Tag: Norceca

Cuba scores fourth victory in a row defeating Puerto Rico

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- Cuba scored their fourth victory in a row after defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20) at the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba with a 4-0 record will finish the preliminary round in first place even if they fall to Mexico on Friday. Puerto Rico with a 2-2 record will end the first phase of the event against Canada (3-1).

Cuba held huge margins in attacks (52-38) and blocks (11-5), and a comfortable 7-3 advantage in serves. Puerto Rico committed fewer errors than Cuba (28-36).

Outside hitter Julio Cesar Cardenas was Cuba’s leading scorer with 15 points, middle blocker Javier Concepcion and opposite hitter Jesus Herrera followed with 11 points each.

Puerto Rican Klistan Lawrence scored a match-high of 19 points.

Cuban double block against Puerto Rico

Yonder García, Libero of Cuba: “En general nos sentimos en óptimas condiciones, preparándonos para el Challenger el próximo mes, además de que tenemos la Copa Panamericana en Canadá. Varios jugadores están con buen nivel y todos son efectivos a la hora de entrar a la cancha, algunos descansaron hoy. Mañana le jugaremos duro a México, como lo hemos hecho ante todos los rivales, la meta es tener buenos resultados”.

Arturo Iglesias, Captain of Puerto Rico: “Cuba is very physical, powerful, and strong; despite all I believe we competed well. We started a bit soft, in the second set we had better rhythm, but they (Cuba) had the necessary strength to win. We had more confidence, and we were able to take the second set. We will compete to reach the finals”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “The guys are doing well. We did some changes, necessary to observe all our players, we got the victory which is important, and we are going one step at a time for next tournaments. This is an important competition for world ranking, but we must see every player thinking about future situations”.

Belize with powerful attacks surpasses El Salvador

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Belize City, July 14, 2022.- Belize showed its offensive power to win 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-16) against El Salvador, in the closing of the third day of the XIX U21 Central American Championship women’s volleyball.

The Belizeans reached two wins without defeats, this time thanks to Fatoumata Camara who had 19 points, plus 12 from Bruce Gareth and 10 from Khaya Gordon. For El Salvador, Daniela López was the best with 10 points.

Belize commanded all the elements of the game, especially a powerful attack (39-15), blocking 6-5 and serving 8-7, committing 24 errors to 22 of their opponents.

Belize celebrating a point against El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

Fatoumata Camara, the best scorer of the match, said that “I am very excited to get this second victory, it feels great to win another match. I think that every game that passes we gain more confidence, every set we play we feel better with the ball, we also have the support of the fans, they give us energy, they encourage us to play better and better, and I also have the support of my mom, who travels an hour to come see me play”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “the important thing about this second victory is that the team has maintained a high competitive level, especially in attack. Winning 3-0 allows us to add and it is important to be with 10 points, now we are going to face these two games not confident, but calmer in the sense that we already know that the team knows that it can against any rival”.

“We have worked very hard on reception, which was a weakness, because our blocking is normally good, and on the defensive side they have been key, since since the first game we have not made many errors in reception,” said Fontes.

Canada improves 3-1 at NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- Canada improved their record 3-1 after defeating Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-20) on Thursday at the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

It was a crucial victory for Canada to being a step closer to the semifinals, while as for Dominican Republic with 0-3 will play for fifth place in the event.

Canada blanked Dominican Republic with an overwhelming 42-25 advantage in attacks and 10-2 in serves. Canada scored on 27 opponent errors and limited theirs to 17.  Canadians also held a slim 7-6 margin in blocks.

Outside hitter Brandon Koppers led Canada’s scorers with 11 points on 9 kills, 2 blocks and aces, followed by also outside hitter Logan House and middle blocker Xander Ketrzynski scored 10 points apiece.

Team captain, opposite hitter Henry Tapia, was the only Dominican player with double-digits, scoring 13 points on 11 kills and two blocks.

Canada resumes the preliminary round on Friday against Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic facing the United States.

Canada celebrates during the match against Dominican Republic at Pan American Cup Final Six

Luke Herr, Captain of Canada: “We are playing really well so far, it helped us to come here earlier and get some practice matches to get adapted to the gym. We are ready for the next game and whatever comes after that; we’ll prepare for every match”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “It’s a long tournament, we may have to play seven matches in seven days, so every opponent is difficult. We are very excited to be able to win today and being one win closer to being in a final four position. Our next opponent (Puerto Rico) is a very athletic team that will give us a lot of problems, we will have to be prepared for them because it’s our last game in the preliminary phase”.

Alexander Gutierrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “It was a complicated match because Canada plays orderly and facing a team like ours that’s not as organized because of so many young players and lack of experience. We are closing the preliminary round against the United States, it will be hard because they have the characteristic of playing these tournaments from less to more and they get adjusted as a team, they get organized and they are also orderly, it’s the American school; we play with a lot of passion”.

Guatemala beats Nicaragua in five exciting sets

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Belize City, July 14, 2022.- Guatemala showed all its strength to overcome in five sets 3-2 (25-14, 23-25, 25-21, 27-29, 15-13) a combative Nicaragua, in an electrifying match on the third day of the XIX U-21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship. 

Nicaragua recovered from a fourth set deficit from the start, trailing 9-2, before tying at 23-23… after a set point exchange, the Nicaraguans took the set with two hotly contested points in the net, but In the fifth set, Guatemala managed to bring out their best weapon, blocking, and with a good defense they were able to make counterattack moves against the Nicaraguans. 

Guatemala had Sofía Ibarra with 20 points, eight blocked, María Santa Cruz with 18, of which 8 served, Ivana Sopegno with 16 (7 blocked) and Naomi Monney with 16 points.

Gilmary Smith with 27 points was the best for Nicaragua, with 4 blocks and five aces, Nahima Silva contributed 12 points and Francesca Medrano with 10.

Guatemala did a lot of damage with the service with a 16-10 advantage, in blocking 21-9 and in attacks it was very even 52-49 in favor of Nicaragua, who committed 29 errors for 31 of their opponents. 

Guatemala’s celebrates huge win over Nicaragua at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “I think we could give more, but in the sets that we managed to close there, our determination was visible; The last set cost us a lot, but together we were able to do well. This game meant a lot because we needed to win it if we want to be champions and go further. It was teamwork, we all supported each other, when one was failing another would come and solve it”. 

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “First congratulations to Nicaragua, they were a great opponent, my respects for how they played because the match could be for anyone; It was a game in which each team gave its best, a good defense was seen, it was a good show for the entire public. Both coaches wanted to win and we did everything possible to do so, changing the rhythm of the game, varying the defense, even with double changes to find variability in the game”. 

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “I am sad, but at the same time proud of my team, of what we achieved in the game, they showed who we are, we put up a lot of battle, we stood up strong and that was noticeable on the field. Our team is quite young, only three will no longer do this category, and they showed that age doesn’t matter, what matters is having heart and grit”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “I am proud of the team’s work, even though we lost, I think it was one of the best we have had in the tournament, they came back and we were close to victory. They are satisfied, especially because of the substitutions we made because they came to do their job. We have a fairly young team, it is new to Central American tournaments and they showed that they have desire and a future in this sport”. 

Peruvian Chumpitaz enjoys Tepic as mom of the US captain

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022 – Raquel Chumpitaz, former member of the Peruvian volleyball women’s team, is now living as the mother of the captain of the United States national team Mathew West, who is competing in the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup in Nayarit, Mexico.

Raquel was member of the Peruvian women’s volleyball team that competed in the 1980 Olympic Games and a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1982 FIVB World Championship.

She owns a recognized volleyball club in Seattle, Washington where she lives, and during the next days she’s in Tepic sitting in the stands supporting her son Mathew.

“I was member of the Peruvian volleyball team under the direction of Korean coach Mambo Paz and now I am a coach back in Seattle with my club, training children between the ages of 8 and 18” she explained.

When asked how it feels to be from the outside as a mother, she indicated “I feel proud, he had already made team USA during the Pan American Games in Toronto and has played professionally for the past seven years”.

Raquel Chumpitaz ex member of the Peruvian national team and Cristobal Marte Hoffiz NORCECA President at Pan Am Cup Final Six

Raquel explained that besides the great feeling of watching Mathew defending the US flag, she also feels stress “when you know the game and the opportunity of making the national team, I feel anxious of being on the court”.

She added that she’s delighted to see how Mathew and the rest of the guys in the American team have evolved “watching them gain experience, get nervous about the opportunity they have and for some of them it’s the first time representing their country is surreal because I was once in their shoes and having the same experience”.

Raquel added that the feeling is incredible, and she wishes to enjoy many more successes as a volleyball mom.

Mexico downs Dominican Republic in first victory

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 13, 2022.- Mexico came back to down Dominican Republic 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-21) in their first victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

After falling in the first set, Mexico battled tough to even the scores and finish earning their tournament win to improve to a 1-2 record. Dominicans’ strong effort recovering from a four-point deficit (8-12) in the fourth set wasn’t enough and dropped to an 0-3 overall record.

Mexico out blocked Dominican Republic with a 13-7 margin; they also outnumbered with a huge 8-1 advantage in aces and a 51-42 margin in attacks. Mexico had 31 scoring errors while Dominican Republic had 24.

Opposite hitter Diego Gonzalez led Mexico with a match-high of 20 points on 17 kills, 2 blocks and one ace. Two other Mexican players scored double-digits, middle blocker Axel Tellez Rodriguez with 19 points on a match-high of 4 blocks and serves, and middle blocker Jonathan Martinez tallied 11 points.

Dominican outside hitter Wilfrido Hernandez topped with 15 points, opposite hitter Henry Tapia added 12 points and outside hitter Hector Cruz chipped in with 10 points.  

Josue Lopez (MEX) attacks avoiding Henry Tapia (DOM) blocking at Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six

On Thursday Mexico will play the United States, both have 1-2 record, while Dominican Republic (0-3) meets Canada (2-1).

Christian Aranda, Setter of Mexico: “The team needed this win, we have been working well, in the past matches we came off short in decisive points and we couldn’t close. Dominican Republic has been working well for some years now and facing them is always challenging, so we can’t keep our heads down. Concentration was the key, and we enjoyed the game more. Tomorrow the United States is a stronger team than Dominican Republic and we are aiming for the qualification to defend our title”.

Bryan Turbides Pepen, Libero of Dominican Republic: “We started off well, but Mexico shorten the distance and we weren’t compenetrating, we weren’t understanding ourselves. We tried to do it better, but it wasn’t possible. We have three losses, but we will keep on fighting to give our best. We will keep working for future wins”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “With Dominican Republic we know each other well and they always make our game difficult, but today we were able to win. The guys knew how to come out of difficulties, our substitutions did their job changing the rhythm and keeping things calm, that was the key in our victory. We performed under pressure, it’s a responsibility playing at home and the guys must learn to manage it better, being committed to represent their country. Tomorrow is a hard duel against the United States, they are a well-structured team and we are going after the qualification, my team is capable of winning”.

Nicaragua whitewashes El Salvador

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Belize City, July 13, 2022.- Nicaragua equaled its record in a win and a loss by beating El Salvador (0-2) 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-23) on the second day of the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship. 

Gilmary Smith and Grace Zeledón combined with 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead Nicaragua to its first win after losing to Belize on day one, while El Salvador’s Daniela López registered 16 points. 

Nicaragua was better in offense 36-27 and serving 5-4, with the Salvadorans being better in blocking 5-4, although they committed 30 errors for 21 points due to errors by their opponents. 

Action between Nicaragua and El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “I feel happy and satisfied, but hungry for a medal. I think we play more as a team, we trust each other and these are the results. The receipt arrived and I was able to play in the three zones, the girls resolved and that was that we managed to overcome our nerves”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “The result will encourage us to maintain a good pace of play in the following games, because it is a very even competition and we needed to win. We were more concentrated, less nervous and they paid attention to the work that was done in training”. 

María Rodríguez, captain of El Salvador: “First we have to improve communication between us, our attitude, because it was somewhat down, and we have to work on that. We are much more capable than this, it was a mental block that affected us, although Nicaragua was a very good opponent”. 

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “First, congratulate Nicaragua because they did a good job, although we didn’t play like we normally do, it was a mental block that didn’t allow us to develop our game. It’s complicated because it’s a young team, which is gaining experience, we’re going to keep working, adding and trying to get the best, the positive from each game”. 

Nicaragua will face Guatemala at 5:00 p.m. this Thursday, while El Salvador takes on Belize at 7:30 p.m. 

Cuba keeps undefeated record at NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 13, 2022.- Cuba kept their undefeated record after beating Canada 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-21) at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup on Wednesday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba is the only team of the competition that remains undefeated with a solid 3-0 record, with two days left of the preliminary round. Canada stands with a 2-1 win-loss record.

Cuba dominated all the categories with 34-27 margin in attacks, 4-2 in blocks and 6-2 in aces. Cuba finished with 25 unforced errors and Canada committed 31.

Two Cuban players were the only players that scored double-digits; outside hitter Osniel Mergarejo with 12 points all from kills and outside hitter and team captain Miguel Angel Lopez collected 10 points from 7 kills, one block and two aces.

Middle blockers Fynnian McCarthy and Jordan Schnitzer led Canada with 9 and 6 points accordingly.

Michael Sanchez (CUB) ready to spike against Canada at Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six

Cuba’s next opponent is Puerto Rico and Canadas’ is Dominican Republic.

Osniel Mergarejo, Top scorer of Cuba: “We are getting into the rhythm of the tournament to go on adding points and generating more confidence for our second important tournament of the season (FIVB Challenger Cup) because we are a team that hasn’t performed together for two years. Canada plays well tactically, but we are known for our strength in serves and attacks; we need to use our power to prevail over Canada”.

Fynnian McCarthy, Top scorer of Canada: “For us it’s just a mental thing, we kind of got psyched out from the service line and didn’t come to be aggressive, we were passive and trying to put the ball and not score points putting pressure, so our change of mentality will definitely help us; we can’t expect to win missing too many serves. In our next match we will battle hard, be aggressive in serves”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “We are all happy, we’ve been getting into rhythm slowly because we’ve been together practicing for a short period of time. It was a good match to reach our objectives. We still need to serve better, block better as well, we must work through some difficulties; what’s important is the victory”.

United States beats Puerto Rico in first win at Final Six Pan Am Cup

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- United States beats Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 27-25) for their first win at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The U.S. were challenged by Puerto in the final set, missing four match points before celebrating the first tournament win and serving Puerto Rico their first loss. The United States improved their record 1-2 and Puerto Rico dropped to 2-1.

United States’ advantage in blocking (9-1) and in serves (5-0) definitely worked to overcome Puerto Rico who came from winning to exhausting five-setters entering day three of the event. The Americans also held a slim 38-37 margin in kills. Puerto Rico committed one less error (25-26) than the U.S.

Outside hitter Kyle McCauley of the United States led all scorers with 13 points on 7 kills, 5 blocks and one ace, followed by middle blockers Nyerovwame Omene and Merrick Mchenry who tallied 11 and 10 points respectively.

Puerto Rico’s top scorer was outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas with 8 points.

On Thursday the United States plays to host Mexico and Puerto Rico against Cuba.

Brett Wildman (USA) against double block of Puerto Rico at Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six

Nyerovwame Omene, Middle Blocker of United States: “As a team it’s just about steady growth and an operative incline, we came from losing to Canada and 3-2 to Cuba and we just focused on our system and our side of the net, not worrying about results. From our first performance to this one, we applied better to our system and believing in all fourteen guys, in one single game, one single point”.  

Peligrin Vargas, Top scorer of Puerto Rico: “It was a complicated match, we came in from two five-set matches, long matches and the body starts to feel it. United States played well against Cuba yesterday and they came with good energy. We must recover as soon as possible”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I feel great, the guys feel great, it’s our first win in the tournament after a great matches against Canada and Cuba yesterday and today we beat Puerto Rico. Our ability to play at the level we do, I thought we played better last night and a little drop today; it’s really hard for young players to play hard all the time, but that’s what they have to do”.

Guatemala wins in five sets against Honduras

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Belize City, July 13, 2022.- Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-2 (21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 14-25, 15-11), achieving its first victory (1-0) of the XIX U21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship that takes place at the Belize Civic Center.

Honduras won the first set and looked like they were headed for their second win of the event, but were met by a very battle-hardened Guatemalan team led by captain Naomi Monney with 24 points and Maria Santa Cruz with 20, six of them on serves

Andrea Aceituno, from Honduras, was the best for the second game in a row with 19 points, six on serves, and 11 from Rocío Durón, four through blocks.

Honduras led in serves 15-10, but Guatemala was unstoppable in attack 49-33 and blocking 14-8, especially in the second and third sets, which they largely dominated, and was also favored with 38 points due to errors by their opponents, committing 27.

Actions between Guatemala and Honduras at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “We feel very good since we were able to get the job done, although it was a bit complicated for us, we knew how to be united and confident that we were going to get the match. We have a team in which we all contribute and that keeps us excited, it costs us a bit to serve, but today we were good and we are working for that. We expected a complicated Honduras, it was our first game, we had to see how we got along, especially on a new field.”

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “It was a very difficult match, especially because in the last tournament we faced Honduras, they beat us in three sets and in a very easy way. We worked on the mental part, they at the time adjusted their defense and blocking, we also made changes because we needed to improve tactics and give some players rest because we knew that more than three sets could be played. In the critical moments the service worked, we made many “aces”, especially with strong serves… in the third set with a lot of disadvantage we managed to recover and get the set thanks to the service”.

Gabriela Gómez, captain of Honduras: “The Honduran team has always had problems with mentality, we have a great team, just nerves, anxiety, some who have little experience, in their first tournament, that took its toll on us in the end and the truth are things that are going to help us improve and climb to the top”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “We have been dragging a problem with the receipt, I feel that we have improved a lot, but just like yesterday against El Salvador, a single player did us a lot of damage. As had been pointed out before the tournament started, this is very even, we couldn’t keep our serve, I imagine that due to tension, nervousness… just as the game was closed, a couple of errors made the difference”.

