRC         

Gonzalez/Quintero PAN 1-2 (16-21, 21-15, 13-15)         Sheldon/Clercent LCA

Bonnie/Cairon ANT       0-2 (11-21, 3-21)  Webb/Blake JAM

Small/Cluevvan VIN     0-2 (12-21, 18-21) Sheldon/Clercent LCA

Juegos del viernes

MEX vs JAM 11:00 a.m. Cancha central

SKN vs CRC 11:00 a.m. Cancha 2

CUB vs DOM 12:00 md. CC

CAY vs VEN 12:00 md. C2

PUR vs ESA 3:00 CC

GUA vs HAI 3:00 p.m. C2

ISV vs NCA 4:00 p.m. CC

LCA vs COL 4:00 p.m. C2

Women’s Beach Volleyball Round of 16 decided at 2023 CAC Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 22, 2023.- The round of 16 teams that are battling to reach the quarterfinals in the women’s beach volleyball tournament of the San Salvador 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games is ready.

After an intense day of competition, with challenging matches, the best ranked teams of each pool are seeded for the knockout round.

Abril Flores/Atenas Gutiérrez of Mexico booked their ticket after defeating the Jamaican duo of Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith 2-0 (21-16, 21-6) in Pool A.

In the round of 16, Flores/Gutiérrez will face Teisha Joseph/Apphia Glasgow of Trinidad and Tobago who prevailed over Grenada in the qualifier match.

In Pool B, Julibeth Payano/Bethania Almanzar (DOM) beat Ana Maria Beltrand/Yaleny Moreno of Colombia (21-18, 21-15) and are ready to face Nelissa Ramirez/Shantell Arnold of Belize.

Julibeth Payano and Bethania Almanzar of DominicanRepublic

The Central Caribe Sports -CCS- team of Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt won 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) against Cristina Almeida/Amber Benneth (ISV). Girón and Bethancourt will meet Lisa Leblanc/Megan Calhoun of Bermuda in the eight-finals, they finished third place in Pool B.

Gabriela Brito/Juliennis Regalado (VEN), defeated Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodríbuez of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) to top Pool D and advance into the eight-finals where they will face Deajra Tulloch/Chlouie Gaetos of Cayman Islands, third in pool A.

Maria Gonzalez/Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico beat Angel Williams/Kianny Araya of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) for first place in Pool E and face in the round of 16 Ana Maria Beltrand/Yaleny Moreno of Colombia, who ended second place in Pool B.

Cuba’s Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros were first place of Pool F after beating Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina of El Salvador 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).

Cuba will play against Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith of Jamaica, second place in Pool A, while Soler/Molina (ESA) will face Almeida/Benneth (ISV), second in Pool C to move into the round of sixteen.

Silva/Rodríguez (NCA) and Williams/Araya (CRC) will meet in the Central American derby for the round of eight teams, both finishing second place in Pools D and E respectively.

Natalia Girón of Centro Caribe Sports (GUA)

Thursday’s results

Flores/Gutierrez           MEX     2-0 (21-16, 21-6)    Kelly/Smith JAM    

Beltran/YAleny             COL      0-2 (18-21, 15-21) Payano/Almanzar DOM 

Frankel/Tammenga      SUR     0-2 Forfeit of team A LeBlanc/Calhoun BER       

N. Giron/Betancourt (CCS)       2-0 (21-10, 22-20)  Almeida-Anz/Bennett ISV    

Wilson/Cuero               PAN      2-0 (21-14, 21-8)    Edwards/Lewis ANT 

Gabi/Juliennis VEN      2-0 (21-13, 21-14)  Silva/Lolette NCA     

Thornia/Stafford           GRN     2-0 (27-25, 22-20)  Allen/Lake SKN        

Gonzalez/Navas           PUR      2-0 (21-17, 21-9)   Williams /Quesada CRC        

Murillo/Bruhier HON     0-2 (16-21, 14-21)  Joseph/Glasgow TTO

Soler/Molina                 ESA      0-2 (17-21, 16-21) Rivera/Amanda CUB             

Ramirez/Arnold            BIZ       2-0 (21-17, 21-12)  Denila/Neptune LCA            

Thornia/Stafford           GRN     0-2 Forfeit of team A Joseph/Glasgow TTO        

Wilson/Cuero               PAN      0-2 (12-21, 20-22)  Ramirez/Arnold BIZ             

Edwards/Lewis             ANT      2-0 Forfeit of team B  Frankel/Tammenga SUR

Friday’s matches

MEX vs TTO 9:00 a.m. CC

ISV vs ESA 9:00 C2

PUR vs COL 10:00 a.m. CC

CAY vs VEN 10:00 a.m C2

GUA vs BER 1:00 p.m. CC

JAM vs CUB 1:00 p.m. C2

NCA vs CRC 2:00 pm. CC

BIZ vs DOM 2:00 p.m. C2 

FIVB Executive Committee confirms commitment to innovation in sport

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 21, 2023.- The FIVB Executive Committee, led by FIVB President Dr Ary S Graça F°, today met in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, to discuss further innovations and opportunities for the sport and its development all over the world.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the Executive Committee to discuss the agenda planned for the Board of Administration meeting, set for 22-24 June 2023, as well as several other important topics. These included the timeline for the Continental Confederations’ Congresses 2024 and the change of National Federation of Origin requests.

Opening the meeting, the FIVB President said:

“The FIVB will never stop innovating and providing more opportunities for our sport. During this week’s Board of Administration meeting, we will present a number of important innovations that will be the next major milestones for our sport and I am delighted that the Executive Committee is fully aligned in its support for these projects.”

Intense day of Men’s Beach Volleyball at the CAC Games 2023

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 21, 2023.- The men’s Beach Volleyball tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023 started with the right foot with several duos showing as teams to beat at the event. 

In pool A, Kevin Rodriguez/ Josué Rivera (PUR) prevailed 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) over Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria (CAY) and are ready to face Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico (who earned a bye) on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to decide who will end in first place.

In pool B, Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) beat Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando (HAI)  2-0 (21-9, 21-12) and on Thursday will face Juan Carlos Noriega/Yeferson De La Hoz of Colombia, who didn’t play today either.

St. Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes (SKN) scored 2-0 (21-9, 21-14) against Small Jahmal/ Cluevvan Cumberbatch (VIN) and will decide pool C against Andy Leonardo and Luis García (CSC) who won after a now show of Martinique.

In pool D, Rolando Hernández/José Gómez (VEN) defeated Turks and Caicos  2-0 (21-1, 21-while Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen (ISV) beat Dwight Bonnie /Cairon David (ANT) 2-0 (21-15, 21-16); the winners will face each other to advance in a better position to the next round.

Casey Santamaria of CAY

Noslen Diaz/Jorge Luis Alayo (CUB), earned a 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) victory against Ryck Webb/Martin Blake (JAM) and on Thursday will play Ruben Mora/ Jefferson Cascante (NCA) who beat Ernest Broaster/Gabriel Nuñez (BIZ) 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) in pool E.

In pool F, Franklin Flores and Armando Guatemala (ESA) beat José González/Jason Quintero (PAN) 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) while Daniel Dyner/ Jhostin Varela (CRC) battled three sets to overcome Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent (LCA) 2-1 (22-24, 21-18, 15-9).

Thursday schedule – pool-play

MEX vs PUR 10:00 a.m.

COL vs DOM 11:00 a.m.

CCS vs SKN 2:00 p.m.

TCI vs ANT 3:00 p.m.

NCA vs CUB 6:00 p.m.

BIZ vs JAM 6:00 p.m.

ESA vs CRC 7:00 p.m.

PAN vs LCA 7:00 p.m.

Women’s Beach Volleyball started at the CAC 2023 Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 21, 2023.- The Women’s Beach Volleyball tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023 started with pool-play in all six pools, where teams showed their different abilities to try and reach the podium.

In Pool A, Kelly /Smith of Jamaica prevailed over D. Tulloch/C. Gaetos of Cayman Islands  2-0 (21-15, 21-10) and will play for first place Flores/Gutiérrez of Mexico, who earned a bye on Wednesday.

Beltran/Yanely of Colombia and Dominicans Payano/Almanzar will meet on Thursday at 9:00 am to decide the winner of Pool B after both won to their respective opponents; Beltran/Yanely defeated Suriname (no show) and Payano/Almanzar overpowered Leblanc/Calhoun of Bermudas (21-4, 21-4).

In Pool C, the Centro Caribe Sports team -CCS -(Girón/Bethancourt) came out on top Wilson/Cuero of Panama 2-0 (21-14, 21-11) and Almeida/Benneth of the U.S. Virgin Islands did the same against Antigua and Barbuda of Edwards/Lewis (21-09, 21-12). Centro Caribe Sports and the U.S. Virgin Islands will decide who advances as first in their pool.

Gabi/Juliennis of Venezuela and Silva/Lolette of Nicaragua were the winners in Pool D, facing Thornia/Stafford of Grenada (21-10, 21-10) and St. Kitts and Nevis of Allen/Lake (21-9, 21-12) respectively, and tomorrow they will decide who takes the lead.  

Costa Rica’s Williams/Quesada beat Joseph/Glasgow of Trinidad and Tobago (21-16, 21-13);  while Puerto Rico’s Gonzalez/Navas did their thing over Murillo/Bruhier of Honduras 21-8, 21-6 and will face each other to lead Pool E.

Yvonne Soler of El Salvador celebrates

Results Wednesday

JAM def 2-0 CAY (21-15, 21-10) ; COL def 2-0 SUR (forfeit); DOM def 2-0 BER (21-4, 21-4); CCS def 2-0 PAN (21-14, 21-11); ISV def 2-0 ANT (21-09, 21-12); VEN def 2-0 GRN (21-10, 21-10); PUR def 2-0 HON (21-8, 21-6); CRC def 2-0 TTO (21-16, 21-13); NCA def 2-0 SKN (21-9, 21-12); ESA def 2-0 BIZ (21-17, 21-13); CUB def 2-0 LCA (21-9, 21-15)

Thursday schedule

MEX vs JAM 8:00 a.m.

COL vs DOM 9:00 a.m.

GUA vs ISV 12:00 MD

VEN vs NCA 1:00 p.m.

PUR vs CRC 4:00 p.m.

ESA vs CUB 5:00 p.m.

SUR vs BER 9:00 a.m.

PAN vs ANT 12:00 MD

GRA vs SKN 1:00 p.m.

HON vs TTO 4:00 p.m.

BIZ vs LCA 5:00 p.m.

Women’s Teams

Zellene Edwards/Josanne Lewis, de ANT. Lisa Leblanc/Megan Calhoun de BER. Nelissa Ramirez/Shantell Arnold de BIZ. Deajra Tulloch/Chlouie Gaetos de CAY. Ana Maria Beltrand/Yaleny Moreno, de COL, Angel Williams/Kianny Araya, de CRC. Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros de CUB; Julibeth Payano/Bethania Almanzar, de DOM.  Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina, de ESA; Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford de Granada. Natalia Jirón/Estefanie Bethancourt de GUA; Xue Nicole Murillo/Reizel Bruhier, de HON; Cristina Almeida/Amber Benneth, de ISV; Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith, de JAM; Denila Prospere/Kerin Neptune, de LCA; Abril Flores/Atenas Gutierrez, de MEX; Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodriguez, de NCA; Ingrid Lezcano/Hashlyn Cuero de PAN; Maria Gonzalez/Allanis Navas, de PUR; Brenda Allen, Genelle Howell, de SKN; Chagnaz Frankel/Janneke Tammenga, de SUR; Teisha Joseph/Apphia Glasgow, de TTO; Gabriela Brito/Juliennis Regalado, de VEN.

Beach Volleyball start the CAC Games San Salvador 2023

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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 21, 2023.- The Beach Volleyball tournament start the actions of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games, San Salvador 2023, at Costa del Sol on Wednesday June 21.

Beach Volleyball begins two days prior to the Opening Ceremony, scheduled for June 23 at 7:00 p.m. (local time) at the Jorge “El Mágico” González National Stadium.

The first sport will be women’s beach volleyball, at 8:00 a.m. with the Cayman Islands’ duo of Deajra Tulloch and Chlouie Gaetos against Jamaica’s Chauna Kelly and Petal Smith, at central court of the Costa del Sol National Stadium.

At 9:00 a.m., Colombian duo of Ana Maria Flores and Yaleny Moreno is scheduled to face the representatives of Suriname, Chagnaz Frankel and Janneke Tammenga.

Men’s beach volleyball will begin at 10:00 a.m., with Puerto Rico’s duo of Kevin Rodriguez and Josue Rivera, against Jesario Ebanks and Casey Santamaria of Cayman Islands.

Beach volleyball will be played until 7:00 p.m. in both genders.

For live results of all sports, visit the CAC Games website sansalvador2023.com.

Women’s Beach Volleyball kicks off at 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 20, 2023.- The Women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games will start on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. (local time) with 23 tandems aiming for gold.

The winner of the gold medal at last year’s Junior Sea and Beach Games in Santa Marta, Colombia, Allanis Navas and María González of Puerto Rico have their minds set to top the podium.

Allanis, who finished fourth place at the previous Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia said “we’ve had a great preparation plan; we’ve completed the entire program planned by our coach and that’s given us good results. This tournament will be a close competition, there are good duos, but we hope to keep our momentum and improve our performance from our previous tournaments”.

Cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros, inherit the dynasty of Leila Martinez, alongside Lianma Flores and later with Mailen Deliz, who won for Cuba the past two editions of the CAC Games. Cuba has overall three gold medals as does Mexico.

“We are a young pair, very new, but we’ve been performing well. In the Junior Sea Games, we lost the gold medal match to Puerto Rico, and we believe we can do better. We are focused and ready to keep on giving our best,” said Rivera.

Ivonne Soler of El Salvador is back at the Central American and Caribbean Games after 21 years, “my first Games and my first important event was here in 2002, and it’s exciting and an honor representing my country, with my people. We hope they will come out to support us, to motivate us because we are willing to give our all for them to be proud of us”.

There are 23 countries competing in the women’s beach volleyball event, divided in 6 pools.

Costa Rica during oficial registration

Composición de Grupos

Pool A: Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica.

Pool B: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Suriname

Pool C: Guatemala, U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua & Barbudas, Panama

Pool D: Venezuela, Nicaragua, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada

Pool E: Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, Honduras

Pool F: El Salvador, Cuba, St. Lucia, Belize

The first and second places from each pool will advance to the eight finals, while the last positions will play a consolation round.

Wednesday schedule

CAY vs JAM 8:00 a.m.  Central Court

COL vs SUR 9:00 a.m.

DOM vs VER 9:00 a.m. Court 2

GUA vs PAN 12:00 Central Court

ISV vs ANT 12:00 Court 2

Women’s Teams:

Zellene Edwards /Josanne Lewis, de ANT. Lisa Leblanc/Megan Calhoun de BER. Nelissa Ramirez/Shantell Arnold de BIZ. Deajra Tulloch/Chlouie Gaetos de CAY. Ana Maria Beltrand/Yaleny Moreno, de COL, Angel Williams/Kianny Araya, de CRC. Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros de CUB; Julibeth Payano/Bethania Almanzar, de DOM.  Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina, de ESA; Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford de Granada. Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt de GUA; Xue Nicole Murillo/Reizel Bruhier, de HON; Cristina Almeida/Amber Benneth, de ISV; Chauna Kelly/Petal Smith, de JAM; Denila Prospere/Kerin Neptune, de LCA; Abril Flores/Atenas Gutierrez, de MEX; Nahima Silva/Lolette Rodriguez, de NCA; Ingrid Lezcano/Hashlyn Cuero de PAN; Maria Gonzalez/Allanis Navas, de PUR; Brenda Allen, Genelle Howell, de SKN; Chagnaz Frankel/Janneke Tammenga, de SUR; Teisha Joseph/Apphia Glasgow, de TTO; Gabriela Brito/Juliennis Regalado, de VEN. 

22 Countries in Men’s Beach Volleyball at CAC Games San Salvador

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COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 20, 2023.- The men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament at the San Salvador 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games will start on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. (local time) with 22 pairs battling to top the podium.

Cuba, winners of the past two editions of the Games, is ready to defend their title, but with the new duo of Noslen Díaz/Jorge Alayo.

“We are prepared to reach the podium and give our country another joy. We’ve been playing together in several events this year, including in Brazil and we believe we can continue the winning streak at these Games”, said Noslen.

Mexican Juan Virgen, who is playing in his fourth CAC Games, winner of two silver medals and one bronze, said that this will be a competitive tournament. “There are good teams, we are all aiming for the podium, I have won several medals in previous tournaments and the goal is to continue, despite the good teams in the competition”.

Armando Guatemala, a player of the host country who will defend El Salvador’s honor said “we have trained hard because we want to have a good performance. We are aware it will be challenging, we have difficult matches, but we want to put our country’s name in high, even more while playing at home with the support of our people”.

