May 14, 2024.- Volleyball Canada has announced the Women’s Next Gen program athletes, who will be based in Richmond, BC, at the National Training Centre until mid-August.
Under the direction of Next Gen lead coach Matt Krueger and head coach Carolyn O’Dwyer, athletes will have access to coaching staff and an integrated support team to guide their development and growth as high-performance athletes. Competition opportunities include the 2024 Pan Am Final Six in the Dominican Republic June 24-30, and the 2024 Pan Am Cup in Mexico in August.
More on the Next Gen program here:
https://volleyball.ca/en/national-teams/indoor-women-next-gen
SETTERS:
Averie Allard, Winnipeg, MB
Bella Noble, Chester, NS
LIBEROS:
Julia Arnold, Winnipeg, MB
Delaney Watson, St. Jacobs, ON
OUTSIDES/OPPOSITES:
Jasmine Rivest, Montreal, QC
Gabrielle Attieh. Surrey, BC
Abby Guezen, Sherwood Park, AB
Thana Fayad, Victoria, BC
Mady Saris, Burlington, ON
Emoni Bush, Campbell River, BC
Raya Surinx, Winnipeg, MB
Lucy Borowski, Vancouver, BC
MIDDLES:
Kaylee Plouffe, Sherwood Park, AB
Nyadholi Thokbuom, Calgary, AB
Avery Heppell, Langley, BC
Emma Boyd, Whitehorse, YT
Jess Andrews, Guelph, ON
Grace Calnan, Dartmouth, NS
Training player: Lauren Attieh, Surrey, BC
Tag: Norceca
United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Dominican Republic in Women’s Semifinals
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 13, 2024 – The women’s teams from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Dominican Republic reached the semifinals of the tournament that will determine the winner of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour Continental Final.
Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen from the United States defeated Guatemala’s Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado 2-0 (21-8, 21-4) in quarterfinals, while Atenas Gutierrez/Susana Torres from Mexico advanced after overcoming Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas/María González, recovering from losing the first set 2-1 (14-21, 21-19, 15-12).
The other two pairs that advanced were Canada’s Sarah Pavan/Molly McBain, who dominated Cubans Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik 2-0 (21-12, 21-10), while Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua secured their spot after defeating Nicaragua’s Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez in three sets with a score of 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-12).
In semifinals, Payano/Paniagua (DOM) will face Pavan/McBain (CAN) and Torres/Guttierrez (MEX) go up against Shaw/Loreen (USA).
The semifinals and position matches will be held on Tuesday morning, while the event concludes in the afternoon with the bronze medal match and the grand finale.
Other results of the day were:
Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua (DOM) d Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado (GUA) 2-0 (21-16, 21-11); Daniel Vigil/Karla Tovar (ESA) d Nyota Peters/Dana Regis (ANT) 2-0 (21-7, 21-5); Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen (USA) d Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-6); Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford (GRN) d Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) 2-0 (21-10, 21-18); Atenas Gutierrez/Susana Torres (MEX) d Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina (CRC) 2-0 (21-10, 21-8); Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik (CUB) d Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee (SUR) 2-0 (21-5, 21-7); Sarah Pavan/Molly McBain (CAN) d Allanis Navas/María González (PUR) 2-0 (21-11, 21-16); Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) d Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs (CAY) 2-1 (21-9, 20-22, 15-9); Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee (SUR) d Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) 2-1 (21-15,11-21, 15-7); Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs (CAY) d Nyota Peters/Dana Regis (ANT) 2-0 (21-7, 21-7); Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) d Daniel Vigil/Karla Tovar (ESA) 2-0 (23-21, 21-10) and Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina (CRC) d Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford (GRN) 2 -0 (21-14, 21-12).
Cuba, United States, Mexico, and Canada in Men’s Semifinals of the NORCECA Tour Final
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 13, 2024. – The tandems from Cuba, the United States, Mexico, and Canada advanced to the semifinals of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour Finals being played in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic.
Cuba’s pair of Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz defeated Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer from the U.S. Virgin Islands in their quarterfinal match with a score of 2-0 (21-14, 21-12), while Miles Evans/Chase Budinger from the United States advanced prevailing over Nicaraguans Rubén Mora/Dany López 2-0 (21-12, 21-12).
Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz secured their spot in the semifinal by defeating Puerto Ricans William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres 2-0 (21-17, 21-17), while Canada’s Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing earned their ticket by defeating El Salvador’s twins Christopher and Yoel Guardado 2-0 (21-7, 21-18).
The competition continues on Tuesday morning with the semifinals of Evans/Budinger (USA) against Alayo/Diaz (CUB) and Schachter/Dearing (CAN) facing Sarabia/Cruz (MEX), as well as position matches, followed by the matches for the bronze medal and the grand finale.