This Thursday, Honduras has a rest and Guatemala plays against Nicaragua at 5:00 p.m.

Blanca Garcia honor guest at NORCECA Final Six

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TEPIC, Nayarit, July 13, 2022 – Blanca García, legend of Mexican volleyball and born in Tepic, is an honored guest at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup that started on Monday in her pnative city.  

Garcia has a distinguished trajectory as a former member of Mexico’s national volleyball team that competed in the Olympic Games of Mexico 1968 and winning the silver medal of the XII Central American and Caribbean Games of 1974 in Santo Domingo.  

Blanca Garcia is an honored guest in her own city that for second time is hosting an international volleyball event of great relevance, in 2015 they hosted the FIVB World League, “it brings me joy that the fans of Nayarit can experience a high leveled competition like this” she indicated.  

NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz had the opportunity to greet her while she visited the first day of the event, “Blanca Garcia honors us with her presence, we are proud of her achievements as an athlete and representing Mexican volleyball so highly”. 

“It is satisfying to have represented my country and now I continue to do so but from another perspective while helping to promote volleyball” expressed Blanca Garcia.  

Serbia eliminates USA in quarterfinals VNL

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ANKARA, Turkey, July 13, 2022 – Serbia eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League but not before an exciting fight.

After narrowly winning the first two sets, Serbia watched the United States bounce back and dominate the next two before finally claiming victory 3-2 (29-27, 25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 15-13).

The Americans qualified in first place during the preliminary phase with an 11-1 record while the Serbians finished in sixth place with an 8-4 mark.

Middle Blocker Chiaka Ogbogu USA reaches high to spike against Sergia in the VNL quarterfinals

The scoring categories were very similar for both teams with Serbia leading in attacks (67-66) and in errors (22-23). The winners held a 6-3 advantage in aces while the losers dominated in blocks 21-14.

Sara Lozo and Ana Bjelica scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, for Serbia and Kelsey Robinson finished with 21 for USA.

Ana Guevara supports the NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Ana Gabriela Guevara, Director of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports, CONADE supports the NORCECA Final Six Men’s Pan American Cup being held in Tepic, Nayarit.

Ana Guevara, former high-performance athlete, who won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 400-meter dash and World Champion in athletics, is in Tepic supporting volleyball.

“With this event, the road to the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023 and later the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, begins, in addition to international tournaments in which we are seeking to provide volleyball with the best preparation within our reach,” said Guevara.

She highlighted that the men’s team, qualified for the Volleyball World Championship needs the best preparation available; It helps the team to be at home facing highly competitive national teams.

 “That is why I am here, supporting our team, it is not easy to play this competition against high-level opponents, but that’s how sports work: you have to compete, you have to be there, you have to play and enjoy” she said.

Ana Gabriela Guevara, Director National Commission for Physical Culture & Sports of Mexico and Bertha Cuadra, Member of the Board of Administration of the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation

Guevara thanked the government of Nayarit for their enthusiasm and interest in supporting and promoting volleyball and that she is sure to bring more international championships.

Everything comes from the illusion of helping Mexico’s volleyball and beach volleyball teams grow, a new generation of athletes that thanks to ideas and desires with the approach of the President of the Mexican Federation Jesús Perales Navarro has become possible.

“At the Tokyo Olympics I was able to meet with FIVB President Ary Graça and it created this interest to support volleyball which had a great response with the recent World Tour events hosted by Mexico in previous occasions” she added.

Guevara explained that Mexico has a large public and is very well involved in beach volleyball, which is why it accepted the challenge of hosting the Beach Volleyball World Championship next year, “we bet on the scheme of innovating as we did this year to celebrate an event in one of the smallest cities in Mexico (Tlaxcala), in a bullring and that was a great success, so we want to give the World Championship the same effort that beach volleyball deserves”.

Canada beats Mexico in their second victory

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Canada beat the Mexico 3-1 (33-31, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21) in their second tournament victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup on Tuesday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Canada improved their record 2-0 leading their win over Mexico with a 58-42 margin in kills and a one-point margin (7-6) in aces. Mexico held a slim 7-6 in blocks to drop to an 0-2 record. Canada committed 41 unforced errors and the host a total of 34.

The first set was a party of points with both teams losing several set points to a thrilling 33-31 finish for Canada. In the third set, outside hitter Jesse Elser of Canada, suffered an ankle injury as he fell defending over the net.

Outside hitter Brandon Koppers led Canada’s scorers with 19 points on 15 kills, 3 blocks and one ace, followed by opposite hitter Jordan Canham with 13 points and outside hitter Logan House with 13 points all on kills.

Two Mexican players scored double-figures; opposite player Diego Gonzalez with 18 points on 14 kills, 3 blocks and one ace, and middle blocker Axel Tellez scoring 11 points on 5 kills, 3 blocks and 3 aces.

Action between Canada and Mexico at Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup

Canada (2-0) and Cuba (2-0) will meet on Wednesday, and Mexico (0-2) goes up against Dominican Republic (0-2).

Brandon Koppers, Top scorer of Canada: “Mexico played a lot of great defenses, a lot of big points and big rallies, so a lot was about managing the momentum and how loud the fans were and just trying to play our game. We are going to play our best every single night and our goal is to win as many matches as we can, that’s our goal and hopefully will go home with the gold medal. For tomorrow’s match, we are going to watch a lot of videos of Cuba, the have really great spikes, serves and blocks; so, the key is to make them play our game, we play a little more block-defense than they do, we need to transition and try to put them out of system and hold our hard serves”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “Mexico gave us all we could handle, they played very hard and a very difficult opponent. We won a difficult first set, lost the second and when Jesse Elser got injured our team rallied around and wanted to win for him, I am proud of how the responded in this difficult situation and also handled the fans that were very loud. Our next opponent, Cuba, is a really good team and my players know them well from watching them play when they were younger; to have a chance to play such a quality team like Cuba is a great opportunity for us, hopefully we’ll be able to put our best effort”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “It’s difficult to take in the loss. We had some good moments, but we are still lacking to close in important moments. Our counterattack and defense are in trouble; the guys get nervous in moments they should be able to score because we are defending well, but they will improve with more consecutive matches like this one. We aren’t happy and we could have pressured more. The qualification is still in our hands, and we must come out strong tomorrow, we will work hard, the level of play with Dominican Republic is similar, but we are coming from five sets yesterday and four today. We will watch some videos to determine how we’re going to play tactically speaking”.

Cuba with exciting five-set win over United States

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Cuba with an exciting five-set win 3-2 (25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11) over the United States to improve 2-0 at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The United States came back strong after falling in the first two sets to extend the action to a tie-break won by Cuba.

Cuba led 63-47 in attacks and 5-3 in aces. United States held a comfortable 14-8 margin in blocks. Cuba scored on 35 points from U.S. errors but handed out 43.

Opposite hitter Jesus Herrera of Cuba scored a match-high of 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks, outside hitter and team captain Miguel Angel Lopez followed with 19 points on 18 kills and once ace, and middle blocker Roamy Alonso contributed with 13 points.

Opposite hitter Francesco Sani topped the United States with 17 points on 15 kills and two aces, outside hitter Kyle McCauley contributed with 15 points on 11 kills, three blocks and one ace; middle blocker Nyerovwome Omene and outside hitter Brett Wildman added 11 and 10 points respectively.

On Wednesday Cuba will meet Canada and United States plays Puerto Rico.

Kyle McCauley (USA) spikes avoiding Cuba’s triple block at Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup

Miguel Angel Lopez, Captain of Cuba: “It was a complicated match, it depended on our game. From the third set onward our game stopped to go smoothly as it was in the first two sets. The key was the concentration to come out with the victory. This is just our second match, and we are adapting to the condition of the court and the surroundings. Now we must study Canada and rest”.

Kyle McCauley, Outside hitter of United States: “We have a lot of trust in everyone coming in, we had some great serves, also our blocking did well. We fought hard the entire match”.

Belize starts with victory against Nicaragua

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Belize City, July 12, 2022.- Belize won 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-23) against Nicaragua in the closing match of the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship.

Bruce Gareth with 18 points was the best for the Belizeans and Fatoumata Camara had 14 units. For Nicaragua, Gilmary Smith was limited to 10 points. Belize was superior in offense 42-29 and in aces 8-3, but Nicaragua was better in blocking 5-4, although they committed 20 errors to 21 for the winners.

Sofía Solano, from Belize, became the first libero to be appointed as captain in the history of AFECAVOL tournaments, while her teammates did a great job offensively.

Belize U21 Women’s National Team

“For me it is a great honor to be the team captain, I think I was appointed because of my leadership and because my teammates trust me. Today we played a great game, we have the support of our people and we want to have a great tournament. Things went well, we played as we have been working and that gives us confidence”, said Solano.

José Ramón Fontes, from Belize: “We started with a victory in a very even competition and that gives us a lot of satisfaction. We had a good match especially in the first two sets. We have done a very hard job that is now bearing fruit; we have a good team, they have a lot of potential and they have grown in volleyball”.

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “We started out nervous, then we tried to pick up the pace of the game but it was too late… but I think Nicaragua will raise its name. We need to improve the reception, I think we saw ourselves well in some aspects and based on that we have to aim”.

Two new records established by Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 12, 2022 – Two new team records for the NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six were set on Tuesday by Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.

Roosevelt Comarazamy, the Press Communication director of NORCECA Confederation informed about the new standards for the event that is in its second edition in Nayarit, Mexico.

The two teams combined for 232 points in the five-set victory of Puerto Rico 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 32-34, 22-25, 15-12) to open the actions of the second day of the competition.

The 34-32 third set won by the Dominican squad is also a new record.

Last year, Puerto Rico prevailed 33-31 in a second set of a match won by the Dominicans 3-1 (31-29, 31-33, 27-25, 27-25) on September 3 of the inaugural Final Six held in Santo Domingo.

Puerto Rico with another five-set win at NORCECA Final Six

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Puerto Rico won another five-set match in their second victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup, defeating Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 32-34, 22-25, 15-12) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Puerto Rico also beat Mexico in five sets on Monday to stand with a 2-0 record and Dominican Republic drops to 0-2.

Dominican Republic had a remarkable recovery coming from a two-set deficit and snatching the third set in an extended 34-32 while Puerto Rico lost 8 match points to close in three sets.

Puerto Rico held a 72-68 advantage in attacks and a slim 13-12 margin in blocks, Dominicans did better in the service line with a 6-4 advantage. Dominican Republic committed one less unforced error than Puerto Rico (24-25).

Four players from each team scored double-digits. Puerto Rico with outside hitters Klistan Vidal (25), Pedro Molina (24), Peligrin Vargas (18) and middle blocker Angel Rivera (12). On Dominican Republic’s side, outside hitter Henry López (20), opposite hitter Henry Tapia (18), outside hitter Hector Cruz (12) and middle blocker Felix Romero (10) who led in blocks with 6 points.

On day three of the event, Puerto Rico faces the United States and the Dominican Republic goes up against Mexico.

Action between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic Men’s NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six

Pedro Molina, Outside hitter of Puerto Rico: “It was a difficult match, we always have great performance against the Dominican Republic, they are an excellent team. We have improved, we have grown to reach today’s victory. We have all worked a lot and we are prepared for tomorrow’s match, after two matches in five sets it’s important for us to recover physically”.

Henry Tapia, Captain of Dominican Republic: “This match was more open, one on one, in comparison from yesterday that we had a lower performance. Sometimes it’s not the level of play but the floor, the light, several factors influence one’s performance to execute and score. Tomorrow we are forced to win”.

Oswald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are coming with a project that is relatively new, there are several players debuting in this tournament. We are glad and cautious about the next matches, but happy to work. Dominican Republic is an organized team, and they changed their game plan, it’s part of the strategy of the game; we came out with the victory and it’s important to prepare for tomorrow”. 

Honduras wins tough battle against El Salvador 

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Belize City, July 12, 2022.- Honduras began its title defense with a 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 15-9) victory over El Salvador, which battled more than two hours, but it was not enough at the start of the XIX U21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship.

 Gabriela Aceituno with 23 points and 13 from Natalia Reyes were the best for Honduras, while El Salvador had a good production of four players, Daniela López and captain María Rodríguez with 13 points and 12 each from Geannine Velásquez and Paola Montano.

Honduras led the attack 50-45 and 12-11 in aces, but the Salvadorans were better in blocking 8-5, with 42 points on error from the winners and 38 from their opponents.

Daniela Lopez of El Salvador against Honduras blocking at AFECAVOL Women’s U21 Central American Championship

Captain of Honduras: “The match was quite difficult, we did not expect that great team from El Salvador, I think the problem was that we trusted each other, we came with the mentality to win, but in the third set we looked bad, thank God we managed lift in the fifth. It’s important to start winning because it gives us more confidence, it encourages us to continue playing as we know how, because I know my team and I know we can play better in the following games”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “The girls from El Salvador are very compliant, we have to sit down and analyze what our problem is, we cannot win the set or the game, since we had two sets up and we loosened up. We come from a good blank and it is not possible that we fall throughout the game, it seems that there is something mental, a block that we cannot overcome. The team has, we have technique, tactics, half of the team is high, but we have to improve the mental part”.

Captain of El Salvador: “Honduras was a very good opponent, they have very good team play. We gave our best, the best we could give. We have the support of our parents, of ourselves, of all of El Salvador because we are in a process in which we are learning to trust ourselves and we know that we will always give our best on the field.”

Noé Fabián, Coach of El Salvador: “We must congratulate Honduras because they did a great job, we especially improved in the third and fourth, but we didn’t know how to maintain the level. We failed in the receipt at the time that we should not loosen. El Salvador has always stood out for its defense, we are very brave, we stand out for that, plus they are very united and that helps us to always get up”.

Puerto Rico opens NORCECA Final Six beating Mexico in five sets

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Puerto Rico opened the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am cup beating Mexico in five sets 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 15-14) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

It was a nail-biting match from start to finish and despite Mexico´s advantages in every skill, 51-47 in attacks, a comfortable 12-6 margin in blocks and 7-4 in aces, Puerto Rico won scoring 51 points on opponent errors while committing 39.

Outside hitter Klistan Lawrence with 16 points all on kills was Puerto Rico’s leading scorer, accompanied by outside hitter Pedro Molina with 10 points on 8 kills and two aces and outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas also with 10 points on 8 kills, one block and one ace.

Opposite hitter Diego González of Mexico scored a match-high of 20 points on 17 kills and three blocks, outside hitters Mauro Isaac Fuentes and Josué de Jesús Lopez contributed with 15 and 12 points respectively.

Puerto Rico (1-0) will face Dominican Republic (0-1) and Mexico (0-1) meets Canada (1-0) on Tuesday.

Klistan Lawrence, Top scorer of Puerto Rico: “This was my first international match, that’s why it was difficult, I adjusted, solved and in the end played well. Facing the host team isn’t easy, there was too much noise, the crowd influenced our concentration. It’s always important to start with a victory and mostly in the last set that has 15 points, we were able to get the victory”.

Puerto Rico celebrates against Mexico at Men´s NORCECA Final Six

Diego González, Top scorer of Mexico: “Unfortunately we couldn’t win, we worked hard. Puerto Rico was able to adjust in the end, that’s what it’s all about. We had too many errors and couldn’t solve them. Our serves were out of rhythm, but there’s more competition ahead. Everybody comes to win, there is no easy opponent, we will give all, we’ve trained for that. Our team is young, and this is the level of play that helps us improve; it’s a long road”.

Oswald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “Mexico is a great team, well trained, well prepared, they have a well-established plan, it’s clear; they came to play and it’s a pleasure to face a team like that. We are in the process of establishing our identity as a country of good volleyball, with a young group that’s trying to get to know each other better. For us the victory is very important to gain confidence for the rest of the tournament. We showed character coming from behind, what’s important is to keep our head high and rest for our next match”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “We were destroyed by our errors, we committed errors at the end of the sets, we didn’t execute our counterattacking. The only player on the team with experience is Pedro Rangel that has a knee injury, so we used him a little to take care of him. The tournament is strong, and no team is weak; this is just the beginning and we must adjust to win a medal”.

Canada earns opening win to USA at NORCECA Final Six

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Canada earned a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21) victory over the United States in their opening match at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Canada had a great start overcoming the U.S. with a solid 5-1 lead in service points. The Canadians also held advantages in blocks (6-4) and attacks (35-33), while scoring on 29 opponent errors and handing out 21.

Opposite hitter Jordan Canham led Canada with 9 points, while outside hitters Logan House and Brandon Koppers chipped in with 8 points each.

Outside hitter Brett Wildman of the United States led all scorers with 10 points. Opposite hitter Francesco Sani added 8 points for the U.S. and middle blocker Austin Wilmot scored 7 points.

On Tuesday United States (0-1) will face Cuba (1-0) and Canada (1-0) meets host Mexico.

Jordan Canham #4 (CAN) top scorer against USA at Men’s NORCECA Final Six

Jordan Canham, Top scorer of Canada: “Being our first match, I was a little nervous like the rest of us. It was so fun to play with a crowd like this and the nerves got out. It’s important to start with a victory this, against a team like the United States. We had a couple of scrimmages before the tournament and that helped us, I don’t think they had any and I believe they were nervous; it’s always fun to play against them.

Brett Wildman, Top scorer of United States: “Obviously our goal was to win, but also coming into the tournament our goal is to get better over time. We have a bright future in this tournament, but we must cut down the errors on serves”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “This was more than we could have hoped for, coming out on top with a 3-0 win especially against a country with great volleyball, one of the top volleyball nations in the world and a country ten times bigger than ours.  Our team played an excellent match and I think the Americans struggled a bit from the service line. Our work is just beginning, and our best matches are yet to come”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I want to give credit to Canada, they came out and played a good match from the very start. We did not play well at the start and played better in the second and third set. We must make more serves and create scoring opportunities from our block defense, we have to be better in that tomorrow against Cuba.