The competition schedule divided teams in six pools, four of them with 4 tandems and two with three. The first and second places will advance to the eight finals, while the last positions will play a consolation round.

Puerto Rico during oficial registration

Pool Composition

Pool A: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands

Pool B: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti

Pool C: Guatemala, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Martinique

Pool D: Venezuela, U.S.Virgin Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Turks & Caicos

Pool E: Nicaragua, Cuba, Jamaica, Belize

Pool F: El Salvador, Costa Rica, St. Lucia, Panama

Wednesday morning schedule

PUR vs CAY     10:00 a.m. central court

DOM vs HAI    11:00 a.m.

GUA vs MQE   2:00 p.m.

SKN vs VIN      2:00 p.m. (court 2)

Equipos Hombres:

Dwight Bonnie /Cairon David, de ANT; Ernest Broaster/ Gabriel Nuñez, de BIZ; Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria, de CAY; Juan Carlos Noriega/Yeferson De La Hode COL; Daniel Dyner/ Jhostin Varela, de CRC; Noslen Diaz/Jorge Luis Alayo, de CUB; Hayerling de De Jesus/ Oscar Martinez de DOM; Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala de ESA; Andy Leonardo/Luis García, de GUA; Irvens Benjamin/Joseph Olando de HAI; Marc Lomeli/Austin Pippen de ISV; Ryck Webb/Martin Blake, JAM; Sheldon Descartes/Joseph Clercent de LCA; Juan Virgen/Miguel Sarabia, de MEX; Martel Bosqui/Brice Hardy de MQE; Rubén Mora/ Jefferson Cascante, de NCA; José González/Jason Quintero, de PAN; Kevin Rodriguez/ Josué Rivera de PUR; St Clair Hodge/Shaw Seabrookes de SKN; Scott Hawkins/Sebastian Simmons, de TCI; Rolando Hernández/José Gómez, de VEN; Small Jahmal/ Cluevvan Cumberbatch de VIN

Beach Volleyball at Central American and Caribbean Games 2023

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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 19, 2023.  – The Beach Volleyball competition at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador will run from June 21-27 in Costa del Sol, a discipline that has been dominated by Cuba men and equally divided between Mexico and Cuba in women.

Cuba has won the men’s event on four occasions since the inception of the Central American Games in 1998 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, two of them in a row (Veracruz, Mexico 2014 and Barranquilla, Colombia 2018).

Cubans Sergio González and Nivaldo Díaz earned the men’s title in the past two editions in Veracruz and Barranquilla.

Mexico men have stepped on the CAC podium in each of the six tournaments, where the biggest NORCECA medalist, Olympic Juan Virgen has earned two silver medals, at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 2010 and Barranquilla, Colombia 2018, and a bronze medal in Veracruz, Mexico 2014.

In the women’s field, both Mexico and Cuba have won three gold medals each, and as well as in the men’s competition, Cuba has back-to-back gold medals in the past two editions of the Games.

Leila Martinez won both gold medals, first with Lianma Flores in Veracruz 2014 and in Barranquilla 2018 pairing with Mailen Deliz.

All these Cuban medalists have now stepped down for a new generation of Cuban athletes to take on their legacy.

Men’s Podiums

1998Rossell/Chambers CUBJackson/Sotelo MEXDe Jesús/Velasco PUR
2002Hernández/Papaleo PURRodríguez/Hernández MEXVásquez/Rodríguez VEN
2006Álvarez/Villar CUBHenríquez/Hernández VENOntiveros/Ontiveros MEX
2010Hernández/Villafañe VENMiramontes/Vírgen MEXIrizarry/Rodríguez PUR
2014González/Díaz CUBVillafañe/Henríquez VENVírgen/Ontiveros MEX
2018González/Díaz CUBVírgen/Ontiveros MEXMurray/Manjarres COL

Composite Medals

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
CUB4004
VEN1124
PUR1023
MEX0426
COL0011

Women’s Podiums

1998Amaral/Huerta MEXFerrer/Blanco CUBAbreu/Zambrano VEN
2002García/Gaxiola MEXRodríguez/Cova VENBonilla/Santos DOM
2006Fernández/Larrea CUBVírgen/Revuelta MEXRodríguez/García VEN
2010Candelas/García MEXAcevedo/Santiago PURGalindo/Galindo COL
2014Flores/Martínez CUBCandelas/Revuelta MEXPazo/Agudo VEN
2018Leila/Maylen CUBYuli/Diana COLAgudo/Gabi VEN

Composite Medals 

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
MEX3205
CUB3104
VEN0145
PUR0101
DOM0011
COL0112

Canada wins gold at Beach Pro Tour Challenge in Jurmala

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JURMALA, Latvia, June 18, 2023.-  Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes won their first Beach Pro Tour gold medal as a team in Jurmala, Latvia, today.

Canada defeated Switzerland’s Zoé Vergé-Dépré and Esmée Böbner 2-0 (21-17, 21-17).

Although the Swiss duo put pressure on Canada with their serve, Canada out blocked (5-1) their opponents, led in attack points and made fewer errors.

“It was a really solid week of consistent play by us. We stuck together, overcoming some adversity and really enjoyed playing each point,” said Humana-Paredes, who won this event last year with previous partner, Sarah Pavan.

“It’s been a long time on the road and we’re excited to go home to celebrate with our loved ones and get ready for the next one!”

Brandie Wilerson CAN blocks during gold medal match

Brandie/Melissa also won a bronze medal at the Elite 16 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, earlier this month.

“I am so happy, this team has been working hard so it’s so good to see it come out as a gold medal,” Wilkerson said in the post-match interview. “Every point we played as if it was the first point of the game until the very end. Our opponents are talented, and had a great tournament, so it was an effort to play against them.”

Earlier today, Canada’s team also beat home country favourites Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina in the semifinal 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) to advance to the gold medal match. Latvia ended up winning the bronze medal over Brazil’s Tainá/Victoria in a tie break (21-11, 20-22, 15-13).

For more information on the Beach Pro Tour, which counts towards Olympic qualification points, see the Beach Volleyball World website: https://en.volleyballworld.com/beachvolleyball/competitions/beach-pro-tour/

NORCECA Mourns Passing of Volleyball Referee Hernán Casamiquela

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 16, 2023.- The NORCECA Confederation is deeply saddened by the loss of Argentinean Referee Hernán Casamiquela who passed away in Brasilia, Brazil.

Hernán Casamiquela was currently in Brasilia fulfilling his  referee duties at the Volleyball Nations League and passed away for natural causes.  

Casamiquela had a remarkable career as a national and international referee, with a long trajectory at World Championships and Olympic Games; he was current director of the National Refereeing Secretariat in Argentina.

NORCECA extends its deepest condolences to the international refereeing family, the Argentinean Volleyball Federation, and his loved ones during this difficult time.

Puerto Rico, USA, Canada and Dominican Republic Women qualify to the World Championship

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 8, 2023.- The women’s teams Puerto Rico, the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic qualified to the World Championship in Tlaxcala, Mexico at the NORCECA Continental Qualifying Beach Volleyball Tournament, that concluded on Thursday on the sand courts at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas/María González took the top honors after beating Kelley Kolinske/Hailey Harward of the United States in gold medal match 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15 -11).

Shanice Marcelle/Sophie Bukovec of Canada won the bronze medal match defeating Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano of the Dominican Republic (4th place) 2-0 (21-19, 21-11).

María González (PUR) spikes, Kelley Kolinske (USA) blocks

Fifth place went to Amanda Armenteros/Yenifer Rivera of Cuba after defeating Ximena Núñez/Kianny Araya of Costa Rica (6th place) 2-1 (19-21, 21-11, 15-8), while seventh place went to Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt from Guatemala who beat Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez from Nicaragua (8th place) 2-0 by forfeit.

Yvone Soler/Laura Molina from El Salvador finished ninth place beating Melanie Valenciana/Bailey Foy from the U.S. Virgin Islands (10th place) 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) and iChauna Kelly/Petal Smith of Jamaica finished eleventh over Chlouie Gaetos/Deajra Tulloch (12th place) 2-1 (21-10, 15-21, 15-10).

The 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championship will take place in Tlaxcala, Mexico from October 6 to 15.

Cuba, Nicaragua, USA and Canada Men win berths to World Championship

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 8, 2023.- Cuba, Nicaragua, the United States and Canada Men won the four berths to the World Championship in Tlaxcala, Mexico, granted by the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Qualifying Tournament, which concluded with success this Thursday on the sand courts at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz of Cuba were crowned champions of the Tournament after defeating 2-0 (21-12, 21-10) over the duo of Rubén Mora/Dany López from Nicaragua in gold medal match of the event.

Samuel Schatchter/Daniel Dearing of Canada won bronze due to an injury of Andrew Benesh with teammate Miles Partain of the United States (4th place).

Jorge Alayo digging

Andy Blanco/Luis García from Guatemala won the match for fith place, after it was suspended because  Hayerling De Jesús accompanied by Oscar Martínez of Dominican Republic (6th place) presented a muscle cramp and had to retire from the game in the third set.

Danier Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica finished seventh, defeating Garrett Bucklin/Robert Cronshaw of Virgin Islands (8th place) who withdrew.

In ninth place were Joseph Clercent/Sheldon Descartes from Saint Lucia after beating Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala from El Salvador (10th) 2-1 (8-21, 23-21, 15-13), the eleventh position went to Mark Blake/Javian Smith of Jamaica who defeated Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson of Cayman Islands (12th place).

The 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championship will take place in Tlaxcala, Mexico from October 6 to 15.

USA, Canada and Puerto Rico Women undefeated at NORCECA World Qualifier

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 7, 2023.- Women duos of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico advanced undefeated to the quarterfinal round of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball in Punta Cana, a Qualifier tournament to the 2023 World Championship.

USA’s duo of Kelley Kolinse and Haley Harward easily defeated Cubans Amanda Armenteros and Yenifer Rivera 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) in Pool A. Then they controlled two Central American tandems, that of Yvonne Soler and Laura Molina of El Salvador 2-0 (21-4, 21-8), and Guatemalans Natalia Giron and Estefanie Bethancourt 2-0 ( 21-17, 21-20).

Canadians Shanice Marcelle and Sophie Bukovec went undefeated in Pool B, first defeating Chlouie Gaetos/Deajra Tulloch of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-7, 21-7), then over Lolette Rodriguez and Socorro Lopez of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-13, 22-20), followed by a 2-0 (21-10 , 21-9) victory against Ximena Núñez and Kianny Araya of Costa Rica.

Shanice Marcelle (2) and Sophie Bukovec (1) of Canada

In Pool C, Allanis Navas alongside Maria Gonzalez started their campaign with two solid wins. First with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-5) win over Chauna Kelly and Petal Smith of Jamaica, followed by a 2-0 (21-4, 21-6) against Melanie Valenciana and Bailey Foy of U.S. Virgin Islands. Dominicans Bethania Almanzar and Julibeth Payano were resilient in the end, but Navas and Gonzalez pulled off their third win 2-0 (21-12, 23-21).

Also advancing into the quarterfinal round are Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano (DOM), Ximena Núñez/Kianny Araya (CRC), Amanda Armenteros/Yenifer Rivera (CUB), Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt (GUA), y Socorro López/Lolette Rodriguez (NCA).

The quarterfinal competition starts this Thursday at 8:30 am (local time) on the sand courts located at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana, the winners will qualify to the 2023 World Championship in Tlaxcala, Mexico and will advance into semifinals.

USA, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada Men advance undefeated at NORCECA World Qualifier

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 7, 2023.- Teams from the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada won all three of their preliminary round matches to advance undefeated to the quarterfinals of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball World Championship Qualifier in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain of the United States in Pool A easily defeated Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-4, 21-4) and dominated Oscar Martinez/Hayerling Goris of the Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-15, 21-14). Benesh and Partain’s most battled performance was overcoming Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz (21-19, 26- 24) who also move into the quarterfinals.

Garrett Bucklin and Robert Cronshaw of the U.S. Virgin Islands managed two beat the two Central American tandems in Pool C, first they overpowered Danier Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) and Andy Blanco/Luis Garcia of Guatemala 2-0 (21-13, 21-17), followed by their third victory against Jamaica´s Mark Blake/Javian Smith 2-0 (21-12, 21- 5).

Sam Schachter of Canada digging

Canadians Sam Schachter and Daniel Dearing had no setbacks in their three Pool B victories. Sam and Dan first defeated Joseph Clercent/Sheldon Descartes of Saint Lucia 2-0 (21-8, 21-10), followed by a 2-0 (21-12, 21-14) over Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala of El Salvador and closing the day 2-0 (21 -18, 21-16) against Ruben Mora and Dany Lopez of Nicaragua.

In addition to Dominicans Oscar Martinez/Hayerling Goris, three Central American pairs will also compete in quarterfinals, Danier Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica, Andy Blanco/Luis Garcia of Guatemala and Rubén Mora/Dany López of Nicaragua.

Winners of the quarterfinals that start at 8:30 (local time) on Thursday, will win the ticket to the 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championship and will advance to semifinals here at Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana.

Four slots up for bids at Continental World Championship Qualifier

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 6, 2023.- The NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball World Championship qualifier has lined up the Confederation’s top teams set to compete in Punta Cana June 7-8 for four slots per gender up for bids to the FIVB 2023 World Championship to be held in October at Tlaxcala, Mexico.

The entry list of twelve teams per gender representing 13 countries has standout names at the Continental NORCECA Beach Tour, the Beach Pro Tour and World Championships.

In the women’s field the number one seeded team is that of the United States, Kelley Kolinske, winner of several NORCECA and Beach Pro Tour medals, with partner Hailey Harward who have teamed up just this year. 

Canada’s Sophie Bukovec, silver medalist at the 2022 World Championship in Rome with former partner Brandie Wilkerson, is teaming up with Shanice Marcelle  who has been competing at the NORCECA Tour since 2021 and in several Beach Pro Futures events.

Allanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez of Puerto Rico have become a NORCECA force since 2018, reaching the NORCECA podium on six occasions and just this weekend won the first Under-23 NORCECA Beach Tour.

USA’s Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh lead the men’s list, they won the bronze medal this past Sunday at the Elite16 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and are competing at their first continental event.

The second seeded team is that of Olympian Samuel Schatcher and Dan Dearing, the number one team of Canada won the 2022 NORCECA Finals and several medals at the NORCECA Tour, finished second at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and qualified to the 2022 World Championship winning this event.

Cubans Jorge Luis Alayo and Nolsen Diaz have made it to the podium in each of the four NORCECA continental events they played in 2022, in this 2023 Varadero event (their only NORCECA this year), won this past weekend the first Under-23 NORCECA tournament and reached this year’s Saquarema Beach Pro Tour semifinals.

NORCECA mourns the loss of Guido Salvo

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SANTO DOMINGO, 6 de junio de 2023.- NORCECA is saddened to learn about the loss of Guido Alberto Salvo Pelleiro, former President of the National Volleyball Federation of Uruguay.

Guido Salvo presided Uruguay Volleyball from 2016 to 2021 and was member of the South American Volleyball Confederation, from where he supported and collaborated with NORCECA in organizing numerous Pan American Cups and Multisports Events that have united both Confederations.

NORCECA and president Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz express their deepest condolences to his respected family and to the Uruguayan volleyball family.

Puerto Rico wins the gold medal in the women’s NORCECA U23 Tour

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 4, 2023.- Puerto Ricans Allanis Nava and María González took the top honors showing a great level of play in gold medal match over Dominicans Jeneiry Rosario and Yari Cleto 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) in Los Corales Beach in Punta Cana.

Canadian duo of Sophia Hladyniuk and Emma Braticevic defeated Dominicans Ruth Martínez and Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) to win the bronze medal.

In the match for fifth place of the event, Ximena Nuñez and Kianny Quesada of Costa Rica prevailed 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) against Naomi Monney and Andrea Godoy of Guatemala.

Allanis Navas (2) and María González (1) of Puerto Rico celebrate during gold medal match

Maryn McCoombs and Lucia Finlason of Cayman Islands finished seventh after  Sofi/Molina of Costa Rica forfeited.

Nahima Silva/Ella Resau of Nicaragua took ninth place over Daniela Vigil and Karla Tovar of El Salvador in three sets 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-5). 

USA’s Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh win Bronze in Ostrava

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, June 4, 2023.- Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh of the United States won the bronze medal at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 men’s tournament on Sunday in Ostrava.

Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh, seeded 13th in the main draw bracket, made their way to the podium after starting their Ostrava quest from Wednesday’s qualifiers. Their bronze was the pair’s second medal on the Beach Pro Tour, after the gold they took at the first Dubai Challenge in October.

Partain & Benesh had to go against home favourites Ondrej Perusic & David Schweiner and the fantastic Ostrava crowd on the centre court stands that cheered the Czech team on. However, that seemed to be counter-productive for the Perusic & Schweiner this time as they made far too many unforced errors allowing the Americans to dominate throughout the match and celebrate a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) upset of the fourth-seeded opponents.