Other results of the day were:
Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer (ISV) d Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 17-15); Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing (CAN) d Eddy Toro/Joshua Winklaar (ARU) 2-0 (21-13, 21-12); Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz (CUB) d Christopher Guardado/Joel Guardado (ESA) 2-0 (21-11, 21-16); José Izaguirre/Luis García (GUA) d Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-16, 21-16); Miles Evans/Chase Budinger d Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) 2-0 (21-13, 21-17); Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-12, 21-13); William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR) d Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 16-14); Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia (SUR) d Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson (SKN) 2-1 (17-21, 21-11, 15-12); Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) d Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-9, 21-6); Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson (SKN) d Eddy Toro/Joshua Winklaar (ARU) 2-0 (21-16, 21-14); Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) d Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia (SUR) 2-0 (21-5, 21-15) and Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) d José Izaguirre/Luis García (GUA) 2- 0 (21-13, 26-24).
Coaches affirm their teams are enthusiastic for the Boys’ U19 NORCECA Title
PONCE, Puerto Rico, 13 de mayo de 2024.- Head coaches of the eight participating teams in the Boys’ U19 NORCECA Continental Championship, indicated that their teams are enthusiastic to compete for the NORCECA title.
The NORCECA Continental event, to be contested at Salvador Dijols Coliseum, is part of the qualifying process to the 2025 Boys U19 FIVB World Championship.
The U19 NORCECA Champion will qualify to worlds and the FIVB will confirm the number of slots available for our Confederation later on.
Livestream of the event is available on demand at www.r1live.com
Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “We have not had any preparation time with this team because the athletes are all playing with their clubs currently, it’s near the end of the club season, so we had not had the opportunity to train as a team. It’ll be exciting to see them together for the first time today in practice, so we don’t know what to expect and I am looking forward to this opportunity to introduce these young athletes to international volleyball”.
Robertocarlo Argüello Quesada, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “It’s been a six-month training process to put together the team. The group has a clear job they must do on the court, they are eager and enthusiastic to compete. The team is doing well, with talented boys and the physical attributes to play a NORCECA event, we will be able to put up a fight against all our opponents”.
Lian Sem Estrada, Head Coach of Cuba: “We are seeking to keep Cuba’s supremacy in our zone and qualify for the World Championship. We have no intention to put pressure on the team, but we will battle for the slots available for NORCECA for worlds. This team is the base of the U17 team that competed in Mexico last year, it’s a young team, with great energy and anxious to do things well”.
Francisco José Lerebours, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “For me, this is a new challenge, it’s the first time I am head coach, and I am ready to assume the role. The team has a lot of time preparing itself, some of the players have experience at the U17 NORCECA and the whole team has the capacity, projection, and vision to do things well. This is a process of young players developing, but as a team we set some goals, looking for a good performance and finish in a good position”.
Luis Fernando Castañeda, Head Coach of Guatemala: “We have prepared strongly for this tournament for a couple of months when it was confirmed our participation. We are waiting for some athletes to come depending on their American visa. Six athletes in the team are U17 and we are looking for a good performance”.
Carlos De Sevilla Ríos, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “Being in our homeland adds a bit more pressure, but the group is the one that won the NORCECA U17 championship in Mexico, with the addition of one U19 player and two U17 players who did not travel to Mexico, so that event helped the team to withstand a lot of pressure. Participating in this championship with the U17 team that will compete in June in Mexico and in the FIVB World Championship in Bulgaria in August is a strategic decision to compete and prepare for those tournaments. I am happy that the boys are working on a 23-week program in preparation for a world event, which motivates us. I am very proud of the team and the expectation is to finish among the top three positions, despite facing teams with older players, but we are very competitive”.
Furjil Ong-A-Fat, Head Coach of Suriname: “The team is well prepared, we started to practice at the end of January, so I think the guys are ready to show on the court what we’ve been doing since then up to now. Five players are coming from the under-17 team that competed in Mexico and will bring some experience. We are excited to give everything on the court”.
Charles Sullivan, Head Coach of United States: “It’s a great group of guys that prepared very well, they worked really hard. As usual at these kinds of competitions, for a group that comes for the first time, it’s a little bit different from what we play in the United States, so It’s going to be a large learning curve to go through, so I hope we will push them through fast and they catch on quick and do a good job here”.
Volleyball Canada has announced its U17 men’s team
May 13, 2024.- Volleyball Canada Men’s Program announced their U17 Men’s Team and staff, looking ahead of international competitions.