Cuba wins Final Six opener to Dominican Republic

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Cuba won the NORCECA Final Six Pan Cup opener to Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-15-, 25-15, 25-22) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba grabbed their first win of the preliminary round with 39-21 advantage in kills, an 8-4 margin in blocks and leading 5-3 in aces. Cuba committed 19 errors and Dominican Republic a total of 20.

Cuba’s top scorer was outside hitter Marlon Yant with 12 points on 9 kills and three aces, joined by team captain Miguel Angel Lopez with 9 points on 7 kills and 2 blocks; middle blocker Roamy Alonso added 8 points.

For Dominican Republic, outside hitter Wilfrido Hernadez led with 9 points, opposite hitter and team captain Henry Tapia contributed with 8 points and middle blocker Dawilin Mendez finished with 7 points.

On day two of competition, Cuba faces the United States and the Dominican Republic plays against Puerto Rico.

Javier Concepcion #5 (CUB) blocks Henry Lopez #8 (DOM) at Men’s NORCECA Final Six

Marlon Yant, Top scorer of Cuba: “We got into rhythm little by little, I believe it was a great game to kick the tournament. We want to win all our matches, add one by one, we have practiced to do so and try to win the competition”.

Wilfrido Hernández, Top scorer of Dominican Republic: “Despite Cuba being a strong opponent, we did the best we could. Cuba was well organized, mostly in blocking and their K-1 they are tough. We will go on improving, from less to more; we must improve many things”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “The first two sets were good, despite making some changes the guys always get relaxed and overconfident. In the end we pressed a bit and came out with the victory. We are working little by little”.

Alexander Gutiérrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “It was a hard game to start a tournament, it is known that Cuba is one of the favorites in the tournament. We began lazy, committing too many errors. We adjusted in the third set and got a better rhythm, but we came short to close. What’s important is to finish strong despite the negative things”.

Argentina beats Mexico to reach U21 Pan Am Cup finals 

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LA PAZ, Baja California Sur, June 11, 2022.- Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 28-30, 25-7) in Saturday’s semifinals to reach the Women’s U21 Pan American Cup final match at La Paz Arena in Baja California Sur.

Argentina was challenged by a resistant home team up to the third set, when Mexico needed five-set points to keep their hopes alive. Argentina entirely dominated Mexico in the fourth set, leaving no doubt in their stunning finish.

Argentina faces the United States for the gold, they met earlier in pool-play play with the U.S. winning 3-1 (25-16, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25) to advance directly into semifinals to beat Chile. This will also be a rematch of the 2017 gold medal match won by the Americans. Argentina also fell in 2015 to Dominican Republic.

On the other hand, Mexico and Chile will battle for the bronze medal. This is the second occasion they meet for third place; Chile took the bronze in 2015. Mexico won the event in 2013 to Dominican Republic.

Argentina led 61-54 in attacks and prevailed by a huge margin in blocks (16-4) and aces (11-4); Mexico was the one with fewer errors (18-24).

Margaria Milena spikes (ARG) – Perea Gabriela, Cruz Ximena block (MEX)

Outside hitter Milena Margaria of Argentina scored a match-high of 20 points on 17 kills and three blocks. Middle blocker Avril Garcia and outside hitter Keila Llanos joined the party of points with 19 each; Garcia scoring the most blocks with a total of 7 points.

Outside hitter and team captain Aime Topete led Mexico with 16 points on 15 kills and one ace, followed by opposite hitter Katherine Ramirez with 14 points on 13 kills and one block. Outside hitter Alexandra Goris also contributed with 10 points.

Marcelo Silva, Head Coach of Argentina: “The first three sets were tremendous, it was very close, Mexico defended a lot, maybe they were tired in the last set, I never thought we could have won the fourth set with such a large margin. Now we need our girls to recover and study the United States to decide our game plan”.

Luis León, Head Coach of Mexico: “The first three sets could have gone to either one, they were very close. I believe the difference was Argentina’s level of play in the tournament, with more matches, with rhythm together (two matches more than us). Tomorrow we are going out to win third place”.

P2-MATCH-19-MEX-ARG-W21PAN22Download
P3-MATCH-19-MEX-ARG-W21PAN22Download

USVI’s Gillens cops Under-19 Girls “MVP” honours

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Anna Gillens of US Virgin Islands was expected bestowed the top accolade of “Most Valuable Player” in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Girls Under-19 (Youth Championship) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Gillens played a leading role in firing her team to a maiden title in the age-group and she was also awarded the “Best Scorer” and “Outside Hitter 1) awards.

Despite being displaced as champions, Suriname again dominated the individual  awards with Avaira Sengal taking home the “Best Server” and “Middle Blocker 2) awards while teammates Ketrua Heymans (Best Setter), Charise Frankel (Best Opposite Player), and Amber Daal (Best Digger) each collected one award as well each.

Tournament runners-up and debutants, Martinique had a double award recipient in Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur who walked away with the “Outside Hitter 2″ and ‘Best Receiver”  while countrywoman Lauryn Kichenin was named “Middle Blocker 2” and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jordanne Hutchinson, “Best Libero”.  

CAZOVA Under-19 Girls Honour Roll::

Best Server:#10 – Avaira Sengal (Suriname)  

Best Setter: # 3 – Ketrua Heymans (Suriname) 

Best Opposite Player:#14 – Charise Frankel (Suriname)  

Outside Hitter 1:#9 – Anna Gillens (USVI)  

Outside Hitter 2:#9 – Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur (Martinique) 

Middle Blocker 1:$5 – Lauryn Kichenin (Martinique)  

Middle Blocker 2: #10 – Avaira Sengal (Suriname)  

Best Digger:#5 – Amber Daal (Suriname) 

Best Receiver:#9 – Maelyss Melinda-Chanteur (Martinique) 

Best Libero: #8 – Jordanne Hutchinson (TTO)  

Best Scorer # 9 – :Anna Gillens (USVI)  

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #9 – Anna Gillens

USVI claims first Girls Under-19 CAZOVA crown

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: US Virgin Islands captured their first-ever Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship title following a polished 3-0 (25-22, 25-20,25-14) win over Martinique in their finals showdown at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With the victory, which added to their triumph in the Under-21 Women’s competition less than 24 hours earlier, at the same venue, the US Virgin Islands booked their ticket as CAZOVA’s representative to the NORCECA Continental Championship to be staged in Puerto Rico from February 5 to 13, 2023 and will serve as a qualifier to the FIVB World Championship also to be played next year.

It was also the fourth win from as many matches for US Virgin Islands to end 4-0 while Martinique took home the bronze, and ended 2-2 after losing to USVI as well in the round-robin group stage.

With the two divisional titles won, USVI joined Trinidad and Tobago female teams of 20007 and 2012 to have completed the sweep at the same tournament while Barbados has done so among the male, in 2013 and 2019.

Speaking after his team’s first loss in two matches, Martinique coach Wilham Lebel said it was very difficult for his team to play without their best player, and captain Marie Marajo-Breton against a very solid team like US Virgin Islands.

“Our captain got injured in our previous match and it was difficult for our girls today without her. But, I’m still proud of my players because they did well and this is just a result of four months of  preparation and training.

Lebel also congratulated US Virgin Islands for the win saying, “I think they had a good game plan and their attackers were very good.”,

An elated Isaac Raphael, coach of all the US Virgin Islands at the championship was full of praise for his players who he said showed great physical fitness and commitment.

“Some of our girls have doubled up in this tournament by playing in both age-groups and going into the match some of them were expectedly tired, but they were still able to come out and give off their best.

“It was also difficult to bring them down from the high of winning the Under-21 title, so overall for us to be among teams like Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in winning the two gender titles at the same tournament is really very special, and says a lot for our program.”

Haiti’s Beauvoir spikes Under-21 “MVP” award

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Estakend Beauvoir of Haiti capped off a memorable tournament for his team by being named as the “Most Valuable Player” in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Men’s Under-211(Junio Championship) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Beauvoir was very influential throughout the five-team round-robin tournament as Haiti finished with perfect 4-0 record to claim their first ever men’s age-group title, while he also picked up the “Best Scorer” accolade.

Haiti captain Dieulengy Relis who enjoyed a very productive tournament to lead his team to the historic crown copped the “Middle Blocker 1” award.

Tournament runners-up Suriname who also enjoyed their best finish at this age-group had two awardees in Jonovan Wijngaarde (Outside Hitter 1), and Jason Lesperans (Best Digger) while US Virgin Islands’ had four award recipients in captain Gabriel Rosa (Best Setter), De Andrae Tylor (Middle Blocker 2), and Taj Bales (Best Receiver and Best Libero), and Jamaica, the trio of Damion Smith (Best Server and Best Opposite Player), Kenneth-Roy Clarke 9Outside Hitter 2), and bronze medal winners captured 

CAZOVA Under-21 Men Honour Roll:

Best Server:#7 – Damion Smith (Jamaica)

Best Setter: # 3 – Gabriel Rosa (USVI)

Best Opposite Player:#7 – Damion Smith (Jamaica)

Outside Hitter 1: #13 -Jonovan Wijngaarde (Suriname)

Outside Hitter 2:#9 – Kenneth-Roy Clarke (Jamaica)

Middle Blocker 1:#8 – Dieulengy Relis (Haiti)

Middle Blocker 2: #10 – De Andrae Taylor (USVI)

Best Digger: #17 – Jason Lesperans (Suriname)

Best Receiver: #5 – Taj  Bates (USVI)

Best Libero: # 5 – Taj Bates (USVI)

Best Scorer: #11 – Estakend Beauvoir (Haiti)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #11 – Estakend Beauvoir (Haiti)

Haiti cruises to maiden CAZOVA Under-21 Men’s title

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022: Haiti strolled to their first title at the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Men’s Championship after cruising past host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-15) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

With the win in the final match of the tournament, the Junior Siecle-coached Haitians, who ended in second spot in 2017/2018 and fourth in 2015, ended with a perfect 4-0 win-loss round-robin record  and 18 points, two ahead of runner-up Suriname (3-1) while Jamaica took the bronze medal with a 2-2 record and 11 points with Trinidad and Tobago (1-3) fourth with three points, and winless US Virgin Islands, firth with a 0-4 record and two points.

The victory for Haiti put them on par with their 2015 Under-21 women’s team who won their maiden title in Barbados, and also secured their ticket to the NORCECA Under-21 Men’s Continental Championship to be hosted by Cuba from May 7 to 15, 2023.

Speaking afterwards a relaxed but very elated Siecle, said it was the objective of the team from the onset to come to Trinidad to win the tournament and he was proud they had done exactly that.

“The boys trained very hard back home and we were well prepared coming here to play and match by match we stayed focus and tonight we are all very proud to be champions.

Dieulengy Relis, captain of the Haitian said he too was elated and proud of his achievement as a player, captain and Haitian.

“We know it was not going to be easy but to come here and win each game and to be crowned champions is a great feeling.

Coaches expect a very competitive tournament

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Belize City, July 11, 2022 – With great enthusiasm to return to the courts after three years of inactivity in this category. This is how the teams of the five countries that will compete for the gold medal in the XIX Central American U-21 Women’s Volleyball Championship, in Belize City, were shown. 

Honduras was the champion at home in 2019, with Guatemala and El Salvador accompanying them on the podium, but Belize has had good performances in recent years in the minor and major categories. 

The national coaches foresee a very even tournament, where the mental part will be essential to be among the first places. 

William Fernández Pizat, Coach of Guatemala: “We haven’t played for quite some time, some almost three years, but the team is prepared from a physical, tactical and mental point of view, so we aspire to be in the fight for the title.” 

“The levels of the teams are very even and make the tournament very competitive. We have three athletes who participated in the Senior National Team last year and some in the Honduran Sub 20. We have a good attack, very powerful, we’ll see how it goes with that mix of anxiety and joy to play again that they all have”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “Many players have had almost four years of inactivity, there is anxiety and we must recover the rhythm on the court of these Central American Championships. We have been working for a long time with very young people, but they are very committed and have a lot of responsibility to represent their country”. 

“It will be an even tournament and that is the good thing, that in our region there is equality in the performance of the teams and the competition becomes more attractive.” 

Noé Fabián Aguilar, coach of El Salvador: “We have a very excited team to start the tournament, there are a couple of experienced players, but above all we have a lot of youth and there is unity in the team, something that helps us do things well. We are confident that if one fails, there is another player to do the job better and they are all very united”. 

“All the teams have quality, there is a lot of parity in these categories and no team is a favourite. The girls are very excited and we believe we can have a good tournament”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “Honduras has just played the Pan American Cup of the category in Mexico and 10 players repeat, we also have the setter who could not travel to Mexico and our libero who had to do the job of passer. We also brought back one of our tallest players, Rocio Durón, and that strengthens us as a team to try to defend the title”. 

“We hope that the girls are prepared, we have worked, although we have only been here for a few months, but we believe that we have a good group. We hope it will be an even competition, we all have the same opportunities, where mental work is very important”. 

José Ramón Fontés, coach of Belize: “The locality also represents some pressure, we have several under 19s, but also some experienced under 23s and older. We have a great preparation, we haven’t competed for a long time, but the team is going to meet expectations and above all give a good show ” 

“I think it will be a very even competition, with many emotions, the one that can best face the psychological part due to the pressure… We worked about two months in preparation with games against older players, men and even in a tournament outside the country and the team has increased their competitive level. 

The tournament begins this Tuesday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m. with the match between El Salvador and Honduras, followed by the inauguration and at 7:30 p.m. Belize debuts against Nicaragua. 

Suriname whips TTO for Under-19 Girls bronze medals

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022 – Former champions Suriname secured a bronze medal finish in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship after whipping host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-) in their third place playoff at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

This was only the second time in the six editions of the competition, Suriname had secured a top three finish, following their title win in 2019 in Jamaica while Trinidad and Tobago, winners of the first three tournaments in 2007, 2012 and 2013 had to settle for fourth spot for the second consecutive time.

Commenting on the performance of his team, Trinidad and Tobago coach Saleem Ali was quick to admit that the service game of Suriname proved too difficult for his team to have a chance.

“Suriname served very well, and we never settled into our passing game, which resulted in the defeat. But, credit to our girls because I think they came out and did the best they could providing the difficult circumstance we had in terms of lack of preparation time needed for a competition of this magnitude.”

“We also have a very young team and they lacked that experience to compete at this level, and this will only come with time and the more matches they can play at the international level.”

Richardo Soerodikromo, assistant coach of Suriname said he was pleased that his team was able to overcome the disappointment of not repeating as champions by at least taking the bronze medals.

“As you saw with our performance today, we tried to give all of the girls some playing time, but it was clear that some had played more than the others, and our concentration levels was very sporadic.”

Suriname downs Jamaica Under-21 men for silver

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 11, 2022 – Suriname secured a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) triumph over Jamaica in a battle of teams with 2-1 win-loss records for the second spot in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

With the win, the Antoine Vliet-coached Suriname, ended their four-match round-robin schedule in the five-team winner-take-all competition with a 3-1 record and 16 points to earn their best ever finish in the tournament history.

Haiti has a perfect record of 3-0 and 13 points ahead of their final match while Jamaica finished with a 2-2 record and 11 points in third spot followed Trinidad and Tobago (1-2) with three points, and winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points.

In the final match in the pool, Haiti faces Trinidad and Tobago and barring a shocking defeat will take home the gold medals.

Despite the loss, Steve Davis, coach of Jamaica said he was very proud of his players because he knew that they worked very hard in the limited time they had to prepare.

“Today, I have no blame for the boys even though I think that we contributed to our defeat by not having a good serving, passing or attacking game.”

“Those errors happens when their is a lack of preparation and that is what happened with us, so to come away with a medal, our first since 1999 is still a positive and something for us to work with.”

Furgil Ong A Fat, Suriname’s assistant coach was pleased with the outcome, saying the boys’ executed the game plan very well.”

“Our aim was to win the gold medal, but for us to have our best finish in the competition, since a fourth placed finish in 2017/2018 gives us encouragement for the future.”

Government of Nayarit Welcomes NORCECA Final Six

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 10, 2022.- The Government of the State of Nayarit held a Welcoming Ceremony for the NORCECA Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup in a colorful ceremony on the eve of the competition that starts on Monday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.

The players enjoyed folk dances and traditions of Nayarit in a pleasant coexistence at the teams’ hotel.

The General Secretary of the State of Nayarit Juan Antonio Echegaray Becerra, representing the Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero, alongside Carolina Guadalupe Lugo Robles, General Director of the Institute of Sports and Culture of Nayarit and the Secretary of Tourism of Nayarit Juan Enrique Suárez welcomed the six participating delegations and the members of the Control Committee of the event.

Welcoming ceremony at Tepic, Nayarit

NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz thanked the authorities of the State of Nayarit for their hospitality, their efforts in bringing the best teams of America and being the center of attention of thousands of volleyball followers.

“Thank you, Nayarit, for working for sports, the best tool to recover our principles as a society, our family and battle all the difficulties we are currently facing”.

The sports authorities of Nayarit expressed their interest in hosting the 2023 Women’s NORCECA Continental Championship.

Antigua and Barbuda withstand pressure to take Gold

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St. JOHN’s  ANTIGUA , July  10,  2022 – Antigua and Barbuda did not wilt under the pressure and  came from two sets down to win 3-2(23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 26-24, 15-11)  over St Lucia, and  emerge as champions of the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships.

It was an eruption of joy by players and spectators when the final point was attained for Antigua and Barbuda, at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

But, the eventual winners looked dead and buried after being down two sets to nil, but some tactical adjustments, saw them surging back from the third set, whilst St Lucia began to mount their errors.

Antigua and Barbuda’s scoring was led by Adrian Constant who hit 20 points. Aiding him were Jamarie James and Cairon Davis, who both scored 15 points.

For St Lucia, Tevin St Jean scored 20; Sheldon Descartes- 17 and Anfernee Ferdinand  had 12.

On the night, Antigua and Barbuda were proficient on Blocks, winning 22-9. St Lucia though won on Attacks 46-43 and Serve aces 6-2.

Winning the title, was welcomed by Antigua and Barbuda’s Head Coach- Fitzroy  Benjamin.