 Schweiner was the best scorer of the match with 18 points, while defender Perusic finished with seven. Benesh had 15 and Partain – 13.

Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh

In the semifinals Partain & Benesh took the first set of that match, but then Qatar’s Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan fought back to win it by 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15-9). Ahmed outscored everyone on the court with 23 points, including an ace, while Cherif raised three kill blocks and also aced once to tally 17 points to his name. Benesh finished with 22 points, while Partain added another 15.

Reigning Olympic and world champions, FIVB World Ranking leaders and defending Ostrava trophy-holders Anders Mol & Christian Sorum of Norway won the gold medal over  Cherif & Ahmed 2-1 (21-15, 19-21, 15-12).

VW Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16: all results

Cannon & Sponcil and Melissa & Brandie reach Ostrava podium

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, June 4, 2023.- Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil of the United States won the silver medal and Canadians Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes won the bronze at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Ostrava.

· Watch Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 replays on VBTV.

Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil started their Ostrava campaign from Wednesday’s qualifiers and made it all the way to Sunday’s final. It was the fourth Beach Pro Tour podium for their team. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Sponcil had already been on the Ostrava podium once, as she and her previous partner Kelly Claes (now Cheng) took the 2021 4-star gold in the Czech city, which is when they qualified for the Games in Japan.

Also from the qualifiers, Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson, completed the podium with bronze. It was only the third Beach Pro Tour appearance for the recently formed pairing of Canadian Olympians and they already have their first medal. Brandie had a 2018 4-star silver from Ostrava with Heather Bansley.

Melissa and Brandie Canada, bronze medal

Cannon & Sponcil, seeded bottom 16th in the main draw bracket, dominated the first set of Sunday’s big final against Ana Patricia & Duda, but the top-seeded Brazilians fought back to triumph after a 2-1 (17-21, 21-14, 15-12) victory, mostly thanks to their solid performance in offence.

In the bronze medal match, fifth-seeded Nina Brunner & Tanja Huberli of Switzerland had control over the scoreboard only during the first few rallies of the first set, but then 13th-seeded Melissa & Brandie pushed forward on all counts and dominated the rest of the game on the way to a 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) shutout.


Earlier in the semifinals, Cannon & Sponcil opened for the day with a hard-fought 2-1 (19-21, 23-21, 15-13) comeback against Melissa & Brandie.

Dominican Duos advance to Women Semifinals at the NORCECA U23 Tour

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 3, 2023.- Two duos of the Dominican Republic will compete in the women’s semifinals of the Under-23 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour being successfully held at Los Corales beach in Punta Cana.

The two Dominican couples qualified for the semifinals of the event that concludes this Sunday, after winning in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Rosario and Cleto defeated Monney and Godoy from Guatemala 2-0 (24-22, 21-10) to advance to the next phase of the tournament, while in an electrifying match full of emotions, injuries, and passion, the duo of Martínez and Paniagua defeated Núñez and Quezada from Costa Rica in three intense sets (23-21, 23-25, 18-16) to get their ticket to the next stage.

In accordance with the regulations of the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation, two teams from the same country that both reach the semifinals will have to face each other, therefore the duo of Rosario and Cleto will have to face the team formed by Martínez and Paniagua of Dominican Republic.

The other two couples that advanced to the semifinals are the one made up of Hladyniuk and Braticevic from Canada who easily beat the one made up of McCoombs and Finlason from the Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-3, 21-9) and the duo of Navas and González from Puerto Rico defeated Sofi and Molina from Costa Rica 2-1 (21-13, 21-13).

The other two pairs advancing into semifinals are Canadians Hladyniuk and  Braticevic and Puerto Rico’s Navas and Gonzalez.

Sophia Hladyniuk of Canada

Hladyniuk and Braticevic easily beat McCoombs and Finlason of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-3, 21-9), while Navas and González triumphed over Sofi and Molina of Costa Rica  2-0 (21-13, 21-13).

In semifinals, Dominicans will face each other, and Canada goes up against Puerto Rico.

The semifinals are scheduled on Sunday at 9:00 am (local time) as well as matches for positions 5 to 11, medal matches will be held during the afternoon.

Cuba, Nicaragua, Canada and Costa Rica advance to Men Semifinals in the NORCECA U23

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 3, 2023.- Cuba, Canada and Costa Rica advanced to the men’s Under-23 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour semifinals, after winning in quarterfinals at Los Corales beach in Punta Cana.

The Canadian duo of Chadwick/Gannett defeated  Guatemala’s Ventura/Izaguirre 2-1 (27-29, 21-14, 15-6) in a marathon match that lasted for 1 hour and four minutes to advance into the semifinals.

Canadian duo of Chadwick/Gannett

The other three pairs in the semifinals are that Araya/Varela (CRC) who defeated Licht/Abrams (CAN) 2-0 (28-26, 21-16), Cubans Alayo/Díaz who struck down the Guardado twins from El Salvador 2-0 (21-2, 21-7) in a match that barely lasted 20 minutes and Nicaragua’s Cascante/Meneses who overcame Morton/Zendai (SKN) in three well fought sets 2-1 (19 -21, 21-14, 15-9).

The competition will conclude on Sunday starting at 9:00am (local time) with the semifinals on courts 1 and 2, while matches for positions 5 to 12 will be played on court 3; medal matches will be held in the afternoon.

Brandie and Melissa set to make first semifinal appearance

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OSTRAVA,  Czech Republic, June 3, 2023.- Canadians Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes are ready to fight for their first international medal after just three events together as they continued their impeccable run at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Ostrava, Czechia, on Saturday with another win and are now set to compete in the semifinals of the tournament on Sunday.

The Canadian Olympians will face Americans Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil in one of the semifinals of the women’s tournament in Ostrava, at 09:00 local time (07:00 UTC).

Watch all matches at the Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 event live on VBTV.

To make it to the semifinals in Ostrava, the two, who started the tournament on Wednesday’s qualifier, had to win six matches and they did so while dropping just one set. That happened on Saturday, when they faced Americans Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss in the quarterfinals and pulled off a hard-fought, three-set (21-19, 13-21, 15-12) win.

Their next opponents Cannon and Sponcil had as long of a route as theirs, also beginning their campaign in Ostrava in the qualifier. The Americans won five of their six matches in Ostrava so far and prevailed over Swiss Olympic medalists Anouk Vergé-Dépré and Joana in the quarterfinals with a comfortable 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) victory.

VW Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16: schedule and results

In men, Americans Andy Benesh and Miles Partain also reached the semifinals and will face Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar on Sunday at 12:00 local time (10:00 UTC)

Partain and Benesh had a long route to the semifinals, having played as many as seven matches since they started their campaign in Ostrava, on Wednesday, in the qualifier. The Americans had two matches on Saturday and overcame Poland’s Michal Bryl and Bartosz Losiak 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) in the Round of 12 and Swedish David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig also in two sets (21-18, 21-0) in the quarterfinals – Hellvig was forced to withdraw from the match at the end of the first set after he sustained a wrist injury.

Seven duos undefeated at start the Men’s Under-23 Preliminary Round

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 2, 2023.- Seven duos undefeated on the first day of competition at the Under-23 NORCECA 2023 Beach Volleyball Tournament, taking place on the sand courts located at Los Corales beach in Punta Cana.

In pool D, Araya/Varela (CRC) had no difficulties in beating their two opponents; they first defeated George/Daley of British Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-7, 21-8) and then against  Maldonado/Paredes 2-0 (21-10, 21-10).

Guardado twins of El Salvador, also in pool D, controlled Maldonado/Paredes (DOM) 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) and George/Daley (IVB) by a 2-0 (21-4, 21-2) score.

Morton/Zendai of St. Kitts and Nevis in pool A got a win 2-0 (21-15,21-7) over Cayman Islands’ of Watson/Verhoeven who were also defeated by  Canadians Chadwick/Gannett 2-0 (21-11, 21-9).

Also, Guatemala’s Ventura/Izaguirre and Nicaragua’s Cascante/Meneses dominated Joseph/Martin de Antigua y Barbudas in pool B, 2-0 (21-7, 21-6) and 2-0 (21-9, 21-6) respectively.  

Alayo/Díaz of Cuba in pool C, obtained a 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) victory over Licht/Abrams of Canada in pool C, who earlier defeated Gil/Wilmore of the Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-7, 21-16).

The preliminary round concludes on Saturday morning, to then carry out the draw to determine the crossover quarterfinal round and the teams who play for placing matches in the afternoon.

Men’s Results Day 1:

SKN Morton/Zendai d CAY Watson/Verhoeven 2-0 (21-15,21-7)

NCA Cascante/Meneses d ANT Joseph/Martin 2-0 (21-9, 21-6)

CAN Licht/Abrams d DOM Gil/Wilmore 2-0 (21-7, 21-16)

ESA Guardado Y./Guardado C. d DOM Maldonado/Paredes 2-0 (21-11, 21-10)

CRC Araya/Varela d IVB George/Daley 2-0 (21-7, 21-8)

CAN Chadwick/Gannett d CAY Watson/Verhoeven 2-0 (21-11, 21-9)

GUA Ventura Izaguirre d ANT Joseph/Martin 2-0 (21-7, 21-6)

CUB Alayo/Díaz d CAN Licht/Abrams 2-0 (21-12, 21-12)

CRC Araya/Varela d DOM Maldonado/Paredes 2-0 (21-10, 21-10)

ESA Guardado Y./Guardado C. d IVB George/Daley 2-0 (21-4, 21-2)

Dominican Women surprises in the NORCECA U-23 Beach Tour

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 2, 2023.- Dominican duo of Ruth Martínez and Crismil Paniagua surprised after winning their both matches on the first day at the 2023 NORCECA Under-23 Beach Volleyball Tour.

Martinez and Paniagua beat the Benjamín/Joseph from Antigua & Barbuda 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) and Costa Rica’s Sofi/Molina with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) score to remain undefeated in the tournament.

Navas/Gonzalez of Puerto Rico had no resistance in pool B, to finish the day unbeaten, with wins over Dominicans Rosario/Cleto 2-0 (21-10, 21-9) and over  McCoombs/Finlason of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-3, 21-7).

In pool A, Núñez/Quesada of Costa Rica defeated Nicaraguans Silva/Resau 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) who then fell to Canadian duo of   Hladyniuk/Braticevic 2-0 (21-15, 21-11).

Ximena Nuñez of Costa Rica spikes

Pool-play will resume on Saturday on the courts at beach Los Corales in Punta Cana.

Women’s Results day 1:

CRC Nunez/Quesada d NCA Silva/Resau 2-0 (21-15, 21-18)

CAY McCoombs/Finlason d ESA Daniela/Tobar 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-6)

PUR Navas/González d DOM Rosario/Cleto 2-0 (21-10, 21-9)

DOM Martínez/Paniagua d ANT Benjamín/Joseph 2-0 (21-9, 21-12)

CRC Sofi/Molina d GUA Monney/Godoy 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-13)

CAN Hladyniuk/Braticevic d NCA Silva/Resau 2-0 (21-15, 21-11)

PUR Navas/Gonzalez d CAY McCoombs/Finlason 2-0 (21-3, 21-7)

ESA Daniela/Tovar d DOM Rosario/Cleto 2-0 (21-12, 21-12)

GUA Money/Godoy d ANT Benjamin/Joseph 2-0 (21-6, 21-10)

DOM Martinez/Paniagua d CRC Sofi/Molina 2-0 (21-17, 21-17)

Two American duos and Canada into Ostrava  women’s quarterfinals

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, June 2, 2023.- USA’s Hughes & Cheng, Cannon & Sponcil and Melissa & Brandie of Canada won their pools to jump into the last eight of the women’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16.

Without dropping a single set in pool play, Sara Hughes & Kelly Cheng cruised directly into quarterfinals as one of the four pool winners. So did Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson. Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil of the United States and Cinja Tillmann & Svenja Muller of Germany booked the other two direct tickets to the last eight of the tournament.

· Watch all matches at the Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 event live on VBTV.

Having started off their Ostrava campaign with a straight-set victory over the world’s number three team Barbara Seixas & Carol Solberg of Brazil on Thursday, Hughes & Cheng continued their Pool C journey with two more shutouts on Friday. First, the Americans mastered a 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) win over Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists Taliqua Clancy & Mariafe Artacho Del Solar of Australia, seeded third in Ostrava, taking advantage of the many unforced errors of the opponents. Then, they dominated over compatriots Betsi Flint & Julia Scoles on the way to a 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) sweep. The three-way tie between the remaining teams in the pool was resolved on point ratio in favour of Clancy & Mariafe for the runner-up spot and Scoles & Flint for the third place, leaving Barbara & Carol out of contention.

Melissa & Brandie followed up on their two straight-set wins on Thursday with another one on Friday to top the final Pool D standings on a flawless record. The Canadian qualifiers handed another shutout, 2-0 (21-19, 21-16), to fourth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk & Rebecca Cavalcanti of Brazil.

Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada

Despite falling 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) to reigning world champions Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Ana Patricia Ramos of Brazil, Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil kept their place on top of the Pool A table to progress to the quarterfinals. In what proved to be a crucial battle for the third place in the pool, USA’s Kristen Nuss & Taryn Kloth claimed a 2-0 (23-21, 21-9) win over European champions Anastasija Samoilova & Tina Graudina of Latvia, their first of the tournament, but enough to overtake the opponents in the standings and send them home.

VW Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16: schedule and results

In men, US qualifiers Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh, finished third in Pool D to stay alive in the tournament, while a three-way tie in Pool A between teams with 1-2 win-loss records was resolved on point ratio which left USA’s Crabb & Brunner out of contention.

24 teams ready to compete at U23 NORCECA Tour in Punta Cana

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, June 1, 2023.- 24 teams are ready to see action in the Under-23 Tournament part of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2023 starting this Friday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic .

13 men’s teams and 11 women’s teams registered during the preliminary inspections on Thursday, aiming to advance from the preliminary pool-play that begins Friday at 9:00 am (local time) on the courts at Los Corales beach in Punta Cana .

There are 28 games scheduled for the first day of competition, 16 in the men’s branch and 12 in the women’s, the quarterfinals will be on Saturday and the semifinal along with the finals on Sunday in addition to placing matches.

El Salvador during Preliminary Inquiry

Men’s Teams: CAN Cameron Chadwick/Tynan Gannett , Martin Licht/Steven Abrams; GUA Mario Ventura/Jose Izaguirre; CUB Jorge Alayo/Nosién Díaz; CRC Julián Araya/Jhostin Varela; ESA Yoel Guardado/ Christopher Guardado; SUN Angel Gil/George Wilmore, Rolvin Maldonado/Ricardo Paredes; NCA Jefferson Cascante/Josue Meneses; SKN Elkreen Morton/Zendai Richards; CAY Stephen Watson/Jayden Verhoeven; ANT Khaliq Joseph/Roshaun Martin; IVB J’adon George/Jaroy Daley.

Women’s Teams: CAN Sophia Hladyniuk/Emma Braticevic; PUR Allanis Navas/Maria González; GUA Naomi Monney/Andrea Godoy; SUN Ruth Martínez/Crismil Paniagua, Jeneiry Rosario/Yari Cleto; ESA Daniela Vigil/Karla Tovar; CRC Ximena Nuñez/Kianny Araya, Sofia Vega/Laura Molina; NCA Nahima Silva/Ella Resau; CAY Maryn McCoombs/Lucie Finlason; ANT Nia Benjamin/Jassania Joseph.

Cannon & Sponcil and Melissa & Brandie march on in Ostrava main draw

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, June 1, 2023.- On Thursday, USA’s Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil were the first team to score two victories at Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 women’s main draw.

However, Canadian qualifiers Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson were the first duo to secure their spot in the women’s quarterfinals after also sweeping both their games.

Watch all matches at the Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 event live on VBTV.

Opening court 2 for action in the early morning, Cannon & Sponcil, seeded bottom 16th, engaged in a Pool A battle with fellow Americans Kristen Nuss & Taryn Kloth and battled their way to a 2-0 (21-17, 22-20) victory with a 23-point contribution from Sponcil.

In the second leg of pool play, Cannon & Sponcil repeated their result from the first match and managed a 2-0 (21-17, 22-20) shutout of Anastasija & Tina. At the same time, Duda & Ana Patricia bounced back from losing the first set to Nuss & Kloth and saved their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-7) comeback victory. Ana Patricia hammered out as many as 33 points against 27 from Kloth.

Taryun Kloth USA digs

In Pool D, 13th-seeded Melissa & Brandie started their day with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) shutout of fifth-seeded Nina Brunner & Tanja Huberli of Switzerland. Brandie was the best scorer of the match with 20 points, including three aces and three blocks. In the afternoon, the Canadians disappointed the home crowd with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-17) sweep of their game against Czechia’s Barbora Hermannova & Marie-Sara Stochlova to secure a top-two finish in the pool after the last leg on Friday.