The purpose of this new U17 program is to offer this group of selected athletes the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2024 U17 Pan Am Cup in Colima, Mexico from June 15 to 23: https://bit.ly/3yhdL7l
2024 U17 TEAM
Seth Brunoro – Aldergrove, ON
Cruz Chittick – Mayerthorpe, AB
William Clarmo – Milton, ON
Damien Court – Prince Albert, SK
Tyson DeZutter – Red Deer, AB
Kaysen Flaman – Calgary, AB
Kade Funk – Grand Prairie, AB
Mathieu Gilbert – St-Georges, QC
Brayden Long – Calgary, AB
Danilo Skipina – Maple Ridge, BC
Cooper Spehr – Mississauga, ON
Liam Ulrich – Edmonton, AB
U17 Staff
Head Coach: Dan Ota
Assistant Coach: Dan Lewis
Assistant Coach & Team Manager: Jordan Taylor
Athletic Therapist: Ashley Hiscock
Statistician: Lionel Bonnaure
Seven female pairs win both their matches on Day 1 of the NORCECA Tour Finals
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2024. – Seven female pairs started the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour Finals without losses on the first day at the Juan Dolio beach sand courts in the Dominican Republic.
In Pool A, Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Crismil Paniagua defeated Nyota Peters/Dana Regis of Antigua & Barbuda 2-0 (21-8, 21-2) and also Daniel Vigil/Karla Tovar of El Salvador 2-0 (21-18, 21-11); meanwhile, Guatemala’s Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado beat Peters/Regis (ANT) 2-0 (21-9, 21-13) and also Vigil/Tovar (ESA) 2-0 (21-9, 21-15).
In Pool B, Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen from the United States overcame Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford from Grenada 2-0 (21-6, 21-6) and the duo of Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell from Saint Vincent 2-0 (21-5, 21-5).
Also in Pool B, the Nicaraguan pair of Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez defeated Sylvester/Campbell (VIN) 2-0 (21-6, 21-5) and Mitchell/Stafford from Grenada 2-0 (21-8, 21-11).
In Pool C, Atenas Gutierrez/Susana Torres from Mexico defeated Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee from Suriname 2-0 (21-3, 21-3) and Cubans Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik 2-1 (21-17, 28-30, 15-11), while Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina from Costa Rica beat Heymans/Elizee (SUR) 2-0 (21-6, 21-3) but fell to Armenteros/Drik (CUB) 2-0 (21-16, 21-9).
In Pool D, Allanis Navas/María González from Puerto Rico emerged victorious against Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs from the Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-6, 21-7) and prevailed against Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner from the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-16, 21-9), while Canada’s Sarah Pavan/Molly McBain defeated Almeida-Anz/Buckner 2-0 (21-11, 21-8) and the duo of Thompson/McCoombs (CAY) 2-0 (21-5, 21-6).
On Monday, the remaining group stage matches continue, followed by the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round.
Alayo and Díaz begin the Final undefeated focused on their Olympic qualification
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2024.- Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz began their participation undefeated in the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Tour Finals being held on the beach of Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic .
Alayo and Díaz, champions of the 2023 Finals, seek to continue accumulating the points they need to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In addition to Cuba, five more teams came out without defeats on the first day of competition.
In Pool B, Alayo and Diaz easily defeated Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson of Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-6, 21-1) and in their second match outing they beat Guatemalans José Izaguirre/Luis García 2 -0 (21-5, 21-16).
Twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador defeated Izaguirre/ García (GUA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-11) and Van Dam/ Watson (CAY ) 2-0 (21-18, 21-6).
In Pool C, Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz of Mexico beat Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) and Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn of St. Vincent 2-0 (21- 12, 21-9), while USA’s Miles Evans/Chase budinger defeated Cropper/ Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-13, 21-9) and Dyner/ Varela ( CRC) 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-6).
In Pool D, Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora/Dany López defeated Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson of St. Kitts & Nevis 2-0 (21-13, 21-7) and Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia of Suriname 2-0 (21-10, 21-16), while Puerto Ricans William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres beat Dwarkasing/ Asimia (SUR) 2-0 (21-17, 21-15) and the duo of Ward/ Hendrickson (SKN) 2 -0 (21-10, 21-11).
In Pool A the only one without defeats was Canada with Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing who beat Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-5, 21-10) and Dominicans Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez 2- 0 (21-14, 21-16), who only won their first match against Eddy Toro/Joshua Winklaar of Aruba 2-0 (21-11, 21-10).
Also in Pool A, Penberthy/ Mayer (ISV) beat Toro/ Winklaar (ARU) 2-0 (21-8, 21-6).
Pool-play continues on Monday, the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round.
Salvador Dijols Coliseum Set to Host the Boys U19 NORCECA Championship
PONCE, Puerto Rico, May 12, 2024.- The Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, is set to host the 2024 U19 Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship, welcoming eight national teams that start the qualifying process to the 2025 Boys U19 FIVB World Championship.