With a smile from ear to ear, Benjamin disclosed the formula used to subdue the St Lucians.

“ We changed the line- up, by taking our number seven (Cairon Davis), our tallest player and putting him in the middle… He was able to get some good blocks from the second set onwards and that helped us”. Benjamin related.

He also listed apparent fatigue amongst the St Lucians as well as the vociferous Antigua home support, which contributed to them rebounding from the third set.

“ They were looking tired and began dinking the ball low so our defence stepped … We had the home crowd behind us and that helped us big time”, Benjamin added.

For the St Lucia Head Coach- Terry Verdant, it was a case of his team did not get their game together on the big occasion.

“They were not blocking and were rushing the game and even when they went to the front court, they did not focus on the position of their opponents and that would have worked against us”, Verdant analysed.

He however praised his players for their efforts in spite of not crossing the final.

Final standings: 1. Antigua and Barbuda 2. St Lucia  3. St Maarten 4. Grenada 5. St Vincent and the Grenadines 6. Bermuda 7. St Kitts and Nevis 8. Dominica 9. Anguilla.

Adrian Constant takes MVP accolade

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St. JOHN’s  ANTIGUA , July  10,  2022:  Antigua and Barbuda’s Adrian Constant was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships.

The left handed Constant, who plays in the Opposite position, was also named Best Opposite and Best Scorer.

Speaking soon after receiving the awards, Constant said that he does not set out to gain personal accolades, as he is more focused on the team’s accomplishments.

“ I only set goals to be consistent and help my team”, Constant admitted.

He however embraced the awards.

“But it feels really good, as it just shows all the work that I have put in, with coaches, without coaches is paying off”, the MVP commented.

Individual Awards 022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships

Other awardees

Best Setter

Jahmal Small – St Vincent and the Grenadines

Best Outside Hitters

Jamarie James – Antigua and Barbuda

Sheldon Descartes- St Lucia

Best Middle Blockers

Tevin St Jean – St Lucia

Ethan Bolan – Dominica

Best Server

Yahn Florent- Dominica

Best Spiker

Ethan Bolan – Dominica

Best Receiver

Yashid Auguiste – Dominica

Best Libero

Shevon Gludd – Grenada

USVI’s Gillens spikes Under-21 MVP honours

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022: Anna Gillens of the US Virgin Islands was named as the  ‘Most Valuable Player’ after leading her team to a first-ever Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) Championship title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With team captain Alek-Wek Raphael going down injured in their penultimate match, Gillens showed great leadership on the way to helping her team take home the title by beating Suriname in straight sets and was also named as one of two “Outside Hitter” awardees.

Her team-mates Ayanna Pharoah (Best Setter), Tyannah Lake (Middle Blocker #2 & Best Opposite Player) award recipient  along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Adalia Badroe (Best Libero) were the other players to pick up awards alongside Suriname’s Shaniva Balkaran who collected four, and her countrywomen Angeni Cheuk-Alam and Charis Peroti,

Best Server: # 6 – Angeni Cheuk-Alam (Suriname)

Best Setter: # 1 – Ayanna Pharoah (USVI) 

Best Opposite Player: # 7 – Tyannah Lake (USVI) 

Outside Hitter #1: # 9 – Anna Gillens (USVI) 

Outside Hitter #2: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #1: # 17 –  Charis Peroti (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #2: # 7 – Tyannah Lake (USVI)

Best Digger: # 2 – Shaniva Balkrana (Suriname)

Best Receiver: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Best Libero: # 5 – Adalia Badroe (TTO)

Best Scorer: # 2 – Shaniva Balkaran (Suriname)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): # 9 – Anna Gillens (USVI) 

Suriname’s Meson is Under-19 Boys CAZOVA MVP

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022:  Suriname’s Anakaba Meson captured the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award among his three individual honours after  helping his country to a 2-0 win over host Trinidad and Tobago in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Youth Men (Under-19) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

In addition to the most prestigious individual award, ,Meson also walked away with the “Best Scorer” and “Best Opposite Player” accolades as his team secured a spot at the NORCECA Continental Championships next year.

The individual awards were dominated by Suriname with nine of the 12 going the visitors way.

For Suriname Rowensly Sibendi captured two awards, the “Best Server” and “Middle Blocker #2” awards while Brendan Hiwat (Best Setter), Nalam Bruce (Outside Hitter #1), Anfernee Lee A Leong (Outside Hitter #2), and Robert Benschop (Best LIbero) also picked up accolades.

The trio of Dejaun Williams (Middle Blocker #1), Mikael Ash (Best Digger) and Jedaiah Sanoir (Best Receiver) were the Trinidad and Tobago players taking home individual honours.

Best Server: # 12 – Rowensly Sibendi (Suriname)

Best Setter: #6 – Brendan Hiwat (Suriname)

Best Opposite Player: #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

Outside Hitter #1: #15 – Nalam Bruce (Suriname)

Outside Hitter #2: #16 – Anfernee Lee A Leong (Suriname)

Middle Blocker #1: #6 – Dejaun Williams (TTO)

Middle Blocker #2: #12 – Rowensly Sibendi (Suriname)

Best Digger: #16 – Mikael ash (TTO)

Best Receiver: #10 – Jedaiah Sanoir (TTO)

Best Libero: #12 – Robert Benschop (Suriname)

Best Scorer: #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

Most Valuable Player (MVP): #18 – Anakaba Meson (Suriname)

USVI overcomes Raphael absence to spike first Under-21 women’s title

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022: US Virgin Islands overcame the absence of injured captain Alek-Wek Raphael to beat  Suriname 3-0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19) to secure their first ever title in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association(CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With Raphael picking up a torn left-knee tournament ending injury when both teams met in their final round-robin encounter on Saturday, which also ended in a 3-0 win for USVI, all eyes were on the round-robin table-toppers to see how they would cope without their inspirational level. 

However, despite some early resistance from Suriname, the US Virgin Islanders who previous best finish came in 2011/2012 as runner-up to Trinidad and Tobago used a well balanced team effort to come away with the win which earned them the  spot at the NORCECA Under-21 Women’s Continental Championship from April 16 to 24, 2023 in the USA. 

An emotional Isaac Raphael, coach of the new champions said it was an amazing feeling to climb the ladder as champions. 

He added, “I have been champions with so many teams before, but this is the first time I have reached these heights with my country and the feeling is just amazing.” 

Raphael added, “Throughout the tournament the girls have been amazing and even when their captain (Alek-Wek) went down with the injury they never buckled but instead lifted their game to another level, and I’m very proud of them.” 

Team captain, Alek-Wek who watched on from the sidelines said never for one moment she doubted the capabilities of her teammates despite her absence. 

“Even though I was not part of the action today, I’m just as excited because I know we have worked hard and to see that we have been finally able to win the title is an incredible feeling.” 

St Maarten takes bronze over Grenada

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July  10,  2022 –  St Maarten conjured up skills and determination, to record a straightforward 3-0 (25- 23, 25-14, 25-20)  win over Grenada and take the bronze medal in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

Thus, St Maarten put the disappointment of losing to Antigua and Barbuda in the semi-final, to be sharper and more efficient in all components of the game, while , who lost to St Lucia in the other semi-final, never found any momentum.

Leonardo Jeffers led St Maarten’s scoring with 12 points. For Grenada , Jerron Phillip had 13 points.

St Maarten finished with a 4:2 win/ loss ratio, while Grenada secured three wins and the same number of losses.

Head Coach of the St Maarten outfit, Clayton Holiday, was happy that his team was able to finish on a high.

Satisfied, that his charges were able to rebound after their loss in the semi -final, Holiday quipped,” Coaches lose games, players win games”.

Looking back on his team’s triumph over the Grenadians, Holiday stated: “ I really wanted to play against them in the semi- finals, but I am happy that the guys closed off  the championships, the way they did”.

Evaluating his team’s performance in the championships, Holiday summed up, “Overall, considered we are not seen as one of the top brass and look at what we have done  going through the preliminaries and clinching the third place 3-0;  I am very proud”.

Martinique humbles TTO to reach Under-19 Girls final 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Debutants Martinique cemented their spot in the final of the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship thanks to a 3-0 defeat of host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

They improved to a 2-1 win-loss record and 11 points to end the four-team round-robin pool competition, three points behind US Virgin Islands whom they will meet in the gold medal as the top two finishers on Monday, July 11 from 2 pm. 

Despite their third straight sets loss from as many matches, Trinidad and Tobago will meet third place finisher and 2019 winner Suriname for the bronze medal in the penultimate match in the group on Monday from 12 noon. 

In the final, US Virgin Islands will start as favourites having defeated Martinique 20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-23 when they met in the round-robin stage while Suriname defeated Trinidad and Tobago, 25-12, 25-4, 25-23. 

Speaking ahead of his team’s meeting with US Virgin Islands, Martinique coach, Wilham Lebel said  he was very happy for his players because it’s their first time in the competition and they have managed to reach the final. 

Looking ahead to the final, Lebel said he expects it to be a very difficult one for his team, but one that they can win. 

“It will be difficult because we know the quality of the opposition, but I think if we try our best and make minimum errors we will have a chance to be champions.

Suriname beats TTO to stay in Under-21 men title hunt

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Suriname kept their slim hopes of claiming the gold medal in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship alive with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) victory against host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With the straight sets win, Suriname, seeking a first title at this level  improved their win-loss record to 2-1 and 11 points, the same as Jamaica (2-1) and two points behind unbeaten leaders Haiti (3-0) as the trio will enter the final day of the five-team round-robin series all in contention for their first title.

Host Trinidad and Tobago, who needed a win to keep alive their medal hopes dropped to a 1-2 record and three points, just ahead of winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points. 

Despite the loss Trinidad and Tobago still has a slim chance at a medal, but will need to pull off a shock win over title-favourites Haiti. 

On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname from 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago from  4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions.

NORCECA Men’s Final Six Pan American to get underway 

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 10, 2022.- Head Coaches of the teams at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup gave their first statements on the eve of the competition that gets underway on Monday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

As teams officially registered during the preliminary inquiry, Cristobal Marte Hoffiz NORCECA President confirmed that the winner of the event qualifies to the 2023 NORCECA Continental Championship. He also added that teams will earn ranking points in route to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games of Santiago and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “We have a young squad, we don’t have a lot of international experience, but we are really excited about this group because they have physical talent and great potential for international play. We had a couple of scrimmage matches against our host Mexico and it looks promising so far that maybe our team could have a great result here. If we stay healthy, keep performing and improving every day we’ll have a very good result”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “Our intentions are to give our best, prepare well for the FIVB World Challenger Cup which is our next most important immediate competition (end of the month), we are gearing up. We are also preparing for the Pan American Cup and the World Championship. Cuba’s major objective is always to win the competition”.

Alexander Gutierrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “Our team has grown, it’s very young with an average of 21 years old; there is more youth than experience, but the experienced players contribute a lot to our youngsters. This competition has different characteristics from the final four, with Mexico and Puerto Rico having other figures, while we have the same base because we are in the process of our young players’ growth thinking of their future, in addition to the enrichment of having the United States and Canada. For us it’s an addition to our experience”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “It’s an interesting competition, with high quality teams, Cuba is bringing their first team and we know that United States and Canada always have competitive squads. Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and us always battle strong. It will be a nice competition, and the best of it is that it is in my country”.

Owald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are taking this summer as a big step in establishing several players that are moving up; after last summer’s success, we want to strengthen our teams’ success with new guys, and we want them to understand the importance of volleyball in Puerto Rico. This tournament is one step towards competing in the World Championship, we are testing players”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I think my team is very well prepared, the competition will be excellent, all six teams are very strong here and the host city is also well prepared, they are excited to have the competition here. We will hopefully have great crowds and supportive for everyone and the USA will play very well”.

USA finish men’s prelims with 10-2 record

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OSAKA, Japan, July 10, 2022 – United States finished with a win-loss record of 10-2 at the preliminary round of the 2022 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League following victories over Canada and Argentina.

The Americans scored an easy victory over Canada 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-19) and followed with a 3-2 (29-27, 22-25, 20-25, 25-13, 17-15) hard fought battle against Argentina.

Torey Defalco led the scoring in both victories with 18 against Canada and 28 in the duel against Argentina.

In the match with their North-American neighbors, the winners held advantage in blocks 5-1 and serving aces 5-2. They also dominated both categories in the clash with the Argentineans 13-7 and 3-2, respectively.

The Canadians finished the event with a 2-10 record.

Haiti moves within sight of maiden CAZOVA Under-21 men’s crown 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – Haiti moved within sight of claiming a maiden title in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship after easing past US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-14, 25-7, 25-17) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

The win lifted Haiti to a perfect 3-0 record and 13 points in the five-team round-robin series, two points ahead of Jamaica (2-1) while Suriname (1-1) is third with six points, followed by followed by T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-4 record. 

Speaking after yet another impressive win by his team whose previous best finish at this age level was second in 2017/2018 behind Barbados, who opted not to defend their title after four straight triumphs, Dieulengy Relis, captain of the victorious Haitian said he was pleased with the performance of the team, but warned that they could still play a lot better. 

“I am happy with the win today, but I know we can play a lot better than we have  so tomorrow we will hope to continue to improve and get another win to complete our objective, which is to win the title. 

Coach Junior Siecle added, “We are happy for the win as we have the same objective for each match which is to win as we want to take the title back home. 

“We have one more match left to play and we intend to play with the same focus and energy and hopefully we can get a win.” 

On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname from 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago from 4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions. 

USVI sweeps past Suriname to reach first U-19 Girls final since 2007

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 10, 2022 – US Virgin Islands swept aside 2019 winners Suriname 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) to book a spot in  the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship match with a perfect round-robin record of 3-0  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

With the victory, the US Virgin Islands ended top of the  four-team round-robin table with 14 points, eight ahead of Martinique (1-1) who have one match left to play against winless Trinidad and Tobago (0-2) while dethroned champion  Suriname who ended with a 1-2 record and five points.

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff.

Following the win which secured a first finals’ appearance  since falling to host Trinidad and Tobago in the decider in 2007 , US Virgin Islands coach Isaac Raphael said he was very elated and proud of his team, and extremely delighted as well to be from the Virgin Islands.

“Credit must be given to our volleyball federation and President Lucille Hobson for setting up our program and the pathway for this team to be where it is, in with a chance to win a gold medal,” stated Raphael.

“This journey started since 2019 with most of these players and to see the work that has been put in bear fruit is very refreshing, but we know its not the end of the road as we still have the final to play and hope to complete the job of securing our first ever title at this level.

Claudius Straal, coach of the Suriname girls said his team had a good start but then their performance level dropped.

“We have a very slim chance now to get to the final because I expect Martinique to get the better of Trinidad and Tobago, so now our focus is to finish in the top three after being the champions in 2019.”

St Lucia head to the final unbeaten

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JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 – St Lucia kept the unbeaten run in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-2 ( 26-28, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12) win over Grenada in the semi -final the YMCA Indoor Facility.

St Lucia’s win though was punctuated with some nervy moments, as the pugnacious Grenada team did not let up on the well drilled unit.

Sheldon Descartes and Anfernee Ferdinand, both registered 17 points each for St Lucia and Tevin St Jean added 16.

For Grenada, Darron Oxford had 19 points; Dwane Walcott – 15 and Akim Andrews- 14.

Despite losing, Grenada was more clinical in Attacks, making good 62 of 150, while St Lucia had 49 of their 133 counted.

St Lucia though was outstanding in Blocks, as they registered 16 to Grenada’s 8. It was Grenada the won the Serve aces, 6-4.

But St Lucia’s Head Coach- Terry Verdant, while happy for the win, was not entirely convinced with the output of his charges on the court.

“ We won but we did not do what we suppose to be doing, but I am confident going into the final, but we have to play to win and lessen some of the mistakes that we made here in the semi- finals against Grenada”, Verdant underscored.

In the case of Grenada’s Coach- Raphael Braithwaite, he believed his players were good on the night, but fell short.

“ My boys, their heads may be down, but I am really satisfied that we came out of the semi-finals as winners, despite not reaching the final and I personally, am not disappointed coming in third or fourth”, Braithwaite assessed.

He thought that experience carried St Lucia over the line.

“They came out and played a good game as you can see they are more experienced that we are…Congratulations to St Lucia”, Braithwaite submitted.

Suriname brushes aside TTO to keep Under-19 Girls hopes alive 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Defending champion Suriname kept their hopes of retaining their title  in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship alive when they outplayed Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-12, 25-4, 25-23) in a clash of winless teams at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With the victory, Suriname who were swept aside by debutants Martinique on the opening day moved their record to 1-1 and five points in third spot, behind unbeaten US Virgin Islands (2-0) with nine points, and Martinique (1-1) with six points while T&T stayed fourth without a point after two straight sets losses. 

In the final  round of pool round-robin matches, US Virgin Islands plays Suriname from 9 am on Sunday, July 10 while Trinidad and Tobago comes up against Martinique from 5 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff on Monday, July 11. 

Jamaica eases past USVI to increase Under-21 men title hopes 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022  – Jamaica eased past the challenge of US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-17) to improve to a 2-1 record in their five-team round-robin series and stayed in the hunt for the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship crown at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.  

The win lifted Jamaica to 11 points and top spot on the table followed by Suriname (1-0) with five points, Haiti (1-0) with four points, T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-3 record. 

Speaking after his team’s impressive win, Jamaican’s coach Steve Davis said he was pleased with his team’s effort which resulted in the win. 

He said, “I know the boys worked very hard in the short space of time we had to prepare and in each game we play we have seen a drastic improvement as we have gotten better and better as the matches comes along.” 

Team captain, Andrae Robb, “We stuck to our game plane given by our coach and we executed very well which helped us to get the win. Overall, we are happy with the outcome and will now rest ahead of our final match on Monday against Suriname. 

US Virgin Islands’ coach Isaac Raphael was quick to point out his youthful team lacked the experienced to put up a better showing. 

“We know we have a very young team and you can see that the capabilities of the players are right there. But our  inexperience continues to bite us as we have been guilty of making too many careless errors when we seem to be closing the gap, and its has been hurting us in each game.”  