Straight-set matches marked the first leg in Pool C. USA’s Sara Hughes & Kelly Cheng found no match in the world’s number three team Barbara Seixas & Carol Solberg of Brazil, who had to make their way to the main draw through Wednesday’s qualifiers. The Americans dominated the game to master a 2-0 (21-15, 21-17) sweep with a 21-point match high from Cheng. At the same time, at centre court, Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalists Taliqua Clancy & Mariafe Artacho Del Solar of Australia, seeded third, hammered out a 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) shutout of Americans Betsi Flint & Julia Scoles.

Women’s pool play resumes on Friday morning at 08:30 local time (06:30 UTC).

In men, Germans Clemens Wickler & Nils Ehlers started with a win, a 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-6) comeback against American qualifiers Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh. The Americans then bounced back with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) sweep of their meeting with the Chilean cousins Grimalt  with a 24-point tally from Partain.

USA’s Trevor Crabb & Theodore Brunner bounced back from their loss to French Youssef Krou & Arnaud Gauthier-Rat 2-0 (21-17, 21-15) with a 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-11) comeback victory over Brazilians Pedro Solberg & Guto, as Brunner hammered out 29 points, including seven blocks and two aces.

Men’s pool play resumes on Friday morning at 10:10 local time (08:10 UTC).

VW Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16: schedule and results

Three American teams and one from Canada on way to Ostrava Elite16 main draw

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, May 31, 2023.- American men duos of Trevor Crabb & Theodore Brunner and Miles Partain & Andrew Benesh, USA’s Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil and Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson in women, earned a spot in the main draw at the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Ostrava that got underway on Wednesday with the qualification brackets.

· Watch all matches at the Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 event live on VBTV.

Cannon & Sponcil were the first team to qualify for Thursday’s main draw. After a 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) shutout of China’s Xinxin Wang & Lingdi Zhu, the Americans then faced Lithuania’s Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte, and despite the opponents’ driven performance in the first set, produced a 2-0 (22-20, 21-10) shutout.

Qualification bracket seeding leaders Melissa & Brandie were merciless in both of their matches, first cruising to a 2-0 (21-2, 21-7) blowout of Czechia’s Anna Pavelkova & Katerina Pavelkova, then hammering out a 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) sweep of Switzerland’s Esmee Bobner & Zoe Verge-Depre, to book the last vacancy in the 16-team women’s main draw.

Brandie Wilkerson of Canada receiving

In men, Crabb & Brunner had to deal with a match against compatriots, but in the first round, when they claimed a 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) win over fellow Americans Chaim Schalk & Tri Bourne. Their second match offered a fierce three-set battle with Austria’s Robin Seidl & Moritz Pristauz, in which Crabb & Brunner came back from a set down to squeeze out a narrow 2-1 (24-26, 21-18, 18-16) victory.

Partain & Benesh followed a similar path through the qualifier grind. First, they knocked out French hopefuls Arthur Canet & Teo Rotar with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) sweep, but then they had to battle back from a set down against Estonia’s Kusti Nolvak & Mart Tiisaar to stop the clocks deep into the tie-breaker overtime at a 2-1 (15-21, 21-11, 19-17) victory.

Main draw action on Thursday starts at 08:30 local time (06:30 UTC) with women’s pool play, as reigning world champions Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Ana Patricia Ramos of Brazil take on reigning European champions Anastasija Samoilova & Tina Graudina of Latvia at centre court, while Cannon & Sponcil engage in an all-American duel with Taryn Kloth & Kristen Nuss on court 2.

Teams from NORCECA who entered the women’s main draw from the beginning are all from USA: Sara Hughes/Kelly Cheng, Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth, Julia Scoles/Betsi Flint.

Two Norceca Beach Volleyball events land in Punta Cana

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 30, 2023 – Two NORCECA Beach Volleyball events land in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic running from June 1-9.

The Under-23 NORCECA Tournament will be taking place from June 1 to 5 with 12 countries competing for ranking points as part of the qualification system for age-group international events: Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The Under 23 event is the new beach volleyball circuit that the NORCECA Confederation has created for athletes to earn ranking points for this age-group.

Amos Anglade, member of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Commission said, “we are pleased with this new circuit because each team will be taking their position on their own and not like in the past when the senior ranking was used to distribute teams at a regional, continental and world level”.

NORCECA president Cristobal Marte  Hoffiz and all beach volleyball lovers are enthusiastic about our Confederations new initiative.

In addition to earning ranking points, the circuit will benefit the players to compete in major events with more experience, which in the future contributes to improving the level of competition at the senior beach tour.

The second event from June 6-9 is the qualifying tournament to the Tlaxcala 2023 FIVB World Championship. Thirteen countries have confirmed to compete: Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Saint Lucia.

The World Championship qualifier event grants 4 slots per gender to be in Tlaxcala from October 6-15.

NORCECA is saddened to learn of the loss of Raiza O’Farril, former member of las “Morenas Del Caribe”

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HAVANA, Cuba, May 30, 2023.- The North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation NORCECA is saddened to learn of the loss of Raiza O’Farril, ex member of the legendary “Morenas Del Caribe” of Cuba.

Volleyball Cuban legend, performed as setter of the Cuban team that won both Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and several world championships, was a key piece of the famous Morenas del Caribe under the direction of mythical coach Eugenio George, who captivated the world during the 90’s.

The news was confirmed to NORCECA by Mireya Luis NORCECA Vice President and former teammate who expressed “a beautiful person has passed away, an excellent woman, excellent athlete, a Morena del Caribe; it’s painful, rest in peace my child”.

Raiza O’Farril passed away this morning at the age of 51 after a short battle against cancer and leaves to mourn two daughters to whom we send our deepest condolences.  

Level I Beach Volleyball Course closing ceremony

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 26, 2023.- With the support of the National Physical Education Institute and the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation NORCECA, the Level I Beach Volleyball International Course for Coaches and Physical Education professor concluded successfully.

Ten professors from the INEFI joined professors and coaches from Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Italy and the Dominican Republic took part of the International Course.

FIVB instructor Mauro Hernandez of Spain conducted the course, he is one of the most respected instructors worldwide, who has taken part in Olympic Games, several World Tour stages, Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, among others.

The participants were subjected to a five-day working program that included theory and practice at the Volleyball Training facilities at Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.

After handing out the certificates, Mauro Hernandez said “I am satisfied with the great level and knowledge of the participants, especially from the Dominican professors, who are ensuring a promising future for volleyball in at a school level throughout the country”.

Hernandez congratulated the National Physical Education Institute for joining the Regional Volleyball Development Center in Dominican Republic directed by Professor Nelson José Ramírez for his initiative, “I will take this idea to my country to start a program like this one, as one of the FIVB politics is to integrate schools to our sports’ programs”.

Professor Ramírez stated that NORCECA president Cristobal Marte is interested in schools to be part of the development of volleyball in the region.

Ramirez closed the ceremony thanking Alberto Rodríguez director of INEFI for his support, as well as that of the Dominican Olympic Committee and the Dominican Sports Ministry.

Virgen and Sarabia dethrone Urrutia/Satterfield at Cayman Islands

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 21, 2023) – Juan Virgen alongside Miguel Sarabia of Mexico won the third phase of the Norceca Tour in Cayman Islands defeating Jake Urrutia and Ian Sutterfield of the United States.

The Mexican duo beat last year’s champions here in Cayman Islands Jake Urrutia – Ian Satterfield 2-0 (21-15, 21-16). They dominated the first set without a problem, but in the second set they came back from a disadvantage.

Olympian Juan Virgen has several titles in different Norceca events, he has been one of the few players that keeps competing in the tour, although he is active in FIVB events.

Americans, Jake Urrutia / Ian Satterfield reached the final, dominating Guatemala’s Andy Leonardo / Luis Garcia without complications 21-19, 21-10.

Miguel Sarabia (1) and Juan Virgen (2) of Mexico win their first Norceca title as a team

The Mexican semifinal could not be completed when Gabriel Cruz was injured and wasn’t able to continue playing with Jorge Barajas. Therefore, Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia advanced to the championship match.

Third place went to the Guatemalans Leonardo/Garcia.

Mens Semifinals – Urrutia / Satterfield (USA) d. Blanco / García (GUA) (21-19, 21-10); Sarabia / Virgen (MEX) d. Barajas / Cruz (MEX) (injury); 11th place – Kwasny / Rodriguez (ISV) d. Hodge / Seabrooke (SKN) (24-26, 21-17, 15-13); 9th place – Kemp / Gannett (CAN) d. Cascante / Lopez (NCA) (21-17, 21-15); 7th place – Flores / Guatemala (ESA) d. Macneill / Russell (CAN) (forfeit);  5th place – Kolinske / Smith (USA) d. Williams / Whitfield (TTO) (21-10, 21-10); 3rd place – Blanco / Garcia (GUA) d. Barajas / Cruz (MEX) (injury); Championship Match – Virgen / Sarabia (MEX) d. Urrutia / Satterfield (USA) ( 21-15, 21-16)

Alanis Navas/Maria Gonzalez conquer Cayman Islands

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 21, 2023) – The duo of Alanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez from Puerto Rico won their second title in the history of the NORCECA Tour after conquering Caiman Islands.

The Puerto Ricans defeated Natalia Giron / Estefanie Bethancourt of Guatemala in the title match in straight sets 21-14, 21-15.

Girón / Bethancourt become the second team from Guatemala to reach the final, Susana Alvarado alongside Lula Ramírez finished second in 2012.

Navas and Gonzalez add their second continental title, their first was in 2022 at Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. It is the third occasion that Puerto Rico wins at Seven Miles Beach previously Yarleen Santiago / Dariam Acevedo won in 2010 and 2011.

María González of Puerto Rico spikes

In the match for third place Ruby Sorra / Lea Monkhouse of Canada defeated Cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros in two sets (21-19, 21-18).

The final day began with the semifinal matches, with Natalia Giron / Estefanie Bethancourt of Guatemala reaching the country’s second final after defeating Yenifer Rivera / Amanda Armenteros of Cuba (21-17, 21-14).

In the other semifinal, Alanis Navas / Maria Gonzalez of Puerto Rico had to battle three sets to defeat Canadians Ruby Sorra / Lea Monkhouse (19-21, 21-15, 18-16).

Womens Semifinals – Navas / González (PUR) d. Sorra / Monkhouse (CAN) (19-21, 21-15, 18-16);  Giron / Bethancourt (GUA) d. Rivera / Amanda (CUB) (21-17, 21-14); 11th place – López / Silva (NCA) d. Thompson / Gandolfi 9caY) (21-17, 21-17); 9th place – Albarran / Torres (MEX) d. Corah / Goodman (CAN) (15-23, 21-12); 7th place – Kelly Smith (JAM) d. Gutierrez / Flores (MEX) (injury); 5th place – Chacon / DeBerg (USA) d. Soler / Molina (ESA) (21-12, 21-9); 3rd place – Sorra / Monkhouse (CAN) d. Rivera / Amanda (CUB) (21-19, 21-18); Championship Match – Navas / González (PUR) d. Giron / Bethancourt (GUA) (21-14, 21-15)

NORCECA mourns the passing of Bill Kauffman

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 21, 2023.- The NORCECA Volleyball Confederation was saddened to learn of the death of Bill Kauffman, former member of the NORCECA Press Commission.

Bill Kauffman served as senior manager of communications at USA Volleyball from where he was appointed for many international volleyball tournaments and held the position of secretary of the NORCECA Press commission.

Kauffman died on May 20 of natural causes.

NORCECA sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Semifinal in Cayman Islands is a repeat of the 2022 Final

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 20, 2023) – The men’s semifinal of the Cayman Islands NORCECA Tour will feature a repeat of the 2022 final between United and Guatemala; the other semifinal is between the two Mexican pairs.

Jake Urrutia / Ian Satterfield of the United States will face Andy Leonardo / Luis Garcia of Guatemala, both pairs staged in this same arena the 2022 final, won by Urrutia and Satterfield. The Americans reached the semi-final after defeating Trinidad & Tobago, Daneil Williams / Fabien Whittfield (25-23, 21-16).

For their part, the Guatemalans overcame Canadians, Russell Macneil / Jake Macneil, in three sets (16-21, 24-21, 15-12).

Luis García of Guatemala against Canada’s block

The other semifinal will be between Mexicans. After their quarterfinal victory, Jorge Barajas / Gabriel Cruz over William Kolinske / Hagan Smith of the United States 18-21, 21-17, 16-14. Meanwhile, veteran Juan Virgen alongside Miguel Sarabia defeated Franklin Flores / Armando Guatemala of El Salvador 21-8, 21-19.

The semifinals are scheduled for 10:30 AM (local time), the championship match will be played later in the afternoon.

Mens Quarter Finals – Blanco / Garcia (GUA) d. Macneal / Russell (CAN) (12-21, 23-21, 15-12); Barajas / Cruz (MEX) d. Flores / Guatemala (ESA) (21-9, 21-10); Urrutia / Satterfields (USA) d. Williams / Whitfield (TTO) (25-23, 21-16).

Cuba, Canada, Guatemala and Puerto Rico are Cayman Islands Semifinalists

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SEVEN M ILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 20, 2023) – Cuba, Canada, Guatemala and Puerto Rico advanced to the Women’s Semifinals of the third stage of the NORCECA Tour in Cayman Islands.

The Cuban duo, Yenifer Rivera / Amanda Armenteros defeated Mexico’s Atenas Gutierrez / Abril Flores in a three-set battle (21-19, 20-22, 17-15), by far the best match of the tournament.

Alanis Navas / Maria Gonzalez of Puerto Rico reached their first semifinal of the season by defeating team USA of Alaina Chacon / Kylie DeBerg 2-0 (22-20, 21-17)

Ruby Sorra / Lea Monkhouse of Canada achieved a quick victory over Jamaicans Chauna Kelly / Petal Smkith  by a 21-15, 21-3 score.

The Central American battle between Guatemalans Natalia Giron / Estefanie Bethancourt and (Yvonne Soler / Laura Molina of El Salvador was dominated by Giron and Bethancourt 21-15, 21-17.

Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt of Guatemala advance to gold medal match in Cayman Islands

With these results, the Sunday’s semifinals are:

Ruby Sorra / Lea (Canad) vs Alanis/Navas (Puerto Rico)

Yenifer Rivera / Amanda Armenteros (Cuba) vs Natalia Girón / Estefanie Bethancourt (Guatemala)

Womens Quarter Finals  – Sorra / Monlhouse (CAN) d. Kelly / Smith (JAM) (21-15, 21-3); Giron  / Guerra (GUA) d. Soler / Molina (ESA) (21-15, 21-17); Rivera / Amanda (CUB) d. Gutiérrez / Flores (MEX) (21-19, 20-22, 17-15); Navas / González (PUR) d. Chacon / Deberg (USA) (22-20, 21-17). Quarter Final Loser – Thompson / Gandolfi (CAY) d. Tulloch / Gaetos (CAY) (21-9, 21-11); Albarran / Torres (MEX) d. Almanzar / Paniagua (DOM) (21-12, 21-19); Lopez / Silva (NCA) d. Sofi / Quesada (CRC) (21-11, 21-13); Corah / Goodman (CAN) d. Buckner / Charles (ISV)

Seven teams undefeated on day one at Cayman Islands men’s competition

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 18, 2023) – Day one finished with seven men’s duos undefeated at the third stage of the NORCECA Tour in Cayman Islands.

Orlando Joseph / Irvens Benjamin of Haiti had an outstanding performance. They are returning to Cayman Islands for the second year in a row, achieving one victory and a battled three sets against the experienced Daneil Williams /Fabien Whittfield of Trinidad & Tobago.

Both teams from United States, Canada and Mexico, along with Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador lead their respective pools undefeated.  

Click here to watch matches on all three courts live.

Jorge Barajas of Mexico

Men´s Results Day 1: Pool A – Urrutia / Satterfield (USA) d. Fiddick / Amaro (BER) (21-9, 21-3); Flores / Guatemala (ESA) d.  Isaacs / Gene (BAH) (21-12, 21-18); Urrutia / Satterfield (USA) d. Isaacs / Gene (BAH) (21-7, 21-7); Kwasny / Rodriguez (ISV) d. Fiddick / Amaro (ISV) (21-15, 21-12); Flores / Guatemala (ESA) d. Kwasny / Rodriguez (ISV) (17-21, 21-19, 15-13); Fiddick / Amaro (BER) d. Isaacs / Gene (BAH) (18-21, 21-14, 16-14).  Pool B – Sarabia / Virgen (MEX) d. Hazzard / Fredericks (AGU) (21-10, 21-7); Williams / Whitfield (TTO) d. Olando / Irvens (HAI) (19-21, 21-7, 15-3); Sarabia / Virgen (MEX) d. Olando / Irvens (HAI) (21-6, 21-10); Hodge / Seabrookes (SKN) d. Hazzard / Fredericks (AGU) (21-3,21-8); Olando / Irvens (HAU) d. Hazzard / Fredericks (AGU) (21-10, 21-18); Pool C – MacNeil / Russell (CAN) d. Dominica / Florent (DMA) (21-12, 21-8); Barajas / Cruz (MEX) d. Dyner / Brown (CRC) (21-10, 21-12); MacNeil / Rusell (CAN) d. Barajas / Cruz (MEX) (24-22, 15-21, 15-11); Santamaria / Jesario (CAY) d. Dominica / Florent (DMA) (21-19, 21-16);  Barajas / Cruz (MEX) d. Dominica / Florent (DMA) (injury); Dyner / Brown (CRC) d. Santamaria / Jesario (CAY) (23-21, 21-15). Pool D – Kemp / Gannett (CAN) d. Cascante / Lopez (NCA) (21-19, 16-21, 15-9); kolinske / Smith (USA) d. Barrozo / Wright (CAY) (21-8, 21-9);  Kolinske / Smith (USA) d. Blanco / Garcia (GUA) (21-15, 21-14); Kemp / Gannett (CAN) d. Barrozo / Wright (CAY) (21-10, 21-6).

No surprises in the women’s competition at Cayman Islands

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 19, 2023) – The action in the women’s division had no surprises on the first day of competition at the Cayman Islands leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

A total of 24 matches were played under perfect weather conditions, in front of the calm Caribbean Sea.

Both Mexican teams, alongside Cuba, Puerto Rico, Canada, El Salvador, Cayman Islands and Guatemala closed a perfect day, placing themselves halfway to advance into the quarterfinals.

The group of death (Pool B) presented strong battles from Mexico (Atenas Gutiérrez / Abril Flores) and Puerto Rico (Allanis Navas / María González) who achieved hard-fought victories against Canadians Devin Cora / Adriel Goodman. Both duos are close to decide pool B top place to move into the next phase, although the Puerto Rican duo had a tough opposition from Dominicans Bethania Almanzar / Crisma Paniagua.

The second day of action will begin at 8:00 AM (local time) with the last matches of the preliminary round, followed by the quarterfinals in the afternoon.

Ivonne Soler of El Salvador diggs

Women´s Results Day 1: Pool A – Chacon / Deberg (USA) d. Peters / Thomas (ANT) (21-4, 21-7); Albarran / Torres (MEX) d. Buckner / Charles (ISV) (21-5, 21-10); Albarran / Torres (MEX) d Chacon / Deberg (USA) (injury); rivera / Amanda (CUB) d. Peters / Thomas (ANT) (21-11, 21-8); Rivera Amanda (CUB) d. Buckner / Charles (ISV) (21-8, 21-12); Albarran / Torres (MEX) d. Peters / Thomas (ANT) (21-11, 21-11); Pool B – Gutierrez / Flores (MEX) d. Wolfenden / Powery (CAY) (21-8, 21-13); Navas / Gonzalez (PUR) d. Corah / Goodman (CAN) (21-14, 21-18); Gutierrez / Flores d. Corah / Goodman (CAN) (21-16, 23-21); Almanzar / Paniagua (DOM) d. Wolfenden / Powery (CAY) (21-17, 22-20); Navas / Gonzalez (PUR) d. Almanzar / Paniagua (DOM) (21-19, 21-18);  Corah / Goodman (CAN) d. Wolfenden / Powery (CAY) (21-9, 21-16); Pool C – Sorra / Monkhouse (CAN) d. Settle / Moss (BER) (21-8, 21-10); Soler / Molina (ESA) d. Tulloch / Gaetos ( (CAY) (21-13, 21-19); Sorra / Monkhouse (CAN) d Tulloch / Gaetos ( (CAY) (21-4, 21-8); Lopez / Silva (NCA) d. Settle / Moss (VER) (21-10, 21-14); Soler / Molina (ESA) d. Lopez / Silva (NCA) (21-15, 21-14); Tulloch / Gaetos (CAY) d. Settle / Moss (BER) (21-12, 12-21, 15-11);Pool D – Giron / Guerra (GUA) d. Danila / Philip (LCA) (21-4, 21-5); Kelly / Smith (JAM) d. Sofi / Quesada (CRC) (21-18, 22-20); Giron / Guerra (GUA) d. Kekky / Smith (JAM) (21-18, 21-15); Thompson / Gandolfi (CAY) d. Damila / Phillip (LCA) (21-5, 21-6); Thompson / Gandolfi (CAY) d. Sofi / Quesada (CRC) (23-21, 21-16); Kelly / Smith (JAM) d. Denila / Phillip (LCA) (21-14, 21-7).

Cayman Islands receives the NORCECA Tour once again

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SEVEN MILES BEACH, Cayman Islands (May 18, 2023) – One of the most traditional and fun tournaments in the history of the Norceca Tour returns to Seven Miles Beach in Grand Cayman this weekend.

This will be the third event of the 2023 season.

Kennedy McGowan, President of the Cayman Islands National Federation, said he was very pleased to be part of the tour again. “We will have three days of a high level of beach volleyball”

The stage brings together 20 men’s teams and 20 women’s teams that represent the Cayman Islands, United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Antigua, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bermuda, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica.

Watch Live on YouTube Cayman Sports Channel

Seven Mile Beach Venue in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Mens: William Kolinske / Hagan Smith, Jake Urrutia / Ian Satterfield (USA); Juan Virgen / Miguel Sarabia, Jorge Barajas / Gabriel Cruz (MEX); Russell Macneil / Jake Macneil,  Rouzbeh rahnavard / Simon Feclean (CAN); Jefferson De Jesus Cascante / Denis Jose  Lopez (NCA);  Andy  Leonardo / Luis Garcia (GUA); Daniel Williams / Yulius  Brown (CRC); Daneil Williams  / Fabien Whittfield (TTO); Franklin Flores / Armando Guatemala (ESA); Brian Kwasny / Gabriel Ospina (ISV); St. Clair Hodge /  Shawn Seabrookes (SKN); Casey Santamaria /  Jesario ebanks, Jesper Barrozo / Tarek wright (CAY); Olando Joseph / Irvens Benjamin (HAI); Jon Isaacs / Eugene Stuart (BAH); Daniel Fiddick /  Brian  Amaro (BER); Aiden Hazzard / Da’Qwan Fredericks (AGU); Deon Vidal / Yahn Florent (DMA).

Womens: Katie Lindstrom / Teagan Van Gunst, Geena Urango / Carly Skjodt (USA); Atenas  Gutierrez / Abril Flores, Esperanza Albarran /  Susana Torres (MEX);  Ruby Sorra / Lea monkhouse, Devin Cora / Adriel Goodman (CAN); Natalia  Giron / Estefanie Bethancourt (GUA); Sofia Vega /  Kianny Araya (CRC); Yvonne Soler / Laura molina (ESA);  Allanis Navas / Maria Gonzalez (PUR); Taylor Buckner / Mannika Charles (ISV);  Yenifer Rivera / Amanda Armenteros (CUB); Bethania  Almanzar / Crisma Paniagua (DOM); Socorro Lopez / Nahima Silva (NCA); Chauna Kelly  / Petal Smkith (JAM), Niyota Petera  / Joelle Thomas (ANT); Allison settle / Hailey Moss (BER); Denila Prospere / Clio Phillio (LCA)

Newcomers Portes-Martinez win NORCECA Beach Tour in Varadero

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 14, 2023.- NORCECA Beach Tour newcomers, Lázaro Portes and Daniel Martínez of Cuba surprised in their two last performances, sensationally conquering the second stage.

The victory of Portes and his giant partner (2.17 meters tall) over the experienced USA’s Troy Field and Tucker Silila in three exciting sets (21-18, 19-21, 15-10) in 55 minutes, was unexpected.

«I believe it was a tactical performance and not taking in account our physical preparation and technique, and how we might benefit from our height, we also had to think about what to do on the court», said Martínez Campos, son of Mabel, former player of many national indoor teams.

Nevertheless, their amazing feat was beating the Cuban A team of Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo, who in 2022 won four NORCECA Tour medals, the NORCECA world championship qualifier, ranked 17 in worlds and champions of the I Junior Central American and Caribbean Sea and Beach Games of Santa Marta, Colombia, and this year newcomers at the Beach Pro Tour with an outstanding performance.

Portes and Martinez didn’t think of their opponent’s history nor their condition of tournament favorites. They followed coaches Alvarez Cutiño and Walfrido Salas instructions just to play. They remained connected, determined, and in 42 minutes they earned the sensational victory 21-14 and 21-18.

Varadero Men’s Gold Medal Match

«I am excited to have beat our compatriots, who we respect because in such a short time they have significant results, it’s wonderful», Lazaro expressed, who is shorter but skillful which combines with Daniel’s extraordinary height.

Just like in last years’ first time competing, Diaz and Alayo couldn’t win in Varadero, but they claimed the bronze once again after dominating Mexicans Jorge Barajas and Gabriel Cruz 21-16 and 21-18 in 36 minutes .

Precisamente Barajas y Cruz cayeron en la otra semifinal frente a los norteños Field y Tucker en dos parciales por 2-0 (14-21, 19-21).

Fifth place went to Canadians Jake MacNeil and William Russell, who without setbacks defeated Dominicans Oscar Martínez and Francisco de Jesús Goris 2-0 (21-11, 21-15).

Full results of this phase are at Cuba 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour.

USA Lindstrom and Van Gunst Champions of Varadero NORCECA Beach Tour

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 14, 2023.- Katie Lindstrom/Teegan Van Gunst of the United States prevailed over Mexico’s Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez to become champions of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour second stage at the courts beside Barceló Arenas Blancas Hotel.

The golden pair was fourth place in the first stage in Aguascalientes, where the local team of Atenas with Abril Flores won against the northern team of Urango and Skjodt.

«We are now very happy with our first podium of the year because we are a strong team, what happened in Aguascalientes was that Katie got sick and couldn’t finish well, but in the 2022 Tour we won two gold medals and the same number of silver medals», explained Teegan, number two on her uniform.

Katie, who works as a researcher for a coffee company, and Teegan, kids beach volleyball coach, said they will be competing in a strong leg of the AVP.

They both said they had a great time in their first trip to Cuba, especially in Varadero. «We loved it, it’s a nice place, a beautiful beach and good people, kind and helpful with us».

Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gust USA celebrate Gold Medal

The bronze medal went to Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt defeating Canadians Ruby Sorra and Lea Monkhouse 2-0 (21-18, 21-19).

In semifinals Katie and Teegan won to their compatriots Urango and Skjodt 2-1 (21-18, 21-14, 15-12) in 54 minutes of actions under the sun.

On their side, Mexicans Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez moved forward dominating Canadians Ruby Sorra/Lea Monkhouse 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 17-15) in 57 minutes.

For fifth place, Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas/María González beat Cubans Yenifer Rivera and Amanda Armenteros 2-0 (21-6, 21-14) in only 29 minutes, their second victory in the tournament over the home team.

Seventh place went to Dominicans Esmeralda Ramirez and Julibeth Payano, executors of hosts Nahomi Charlot and Maykelín Drik  2-1 (21-14, 15-21, 15-9)  and nineth place to Nicaraguans Margarita López and Lolette Rodríguez , winners against Canadians Devin Corah and Adriel Goodman 2-1 (21-16, 16-21, 19-17).

Full results of this phase are at Cuba 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour.

Two USA teams, Mexico and Canada in Varadero semifinals

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 13, 2023.- United States with its two pairs, Mexico and Canada won the right to play in the women’s semifinals at the second stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Geena and Carly in some way got the thorn out during pool-play, winning group C to Mexican Atenas, who joined by Abril Flores beat them for the title of the first stop in Aguascalientes.

Nevertheless, they might meet again, now Atenas teaming with Susana Torres who won bronze in Aguascalientes. But for that to happen the Mexicans must dominate Canada and Geena and Carly their compatriots Katie and Teegan.  

In quarterfinals Geena and Carly prevailed over Dominicans Esmeralda Ramirez/Julibeth Payano 21-15 and 21-13,while their teammates had no mercy against Cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros 21-11 and 21-13.

The second local pair of Nahomi Charlot/Maykelín Drik were victims of Mexico who dominated  21-14 and 21-17.

Atenas Gutierrez of Mexico in quarterfinals

In the other quarterfinal challenge, Canadians Ruby Sorra/Lea Monkhouse moved into semifinals cutting off Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas/María González inspiration 25-23 and 21-16.

Earlier the Puerto Ricans won group A, but with resistance from El Salvador’s Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina 19-21, 21-5 and 15-12 in a game that lasted one hour and 13 minutes.

Laura Molina has shown she’s in good conditions recovering from giving birth to her third child four months ago and will celebrate mother’s day here in Varadero accompanied by her mother and new born baby.

Semifinals are this Sunday morning, as well as classification matches for positions 5 to 16.

Full results of this phase are available at Cuba 2023 NORCECA Beach.

Strong men’s contest to conquer Varadero Beach Tour

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 12, 2023.- Seven male duos move ahead with two victories after a strong contest in the beginning of the second stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour being played at the attractive scenery just aside the Barceló Arenas Blancas Hotel.

The two home teams, in addition to Canada, Puerto Rico, United States, Dominican Republic and Mexico gave an important step eager to reach the quarterfinals to be held on Saturday at the conclusion of pool-play.

In group A, Noslen Díaz/Jorge Luis Alayo, favorites to step on the podium like the four times they did in 2022, didn’t even sweat against against Martin Jad/Jahhmal Small, of Saint Vincen and the Granadines (21-9, 21-9) and El Salvador’s Franklin Flores/Christopher Guardado (21-8, 21-9).

Canadians Jake MacNeil/William Russell also are undefeated in that group with triumphs against Flores and Guardado (21-16, 21-14) and Martin and Small (21-5, 21-16).

En group B the home team of Lázaro Portes and the 17-year-old of 7.11 feet tall, Daniel Martinez, didn’t stay behind in his tournament debut after winning in pool B over Guatemalans Andy Leonardo and Luis García (21-14, 21-16) and Nicaraguans Rubén Mora/Denis José López (21-12, 21-19).

Daniel Martínez Campos of Cuba

Puerto Ricans Kevin Rodríguez/Josué Rivera are in first place after winning in their two outings which extended to tie-breaks to beat Nicaraguans 26-24, 23-25 and 15-11, and against Andy and Luis  13-21, 21-19 y 15-12.

Americans Troy Field/Tucker Silila and Dominicans Oscar Martínez/Francisco Goris had no inconvenience to prevail over the teams representing Antigua and Barbuda (Adrian/Cairo) and St. Nevis and Kitts (Nage/Clerique).

The same happened to Mexicans who kept their undefeated mark in their two outings against the tandems of U.S. Virgin Islands  (Diehl/Ozarski) and Trinidad and Tobago (Williams/Whitfield).

The tournament will be broadcast live on the Cuban sport channel Tele Rebelde.

The full schedule and results are available at 2023 Varadero NORCECA Beach Tour.

Two Cuban pairs, USA and Mexico in Varadero men’s semifinals

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 13, 2023.- Noslen Díaz/Jorge Luis Alayo and Lázaro Portes/Daniel Martínez of Cuba, as well as Troy Field/Tucker Silila of the United States and Mexicans Jorge Barajas/Gabriel Cruz advanced to semifinals of the second phase of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit in Varadero.

The locals Diaz and Alayo opened the day with their third pool-play win over Canadians Jake MacNeil/William Russell (21-17, 21-11) and Portes with Martínez dominated Puerto Rico’s Kevin Rodríguez/Josué Rivera (22-24, 21-11, 15-10) to lead pools A and Be respectively.

After 54 minutes of battling, Puerto Ricans had no luck in the quarterfinals having with on the other side of the net the stellar Cuban duo but couldn’t beat despite their resistance. Noslen and Jorge Luis advanced into semifinals not before battling for over an hour before sealing the game 18-21, 21-15 and 15-11.

In Semifinals the local teams will face one another due to regulations, while Mexicans Barajas and Cruz will clash in the other semifinal against Americans Field and Tucker, both duos also undefeated in their respective groups.

Jake Mc Clain of Canada battles Daniel Martinez of Cuba

In the quarterfinal phase the Americans had no difficulties in defeating trinitarians Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield in two sets  (21-15, 21-18), not like Barajas and Cruz had to push themselves to the maximum against Dominicans Oscar Martínez/Francisco Goris in three hard-fought sets (21-19, 16-21, 15-13).

Both semifinals will be on Sunday morning, as well as the losers of the quarterfinals so matches for positions five and eight will be decided in the afternoon, as well as matches for position 9 to 16.

This stage is being broadcasted by TeleRebeld sports channel online TVEO and on their Facebook.

Esta fase se trasmite por el canal deportivo TeleRebelde en su plataforma en internet TVEO y su página en Facebook.

All results of this stage are on Cuba 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour.

32 tandems at NORCECA Beach Tour in Varadero

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 12, 2023.- The second phase of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour will consist of 32 duos from 16 nations running from this Friday until Sunday at the attractive scenery in front of the Barceló Arenas Blancas Hotel.