Team captain Gabriel Rosa added, “I believes my team needs to put more energy into our  game from the start.” 

“We have been getting off to slow starts and for us to be competitive we need to have more concentration and focus for our passing and serving game to be effective.” 

Antigua and Barbuda go for gold

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 –  Antigua and Barbuda advanced to the gold medal match of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-1 ( 22-25, 25- 21, 25-22 , 27-25)  hard fought battle against  St Maarten, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

Going into the semi- final as the first place in Pool A, Antigua and Barbuda was put on the back foot in the first set by a St Maarten team that drew on all their experiences.

However, the home team rallied back in the other three sets to finally cross the line and a place in the final.

Again, Antigua and Barbuda’s Captain- Adrian Constant was almost unstoppable, as he poured in 30 points. He was ably assisted by Jamarie James, who contributed 22 points.

For St Maarten, Reigmar Vallies had 18 points, Rajheem  Muelens– 14 and Leonardo Jeffers- 13 points.

Antigua and Barbuda was more proficient on Attacks, winning 61 of their 117, while St Maarten made good 44 of their 115.

Likewise, the Antiguans were better on Blocks 10-5, however, St Maarten aced 7 serves to Antigua and Barbuda’s -2.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Constant who led from the front in many aspects of the semi- finals,  remarked in a post -match interview, “  It was a roller coaster game for us emotionally, because at times the other team was completely out of it and we were on top and there were times they were on top of us and we were out of it”.

Constant thus praised the home crowd’s response in his team’s time of need.

“ The crowd kept us 70/80% and we just needed to find the other 20”, Constant related.

Looking forward to the final versus St Lucia, Constant quipped: “ When you are in the final, you are expected to win”.

Joining Constant in lauding the performance of the Antigua and Barbuda team was Rosemarie Simon, the Assistant Coach.

A happy Simon said:” My players came into the semi- final with a mission and that was to leave and go to the final and we did that”.

“ There were times when we were down and we had to pull the guys back together, but overall they played a splendid game”, the female Assistant Coach commented.

Anticipating that Antigua and Barbuda will trump St Lucia, Simon projected that her team has what it takes to go all the way and take gold.

And, in spite of losing the match, St Maarten Head Coach- Clayton Holiday, was high in praise for his team.

Holiday assessed: “ I  am proud of the way they played… My guys did well … It is regrettable that they ran short of courage to press on when we took the lead, but I must give them credit from rebounding from the previous match against St Lucia… We made some changes which panned out well”.

St Vincent and St Kitts grab minor places in ECVA Senior Men

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022 – St Vincent and the Grenadines  and  St Kitts and Nevis took the minor places  in the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships Facility.

St Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed Bermuda 3-0 ( 25-20, 25-10, 25-20) to gain the fifth spot.

Daryl Franklyn scored 15 points and Ronaldo Franklyn registered 14 for St Vincent and the Grenadines, with Tyler Hurdle scoring 9 for Bermuda.

Meanwhile while St Kitts and Nevis edged out Dominica  3-2 (25-17, 19-25, 25-13, 17-25, 22-20), to cop the seventh place in the nine team championships.

For St Kitts and Nevis, the joint leading scorers were Nage Hendrickson and Zendai Richards, who both had 16 points. Dominica’s Yahn Florent had 21 points for his team.

Daryl Franklyn- SVG’s Captain

Reviewing their final match, Franklyn said: “ All we needed was some adequate rest as you in the beginning of the competition, we played basically three matches in the less than 24 hours and that took a toll us”.

“ Placing fifth was not the position we expected, because we were the defending champions, but I see great things in the future for the team, as most are under 25 , so just have to regroup and come back stronger”, Frankly proffered.

St Kitts and Nevis Head Coach- Richard Swan

“ It has been a learning experience for many of these young guys that we have and they have learnt… They have learnt how to take better care of their bodies… They had two games in one day and playing four matches  in less than 36 hours , but they fought had and we were able to gain two wins from our five matches and that is commendable for our team”, Swan reflected.

Bermuda’s Head Coach- Robert Saraiva

“ I think we put it all on the court… My guys went out there and gave it their all and I am proud of all of them”, Saraiva said.

Dominica’s Head Coach- Ericson LeBlanc

“ I am not disappointed in my team… We have not played competitive Volleyball as a country in about four years and we are basically building back a brand of Volleyball over the years with  youths because the youths are the future … We are building back… Throughout the region, there is a rebranding of Volleyball as almost every team is starting over with fresh players and those who are hungrier will take it”, LeBlanc commented.

St Vincent and the Grenadines had 2 win and 2 losses; Bermuda registered three wins and two losses, while St Kitts and Nevis won two matches and lost three. Dominica did not register a win from their four matches. 

Suriname holds off TTO to claim U-19 Boys title and NORCECA ticket

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022 –  Suriname secured the lone spot to the NORCECA Continental playoffs when they defeated host Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 (25-20, 25-11, 23-25, 25-13) to complete a 2-0 sweep of their best-of-three series for the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth (Under-19) Championship title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With only two teams involved, the gold medal was decided via a best-of-three series and the visitors won game one on Friday 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) and despite a more spirited effort from the home team backed by a vociferous home crowd. 

Suriname held their nerve and poise to come away with the win to seal their spot at the NORCECA Continental Championship in Mexico from March 5-13, 2023 with the FIVB  World Championship to be staged in August with the host country still to be determined. 

The win also improved on Suriname’s previous showing in the competition of second spot in 2019 to three-time winners Barbados, who opted not to defend their title this time around. 

Speaking after his team’s victory a jubilant Suriname captain Brendan Hiwat said the team had a game plan to serve the ball to the weaker passers of the Trinidad and Tobago team which provided them with easier scoring chances. 

“We knew what we had to do coming off a win in the first match and thanks to our coach we stuck to his instructions, even though in the third set we were a little off, to get the win, our first title at this level.” 

 An emotional Antoine Vliet coach of the Suriname team said to coach at this level for the first time as a former player and to come away with the title brings a few tears to his eyes. 

“It’s a great reward knowing that the guys have put in the hard work to get here to eventually come out as champions. So now we can celebrate this win and then get down to the business of planning for the next stage of qualifiers. 

“We had to leave a few players back home from this team and looking ahead I expect that they will be back to give the team more quality and give us a better chance at NORCECA.” 

Suriname brushes aside TTO to keep Under-19 Girls hopes alive

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Defending champion Suriname kept their hopes of retaining their title  in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship alive when they outplayed Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-12, 25-4, 25-23) in a clash of winless teams at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

With the victory, Suriname who were swept aside by debutants Martinique on the opening day moved their record to 1-1 and five points in third spot, behind unbeaten US Virgin Islands (2-0) with nine points, and Martinique (1-1) with six points while T&T stayed fourth without a point after two straight sets losses. 

In the final  round of pool round-robin matches, US Virgin Islands plays Suriname from 9 am on Sunday, July 10 while Trinidad and Tobago comes up against Martinique from 5 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff on Monday, July 11. 

Antigua and Barbuda confirm Pool A semi- final spot

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 9, 2022:   Antigua and Barbuda to close out the preliminary phase of the 2022 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, with a 3-1 ( 22-25, 25- 11, 25-20 , 25-11) trumping over St Kitts and Nevis at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

The win gave Antigua and Barbuda a semi- final berth from Pool A.

Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda, all finished with a 3:1 win/loss ratio, however,  Antigua and Barbuda topped Pool A, with Grenada – second and Bermuda – third.

Antigua  and Barbuda’s Captain- Adrian Constant ensured there was no letting up, as he led from the from pouring in 23 points. He was assisted by Jamarie James, who had 11 points.

For St Kitts and Nevis, Nage Hendrickson contributed 12 points.

Reacting to his team’s win Constant said in a post -match interview: “ We have achieved what we had set out to do and that was to reach the semi- finals and getting to the semi- finals, means that you are one of the good teams”.

Constant said that his team is mentally prepared for the semi- final challenge.

Meanwhile, Rosemarie Simon, Antigua and Barbuda’s Assistant Coach, said that her team came with one mission to dominate St  Kitts and Nevis, hoping to win 3-0.

According to Simon: “ The guys got a little flustered, but pulled ourselves together and win the game and into the semi- finals”.

Simon underscored that the players generally rise to the big occasions and she foresees no exception in the semi- finals.

Antigua and Barbuda  will play second place in Pool B, St Maarten, while Pool B winner- St Lucia takes on Grenada, in the semi- final match ups.

In the case of St Kitts and Nevis, who ended Pool A with a solitary win and three losses, their Captain- James Matthew commended his players for their output.

“ I am impressed with the guys because it is a young and inexperienced team, and we are prepared to develop the talents we possess and come stronger next time”, Matthew commented.

The next  match is the championships, is the play off fixture for the seventh and eighth places, featuring St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica. St Kitts and Nevis ended fourth in Pool A, likewise Dominica in Pool B.

Haiti defeats Suriname to remain unbeaten in Under-21 men 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 9, 2022: Haiti maintained their winning record in the five-team round-robin series of the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship with a combative 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17) win over Suriname at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With their second four-sets victory on the trot, Haiti improved to a 2-0 record, and eight points, three points behind Jamaica (2-1) who has played a match more while Suriname (1-1) is third with six points, followed by T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-3 record. 

An elated Dieulengy Relis, captain of the victorious Haitian team said his team came to the tournament with one objective. 

“We know that all teams will be a challenge, but we came with the objective to win each match we play and take the trophy back to Haiti. 

Coach Junior Siecle added, “We are going to take each match as they come and like my captain said our one aim and focus in this competition is to take the winning trophy back home.” 

Antoine Vliet, coach of the Suriname team said his team lacked the focus to challenge Haiti for the win. 

“We were not as focused as we should have been and I must also credit the two Haitian outside attackers because I believe they made a big difference in the outcome while we did not play our best match as well.” 

Duncan Hiwat, Suriname’s captain said his team were beaten by a better team on the day while admitting that they also made too many errors. 

“Haiti had a really good game and their defence was superb against us as well as their attacks, but we will regroup and hope to come back better in our next match.” 

Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup to be held in Tepic

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TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 8, 2022.- Teams from Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, United States and defending champion, as well as host Mexico, will be competing in the Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup to be held at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit, from July 11 to 17.

The Pan American Cup Final Six is a competition in route to qualify for the 2023 NORCECA Continental Championship, the 2023 Pan American Games of Santiago and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

The current Pan Am Cup champion Mexico and Dominican Republic are already qualified to Santiago 2023.

Members of the Control Committee held a joint meeting with the organizing committee presided by Carolina Lugo, general director of the Sports Institute of Nayarit on Friday to evaluate and carry out a first inspection at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.

Manuel Calderon of the Mexican Volleyball National Federation presented a report of all the facilities prepared for the competition, to which Ariel Saiz, competition director said to be satisfied pointing out the positive disposition of the sports authorities of Nayarit and of the Mexican Volleyball National Federation.

The competition starts on Monday with a preliminary round robin to determine the four teams moving into semifinals. The fifth and sixth seeded teams will meet for the decision of the last two places before the semifinals between the first seeded facing the fourth seeded and the third against the second. The winners will play for the gold medal and the losers for the bronze medal.

NORCECA Men’s Final Six venue Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit

Monday July 11

16:00 Cuba v Dominican Republic

18:00 United States v Canada

20:00 Mexico v Puerto Rico

Tuesday July 12

16:00 Puerto Rico v Dominican Republic

18:00 United States v Cuba

20:00 Mexico v Canada

Wednesday July 13

16:00 United States v Puerto Rico

18:00 Canada v Cuba

20:00 Mexico v Dominican Republic

Thursday July 14

16:00 Canada v Dominican Republic

18:00 Cuba v Puerto Rico

20:00 Mexico v United States

Friday July 15

16:00 Puerto Rico v Canada

18:00 United States v Dominican Republic

20:00 Mexico v Cuba

Saturday July 16

16:00 Fifth v Sixth

18:00 Second v Third

20:00 First v Fourth

Sunday July 17

17:00 Bronze Medal

19:00 Gold Medal

Suriname Under-19 Men beat TTO to inch close to NORCECA spot

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 –  Suriname took a giant step towards qualification to the Continental playoffs when they overcame host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) to take a 1-0 lead in best-of-three series for the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Youth (Under-19) Championships title at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With only two teams involved, the gold medal will be decided via a best-of-three series and the visitors will now go into the second match on Saturday, July 9 from 6 pm knowing that a win will sea their spot at the NORCECA Continental Championship in Mexico from March 5-13, 2023 with the FIVB  World Championship to be staged in August with the host country still to be determined. 

Commenting on the win Suriname captain Brendan Hiwat said his team did what they had to do.

“We know it will tough for both teams and we were able to follow the instructions of our coach and execute our game plan to come away with the win and we are hoping to do the same in the next match.

Suriname coach, Antoine Vliet expressed his satisfaction with his team’s effort saying, “There guys did a great job. Training for us for this competition was very limited and for us to come away with a straight sets win was great.”     

Jadaiah Sanoir, captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team said his team did a great job but what was lacking was a bit more energy and self belief. 

Coach Peer Nasseir said his team failed to deal with the attack from the Suriname Opposite and going into a must-win game on Saturday, they will need to devise a plan to nullify his impact.” 

Suriname brushes aside TTO U-19 girls in straight sets

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – US Virgin Islands sounded a warning to their rivals at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship with a commanding 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-5) beating of host Trinidad and Tobago at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA). 

The win moved US Virgin Islands into a two-way lead with debutants Martinique on five points each after the latter stunned defending champion Suriname in the pool opener on Thursday, also in straight sets, ahead of their meeting on Saturday, July 9 from 4 pm, with Trinidad and Tobago facing Suriname from 8 pm. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff. 

Trinidad and Tobago coach Saleem Ali was humble in defeat and admitted that his team is a very young one and lack any sort of experience to compete against quality opposition. 

“We prepared as best as we can considering all the distractions that are happening around the team and the girls will continue to give off their best effort. Team captain, Gabrielle Mc Kenzie said her team came into the match under a lot of stress and together with the slow start in the first set, they just fell apart from there.” 

“Our mood coming into the game was not all that good due some administrative issues, but we have to pick up our game and come out and do better in our next match.” 

Isaac Raphael, coach of the winning US Virgin Islands was pleased with the win by his relatively young group of players. 

“We have been working back home to develop the women’s program and this is just the start, so it was nice to get a win in our first match. 

“Trinidad and Tobago was not at their best and we were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us to get the victory.” 

Team captain Jahyra Thomas said it was nice to get a win as captain and in their first match as a team at international level. 

She added, “Our energy level to start te match was very good and we played very well together as unit, which was key to our win. 

Grenada makes it three from three in Pool A 

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – Grenada beat the previously undefeated Bermuda 3-0 ( 25-20, 25-22, 25-17) to remain perfect in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

Darron Oxford continued his rich vein of scoring form with 11 points for Grenada. For Bermuda, Tyler Hurdle scored 10 points. 

Bermuda won the Blocks segment, 7-5, with Grenada trumping the serve aces, 9-7. 

For Grenada’s Head Coach- Raphael Braithwaite, it is seldom that his team is able to put together three wins on the trot. 

“ This is not normal for us to start that well, but I welcome it puts us basically in the semi-finals”, Braithwaite remarked. 

Whilst lauding the efforts of his players, Braithwaite that Bermuda brought the game to them, but they were able to respond in like manner. 

Braithwaite is looking forward to his team’s match up versus home team Antigua and Barbuda which he plans to use as a rehearsal for the semi- finals. 

His opposite number- Robert Saraiva believe that the defeat was a “ humble pie”, taken them down from the ecstatic feelings from their two previous winning outings. 

“ It cannot all go well, but we have to keep our heads up and prepare for our next match against St Kitts and Nevis and hopefully we can get maximum points and bid strongly for s semi- final place”, Saraiva commented.  

St Lucia books semi- final berth in style

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – St Lucia registered a 3-1( 25- 20, 25-18, 28-30, 25-17) triumph over St Maarten to book the top place in Pool B of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

St Lucia took one hour and 53 minutes to complete the win, thus ended the Pool flawless, trumping all three matches.

There were four players who were double figures contributors for St Lucia.

Sheldon Descartes scored 18 points; Tevin St Jean- 16, Anfernee Ferdinand- 13 and 10 came from Darnel Eudoxie.

Scoring the bulk of the points for St Maarten were Rajheem Meulens with 17 and 13 were scored by Riegmar Valies.

St Lucia’s Head Coach- Terry Verdant, despite the margin of victory, was not satisfied with the various passages of play.

“ We struggled a lot in the reception in the third set and although we were able to make amends in the fourth set, overall we have to improve in this area in our semi- final match”, Verdant emphasised.

Clayton Holiday, Head Coach of St Maarten  after the match stated: “ We were unable to put it together in this the last preliminary match… We had a break in between the matches and that did not work for us … We start again in the semi-finals and I believe the guys have what it takes

Holiday said he, his coaching staff and players are ready and raring for whosoever are their semi- final opponents.

St Kitts and Nevis gets off the mark

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 –   St Kitts and Nevis got off the mark with a 3-1(25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-11)  win over Anguilla in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

Anguilla jumped out at the Kittians, to win the first set, but lost their way in the other three sets that followed. 

Accounting for St Kitts and Nevis’ scoring were Zendai Richards and Aziel Belle, who registered 22 and 21 points, respectively. 

For Anguilla, the lead scorer was Captain Calvin Samuel, who recorded 13 points. 

St Kitts and Nevis led on Blocks 5-4 and service aces, 7-5. 

It was a win that was welcomed by St Kitts and Nevis’ Head Coach- Richard Swan, who was delighted in the efforts on the court by his charges. 

“ I was excited to see our players knowing how to compete… We struggled and got frustrated a little bit in set one, but stayed composed in the other sets and at the same time gained greater confidence”,  Swan analysed.  

Swan was also happy that the players were bettering their skills during the match. 