16 pairs per gender arrived at the famous tourist empire – at 142 kilometers of Havana – who took part at the preliminary and technical meetings, presided by Mireya Luis, in charge of the organizing committee, and Julio Martinez, director of competition.

The competition starts with a round robin pool-play, four in each gender. The organizers have set up the same number of courts.

In the women’s field, United States, Canada and Cuba have two teams, while in men the visitors present only one and only the hosts have two duets, with their best performers of the moment.

These countries are labeled as favorites to battle for the medals, but Mexico and Puerto Rico join in women with real options of taking a medal.

Atenas Gutiérrez, who back home won the first stage alongside Abril Flores, is competing in this occasion with Susana Torres.

Varadero, Cuba

Waiting for revenge are the losers of that final, from the United States Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt, maybe with more possibilities of removing the thorn, because Atenas is adjusting with her new partner. 

Nevertheless coming back on the sand are worldwide known on this blue beach, Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas and María González, first Champions of the first Central American and Caribbean Games of Santa Marta 2022 and runner ups of the Junior Pan American Games of Cali 2021, among other tournaments.

Navas and González in Santa Marta´s, Colombia final, topped surpassed the Cuban duo of Amanda Armenteros and Yenifer Rivera, and admitted their goal is to conquer this stage’s gold. 

The NORCECA Tour adds ranking points to the Confederation’s qualification to the Pan American Games of Santiago 2023 and the massive participation in Varadero is proof of the team’s interest in winning a spot at the Chilean Games.

Men’s teams

ANT Adrian Constant/Cairon Davis; CAN Jake MacNeil/William Russell; CRC Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela; CUB Noslen Díaz/Jorge Luis Alayo, Lázaro Portes/Daniel Martínez; DOM Oscar Martínez/Francisco Goris; ESA Franklin Flores/Christopher Guardado; GUA Andy Leonardo y Luis García; ISV Cullen Diehl/ Andrzej Ozarski; MEX Jorge Barajas/Gabriel Cruz; NCA Rubén Mora/Denis José López; PUR Kevin Rodríguez/Josué Rivera; SKN  Hendrickson Nage/Ward Clerique; TTO Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield; USA Troy Field/Tucker Silila; VIN Martin Jad/Jahhmal Small.

Women’s teams

CAN Ruby Sorra/Lea Monkhouse y CAN Devin Corah/Adriel Goodman; CRC Ximena Núñez/Kianny Quesada; CUB Nahomi Charlot/Maykelín Drik y CUB Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros; DOM Esmeralda Ramirez/Julibeth Payano; ESA Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina; GUA Natalia Girón/Estefanie Guerra; ISV Anz-Cristina Almeida/Amber Bennett; JAM Anesia Edwards/Petal Smith; MEX Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez; NCA Margarita López/Lolette Rodríguez; PUR Allanis Navas/María González; USA Katie Lindstrom/Teegan Van Gunst y Geena Urango/Carly Skjodt; VIN Nikita Campbell/Shelena O’Garro. 

Four undefeated countries at the start of the women’s Varadero NORCECA Tour 2023

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 12, 2023.- Both USA pairs, one from Canada and Cuba, as well as the one from Puerto Rico moved undefeated at the start of pool-play of the second phase of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

In group B the northerners Katie Lindstrom/Teegan Van Gunst took a stroll during sets 21-3 and 21-2 facing Nikita Campbell/Shelena of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while they dominated Guatemalans Natalia Girón/Estefanie Guerra 21-16 and 21-13.

Their compatriots Geena Urango/Carly Skjodt, despite having more resistance from their opponents, they smiled against Mexicans Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez 21-17 and 21-14, in which this last player was part of the duo that beat them for the gold of the first stop in Aguascalientes.

In the afternoon they won with an even 21-12 to Costa Rica’s Ximena Núñez/Kianny Quesada to take the lead in group C.

In group A, Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas/María González once again beat Cubans Yenifer Rivera/Amanda Armenteros like they did at the I Junior Central American and Caribbean Sea y Beach Games Santa Marta 2022, this time 21-13 and 21-17, nevertheless they recognized the progress of the young local girls.

María González of Puerto Rico blocks Laura Molina of El Salvador

It took almost two hours and three sets for the Puerto Ricans in their second victory (19-21, 21-5, 15-12) against El Salvador’s Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina in which the match was interrupted during the first set due to an electric storm at the touristic city, that woke up under heavy showers.

The youngest local pair, formed by bronze medalists of the Venezuelan Alba Games, Nahomi Charlot/Maykelín Drik, gave good news to their country again winning twice and leading group D.

First the dominated the combative Dominican pair of Esmeralda Ramirez/Julibeth Payano in hard fought match that extended to three sets (12-21, 21-14, 18-16), while in the closing match of the day they had no setbacks in beating Jamaicans Anesia Edwards/Petal Smith 21-8 and 21-7.

Pool-play will resume on Saturday morning, where the two best pairs of each pool will play in the quarterfinal round, and the corresponding classification matches for positions 9 to 16.

The full schedule and results are available at 2023 Varadero NORCECA Beach Tour. 

Beach Volleyball Road To Paris 2024: Qualification System For The Olympic Games Recap

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 11, 2023.- Three qualification routes for the beach volleyball competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, are available for teams from all five Continents to secure one of 24 quota places per gender.

The countdown is on for the beach volleyball competition at Paris 2024, with teams around the world vying to be in with a chance to compete for the Olympic title at the iconic Eiffel Tower Stadium.

Beach volleyball at Paris 2024 is set to take place from 27 July – 10 August. So with less than 500 days to go until the Games, let’s recap the Olympic Qualification system.

The women’s and men’s Olympic tournaments will have 24 teams each, totaling 48 athletes per gender. As the host country, France is entitled to one quota for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. After their historic volleyball gold at Tokyo 2020, France will no doubt be looking to make history on home soil by winning their first ever beach volleyball Olympic medal.

The remaining 23 quotas per gender will qualify for Paris 2024 via three qualification routes, the 2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, the Beach Pro Tour for the FIVB Olympic Ranking and Continental Olympic Qualification Tournaments. In addition, a maximum of four quotas per NOC (maximum two per gender) will be respected to ensure the principle of universal participation.

USA’s April Ross and Alix Klineman triumphed as Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions after winning the women’s beach volleyball final

Route 1 -2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships

The men’s and women’s champions of the 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championships, set to take place across the cities of Tlaxcala, Huamantla and Apizaco, from 6-15 October, will automatically obtain a spot at Paris 2024. The much-anticipated tournament is returning to Latin America for the first time in 20 years and will be the first edition to be hosted in Mexico in the history of the sport.

Route 2 – FIVB Olympic Ranking

The top 17 ranked teams per gender, according to the FIVB Olympic Ranking, will qualify for Paris 2024. The ranking will take into account a pair’s 12 best performances from 1 January 2023 to 10 June 2024 at the following events: 2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship, Beach Pro Tour (Elite16, Challenge, Futures and Finals) and recognized Continental Tours Finals.

Route 3 – Continental Olympic Tournaments

The remaining five spots per gender will be allocated in the five Continental Olympic tournaments, with the winning pairs of each respective event securing their place at the Games. The final phase of these five events will be held between 13 and 23 June 2024, with just over a month to go until Paris 2024. 

The second stage of the NORCECA Beach Tour headed to Varadero, Cuba

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VARADERO, Cuba, May 10, 2023.- The second stage of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour is headed to Varadero, Cuba from May 12 to 14 at the Barceló Arenas Blancas Hotel.

The famous Varadero beach has hosted the prestigious North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation Beach Tour since 2011 and has been held consecutively up to 2022, except for 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The “pre-registration” lists nineteen tandems in the men’s division and seventeen women, representing seventeen countries, which will be officially confirmed as well as the group  distribution during the general technical meeting on Thursday.

Canada, Cuba, United States and Mexico have pre-registered two teams per gender.

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the U.S. Virgin Islands feature one team per gender. Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago are fielding one team in men, and El Salvador along with Jamaica have one women’s team each.

The host country has confirmed that their men’s stellar team of Noslen Diaz and Jorge Luis Alayo, will be competing here in Varadero. Diaz and Alayo entered the NORCECA Tour in 2022 and have earned four NORCECA Beach Tour medals (gold in Aguascalientes, silver in Punta Cana and the NORCECA finals also in Punta Cana, and the bronze medal here in Varadero).

FIVB Hosts Second Zonal Association Presidents Seminar

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 4, 2023.- The FIVB this week hosted the second Zonal Association Presidents’ Seminar in a hybrid format with most participants connecting online while the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) Zonal Association Presidents joined from the FIVB Headquarters where they are currently taking part in a three-day mentoring program.

The second seminar follows the first gathering in early March, with the sessions aimed at discussing opportunities to further the growth of volleyball across all 222 National Federations (NFs). The Zonal Association Presidents were provided with a report summarizing the activities of all the Zones in  2022, and also learned more on how to best support the NFs within their respective Zones to develop volleyball all over the world.

In addition, the Zonal Association Presidents had an opportunity to ask various questions including those on Volleyball Empowerment, the competitions calendar, good governance, and safeguarding. The seminar was also attended by the Presidents of the Continental Confederations and members of the FIVB Development and Volleyball Empowerment Commissions.

Opening the meeting, FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F° said:

“We are already working very hard on our vision to develop volleyball all over the world by empowering the National Federations, national teams and players to realize their full potential.

“Again, let me emphasize that as Zonal Association Presidents, you are very important members of the Volleyball Family. We rely on you to provide valuable support to the National Federations in your respective Zones both by supervising and monitoring existing projects and equally helping the NFs to identify their needs, develop strong projects and subsequently apply for the support.

“You are also key in facilitating communication and knowledge transfer, as well as providing more opportunities for teams to play at the Zonal level.  I strongly believe that by working together as a team, we can achieve great results for our sport all over the world!”

The FIVB President shared some examples of the Volleyball Empowerment and development projects that have already achieved great results from all five Continental Confederations, including those in Colombia, Malawi, Canada, France and New Zealand. 

The Zonal Association Presidents are planning to meet again after the FIVB Board of Administration meeting.

Kloth and Nuss come back to win Uberlândia Elite16

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UBERLANDIA, Brazil, April 30, 2023.- Americans Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss recovered from a first-set loss to celebrate their first victory at an Elite16 event at Praia Clube following their three-set (16-21, 24-22, 15-13) win over Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho in the gold medal match.

This week’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Uberlândia didn’t start the way Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss planned, but the Americans couldn’t have hoped for a better finish as they stood at the top of the podium in Brazil at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday.

Brazilians Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos, who defeated the Americans in their opening match on Thursday, took bronze in front of their home fans.

All Beach Pro Tour Uberlândia Elite16 matches are available on VBTV.

The same resilience the Americans showed to recover from their opening-match loss and advance all the way to the gold medal match was also displayed in the final, as Kloth and Nuss came back from a first-set setback to turn the tables and top the Tokyo Olympic silver medallists in the tiebreaker.

“They’re an incredible team,” Nuss said about their comeback. “We respect them a lot and it’s always fun when we get to play them. One of my bracelets says ‘trust’ and that’s what we did after we lost the first set. We trusted our team and trusted our training. We live in Louisiana, where it’s just as hot and humid as here, so we really felt like we were home. We were feeling good, so it was just about trusting our team.”

The Australians were also the opponents Kloth and Nuss faced when they won their second Beach Pro Tour title, at last year’s Kuşadası Challenge. The two now have four gold medals at the international level, having also won last year’s Coolangatta Futures and the 2023 La Paz Challenge.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” Kloth remarked. “We put everything we had to win each of the matches we played this week. We had so much fun and played in front of an incredible crowd the entire time. We’re obviously on a high right now, but tomorrow we’ll go back and do the same things we’ve been doing. We know the Olympic race is going to be really tight and we have to keep getting stronger.”

Beach Pro Tour Uberlândia Elite16 – Match Schedule & Results

Americans Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss celebrate winning their first Elite16 Beach Pro Tour event

Last year’s Uberlândia Elite16 champions Duda and Ana Patrícia made it to the podium again in the city where they live by topping Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes in two sets (21-16, 21-13) in the bronze medal match.

Earlier, in the semifinals, Clancy and Mariafe downed Duda and Ana Patrícia 2-0 (21-16, 25-23), while Kloth and Nuss prevailed in the all-American semifinal against Cheng and Hughes also in two sets (21-17, 21-11).

The next event on the 2023 Beach Pro Tour schedule will be the Madrid Futures, which will have the men playing in the Spanish capital from May 11-14 and the women competing from May 18-21. Ostrava, Czechia, will host the next Elite16 tournament from May 31-June 4.

NORCECA final positions

WOMEN 1. Nuss/Kloth (USA); 4. Cheng/Hughes (USA); 9. Cannon/Sponcil (USA); 13. Scoles/Flint (USA); 21. Kolinske/Harward(USA)
MEN 5. Schalk/Bourne (USA); 17. Schachter/Dearing (CAN);  21. Crabb/T. Sander (USA) 

Frishman and Caldwell Champions at Aguascalientes

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 23, 2023.- Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell won the championship match of the first stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Aguascalientes in a tie-break 2-1 (14-21, 22-20, 15-7) over the home team of Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia.

Chase and Cody had a tough start against powerhouse Mexico’s Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia whose energy in the first set kept them off balance.

“In the first set they beat us well and got the crowd going, I was kind of exhausted. Mexico is a very respectful team, Virgen an Olympian and Sarabia super skilled,” said Chase Frishman. “In the second set my partner had a couple of big plays which turned the momentum and could feel his belief which catapulted us; my side-out started to steady out giving me confidence” he added.

For Chase this is his second gold medal, he won in Cuba back in 2018 which is a great comeback to the international tour of NORCECA. As for Cody Caldwell, not only is it his first medal ever, but it’s his first time competing at NORCECA.

Caldwell explained about what they did to turn things in their favor, “Mexico played the first set with a lot of force, and we couldn’t touch them. We changed our strategy, we started serving more aggressively and I slowed down my block, it was the defense strategy that made the difference”.

For Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia this is their third silver medal together at NORCECA.

Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell of United States Aguascalientes Champions

On their way to the gold medal match, Frishman and Caldwell won their semifinal 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) against Canadians Kopp and Chambers. Virgin and Sarabia won the all-Mexican semifinal to Gabriel Cruz and Oziel Aguirre 2-0 (21-15, 21-16).

Liam Kopp and Arran Chambers of Canada won the bronze medal match controlling Mexicans Cruz and Aguirre 21-8, 21-14. This is Kopp and Chambers fourth NORCECA tournament together and their second medal; they also won the bronze medal in Cayman Islands last year. For Liam it’s his third bronze medal.

Results and photo gallery at Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

Canadians Jake MacNeil and Alexander Russell won fifth place recovering from dropping the first set and then from a two-point deficit (12-14) in the tie-break win 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 17-15) over Mexicans Jorge Barajas and Ricardo Galindo.

Earlier MacNeil and Russell beat Andy Blanco/Luis Garcia of Guatemala 2-0 (21-16, 24-22) and Barajas/Galindo prevailed 21-13, 21-10 against Americans Brandon Joyner/Alex Diaz Manzano.  

Blanco/Garcia earned seventh place due to an injury from Joyner/Diaz Manzano (USA) and Mora/López of Nicaragua won the match for ninth place to Dyner/Varela of Costa Rica 21-17, 21-12.

Atenas Gutierrez and Abril Flores win first NORCECA Gold Medal

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 23, 2023.- Atenas Gutiérrez and Abril Flores of Mexico won their first gold medal at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball defeating USA’s Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt 21-13, 21-19 at the first stage of the tour in Aguascalientes.

With quick defense from Atenas and keen offense from Abril, the Mexican pair celebrated their first championship win in front of the home crowd at Plaza de Armas in downtown Aguascalientes, but not before losing two-match points (20-17) to Geena and Carly who were battling for a tie-break.

“I won a bronze medal last year with Katherine,” said Abril Flores. “This gold is really exciting, we are glad because we’ve been practicing as a team for a short time and we are having good results, it’s a motivation to our program” she added.

For Atenas this is her first medal at NORCECA, and she explained “we managed to control the entire game and we kept focused on our objective of winning the gold medal”. She said this is a dream come true, “we work well as a team, and we’ve improved a lot thanks to our coaches”.

Mexico also won the bronze medal of the event with Katherine Albarrán alongside Susana Torres who had no setbacks in defeating Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gunst of the United States 21-16, 21-17.

This is Susana Torres first NORCECA medal and the second for Katherine Albarran, her first also a bronze medal from last year in Managua.

Abril Flores and Atenas Gutierrez of Mexico win Aguascalientes Gold Medal

Atenas Gutiérrez and Abril Flores reached their first ever NORCECA Beach Tour final match winning their semifinal to Katherine Albarrán and Susan Torres by a close 21-19, 22-20. Atenas’ serves were an important weapon in keeping Albarran and Torres out of their element.

Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt earned a bye into the gold medal match because Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gunst forfeited due to an injury.  

Results and photo gallery at Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

In other results of the day, Canadians Alison Mckay/Katherine Wuttunee finished fifth place against Guatemala’s Natalia Giron/Estefanie Bethancourth in a close 21-19, 23-21. Previously Aly and Katie prevailed 21-13, 21-11 against Williams/Nuñez of Costa Rica, while Giron/Bethancourt needed three sets 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 15-10) to beat Mexicans Vargas/Vidaurrazaga.

In the match for seventh place Itzel Vargas/Yeray Vidaurrazaga of Mexico topped Costa Rica’s Angel Williams/Ximena Nuñez 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) who finished eighth.

Marcelle/Monkhouse of Canada beat Soler/Molina of El Salvador 21-10, 21-19 for ninth place and Bennett/Almeida-Anz of the U.S. Virgin Islands took eleventh place 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) over Powery/Tulloch of Cayman Islands.

Two Mexican pairs, Canada and United States are in Aguascalientes Semifinals

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 22, 2023.- Juan Virgen/Miguel Sarabia and Gabriel Cruz/Oziel Aguirre of Mexico, joined by Canada’s Liam Kopp/Arran Chambers and USA’s Chase Frishman/Cody Caldwell are in Aguascalientes men’s semifinals, the first stage of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.

The two Mexican tandems will meet in Sunday’s first men’s semifinals at 10:00 am (local time) followed by the semifinal between Kopp/Chambers (CAN) and Frishman/Caldwell (USA).

Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia moved into semifinals beating Andy Blanco and Luis Garcia of Guatemala 2-0 (21-10, 21-10), while Gabriel Cruz alongside Oziel Aguirre defeated Canada’s Jake MacNeil and Alexander Russell 21-14, 21-17.

Liam Kopp and Arran Chambers of Canada stopped Mexico’s Jorge Barajas and Ricardo Galindo in quarterfinals in three exciting sets 2-1 (21-14, 16-21, 16-14). This was Kopp and Chambers’ second tie-break win of the day, earlier they struggled to overcome Williams/Whitfield (TTO) 14-21, 21-14, 15-8 and finish second in Pool A.

Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell won the all-American quarterfinal 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) to Brandon Joyner and Alex Diaz in the last match of the day.

Quarterfinal between Chase Frishman/Cody Caldwell and Brandon Joyner/Alex Diaz 

The competition is being streamed on Facebooklive Courtside

Earlier in the day,  Virgen/Sarabia topped Pool A winning their last preliminary round match to Rubén Mora and Dany López of Nicaragua 21-12, 21-17.

As for the other two Mexican teams, Jorge Barajas and Ricardo Galindo won the battle for first place of Pool B over Guatemala’s Andy Blanco/Luis García 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) and Gabriel Cruz with Oziel Aguirre remarkably recovered from falling in the first set to beat USA’s Brandon Joyner/Alex Diaz 2-1 (14-21, 21-15, 15-10) for Pool D first place.

In Pool C, USA’s Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell secured first place after defeating Jesario Ebanks/Casey Santamaria of Cayman Islands 21-9, 21-7. Canada’s Jake MacNeil and Alexander William Russell advanced into quarterfinals second of Pool C over Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica 21-19, 21-16.

For the full schedule and results visit Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

The bronze medal match is programmed at 2:40 pm and the gold medal match at 4:00 pm.

Mexico and United States advance two teams into Aguascalientes Semifinals

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 22, 2023.- Mexican pairs of Atenas Gutierrez/Abril Flores and Esperanza Albarrán/Susana Torres and the U.S. duos of Katie Lindstrom/Teegan Van Gunst and of Geena Urango/Carly Skjodt advanced to semifinals of the first stage of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Aguascalientes.  

Sunday’s semifinal between Gutierrez/Flores and Albarrán/Torres is scheduled for 8:40 am and Lindstrom/Van Gunst against Urango/Skjodt will meet at 9:20 am (local time).

In Saturday’s quarterfinals Mexico’s Atenas Gutiérrez and Abril Flores defeated Alison Mckay/Katherine Wuttunee of Canada in straight sets 21-13, 21-9; earlier Gutierrez and Flores won Pool A over Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourth 21-14, 21-17.

Mexicans Esperanza Albarrán and Susana Torres won their semifinal spot over Natalia Giron and Estefanie Bethancourth Guerra 21-11, 21-11.

Torres and Albarran of Mexico in action

The two American pairs dominated their quarterfinal opponents without any difficulty. Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gunst prevailed 21-12, 21-16 against Mexicans Itzel Vargas and Yeray Vidaurrazaga, while Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt held a comfortable advantage 21-13, 21-6 over Costa Rica’s Ángel Williams and Ximena Núñez.

The competition is being streamed on Facebooklive Courtside

In the morning matches, Urango/Skjodt pocketed their third pool-play win beating Mexico’s Julieta Muñoz/Ana Patricia Valle 2-0 (21-12, 21-11) to finish first in Pool D, and Lindstrom/Van Gunst finished second over Shanice Marcelle/Lea Monkhouse of Canada 21-14, 21-16.

Alison Mckay/Katherine Wuttunee of Canada took second place in Pool B after defeating Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina of El Salvador 2-0 (21-13, 21-17).

Ángel Williams and Ximena Núñez of Costa Rica won 21-11, 21-12 to Bennett/Almeida-Anz of the U.S. Virgin Islands to finish second place of Pool C. Yesterday, Vargas/Vidaurrazaga of Mexico secured first place of Pool C.

For the full schedule and results visit Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

Sunday’s program also includes final positions 5/12 and the medal matches.

Six duos with two victories in Aguascalientes  

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 21, 2023.- Six men duos scored two victories on opening day of the first stage of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour at Plaza de Armas in Aguascalientes.

The three teams from the host country Mexico lead their pools earning two wins as much as outings on Friday.

Juan Virgen with Miguel Sarabia earned an easy win to Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield of Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) but then took a huge win 2-1 (21-10, 19-21, 15-9) against  Canada’s Liam Kopp and Arran Chambers to lead Pool A.

In Pool B, Jorge Barajas and Ricardo Galindo had no complications over Armando Guatemala/Franklin Flores of El Salvador 21-11, 21-17 and Jon Isaacs/Eugene Stuart of Bahamas 21-9, 21-16.

Blanco-Garcia L. (GUA) vs Guatemala-FLORES (ESA)

Gabriel Cruz and Isaías Aguirre lead Pool D with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) against Bryce Mayer and Robert Cronshaw of the U.S. Virgin Islands, followed by a 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) win over St. Clair Hodge/Shawn Seabrookes of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other teams dominating in their two outings were Guatemala’s Andy Blanco and Luis García in Pool D prevailing 21-13, 21-14 to Isaacs/Stuart of Bahamas and dramatic 21-18, 28-26 to El Salvador’s Guatemala/Flores. Blanco/García will face Barajas/Galindo of Mexico for top spot in Pool B.

Both American duos complete the list of unbeaten, Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell lead Pool C, after obtaining a comfortable 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) win over Daniel Dyner and Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica and recovering from losing the first set to Jake MacNeil and Alexander Russell of Canada by an   exciting 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 18-16); while Brandon Joyner/Alex Diaz in Pool D beat Hodge/ Seabrookes (SKN) 21-14, 21-12 and was granted a win over Mayer/Cronshaw (ISV) due to an injury.

Mora_Lopez (NCA) vs Kopp_Chambers (CAN)

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

For the full schedule and results visit Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

Mexicans Vargas/Vidaurrazaga and Albarrán/Torres and Urango/Skjodt of USA unbeaten

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 21, 2023.- Mexican duos of Itzel Vargas/Yeray Vidaurrazaga and Esperanza Albarrán /Susana Torres as well as USA’s Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt grabbed two wins on the first day of competition at Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour on Friday.

The Mexican tandem of Itzel Vargas/Yeray Vidaurrazaga had a strong start in Pool C, winning their two matches of the day in straight sets. First, over  Amber Bennett and Cristina Almeida-Anza of the U.S. Virgin Islands 21-8, 21-10 followed by a  21-11, 21-16 against Angel Williams and Ximena Núñez of Costa Rica.

Esperanza Albarrán alongside Susana Torres also managed two important victories in Pool B, topping Yvonne Soler and Laura Molina of El Salvador 21-11, 21-15 and beating Canadians Alison Mckay and Katherine Wuttunee 21-16, 21-13.

Abril Flores (MEX) vs Powery (CAY)

In Pool D, Geena Urango and Carly Skjodt had a well fought debut prevailing over the other U.S. team of Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gunst 21-8, 24-22 and then dominating Canadians Shanice Marcelle and Lea Monkhouse in three sets (21-18, 16-21, 15-13).

Lindstrom/Van Gust and Marcelle/Monkhouse will meet on Saturday in their last pool-play outing, both are 1-1.

Carly Skjodt of United States

Mexico of Atenas Gutiérrez/Abril Flores and Guatemalans Natalia Girón / Estefanie Bethancourth will decide first place Pool A after picking up one win each against Ileann Powery/ Deajra Tulloch of Cayman Islands.

For the full schedule and results visit Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

Pool-play will be completed on Saturday, followed by the quarterfinals and classification matches 9/16.

29 Teams Ready to battle at Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 20, 2023.- 29 Teams are ready to battle at the first stage of the 2023 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour that starts in Aguascalientes on Friday as part of the annual  San Marcos Fair festivities.

13 women’s teams and 16 men’s teams confirmed their registration during Thursday’s preliminary inquiry who look to advance from the preliminary pool-play round that starts on Friday at 8:00 am (local time) at the sand courts installed at Plaza de Armas.

Friday’s competition schedule has 26 matches during the day and will be streamed on Facebooklive Courtside

The Aguascalientes event will be played over three days. The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday with the semifinals and medal matches on Sunday.

Mexican duos of Atenas Gutiérrez/Abril Flores and Juan Virgen/Miguel Sarabia are the top seeded of the tournament. Abril Flores won the bronze medal in Managua last year with Esparanza Albarrán. In 2022 Virgen/Sarabia won the silver medal here in Aguascalientes and in La Paz, Baja California.

The other two men Mexican teams Cruz/Aguirre and Barajas/Galindo last year won silver and bronze respectively in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic.

General Technical Meeting

Other teams from the 2022 NORCECA Tour season to keep an eye on here in Aguascalientes are Shanice Marcelle of Canada who won the Aguascalientes silver medal with Ruby Sorra and now is teaming up with Lea Monkhouse who won the silver medal of Punta Cana with Molley McBain.

Also, Americans Katie Lindstrom and Teegan Van Gunst were champions in Managua and Cayman Islands, and second place in Hato Mayor.

Guatemalans Andy Blanco and Luis García silver medalists in Managua and Cayman Islands, as well as Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora who finished third in Managua with Denis López and is here in Aguascalientes with Dany López.

Jake MacNeil and Alexander Russell who finished third in Punta Cana, and Liam Kopp/Arran Chambers of Canada took the bronze in Cayman Islands and fourth place in Hato Mayor.

For the full schedule and results visit Aguascalientes 2023 NORCECA Beach Tour

General Technical Meeting

Team Update

Women’s Teams CAN Alison Mckay/Katherine Wuttunee, Shanice Marcelle/Lea Monkhouse; CAY Ileann Powery/ Deajra Tulloch; CRC Ángel Williams Paniagua/ Ximena Núñez Muñoz; ESA Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina; GUA Natalia María Girón Boesche/ Estefanie Bethancourth Guerra; MEX Atenas A. Gutiérrez Guzmán/ Abril Cristina Flores Castro, Esperanza Albarrán Castro/Susana Torres García, Itzel Karina Vargas/Yeray Yamilet Vidaurrazaga, Julieta Ameyalli Muñoz/Ana Patricia Valle; USA Katie Lindstrom/ Teegan Van Gunst, Geena Urango/ Carly Skjodt; ISV Amber Bennett/ Cristina Almeida-Anz

Men’s Teams BAH Jon Isaacs/ Eugene Stuart; CAN Jake MacNeil/ Alexander William Russell, Liam Kopp/Arran Chambers; CAY Jesario Ebanks/ Casey Santamaria; CRC Daniel Dyner Villa/ Jhostin Varela Guerrero; ESA Armando J. Guatemala Hernández/ Franklin Orlando Flores Girón; GUA Andy Alexis Leonardo Blanco/ Luis Augusto García Betancourt; MEX Jorge Barajas/Ricardo Galindo, Gabriel Cruz Mendoza/ Isaías Oziel Aguirre Gallegos, Juan Virgen/ Miguel Sarabia Delgado; NCA Rubén Alejandro Mora Romero/ Dany Antonio López Alvarado; SKN St Clair Hodge/ Shawn Seabrookes; TTO Daneil Williams/ Fabien Whitfield; USA Chase Frishman/ Cody Caldwell, Brandon Joyner/Alex Diaz; ISV Bryce Mayer/ Robert Cronshaw.

Budinger/Evans Secure Silver in Saquarema

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SAQUAREMA, Brazil, April 17, 2023.-  The U.S. beach team of Chase Budinger/Miles Evans fought through the qualifier, battled to the final and took the silver medal at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Saquarema Challenge on Sunday in Brazil.

Seeded 17th in the main draw, Budinger/Evans took the top-seeded Brazilian team of Evandro Gonçalves/Arthur Lanci to three sets in the final before losing 2-1 (18-21, 21-12, 15-13). Budinger/Evans finished the tournament 7-1.

They won their semifinal match over Austrians Julian Hörl and Alexander Horst 2-1 (19-21, 22-20, 15-11).

Saquarema was Budinger/Evans’ second international match since they joined forces at the start of the season. They finished 25th at the Itapema Challenge on April 6-9 in Brazil. In March, they finished second at the AVP Open in Miami.

Chase Budinger/Miles Evans of United States silver medal at Saquarema Beach Pro Tour

The U.S. team of Andy Benesh/Miles Partain placed fourth after advancing from the qualifier. In the semifinals, they fell to Evandro/Arthur 2-0 (21-16, 21-17). In the third-place match they battled Austrians Julian Hörl and Alexander Horst before falling 2-1 (14-21, 21-15, 15-10).

Among other NORCECA teams:

Men: 5th Trevor Crabb/Brunner (USA); 9th Diaz/Alayo (CUB);  25th Scachter/Dearing (CAN) and Taylor Crabb/T. Sander (USA); 33th MacNeil/Russell (CAN) and Virgen/Sarabia (MEX)

Women: 9th Kolinske/Harward (USA); 19th Gutiérrez/Flores (MEX); 25th McBain/Bélanger (CAN) and Quiggle/Schermerhorn; 33th Aly/Katie (CAN)

Full results are available on the Volleyball World website.

Aguascalientes Opens the 2023 Beach NORCECA Tour Season

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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, April 17, 2023.- The 2023 Beach Volleyball NORCECA Tour season is set to kick off in Aguascalientes, Mexico from April 20-24.

Aguascalientes has been the opening event of the NORCECA Beach Tour on three occasions since they joined the NORCECA Tour, hosting in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

The Mexican National Volleyball Federation alongside the Aguascalientes Volleyball Association is preparing for a successful season opener to be staged at the iconic location of Plaza de Armas in downtown of the City of Aguascalientes, the geographic center of the country which is represented by a column called “Exedra” in front of the Government Palace with the Mexican emblem of the eagle devouring the snake.

Fifteen women’s teams and seventeen men’s teams have been registered for this year’s competition in Aguascalientes, representing thirteen countries, expecting to arrive in Aguascalientes on Thursday to go through the preliminary inquiries.

Host Mexico fields four women’s teams and three in the men’s division, while USA and Canada registered two teams per gender.

Atenas Gutiérrez of Mexico with partner Abril Flores

Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the U.S. Virgin Islands have one team per gender. Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago registered one team in the men’s division.

This year the NORCECA Tour will revisit the beautiful beaches of Varadero, Cuba and Cayman Islands in May for the second and third stages.

The event will move to Macao Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in June, followed by two stages in Trinidad and Tobago in Pigeon Beach in July and Maracas Bay in September; and then it’s back to the Dominican Republic in Puerto Plata and Juan Dolio Beach in the last week of September and first week of October.