“During the match, we got better, the players learnt as they went along and that is what I want to see… They learn and improve and do so rapidly”, Swan advanced. 

Likewise pleased with his team’s efforts, was Anguilla’s Head Coach- Jason Liburd. 

“ We were able to take a set and that was commendable and all along there was evident improvements among the players and that is what I am pleased for coming out to a competitive tournament like this”, Liburd related. 

He assessed that from the four matches played by Anguilla, it was all about “upward movement”. 

Antigua and Barbuda blanks Grenada 3-0 

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 – Antigua and Barbuda inflicted a 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-18, 25-21) defeat on the high -flying Grenada in match 15 of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

The decisive match in Pool A, saw the home team never allowing Grenada a foot hold in the match. Antigua and Barbuda, buoyed by home support pressed gas from the get go, and never looked back. 

Led by the left -handed Adrian Constant, with 17 points and Jamarie James- 14 points, Antigua and Barbuda, won an additional 11 points on Blocks. 

For Grenada, Darron Oxford, came away with 15 points. 

The win though set up Antigua and Barbuda’s final match against St Kitts and Nevis, is critical to the two teams that will advance to the semi- finals from the Pool. 

Head Coach of the Antigua and Barbuda team, Fitzroy Benjamin heaped praises on his charges for the execution of the game plan. 

“The guys did well with proper execution of the game plan”, Benjamin lauded.  

Going into some technicalities, Benjamin informed, “ We tried not to go into the centre line and hit the back court , but we had some difficulties in stopping their middle blocker”.  

On the downside, Benjamin lamented, “We have some serving errors which we must correct going forward”. 

But for Head Coach of Grenada- Raphael Braithwaite, the intensity of the championships, affected them.  

“Not to make any excuses, but we had a very hard game against Bermuda and that took a toll on the players as the tiredness showed up in this match”, Braithwaite explained.  

On the other side, according to Braithwaite, “ Antigua and Barbuda came out and had a very good game… I must say it is the best they have played in the championships so far and they caught us struggling to find consistency”.  

Bermuda returns to winning ways

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 8, 2022 –   Bermuda ensured that there were no more hiccups, as they pushed for a semi- final berth, by stopping St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-12, 25-14) in Pool A  of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

Bermuda thus ended the preliminary phase with a 3:1 win/loss ratio, while St Kitts and Nevis, with a game in hand, has one win and two losses.  

The pair of Tyler Hurdle and Eron Woods, each registered 14 points for the Bermudans, while for St Kitts and Nevis, the topscorer was Aziel Belle, with 11 points.  

Putting his team’s efforts into perspective, Head Coach of Bermuda, Robert Saraiva, stated, “It was a slow start… We had to get the engine warm before start kicking off”. 

Saraiva accepted that at times, St Kitts and Nevis caused them a few anxious moments, but “give it away at some crucial moments”.  

Meanwhile, Kyle Hamilton, the Bermuda team’s  Captain remarked, “It is an incredible feeling… We started off a little bit slowly, but we told one another we can go forward and win this match with a 3-0…We want to get the medal round and that is what we are playing for”.  

In review of his team’s efforts, Head Coach of St Kitts and Nevis- Richard Swan, apportioned defeat on the strengths of the Bermuda team, as well as his team’s deficiencies. 

“ Bermuda was a solid team; They practically served us off the court  and we never found a rhythm and struggled badly with our ball control and it was always trying to battle back”. Swan summed up. 

“We gave then easy opportunities to score and we did not keep the pressure on them”, Swam added. 

Despite the loss, Swan is hopeful for a better showing in their final match up against Antigua and Barbuda. 

Mohammed salutes commitment of CAZOVA participants  

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – Mushtaque Mohammed, President of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) praised the efforts of the participating teams’ federations at the CAZOVA Youth and Junior Championships which served off at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony for the teams on Thursday, July 7, Mohammed, a former T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) said. “We are happy to see the sport of volleyball not just back on the calendar in CAZOVA but also make a welcome return to the playing courts and for me, their is no better age-groups to take that step with, than with the Youth and Junior events, as they are the future of the sport.”

“I also would like to make a say a big and special thank you for the leaders of the federations of the teams who are present at this tournament and the big commitment and effort they have made to make certain that their teams participate in this edition, just coming on the heels of the covic-19 pandemic which grounded the sport for more than two years.” 

Mohammed also praised the efforts of the T&TVF led by President Daymian Stewart for putting on the tournament without much outside help.

He said, “I would like to thank the T&TVF to taking up the opportunity to put on the first CAZOVA event post-Covid and doing son with very little resources and as I understand they are doing so without any funding for the tournament coming from government.

And finally, Mohammed was also high in recognition of North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) President, Cristobal Marte-Hoffiz for the financial support given by the federation to make certain the staging and success of the tournament.

Stewart in his brief address welcomed the participating and while admitting that his federation faced a few challenges in hosting the event, they were committed to putting on the event and helping to get the sport jump started in the CAZOVA region once again.

USVI rallies past Martinique to stay unbeaten in Under-19 Girls 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022 – US Virgin Islands made it two wins from as many matches in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship when they came-from-behind to rally past Martinique 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-23) in a clash of unbeaten teams  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports aArena (SRISA). 

With the victory, the US Virgin Islands moved into sole possession of top spot on the four-team round-robin table with nine points, three ahead of Martinique (1-1), who after stunning defending champion Suriname in the pool opener on Thursday was brought back down to earth while Trinidad and Tobago are winless and without a point from one match each. 

At the end of the four-team round-robin series, the top two teams will play for the gold medal and third and fourth will contest the bronze playoff. 

Speaking after his team’s first loss in two matches, Martinique coach Wilham Lebel said his team played a very inconsistent match which resulted in their defeat. 

“We had a good beginning, but after the first set we fell apart in our passing and receiving which was the main reason for our defeat. 

Team captain, Marie Marajo-Breton added, “I feel very bad for my team because I know we can play much better than we did today. But we still have one more match to play before the final day and I know we will come back stronger.” 

Isaac Raphael, coach of the US Virgin Islands said he was very proud of the effort from his players considering that the captain of the senior Alek-Wek Raphael suffered a tournament-ending injury in the Under-21 match against Suriname earlier in the day. 

“Our group is a small close-knit group and while she may not be part of this team they all looked up to her, so I think came out with the mindset to win this one for her, 

“The positive thing about this group as well is that they are now in the developmental stage and I know that they will get better as time goes one.” 

Team captain Jahyra Thomas added, “We had a rough start but as the game went along our performance improved.  

Suriname makes winning Under-21 men start 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8 , 2022: Suriname registered an impressive 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-17) win over a jaded US Virgin Islands in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.  

The win was the the first for Suriname to move to the top of the five-team round-robin winner-take-all table with a five points, followed by Haiti with four points and host Trinidad and Tobago with three after their wins over Jamaica (3-1) and US Virgin Islands (3-2) respectively on Thursday’s first day of competition. 

Leading the way for Suriname as they hunt a first-ever crown was Shemar Jameson with 16 points and Jonovan Wijngaarde who added 12 points while for US Virgin Islands, Ajani Henley had a team best 12, and Jomari Jacobs, who chipped in with ten while Jared Brown got six in the loss.  

Speaking after the loss US Virgin Islands coach Isaac Raphael said he did not want to make the quick turn-around in his team matches from playing the last night on the opening day to first match on the second day a major talking point, but instead pointed towards the inexperience of his team. 

“We have a very young group of players and and when our starters did not not get off to a good start we had to go to the younger guys, but credit to Suriname as well as they have a very good team and played a well.” 

US Virgin Islands captain, Gabriel Rosa said it was tough for his team to play back-to-back matches in less than 24 hours against quality teams like Trinidad and Tobago, and then Suriname. 

“We put out a big effort last night and we just could not find that same energy again today, but our mentality is to come out to each match and push as hard as we can and play to the best we can, no matter the circumstances.” 

Suriname coach Antoine Vliet was delighted with his team’s display saying, “It was a very good game for us.” 

“The guys were well prepared for this match even though we had a delayed start and it showed in our performance.” 

Team captain, Duncan Hiwat echoed the views of his coach and said he was very happy with how his team played. 

“We played really well at the beginning of the match, but then we had a dip in the second and third sets, but I was very happy to see how we rebounded in those sets to take the victory in straight sets.”  

Suriname to meet USVI for NORCECA U21s ticket 

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 8, 2022:  Suriname dashed the hopes of host Trinidad and Tobago while booking their own spot in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Women (Under-21) final with a 3-0 (25-18, 28-26, 25-20 triumph at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

With the win, Suriname joined US Virgin Islands, who also defeated Trinidad and Tobago in straight sets, in the gold medal match of the CAZOVA  Under-21 Women’s Championship. 

This after both teams are locked on five points and 1-0 records ahead of their round-robin clash on Saturday, July 9, a prelude to Sunday’s all-important final which will earn the victors the lone spot available to the USA will host the NORCECA Under-21 Women’s Continental Championship from April 16 to 24, 2023 with the world event set for September in a country yet to be named while Trinidad and Tobago got bronze with a 0-2 record in the three-team pool. 

Japan defeats Canada in Men’s VNL

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OSAKA, Japan, July 8, 2022 – Japan defeated Canada 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20) while improving to 8-2 win-loss record at the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League.

Yuki Ishikawa was the top scorer for Japan with 19 points, including 4 aces, followed by Yuji Nishida with 18. Taishi Onodera added 10 points in the victory.

Canada’s Stephen Timothy Maar registered 20 points in the losing cause while Brodie Hofer and Mathias Elser each had 10 points.

Japan took advantage of 31 unforced errors by Canada. In the other scoring categories, the stats were very similar with Japan leading in blocks 5-4 and Canada in serves 8-7.

Official presentation Japan vs Canada week 3 VNL in Osaka, Japan

SVG rebounds to beat Dominica in straight sets 

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), ended the preliminary round of Pool B with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20 ) triumph over Dominica of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

The best scoreR for St Vincent and the Grenadines was Ronaldo Franklyn who had 20 points and for Dominica, Keaun Reefe had 6 points.

SVG thus ended the Group stage with a 2-1 win-loss ratio.

Coach of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team – Eardley Martin said that it was good for the team to deliver a win, amidst the travails.

“ We ended it with a win in our preliminary round, and to do so 3-0 against Dominica gives us an outside chance still for a  fight semi- final place”, Martin reasoned.

He said that they will await the outcome of the St Lucia versus St Maarten match, as it can go down to points and sets, depending on the margin among the teams.

Martin noted that should St Lucia beat St Maarten in straight sets, will set up the application of the permutations.

Losing Dominica Head Coach, was evidently disappointed that his charges did not execute his plans.

“We came in with a game plan, which was to go through the middle because, I have noticed that St Vincent and the Grenadines does not defend well through the middle, but unfortunately my team did not carry out that plan and there is where we lost the match

LeBlanc  further disclosed that  he insisted that the St Vincent and the Grenadines team was tired, hence called on his players to capitalize on this.

“I told them that the St Vincent and the Grenadines team was tired as they had little sleep and had had already played two matches, whilst we only played one, but the guys got excited, did not capitalize on this… They lost focus and lost the match”, LeBlanc recalled with disappointment.

Grenada takes down St Kitts and Nevis 3-0

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ST JOHN’S,  Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Grenada took down a youthful St Kitts and Nevis 3-0 ( 25-21, 25-22, 25-16), as the two got their Pool A campaign going, in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

Darron Oxford scored a game high 12 points for Grenada and for St Kitts and Nevis, Aziel Belle scored 9 for his team. 

Grenada outdid St Kitts and Nevis in Blocks, 7-3 and had 37 successful attacks,  as against St Kitts and Nevis’ 10. 

Oxford, speaking on behalf of his team said that it was good to get a win under their belt from the start. 

“ It is a good feeling to get this first win… We had the right energy coming into this game… We realise also that we were a bit more experienced than the Kittians, which seem to be a young team”, Oxford related.  

He however, said that his team is bracing for the anticipated “opposition” from the other teams in Pool A.  

Accepting that his team lacks experience at this level, St Kitts and Nevis Coach- Ricard Swan said:  “  We have a bunch of young players who are getting their first exposure at this level and for me they did a good job… They came out hard, but there are a lot of things we need to work on”. 

Rating his team’s performance versus Grenada, Swan stated: “ I will put it down the middle, about 5 or 6 out of 10, but as I said, we are here to develop the young talent that we have…. Get them to look at the other teams and gain the experience”. 

St Kitts and Nevis Captain- James Matthew sees playing alongside the bunch of new players as “ inspirational”. 

Despite the youthfulness of the team, Matthew is hoping that they learn fast, and at leave an impression on the tournament. 

Bermuda beats Antigua in humdinger   

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Bermuda came from  two sets down to beat Antigua and Barbuda  3-2 in a Pool B humdinger of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

The host, bolstered by partisan home support, won the first two sets, 25-22, 25-20, but Bermuda took the third 27-25 and the fourth 28-26, to set up a grand stand finish. 

Bermuda took the early lead in the decisive fifth set, and held their nerve to win 15-11.

The top scorers for Bermuda were  Kyle Hamilton who had 18 points; Eron Woods- 16 points and Ryan Davies – 13 points. 

For Antigua and Barbuda, Adrian Constant scored 28 points and Jamanie James had 21 points.  

A delighted Bermuda Head Coach- Robert Saraiva in assessment of the match, related: “ The Antiguans did not let up on us and with the crowd behind them it put a lot of pressure on us… But we just fought back, we did not have anything lose… We came here to do the best we can and we proved that in this match, especially in the last three sets”.  

Equally elated for the come from behind win was Bermuda’s Captain- Kyle Hamilton, who gave his piece. 

“We were a little nervous with the home support, so we came out in the third set and said we were going to give it our all… We were able to take it to five sets and eventually won”, Hamilton beamed with joy. 

A dejected Head Coach of Antigua Barbuda- Fitzroy Benjamin, thumbed the loss of momentum on his team’s defeat. 

“We started off well, but the players lapsed with their passing and at times were flat footed and allowed Bermuda to get back into the game”, Benjamin noted. 

Meanwhile, Constant- Antigua and Barbuda’s team, believed that his team mates paid too much attention on things which did not go their way, hence lost focus during the last three sets. 

Constant though wants to see his team refocus for the other matches.

Bermuda opens account against Anguilla

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022- Bermuda stuck to the basics, to register a 3-0 ( 25-15, 25-22, 27-25) win over Anguilla in match four of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

Leading Bermuda’s scoring was their captain- Kyle Hamilton, who registered 11 points, while Hamilton’s opposite number – Calvin Samuel, had 8 points for his team.

Team wise, Bermuda led in Attacks, 30-14, but registered 41 errors, in contrast to Anguilla’s 40.

For coach of the Bermuda team- Robert Saraiva, it was simply getting the job done.

“ We came here to play our basic game… We did not try anything fancy  we stuck to what we know just the fundamentals, hence we try to build on everyone focusing on the basics “, Saraiva assessed.

Noting that it was good to be back in the fray, Saraiva added, “ We have not been to one of these tournaments for quite a while, so we will be making the best of the experience and obviously, like the other teams, we are here to win”.

Team leader- Hamilton in assessing the win said: “It was a good victory for us a  team I was pleased with our services and our passing… We will be looking to build on this victory in our other matches”.

Meanwhile, Anguilla’s Coach- Jason Liburd: “ I must say that we played a lot better than in our first match versus Antigua and I felt we should have won the last two sets but some unforced errors cost us the match”.

“ This is what we came here for and we are achieving our goal, that is to get better and better with every match”, Liburd indicated.

Match five of the tournament pits St Maarten against St Vincent and the Grenadines in Pool B.

TTO battles past USVI in Under-21 men five-set thriller

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022: Host Trinidad and Tobago began their campaign with a five-set entertaining win (3-2) 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 10-25, 15-9 over a stubborn US Virgin Islands in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

Commenting after the win in the see-saw battle that had the spectators on the edge of their seats from the first serve, Trinidad and Tobago coach Peer Nasseir said his team had a nervous start and made too many errors.

“Our mistakes on our passing and serving almost cost us the match and I believe we were very lucky to come away with the win.

Isaac Raphael, coach of the US Virgin Islands team said he was very proud of his team despite the loss.

“Our preparation for this tournament was not all that good, and it was shown in our serving which I felt was weak, but overall I’m happy with the effort and very excited for what the future holds for this team because we have many young players among this group.

Gabriel Rosa, captain of the US Virgin Islands team said his team were able to do a lot of good things despite the defeat.

“We know we have some basics to work on and we know there is great potential among this group to do well, but we just need to work out the kinks.”

Grenada adds Anguilla to their winning list  

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 7, 2022 – Grenada saw off Anguilla 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-20) in Pool A of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships, here at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

The win put the Grenadians 2:0 in their win/ loss ratio, having defeated St Kitts and Nevis in their opening match. 

For Grenada, Darren Oxford and  Nikel John, both scored 7 points each, while for Anguilla, the lead scorer was Calvin Samuel with 16 points. 

Raphael Braithwaite, Head Coach of the Grenada outfit,  was complimentary on his players’ execution of their duties in the match. 

“ We made it simple… We did not allow the Anguillans to get into the match… All in all,  it was a good win for the team, and hopefully we can continue in this vein”, Braithwaite related after the encounter. 

The Grenada Head Coach though anticipates stiffer competition in his team’s upcoming matches. 

“ We have to continue to prepare as we expect more challenges in the matches to come”, Braithwaite projected. 

Meanwhile, sticking to his mantra of “ improving”, Head Coach of the Anguilla team- Jason Liburd, believed his script continues to stay true to form. 

“ As I said from the start, we are here to improve and that is taking place and this is evident from the improved score line in each match”, Liburd supported. 

Martinique stuns champs Suriname in CAZOVA Girls U-19 Opener

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022 – Martinique made a stunning debut at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA)  Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship with a polished 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-22) win over defending champion Suriname in the competition’s curtain-raiser at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA).