Women’s Teams CAN Molly McBaien/Marie-Alex Bélanger, Megan McNamara/Nicole McNamara; CAY Ileann Powery/ Deajra Tulloch; CRC Ángel Williams Paniagua/ Ximena Núñez Muñoz; DOM Bethania Almánzar/ Jeneiry W. Rosario Hernández; ESA Yvonne Soler/Laura Molina; GUA Natalia María Girón Boesche/ Estefanie Bethancourth Guerra; MEX Atenas A. Gutiérrez Guzmán/ Abril Cristina Flores Castro, Yeray Y. Vidaurrazaga Blanco/ Esperanza K. Albarrán Castro, Ana Patricia Valle/ Itzel Karina Vargas Méndez, Julieta A. Muñoz Estrada/ Susana Torres García; NCA Socorro Margarita López Jalinas/ Lolette Eleonor Rodríguez Saunders; USA Katie Lindstrom/ Teegan Van Gunst, Geena Urango/ Carly Skjod; ISV Amber Bennett/ Cristina Almeida-Anz

Men’s Teams BAH Jon Isaacs/ Eugene Stuart; CAN Jake MacNeil/ Alexander William Russell, Samuel Schachter/ Daniel Dearing; CAY Jesario Ebanks/ Casey Santamaria; CRC Daniel Dyner Villa/ Jhostin Varela Guerrero; DOM Hayerling F. De Jesús Goris/ Oscar José Martínez López; ESA Armando J. Guatemala Hernández/ Franklin Orlando Flores Girón; GUA Andy Alexis Leonardo Blanco/ Luis Augusto García Betancourt; MEX Jorge Barajas/Ricardo Galindo, Gabriel Cruz Mendoza/ Isaías Oziel Aguirre Gallegos, Juan Virgen/ Miguel Sarabia Delgado; NCA Rubén Alejandro Mora Romero/ Dany Antonio López Alvarado; SKN St Clair Hodge/ Shawn Seabrookes; TRI Daneil Williams/ Fabien Whitfield; USA Silila Tucker/ Troy Field, Chase Frishman/ Cody Caldwell; ISV Bryce Mayer/ Robert Cronshaw

Upcoming Course for Level I Beach Volleyball Coaches

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 11, 2023 – The NORCECA/FIVB Regional Center in the Dominican Republic for the Development of Volleyball is announcing their upcoming Level 1 Beach Volleyball Coaches Course.

Professor Nelson Ramírez, director of the Development Center informed that the International Course for Level 1 Beach Volleyball Coaches will be held from May 20-26 in Santo Domingo and registration will be closed on May 15.

All interested in being part of this course can contact the NORCECA/FIVB Regional Center via centrofivb_rdom@yahoo.es or WhatsApp +1 (809) 563 5642.

Mushtaque Mohammed inducted into Sports Hall of Fame in T&T

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, March 30, 2023.- Mushtaque Mohammed, the former T&T Volleyball Federation President and current president of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association CAZOVA was inducted into the First Citizens Sport Foundation Hall of Fame in Trinidad and Tobago.

The 60-year-old Mohammed was one of the nine current or former national sports personalities who were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2022 First Citizens Sports Foundation Awards ceremony themed ‘Passing the Baton’ which was held at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, on Sunday.

The winner of the 1993 WITCO Sport Foundation Administrators Award as head of the T&TVF Mohammed, and a member of the Federation International Volleyball (FIVB) Executive said, “this recognition is indeed a humbling and proud experience”.

He added, “When I started in administration it was never to get recognition but to assist the development of the sport, however, being recognized for your contributions is always a good feeling especially when it is from a national perspective”.

The Piparo-born Mohammed added, “Induction into the Hall of fame is a great recognition, and it means that my involvement is now etched into the history of Sports in T&T”. 

A Vice President both at the FIVB and North Central American and Caribbean Confederation of Volleyball (NORCECA) Mohammed stated, “I came from a very humble beginning playing sport in my village in Piparo and with the discipline, dedication and the pursuit of excellence, I was able to make this contribution to sport as a volunteer, serving selflessly at all levels to positively impact the youth and our society at large”.

Among his achievements, Mohammed was key to the success of the T&T senior women’s volleyball team’s qualification to two major events, the FIVB Women’s Grand Prix and World Championships, the first time ever in both instances as a result of his assistance to the T&TVF in planning and developmental program which commenced in 2009 and formed the pathway for T&T to qualify for the 2018 FIVB World Championships which was held in Tokyo Japan.

Mohammed was also the pioneer and first president of the National Schools Volleyball Association, which was formed in September 1990, and assisted with organized tournaments in the schools and paved the way for the development of our younger volleyball players to become National players.

The development of sport was trusted upon him in NORCECA in 2001 and since then the sport in the islands and Central America has grown significantly, which led to him being recognized by the FIVB and appointed as President of its Development Commission in 2016.

The FIVB  has trusted the Development Commission on his shoulders since May 2017 and the development of the sport has initiated many new projects to enhance the growth of both volleyball and beach volleyball.

As an official Mohammed has participated as supervisor of numerous multi-sports events such as the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, Pan American Games, NORCECA Tournaments, FIVB World championships, World Cups and three Olympic Games.

Cheng and Hughes continue in spectacular form with Tepic Gold

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TEPIC, Mexico, March 26, 2023.- Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes have been a force in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour since they became partners for the second time in their careers, last November, and the Americans celebrated their fourth title in the last four months on Sunday, at the Tepic Elite16, in Mexico.

The two dropped their first set in the tournament to Brazilians Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos in the gold medal match at the Amado Nervo Auditorium, but still managed to overcome the reigning world champions in the tie-breaker (21-14, 15-21, 15-10) and stand at the top of the podium. Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho took bronze.

All Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 matches are available on demand on VBTV.

Cheng and Hughes have been nearly unstoppable in their second stint as partners, having won four of the six Beach Pro Tour events they competed at since their reunion, including the 2022 Beach Pro Tour Finals.

Champions also at both the Challenge and the Elite16 tournaments held in Torquay, Australia, last year, the Americans have won 29 of the 33 international beach volleyball matches they played in the last four months.

“It’s been amazing,” Hughes reflected. “I’m so happy to be playing with Kelly and just working with our entire team. We’re putting together the right strategies and working as hard as we can. We have all the support back home and that’s what makes a good team.”

Hughes and Cheng dropped only one set in their campaign in Tepic

Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 – Results

After a brief point exchange in the first few plays, Hughes started to make a defensive impact in the match and generated and converted several counterattacks, giving the Americans an 11-7 lead. An ace from her increased their advantage to 13-7 right before the technical timeout. Forcing errors from the Brazilians and maintaining their side out steady, Cheng and Hughes remained in control until the end and won the set 21-14 with a kill from Hughes.

The Brazilians started the second set stronger and jumped ahead at 5-2 with a block from Ana Patrícia on Cheng. The two took a 12-9 lead into the technical timeout and improved their advantage to five points at 15-10 when Cheng made an offensive error. More stable, the South Americans had no issues continuing ahead until the end and tied the gold medal match when Duda put the ball down with a tip to make them win the set 21-15.

Both team’s offences started the tie-breaker in a good rhythm and the Americans got the first break at 6-3, with Cheng blocking Ana Patrícia and Hughes digging the Brazilian blocker and putting the ball down in consecutive plays. A transition kill from Duda and a hitting error from Cheng brought the difference down to a single point at 8-7, but the Americans got back-to-back points to get up 10-7 and secured the title with a block from Cheng that ended the set 15-10.

Hughes hits around Ana Patrícia’s block during the gold medal match

Clancy and Mariafe stepped on the podium for the second time this season and the fifth in their last six events by taking bronze in Tepic and repeating the finish they got in the season-opening Doha Elite16, held in February.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalists had to work hard, but downed Italian qualifiers Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-17, 19-17) to finish third in Mexico.

The Beach Pro Tour continues next week, with a Futures tournament set to take place in Coolangatta Beach, Australia, from Wednesday to Sunday. The next Elite16 event will be played in Uberlândia, Brazil, from April 26-30.

Tepic Elite16 main draw set after top-level qualifier

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TEPIC, Mexico, March 23, 2023.- The last four spots in each gender in the main draw of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 were filled on Wednesday, when the qualifier took place in the two sand courts set up at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.

After the completion of the 24 matches of the day, men’s duos from Italy, the Netherlands and USA, and women’s teams from France, Italy, Spain and USA earned the right of competing among the 16 tandems that will fight for the titles in Mexico.

Watch the Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 live or on demand on VBTV.

The main draw begins on Thursday, at 9:00 local time (16:00 UTC) and the first 16 pool matches in each gender will be played. By the end of the day, each team will have played a pair of matches in Tepic.

Americans Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk were among the four men’s teams that succeeded in the men’s qualifier. A new team for the 2023 season, the two are playing in just their second tournament as partners and looking to bounce back from a 19th-place finish last week in La Paz, where they dropped both of their matches.

“Honestly, we didn’t feel at our best out there, but we’re working, we’re a new team,” Schalk remarked. “We’re working through stuff and it was awesome to find that energy and will to make it happen no matter what today. These qualifiers are absolutely gnarly, there are some amazing teams from all over the world here and to get through it was huge for us. We’re hungry and want to make a long run in the tournament.”

The Americans were challenged by a pair of Austrian teams on the qualifier in Tepic, overcoming Martin Ermacora and Philipp Waller in two sets (21-17, 21-15) and Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-19, 15-13).

Bourne and Schalk will be in Pool B in the main draw, where they’re going to face Sweden’s David Åhman/Jonatan Hellvig, Czechia’s Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner and Germany’s Nils Ehlers/Clemens Wickler.

Their fellow Americans and former partners Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner will complete Pool C, where they will compete with the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Italy’s Adrian Carambula/Alex Ranghieri and Estonia’s Kusti Nõlvak/Mart Tiisaar. The USA duo moved forward with triumphs over Canada’s Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing and Brazil’s Andre Loyola/George Wanderley.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss USA

Beach Pro Tour Tepic Elite16 – Match Schedule & Results

Among the four women’s teams advancing in the women’s qualifier were USA’s Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, the winners of last week’s La Paz Challenge. After topping Mexico’s Esperanza Albarran/Yeray Vidaurrazaga and Japan’s Miki Ishii/Sayaka Mizoe in the qualifier, they will now have fellow Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, Australia’s Mariafe Artacho/Taliqua Clancy and Mexico’s Abril Flores/Atenas Gutierrez as their next opponents on Pool D.

10 NORCECA teams in the Main Draw

Women Sarah Hughes / Kelly Cheng – USA, Julia Scoles / Betsi Flint – USA, Melissa Humana-Paredes / Brandi Wilkerson – Canada, Sarah Pavan / Sophie Bukovec – Canada, Terese Cannon / Sarah Sponcil – USA, Atenas Gutierrez / Abril Flores – Mexico

Men Juan Virgen / Miguel Sarabia – Mexico, Tri Bourne / Chaim Schalk – USA, Trevor Crabb / Theo Brunner – USA

Kloth and Nuss secure La Paz Challenge title

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LA PAZ, Mexico, March 19, 2023.- Second-seeded Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss ended a solid week at the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge with the gold medals around their necks as the 25-year-old Americans were the winners of the event held in Mexico.

Kloth and Nuss prevailed in the all-American gold medal match against Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez, taking their compatriots down in two sets (21-16, 21-13) to claim the title. Brazilians Tainá Bigi and Victoria Lopes finished third in La Paz.

All Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge match replays are available on VBTV.

The Americans were strongly challenged by compatriots Simo and Rodriguez at the start of the gold medal match and trailed until the middle of the opening set, when they found their rhythm, took control and never looked back.

“What a battle,” Nuss reflected. “Hats off to our fellow Americans, what a game and what a tournament they had. We got into the final knowing it was going to be a very tough match and only focused on our side of the net. The atmosphere here in La Paz has been absolutely unreal and this is what beach volleyball is about. We loved it.”

Playing in only their second international season, Kloth and Nuss have already secured their third Beach Pro Tour title, following victories at last year’s Kuşadası Challenge, in Türkiye, and Coolangatta Futures, in Australia. The Americans have played in 11 international tournaments together and never finished outside of the top ten.

“It was a very difficult tournament,” Kloth remarked. “There were so many great teams playing and a lot of three-set matches that could really have gone either way. And the fans were amazing, there was such a great turnout to every single match that we played. It was such a fun tournament .”

Action Gold Medal Match

Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge – Results

Despite their loss in the gold medal match, the 24-year-old Simo and the 26-year-old Rodriguez also leave La Paz with a lot to celebrate. The La Paz Challenge was just their second Beach Pro Tour event and the first in which they got to play in the main draw and they advanced all the way to the gold medal match, winning seven of the eight matches they played in Mexico, starting from Thursday’s qualifier.

The Beach Pro Tour remains in Mexico for another week with the city of Tepic hosting an Elite16 tournament from March 22-26.

Three NORCECA tandems advance to La Paz Challenge Main Draw

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LA PAZ, Mexico, March 16, 2023.- Thee NORCECA tandems, Savvy Simo/Toni Rodriguez (USA) in women, Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing (CAN) and Jorge Alayo/Noslen Diaz (CUB) in men from the qualifier matches on Thursday, advanced in the main draw of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge.  

American team of Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez, was responsible for the elimination of third-seeded Austrians Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig. The 14th-seeded Americans advanced in an empathic way, securing a 21-12, 21-16 win.

Simo and Rodríguez join other four American teams, number one-seeded Sara Hughes/Kelly Cheng and second-seed Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth, Kelley Kolinske/Hailey Harward and Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman, and the Mexican pair of Abril Flores/Atenas Gutiérrez.

Also appearing in the La Paz Challenge main draw (men) will be fourth-seeded Sam Schachter/Dan Dearing of Canada and eighth-seeded Jorge Alayo/Noslen Diaz of Cuba.

The Canadian team of Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing earned a bye into the second round where they downed Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich of Italy  2-0 (22-20, 23-21) and

Cuban duo Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz eliminated Americans William Kolinske and Hagen Smith 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-13) and Germans Robin Sowa and Lukas Pfretzschner 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).

The other NORCECA men entering the main draw are Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia of Mexico, alongside Americans Trevor Crabb/Theodore Brunner and Chaim Schalk/Tri Bourne.

The main draw begins on Friday, at 9:00 local time (16:00 UTC), and 52 matches are scheduled to take place during the day. The entire pool play schedule will be completed on Friday and only 16 of the 24 teams in each gender will progress for Saturday, when the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals will be held. The semifinals and the medal matches will take place on Sunday.

Schedule and Results: 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour La Paz Challenge

Women’s International Day webinar for International Female Referees

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 8, 2023.- In commemoration of Women’s International Day the NORCECA Referee Commission held a webinar on Tuesday for international female referees with the theme of “Sharing Our Stories” to provide helpful information to support their growth and development.

Julie Voeck of the United States, member of the NORCECA Referee Commission, was in charge of moderating an open conversation in which NORCECA female referees had the opportunity to speak about their personal experiences refereeing at an international level.

Guy Bradbury, president of the NORCECA Referee Commission highlighted that the Referee Commission has been working for the equality within our sport and having a better understanding of female referees.

Ariel Sainz, NORCECA First Vice President also took part of the session, alongside other members of the NORCECA Referee Commission.

Beach Volleyball referees Claudia Guerrerro of Honduras and Suzanne Lowry of the United States, and Volleyball referees Cinthya Hernández of Costa Rica and Mary Carmen Durán of Mexico shared their stories of how they decided to become referees and the different challenges they have faced along their path.

One of the discussions during the webinar was how some of them shifted from being an athlete to refereeing, the opportunity they have been provided of meeting fellow referees which have contributed to their career and a better understanding of the rules of the game.  

An important conversation came to the attention of the participants, was that in many events they are the only female referee officiating during an event, which has been challenging as on occasions they haven’t felt the same camaraderie when having the companion of another female referee.

The speakers agreed the importance of whistling as many national events as possible, providing them with a better preparation to approach difficult situations, dealing with coaches and players who are constantly questioning their decisions, which in the end helps them to improve with every match and for officiating at an international level.

Some of the challenging situations they have faced are balancing their personal careers and overcoming doubting themselves, but NORCECA has provided the necessary support.

The webinar concluded with the message to continue working hard and setting career goals, to become trustworthy referees and also taking on a teaching role for developing more female referees.

Volleyball Canada’s beach athletes recognized with annual award

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ONTARIO, Canada, February 27, 2023.- Beach volleyball athletes Sophie Bukovec and Sam Schachter have been awarded Volleyball Canada’s annual Tom Ng award.

The athletes were chosen based on their performances in 2022. Toronto’s Bukovec had a stand-out year in 2022, winning silver at the World Championships with then partner Brandie Wilkerson. Team veteran Sam Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ontario, along with partner Dan Dearing, took silver at the Commonwealth Games and gold at the NORCECA tour finals.

The Tom Ng Beach Volleyball Athlete Assistance Fund was created in 2013 in partnership with Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Annually, the Fund awards a high-performance beach volleyball athlete(s) an amount to offset training and competition expenses. This is the first time the Tom Ng award has gone to a male and female athlete at the same time.

“Both Sophie and Sam have been great representatives of Team Canada both on and off the court,” said Volleyball Canada’s Beach High Performance Director Ed Drakich. “We are pleased that the Tom Ng fund can assist them on the road to Paris 2024 as they work toward Olympic qualification.”

Bukovec now plays with Sarah Pavan, while Schachter continues to be partnered with Dearing.

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