Three years ago, when the competition was last held in Jamaica, Suriname dethroned Barbados in the final, but today apart from going point-for-point in the early exchanges of all three sets, and holding 15-10 and 20-16 leads in the third set, Suriname could not cope with the well balanced display from the Wilham Lebel-coached Martiniquans who proved a class above the title-holders.

Speaking after the loss, Suriname coach Claudius Straal admitted his team did not play their best.

.He said, “We didn’t play well most of the match, and we surely have to improve for the next game because we trained and prepared hard to get to the final.

Team captain, Chontelle Lisse echoed the views of her coach saying “We didn’t do our best and I don’t think we give our all, but we will work on our mistakes for the next game. Our energy level was not consistent enough to match Martinique who played a good match, so I know we can play better.”

An elated Lebel said, “I think we played with a good energy.. We served well and our players were very positive and aggressive in the blocks. Our concentration level was very good for most of the match and this was key to us getting the result we got.”

Captain Marie Marajo-Breton added, “It was very good for us to get a win and against a team like Suriname as well. We are all happy and we are hoping we can win the next match.”

Haiti subdues Jamaica in Under-21 Men CAZOVA opener

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 7, 2022: Haiti made a winning start to its bid to claim the title left vacant by six-time winners Barbados when they came-from-behind to subdue Jamaica 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21) in their 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin opener at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena. 

Commenting on his team’s win after the closely fought contest against the Jamaicans who were the last to arrive in the country on Wednesday night and had an extended stay in immigration, Haitian coach Junior Siecle said he was satisfied with the win.

“I’m very pleased with the win but going forward we still have to to make some corrections as I’m not satisfied with our blocking.”

Captain, Dieulengy Relis added, “We started off a bit slow but then we found our momentum and played much better as the match went along. We are very happy to start with the win, and now we must continue to improve to win our other matches as well.

Steve Davis, coach of Jamaica said his team was affected by jet lag and a lack of rest.

“We are not ones to make excuses but we had a very travelling schedule where we reached in late and also had a long stay in immigration.Apart from that we also had little preparation time at home due to exams and we know that our players can improve their level of play and will improve in the next match.”

Andrae Robb captain of Jamaica also said he felt his team was badly affected by their travelling scheduled in addition to lacking in confidence.

“We know where we fell short in this match and we need to improve for our next encounter.”

USA improve record to 8-2 at VNL

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OSAKA, Japan, July 7, 2022 – The United States outplayed France 3-2 (15-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 15-8) improving its win-loss record to 8-2 at the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League.

Aaron Russell and Torey Defalco scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, for the United States, and Kyle Ensing added 12 in the victory.

USA team captain David Smith spikes avoiding France block

Earvin Ngapeth led France with 19 points, followed by Stephen Boyer and Barthelemy Chinanyese with 14 and 12.

Also in Osaka, Brazil swept Canada 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-16) behind Yoandy Leal’s 15 points followed by Darlan Ferreira with 12.

Canada’s Brodie Hofer and Eric Loeppky finished with 13 and 11 points.

Canada vs Brazil week 3 VNL in Osaka, Japan

Five Coaches comment about potential of Men’s U-21

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 –  Barbados, the perennial  kings and six-time winners, including the last four editions will not be present to defend their title at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship which serves off  at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday, meaning a first time champion will be crowned from the five competing teams.

Host, T&T who ended in third spot at the last edition in 2019 in Martinique and have a best finish of silver in 2015 will be keen to stamp their authority on home soil, but will be hard pressed to do so against the quartet of formidable opponents in 2017/2018 runner-up Haiti, US Virgin Islands and Suriname, the latter two yet to make their at this age-group level.

The five competing men’s teams will contest a straight round-robin series due to the late withdrawal of Martinique, champions in 1999, and their respective coaches while worried by their team’s preparations all expressed hope that once they play to their true potential, capturing the title wont be beyond their charges, 

Under-21 Men:

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): “The boys got to train for only about two days so our preparation has not been that ideal.At the same time, we have some older players returning to the team, but the core of the team is mainly a young one as we are in a developmental stage. So during the tournament I really looking forward to seeing them grow, compete and fight as hard as they can as a team and hopefully it will be good enough for us to have some success as I do believe we will be able to hold our own.”

PEER NASSEIR (Trinidad and Tobago):“We are the underdogs in this category and we will surely be using the approach on the cautious and optimistic side since each of these teams are unknowns and will also be eager to take home the crown.”

ANTOINE VLIET (Suriname): “I expect that this age-group will be much more competitive as there are more teams firstly and with the older players you tend to get a higher level of play as well.

“We are looking forward to playing as much as possible and we are aiming to win the title as we have the believe we have the best possible group of players that we could have selected.

DERISIER SARTRE (Haiti assistant): “We had one month to prepare the team and our problem is that we don’t know the level of the other teams in the competition to give a proper prediction on our chances. However, we are very confident in our chances and we are confident of doing our best and we will see if it is good enough for us to win.”

STEVE DAVIS (Jamaica): “Our chances of winning this tournament is as good as any team we believe. Even though we have been hampered by some students and their school examinations and a short preparation time, we intend to give off our best and we are expecting great things from this group of players.”

St Lucia stops St Vincent in five -setter

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ST JOHN ‘S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Lucia and arch rivals St Vincent traded points and sets, but St Lucia finally trumped 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13, in an epic battle of the Saints, as Pool B  of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships heated up at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

With no quarter given and none asked, Asmond Franklyn made good of 28 points for the Vincentians, while his team mates Jahmal Small and Jamaar Cropper each registered 14 points.

Tevin St Jean had 11 points for St Lucia, to be his team’s top scorer.

St Vincent and the Grenadines outdid St Lucia in Blocks 11-8 and Serves 5-2. But it was St Lucia who conceded fewer errors- 38 to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ 47.

A beaming St Lucia Head Coach Terry  Verdant was bubbling for the win.  

“ I am feeling great, because in our last two outings, St Vincent and the Grenadines had beaten St Lucia and for me that was not normal so I had to take revenge tonight”, Verdant said.

Stating that his team made some adjustments during the match, Verdant commented: “We tried to play an easier game, because at the beginning we were trying to rush the game… In addition,  we noticed that they wanted the ball cross court, so began to block them inside”.

Verdant’s opposite number – Eardley Martin was gracious in defeat.  

According to Martin, “The guys played their hearts out … Playing St Lucia is never always easy… We know each other and there will always be that type of intensity between the two”.

Martin believed that despite the loss , he is confident of his players resetting and coming back stronger in their remaining matches.

“We started the competition and we are going to end it”, Martin projected of a St Vincent and the Grenadines versus St Lucia final.

Match four in the tournament features Anguilla and Bermuda in Pool A.

Coaches optimistic about women’s U21 chances

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 –  With reigning champions Barbados who lifted the title in 2019 in Martinique opting not to defend their titles the coaches of the participating teams at the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Women (Under-21) Championship which gets underway at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday say they are all optimistic of claiming the crown.

In the absence of Barbados, host T&T who ended as runner-up in 2019 and have won the title six times, the last of which was in 2011/2012 will be keen to repeat on home soil their triumph of 205.

However, Suriname with a best finish of third in 2007, and US Virgin Islands with a best placing of second on home soil in 20211/2012 will also fancy their chances of claiming the coveted title in the three-team round-robin series at the end of which the top two will contest the gold medal match.

Speaking on the eve of the competition, the three coaches, Suriname’s Claudius Straal, Trinidad and Tobago’s Gideon Dickson and US Virgin Islands Isaac Raphael all expressed their views on their team’s chances.

Under-21 Women:

CLAUDIUS STRAAL (Suriname):  “Some members of the Under-19 team will be stepping up to play in the Under-21 competition as well so it will give the players some form of continuity and momentum as the tournament goes along.”

“We are basically looking forward to playing as much matches as we possibly can as during our competition at home we had the girls playing back-to-back matches and we believe we have selected the best possible group for us to have a good tournament.”

GIDEON DICKSON (Trinidad and Tobago): “It’s been basically two-and-a-half years for the players to be inactive and it has been unfortunate due to the pandemic. “At the same time fortunately we had the Development Festival which I believed served its purpose to resume the sport of volleyball and provide a based for the national teams selections as we have the talent.


“We intend to go into the tournament and focus on each match as they come as our intention is to win the competition and even though we had been inactive for such a long time, we are confident of putting our best foot forward and doing ourselves proud.”

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): “We had a very small preparation of two weeks with most of the sessions being held together with the Under-19 girls team, training twice per day and I am also excited to see what they can produce on the court.

“What I love about this group of players is that they are much more experienced than the Under-19s  and should be much better able to execute their game plans.I’m hoping that we can get to the gold medal match and take the top prize as we were third the last time the competition was held, but we are hungry for the title.”

Suriname intends to keep Girls’ U19 title

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 – Still basking in their success of 2019, Suriname has made it no secret that they intend to put up a very good defence of their title when the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Youth Girls (Under-19) Championship begins at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday  say their are all optimistic of claiming the crown.

Three years ago when the competition (formerly Under-18) was last held in Jamaica, Suriname overcame Barbados in the final to dethrone the latter while T&T, previous winners in 2007 on home soil, 2012 in US Virgin Islands and again in 2013 on home soil once more had to settle for fourth spot behind ISV.

However, T&T will be on home soil once more and will be keen to make it three championship wins as host and will no doubt pose a serious challenge along with first-time competitors at this age level Martinique, and US Virgin Islands in the four-team round-robin competition at the end of which the top two teams will compete for gold, while the third and fourth placed teams battle for the bronze. 

Speaking ahead of the tournament, the four coaches while cautious about their approach to the series hinted that their teams were capable of going all the way to the title.

Under-19 Girls:

ISAAC RAPHAEL (US Virgin Islands): We have been preparing for the past two weeks with training sessions twice per day and we are ready as can be. I’m excited about the potential the team has as the players have really gel together as a unit and of course I would like to have more time to prepare, but we are here to compete and do our best:”

SALEEM ALI (Trinidad and Tobago): “Basically we have been in preparation as a team for the past three weeks following the completion of the T&T Volleyball Federation Developmental Festival, and apart from two players we basically have a brand new team.

“The players are prepared as much as they can be, but we lack experience without a doubt and will go into the competition taking one match at a time.”

CLAUDIUS STRAAL (Suriname): “We started to prepare two months ago with about 35 players and recently made our final selection of 12 players for the tournament. Two years ago we were the winners of this competition at the Under-18 level, so we basically have a core of players who were part of that winning team here with us again. We want to repeat as the champions but first we have to take it match by match and try and finish among the top two teams in the round-robin so we can play in the final.”

WILHAM LEBEL (Martinique): “This is going to be our first time presenting a team in this category of the Championship and for us it’s a huge honour for us to participate coming after the pandemic which made it very difficult for our team to prepare and I am sure for the other teams as well in the competition.I expect that al four teams will be a good level of play and I do expect my team to play good against each team as well because know that  Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and USVI are all good teams and we will try to compete as best as we can.”

TTO and Suriname to battle for Boys’ U19 crown

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PLEASANTVILLE, San Fernando, Trinidad, July 6, 2022 – With only host Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname registered to compete, history will be made when one of the two teams capture their first ever title in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Youth Boys (Under-19) Championship.

The tournament will begin at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Thursday and both coaches were cautious in their words, with Peer Nasseir, the coach of TTO even hinted at Suriname being favourites to the title in their best-of-three finals.

Once again, Barbados, which captured the title for a third time in 2019 in Jamaica will not be here to defend their title leaving the door open for Suriname, the runner-up back then and TTO, who ended fourth to fight it out for the coveted crown. 

Under-19 Boys:

ANTOINE VLIET (Suriname): “We had a good preparation of one month and we focused on playing a lot of matches so they guys can gain some kind of momentum as we only had one competition at home before training for the tournament. “Our competition is only between us and Trinidad and Tobago and having not played for sol long due to the pandemic we would have liked to have more matches, but we still hope to win our series against them as we don’t intend to underestimate any team and above all, we want to win.”

PEER NASSEIR (Trinidad and Tobago): We have a three game series with Suriname because of a lack of teams. The positive thing out of this is that we have never made it to a final in this age-group before since its inception in 2007 when we won bronze and three years later again we got bronze. “To be honest, Suriname is practically unbeatable, but I am hoping that with the three-game series we should be able to scout them, adapt to them and overcome them. However, that will all depend on the gap between both teams and if we can close this gap in the short space of time, coming out of a pandemic and not much competition or preparation done over any long period of time.

Nine teams battle for ECVA Senior Men’s Title

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – Nine teams divided into two Pools  will battle for honours in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships here at the YMCA Indoor Facility. 

In Pool A are St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,  Grenada, and Bermuda, with St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica and St Martin stashed in Pool B. 

The robin format serves off today, Wednesday July 6, with three matches.  

Serving off the Championships will be the Pool B fixture between Dominica and St Martin from 1800hours today. The encounter between Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis follows from 2000hours, with St Vincent and the Grenadines meeting St Lucia from 2200hours.  

The intense championships the host six matches on Thursday July 7  and Friday, July 8. 

On Saturday, July 9, the last Pool A match is carded, along with the two semi-finals featuring the two top place finishers from each Pool., along with the play offs for the minor places- 5th/6th places as well as the 7th/8th.  

Sunday hosts the grand finale involving the two semi- finals winners . The play off for the 3rd/4th spots, precede the Final. 

The Championships will be played under strict covid- 19 guidelines , inclusive of no shaking of hands among players; regular sanitizing of all match balls and minimal physical interaction of teams.  

It is the first time since 2019, that the ECVA  is hosting any of its championships. 

St Maarten edge past Dominica in Pool B

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 –  St Maarten dug deep to beat Dominica  3-2, as Pool B  of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships got going here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

St Maarten thus defeated Dominica 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9, in a ding- dong tussle for early honours.

Leading the scoring for St Maarten was Riegmar Valies with 18 points and Lenoard Jeffers recorded 17 points.

Dominica’s Captain- Yahn Florent was the leading scorer for his team with 25 points,

In  a post -match interview St Maarten Head Coach – Clayton Holiday assessed: “My guys started off well, but lost a little focus, eventually they walked back into their game and they did what was necessary …It was a case about mind over matter, as we had the will power to win”.

The St Maarten Head Coach said that he detected a flaw in the Dominica’s play, in which they had difficulty in dealing with balls in position one, and his team exploited this to good effect

Meanwhile, St Maarten Captain- Leonard  Jeffers stated, “  It was a wonderful game… We came up with a well- balanced team, having experienced players and new ones and the coaches did a phenomenal job by bringing in the right players at the right time, causing the team to mesh perfectly… I cannot complain”.

Looking forward to the rest of the tournament,  Jeffers said “ We can only get better.

For Dominica , Florent said, “ I thought we had it but our service and passing let us down”.

Facing their next opponents, Florent is cognisant of the abilities of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team, but said that they will be looking to correct their flaws in order to stay in contention for a semi- final berth.

Joining Florent in reviewing his team’ first match, Head Coach- Ericson Le Blanc reported : “ It is always disappointing when you lose, but on the night the other team wanted it more than we did … We have to go back to the drawing board ad take some decisions so going forward in the next game we can do better”.

Match two in the tournament is in Pool A, pitting Antigua and Barbuda versus Anguilla.

XIX U21 Women’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship in Belize

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BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 6, 2022.- The City of Belize will host the XIX U21 Women’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship, previously U20, from July 10 to 17 at the Belize City Civic Center.

With the sudden withdrawal of Costa Rica, the tournament will only have five teams from the region competing, Panama had declined to participate with anticipation.

The national teams of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua will battle for the AFECAVOL title and qualify to the 2023 age-group NORCECA Continental Championship, in a round-robin competition.

The current champion is Honduras, who were crowned for the first time in the history of the event in 2019 while hosting the competition; Guatemala won the silver medal and El Salvador the bronze.

Costa Rica has won the title in nine occasions, Guatemala in five and Panama has won two titles. Costa Rica and Panama will be absent in this edition.

Check out the Rankings here: PALMARES U21 FEMENINO DE VOLEIBOL

The event will be livestreamed on The National Channel 10  in Facebook and on their YouTube channel.

The teams’ arrival is scheduled on Sunday July 10, the preliminary enquiries will take place on Munday 11 and the competition starts on Tuesday 12.

Belize City Civic Center

Competition Schedule:

Tuesday July/12

4:30pm El Salvador vs Honduras

7:00pm Opening Ceremony

7:30pm Belize vs Nicaragua

Wednesday July/13

5:00pm Honduras vs Guatemala

7:30pm Nicaragua vs El Salvador

Thursday July/14

5:00pm Guatemala vs Nicaragua

7:30pm El Salvador vs Belize

Friday July/15

5:00pm Guatemala vs El Salvador

7:30pm Honduras vs Belize

Saturday July/16

5:00pm Nicaragua vs Honduras

7:30pm Belize vs Guatemala

St Maarten edge past Dominica in Pool B

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ST JOHN’S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 –  St Maarten dug deep to beat Dominica  3-2, as Pool B  of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships got going here at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

St Maarten thus defeated Dominica 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9, in a ding- dong tussle for early honours.

Leading the scoring for St Maarten was Riegmar Valies with 18 points and Lenoard Jeffers recorded 17 points.

Dominica’s Captain- Yahn Florent was the leading scorer for his team with 25 points,

In  a post -match interview St Maarten Head Coach – Clayton Holiday assessed: “My guys started off well, but lost a little focus, eventually they walked back into their game and they did what was necessary …It was a case about mind over matter, as we had the will power to win”.

The St Maarten Head Coach said that he detected a flaw in the Dominica’s play, in which they had difficulty in dealing with balls in position one, and his team exploited this to good effect

Meanwhile, St Maarten Captain- Leonard  Jeffers stated, “  It was a wonderful game… We came up with a well- balanced team, having experienced players and new ones and the coaches did a phenomenal job by bringing in the right players at the right time, causing the team to mesh perfectly… I cannot complain”.

Looking forward to the rest of the tournament,  Jeffers said “ We can only get better.

For Dominica , Florent said, “ I thought we had it but our service and passing let us down”.

Facing their next opponents, Florent is cognisant of the abilities of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team, but said that they will be looking to correct their flaws in order to stay in contention for a semi- final berth.

Joining Florent in reviewing his team’ first match, Head Coach- Ericson Le Blanc reported : “ It is always disappointing when you lose, but on the night the other team wanted it more than we did … We have to go back to the drawing board ad take some decisions so going forward in the next game we can do better”.

Match two in the tournament is in Pool A, pitting Antigua and Barbuda versus Anguilla.

USA beat Germany, Canada lost to Argentina

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OSAKA, Japan, July 6, 2022 – The United States improved its record to 7-2 at the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League after defeating Germany 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18) to start the third and final week of the preliminary round.

Aaron Russell, Kyle Ensing and Torey Defalco led the American offense with 23, 13 and 12 points, respectively. Lukas Maase and Tobias Brand finished with 15 and 12 for Germany.

In the second match of Tuesday, Argentina beat Canada 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23) improving to 3-6 with the Canadians descending to 2-7.

Action between Canada and Argentina in week 3 VNL

Ezequiel Palacios was the best scorer for the South American side with 18 points, followed by Agustin Loser and Luciano Palonsky who tallied 15 and 11 points.

Erick Loeppky had a match-high 20 points for Canada, followed by Ryan Sclater and Stephen Timothy Maar with 16 and 12, respectively.

St Lucia stops St Vincent in five -setter

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ST JOHN ‘S, Antigua, July 6, 2022 – St Lucia and arch rivals St Vincent traded points and sets, but St Lucia finally trumped 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13, in an epic battle of the Saints, as Pool B  of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association( ECVA) Senior Men’s Championships heated up at the YMCA Indoor Facility.

With no quarter given and none asked, Asmond Franklyn made good of 28 points for the Vincentians, while his team mates Jahmal Small and Jamaar Cropper each registered 14 points.

Tevin St Jean had 11 points for St Lucia, to be his team’s top scorer.

St Vincent and the Grenadines outdid St Lucia in Blocks 11-8 and Serves 5-2. But it was St Lucia who conceded fewer errors- 38 to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ 47.

A beaming St Lucia Head Coach Terry  Verdant was bubbling for the win.  

“ I am feeling great, because in our last two outings, St Vincent and the Grenadines had beaten St Lucia and for me that was not normal so I had to take revenge tonight”, Verdant said.

Stating that his team made some adjustments during the match, Verdant commented: “We tried to play an easier game, because at the beginning we were trying to rush the game… In addition,  we noticed that they wanted the ball cross court, so began to block them inside”.

Verdant’s opposite number – Eardley Martin was gracious in defeat.  

According to Martin, “The guys played their hearts out … Playing St Lucia is never always easy… We know each other and there will always be that type of intensity between the two”.

Martin believed that despite the loss , he is confident of his players resetting and coming back stronger in their remaining matches.

“We started the competition and we are going to end it”, Martin projected of a St Vincent and the Grenadines versus St Lucia final.

Match four in the tournament features Anguilla and Bermuda in Pool A.

Colombia wins the gold medal of Juegos Bolivarianos

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, July 5, 2022 – Colombia defeated Dominican Republic in a thrilling five-setter 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 15-12) to claim the women’s volleyball gold medal at the Juegos Bolivarianos.

Both teams reached the title’s match undefeated in three outings and their performance did not disappoint the crowd at Coliseo Municipal Julio Monsalvo Castilla

Ana Karina Olaya was the top scorer for the Colombian squad with 19 points, including one ace and four blocks. Darlevis Mosquera also had one ace and four blocks among her 11 points and Laura Pascua contributed 14 points.

Madeline Guillen and Alondra Tapia stood out for the Dominican side with 27 and 18 points, respectively. Estefany Rabit and Natalia Martinez added 11 and 10.

Ariana Rodriguez (DOM) spikes against Colombia

The bronze medal match went to the hands of Peru who defeated Venezuela in straight sets 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-22).

The Peruvians easily dominated in the first two sets with excellent serves and general defense. It was a close battle in the third set that saw the score tied at 22-22 before the winners took final command.

Mohammed excited to see volleyball return to CAZOVA

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PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, July 4, 2022 – Mushtaque Mohammed, president of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) says the regional sporting body is very excited about the restart of volleyball after two and a half years in the Caribbean.

Mohammed made this admission in confirming the staging of the CAZOVA Under-19 and 21 Championships at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Pleasantville, San Fernando from July 5 to 12.

Mohammed, said, “We decided to start in the youth and junior categories because those are the easier categories in terms of teams readiness while the senior tournaments will be held next year hopefully, and we are also hoping to have the Under-23s in December.”

The trio of the US Virgin Islands, Suriname, and T&T will contest the Under-21 Women’s Championship while the five-team Men’s Under-21 competition will feature T&T, Haiti, Suriname, US Virgin Islands, and Jamaica.

In the Under-19 age group, T&T, Suriname, Martinique, and US Virgin Islands women will face off while T&T and Suriname will contest the men.

The CAZOVA teams are competing to qualify for their respective NORCECA Continental Championship in 2023 which will serve as qualifiers for their FIVB Age Group Championship.

For the Under-19 category, the Under-19 Women’s Continental Championship is carded for February 5-13, 2023 in Puerto Rico with the World Championship set for July 2023 while the Under-19 Men’s Continental Championship comes off in Mexico from March 5-13, 2023 with the World Championship to be staged in August with the host country still to be determined.

In the Under-21 Division, the USA will host the NORCECA Under-21 Women’s Continental Championship from April 16 to 24, 2023 with the world event set for September in a country yet to be finalized while the Under-21 Men’s Continental competition comes off in Cuba from May 7-15 and the World Championship in September also at a venue yet to be named.

With regards to the small number of countries committing to the tournament, Mohammed noted that all the teams who are able to participate are really excited to come to T&T to play these events, but at the same time noted that some of the major powerhouses in the sport won’t be present.

“However, Barbados, who are among the defending champions in the youth and junior categories are not here,  and that has been a challenge as the Bahamas will not be here as well, and Jamaica will only have their Under-21 boys here.”  

A member of the T&T Olympic Committee Mohammed explained, “The challenges are not only limited to finances or readiness in terms of preparation and venue availability but also some of the countries cannot get flights to come to Trinidad because not all of the flights or airlines are operational at present so when we had more flights coming into Trinidad in the past, not all of these have started back operation since the lifting of restrictions brought about by the pandemic.”

“But, with what we have we are going to restart volleyball in CAZOVA and we are really excited that this tournament is going to take place and hopefully be something that we will all be proud of and be something that will re-stimulate volleyball in the Caribbean.”

“Additionally we are hoping to host for the first time in the region beach volleyball and so we are hoping that beach volleyball will also make a positive restart by the end of August, also right here in Trinidad, stated Mohammed, who is also an Executive vice president of the North, Central America and the Caribbean Volleyball Association (NORCECA).

With regard to the preparations for the double-gender tournament which will be the first to be staged by CAZOVA since the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, Daymian Stewart, president of the T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) said they have been forced into a venue change.  

Stewart said, “Initially the T&TVF had hoped to have the tournament at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva, however, those plans had to be shelved due to the unavailability of the venue as repairs to the air-conditioning system at the Couva facility will not be completed in time to host the tournament.

Stewart added, “Basically we are just working on confirming the venue at Pleasantville as most of the other logistics are in place as well as finalising our transportation for the teams and officials and all personnel involved.

“The only challenge with Pleasantville is that janitorial services on the weekend and we have offered to make our own arrangements where that is concerned so that we can have a smooth flow of the competition,” stated Stewart.

The T&TVF boss added, “We need to do our part to provide positive activities for young people. It’s very hard but it’s worth it when young  Trinbagonians and Caribbean youth get opportunities via sport and this CAZOVA Youth and Junior event could not come at a better time coming out of the pandemic, “ended Stewart.

Participating Teams:

Under-21 Men: TTO, Haiti, Suriname, US Virgin Islands, Jamaica.

Under-21 Women: TTO, US Virgin Islands, Suriname

Under-19 Men: TTO, Suriname

Under-19 Women: TTO, Suriname, Martinique, US Virgin Islands

Dominicans play text-book volleyball to stay undefeated

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, July 4, 2022 – The Dominican Republic women’s team played volleyball by the book in defeating Bolivia in straight sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-14) to stay undefeated after three outings at the Juegos Bolivarianos.

The Dominicans showed their depth as the coach Cristian Cruz used his three setters – Camila de la Rosa, Mia Liberato and Adriana Rodriguez- and the effectiveness was the same.

Natalia Martinez led the winners with 13 points, including 4 aces, while reserve players Rodriguez and Seliann Concepción added 11 and 10, respectively. Middle blockers Estefany Rabit (8) and Alondra Tapia (7) also contributed to the balanced attack.

The Dominicans put their opponents against the ropes with their strong serves as they totaled 17 winners from the service lines, including six by Concepción and four by Rodríguez.

The Caribbean squad will be looking for the gold medal when they meet the also undefeated Colombia on Tuesday. The Colombians defeated Peru 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-23) in the second match of the day. 

Van Ryk led in aces, Marte third best setter

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 4, 2022 – Two women’s teams from NORCECA Confederation – United States and Dominican Republic- are among the Top-10 in the most recent ranking published by FIVB on July 2.

The Americans continue to maintain the top position among the best female teams of the world while the Dominicans occupy the ninth place following the conclusion of the preliminary round of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

The USA Team finished the preliminary phase with an 11-1 win-loss record while the Dominicans had a 5-7 mark after losing their first four matches when they could not count with their star player Brayelin Martinez due to a slight injury.

Canada who finished with a 4-8 record stayed in 16th position while Puerto Rico and Mexico are in 18th and 24th positions.

Individually, Canadian Kiera Van Ryk was the best server of the preliminary round where each team played one total 12 matches as she landed 20 aces, double than Dominican Yonkaira Peña who was seventh with 10.

Kiera Van Ryk (Canada) serves

Dominican Niverka Marte was the third best setter of this part of the annual competition with 298 successful sets and only 7 errors.

In the scoring department, Van Ryk was the fifth best with 213 points while their fellow Canadian Alexa Gray was in tenth place with 181 and Dominican Peña followed with 180.

Guillén scores 24 in Dominicans second win

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, July 3, 2022 – Madeline Guillen scored 24 points, including two aces and three blocks, leading Dominican Republic to its second victory in as many outings in the women’s volleyball tournament of the Juegos Bolivarianos on Sunday.

The Dominicans beat Peru in consecutive frames 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-17) with a stellar performance by their setter Camila de la Rosa who made an excellent job throughout the match.

Natalia Martinez was the second best scorer for the winners with two aces and one block among her 9 points. Middle blockers Estefany Rabit and Alondra Tapia added 7 and 4 points, respectively.

The Dominicans led in aces (4-3) and blocks (9-3) as well as in attacks (37-26).

In the other match of Sunday between winless teams, Venezuela defeated Bolivia 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21).

USA finish VNL with 11-1 record, Canada 4-6

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CALGARY, Canada, July 3, 2022 – United States finished the preliminary round of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League with an 11-1 record after defeating Germany 3-1 (25-17, 25-13, 13-25, 25-22) on Sunday night.

Sarah Wilhite had 24 points as the best American scorer, followed by Jordan Thompson and Kathryn Plummer with 14 and 10, respectively.

In the last match of the evening, the Netherlands won a close contest with Canada 3-1 (22-25, 27-25, 26-24, 25-23). The Canadians finished with a 4-6 record.

Celeste Plak led Netherlands with 19 points, followed by Fleur Savelkoel and Anne Buijs with 14 and 11, respectively.

Kiera Van Ryk and Alexa Gray each scored 22 points for Canada. Emily Maglio added 12 points.

Germany edges Canada, both have 4-7 records

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CALGARY, Canada, July 2, 2022 – Germany won a close match against host Canada 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 27-25, 25-23) in the penultimate day of the third and last week of the preliminary round of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League on Saturday night.

Both teams have 4-7 win-loss records.

Canada killed its chances of a victory by committing an astonishing 32 errors to only 14 by the Germans. The Canadians led in attacks (64-53) and blocks (11-4) and the Germans led in serves I7-3).

Hanna Orthmann led Germany with 21 points, and Ivana Vankak and Camila Weitzel contributed 15 and 12 points to the victory.

Alexa Gray and Kiera Van Ryk finished with 26 and 22 points, respectively, for Canada. Jennifer Cross added 12 in the loss.

Libero- Arielle Palermo of Canada in action against Germany

Three Americans score over 20 points

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CALGARY, Canada, July 2, 2022 – Three players scored over 20 points as United States edged Turkey 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 27-25, 23-25, 18-16) for its tenth victory against one loss at the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League on Saturday.

Kara Bajema, Andrea Drews and Kelsey Robinson finished with 25, 24 and 21 points, respectively, for the American side. Haleigh Washington added 11 in the victory.

Ebrar Karakurt had a match-high 27 points for Turkey and next was Zehra Gunes with 19. Saliha Sahin and Eda Ederm finished with 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Turkey held the advantage in blocks (12-5) while the Americans led in service winners (9-2).

United States beats Turkey for a 10-1 record

Colombia and Peru claim victories in Valledupar

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, July 2, 2022 – Colombia claimed its second victory in as many tries at the women-s volleyball tournament of the Juegos Bolivarianos following a straight-set win over Venezuela 3-0 (25-6, 25-16, 25-19) on Saturday night.

Laura Pascua paced the offense of the home girls by scoring 8 points in the lopsided first set.

The Venezuelans reacted and played solid volleyball after the disaster of the opening set when they could not rival with the Colombians.

In the first match of Saturday, Peru used its strong service game to trounce Bolivia 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-11) with Alondra Alarcon as the most outstanding player for the Peruvians.

Peru was playing for the first time in the five-team tournament. Bolivia suffered its second loss after falling to Colombia on Friday night.

Brayelin and Gaila lead Dominican victory

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SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 2, 2022 – Brayelin Martinez and Gaila Gonzalez each scored 23 points leading the Dominican Republic to a 3-2 (20-25, 38-36, 25-20, 13-25, 15-9) emotional farewell victory at the 2022 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League on Saturday.

Yonkaira Peña and Jineiry Martínez added 15 and 12 points, respectively, in the victory for the Dominican side that concluded its participation in the preliminary phase with a 5-7 win-loss record after a 0-4 start.

Brayelin Martinez ready to attack against Poland

Poland’s Martyna Czyrnianska led all the players in the match with 27 points just ahead of Olivia Rozanski who finished with 21.

The Polish held a 17-12 advantage in blocks led by Agnieszka Kakolewska who had 8 blocks among her 17 points. Dominican Angelica Hinojosa had 4 blocks for the winners.

Serbia defeated Canada 3-1

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CALGARY, Canada, July 2, 2022 – Reigning world champions Serbia defeated Canada 3-1 (25-20, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22) in a match of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League at 7 Chiefs Sportsplex.

The Serbians started strong, and raced out to a two-sets-to-none lead, before Canada found its game and showed its fighting spirit extending the match with a third set victory and a close fourth.

Kiera Van Ryk led red-and-white with 19 points, just ahead of Emily Maglio who posted a 2022 VNL personal-best 16 points.

The Canadian women’s team is now 4-6. With four wins, and two games to go, Canada is one victory back of eighth-place Thailand who currently hold the last berth in the Final Round.

Next up for the Canadians is a showdown with Germany Saturday at 8 pm.

Action Canada vs Poland in Calgary, Alberta – Week 3 VNL

Dominicans with impressive debut in Valledupar

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, July 1, 2022 – Madeline Guillen and Natalia Martinez led a powerful offense as Dominican Republic trounced Venezuela 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-13) to start the women’s volleyball tournament of the Juegos Bolivarianos Valledupar 2022.

While Guillen stood out as the main attacker in the first set, it was Martinez in the second who dominated with her potent serves and spikes.

Venezuela took an early lead in the third set only to see the Dominicans coming back behind the spikes down the center by middle blockers Estefany Rabit and Alondra Tapia.

In the other match of day one, Colombia blanked Bolivia 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-9).

China sweeps Dominican Republic

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SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 1, 2022 – China swept Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-15) in a volleyball match of the FIVB Women’s Nations League on Friday.

The Chinese are in fourth place with a 7-4 win-loss record while Dominican Republic descended to 4-7 in tenth position.

The Dominicans finish their participation in this year’s VNL playing against Poland (4-6).

The Chinese team played almost perfect volleyball while committing only 7 unforced errors throughout the match compared to 21 by the Dominicans.

Li Yingying led China with 15 points followed by Xinyue Yuan and Xiangyu Gong with 10 points apiece. Yonkaira Peña was the top scorer for the Dominican Republic with 15 points and Gaila Gonzalez added 10 tallies.

USA Women improve to 9-1 at VNL

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CALGARY, Canada, June 30, 2022 – The United States’ female national team defeated Serbia in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 33-31, 25-16) improving its league leading record to 9-1 at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Thursday.

Kathryn Plummer finished the contest with 18 points for the winners. Jordan Thompson was next with 15 and Sarah Wilwhite added 12.

Bienka Busa and Ana Bjelica had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Serbian team that dropped its record to 6-4.

The Americans finished with eight blocks as a team, including three by middle blocker Haleigh Washington who also had one ace and 8 points.

United States leads the VNL with 9-1 record

Colombia wins men’s gold at Juegos Bolivarianos

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VALLEDUPAR, Colombia, June 29, 2022 – Colombia swept Chile 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-19) to claim the men’s gold medal of the volleyball tournament of Juegos Bolivarianos on Tuesday night.

On their path to the title, the Colombian squad won 12 sets and lost only one set to Dominican Republic in the semifinal contest.

They began their campaign with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-18) victory over Venezuela in Pool A and followed with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-23) over Peru.

In the crossed semifinal match against Dominican Republic, the “home boys” prevailed in a tough clash 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24).

Final positions: 1. Colombia, 2. Chile, 3. Peru, 4. Dominican Republic, 5. Venezuela, 6. Bolivia.

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