Members of the NORCECA control committee carried out inspections at the Salvador Dijols Coliseum to ensure the facilities for an intense competition scheduled to commence on May 14 and culminate on May 19.
Teams are divided into two pools, as follow:
Pool A: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico
Pool B: Canada, Cuba, Suriname, United States
The top ranked teams resulting from each pool after the conclusion of the preliminary round will advance directly into the semifinals.
Livestream is available on demand at www.r1live.com
Preliminary Round Schedule
May 14
14:00 Cuba vs Suriname
16:00 United States vs Canada
18:00 Guatemala vs Dominican Republic
20:00 Costa Rica vs Puerto Rico
May 15
14:00 Suriname vs United States
16:00 Canada vs Cuba
18:00 Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica
20:00 Puerto Rico vs Guatemala
May 16
14:00 Canada vs Suriname
16:00 United States vs Cuba
18:00 Guatemala vs Costa Rica
20:00 Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico
Juan Dolio will host the Final of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 11, 2024.- The Final of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 will take place on the sand courts installed on Juan Dolio beach in the Dominican Republic.
In the preliminary meeting held this Saturday, 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams from 18 countries confirmed their participation in search of advancing from the preliminary group round that begins this Sunday at 8 am (local time).
For the first day of competition there are 32 matches scheduled, 16 in each branch, on Monday morning the preliminary round will be concluded and in the afternoon the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round will be played, while on Tuesday morning the Semifinals and position matches will be played and in the afternoon the bronze medal matches and the Final.
Men’s teams: DOM Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez; CUB Jorge Luis Alayo/Noslen Díaz; USA Evans Miles/Budinger Chase; PUR William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres; NCA Rubén Mora/Dany López; MEX Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz; ESA Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala; ISV Robert Cronshaw/Bryce Mayer; CAN Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing; GUA José Izaguirre/Luis García; CRC Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela; SKN Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson; SOUTH Joshua Dwarkasing/Ethan Asimia; VIN Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn; ARU Eddy Toro/Joshua Winklaar; CAY Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson.
Women’s teams: DOM Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua; USA Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen; MEX Atenas Gutierrez/Susana Torres; PUR Allanis Navas/María González; CAN Sarah Pavan/Molly McBain; CRC Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina; NCA Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez; GUA Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado; ESA Daniel Vigil/Karla Tovar; VIN Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell; CUB Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik; ISV Cristina Almeida-Anz/Melanie Valenciana; CAY Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs; SOUTH Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee; GRN Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford; ANT Nyota Peters/Dana Regis.
North, Central Volleyball Zone Meeting Sets Stage for Strategic Collaboration
PONCE, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2024.- The North, Central Volleyball Zonal Association NCVA convened for its general assembly on Friday at Ponce, Puerto Rico, emphasizing important actions towards fortifying regional volleyball dynamics.
The assembly had the attendance of all its National Federation affiliates, Volleyball Canada, represented by Mark Eckert, USA Volleyball represented by Jamie Davis, the Mexican Volleyball Federation, FMVB represented by its President, Jesús Perales Navarro, the Cuban Volleyball Federation, FCV, represented by its President, Ariel Sainz Rodriguez, the Dominican Volleyball Federation, FEDOVOLI, represented by its 1st Executive Vice President, Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, and the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, FPV, represented by its President, Dr. Cesar Trabanco, and the NORCECA General Director, Arateide Caceres Hernandez.
Cristobal Marte Hoffiz had an active participation, presenting important information about NORCECA NCVA Zonal Championships as well as age-group tournaments, and the distribution of Mikasa Volleyball Equipment.
All representatives deliberated on pivotal agenda points vital to the advancement and cohesion of volleyball in the zone.
Mark Eckert of Canada was unanimously reelected Zonal President and will serve for a new four term period (2024-2028).
The participants engaged in constructive dialogue to streamline the allocation of world ranking points, a crucial aspect influencing team placements and competitive dynamics within the zone and on the global stage.
Calendars were meticulously reviewed to harmonize schedules for both indoor volleyball and beach volleyball events, fostering enhanced coordination and collaboration across tournaments, and ensuring optimal player participation and fan engagement.
A general overview of the 2024 NORCECA Congress was discussed, focusing on strategic initiatives to maximize the NORCECA Confederation as a whole, with a collective focus on advocating for the region’s interests and leveraging opportunities for growth and the level of competition.
Representatives from each member nation, confirmed their commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation underscores the shared vision of advancing the North, Central Volleyball Zone as a powerhouse in the global volleyball arena.
Commenting on the outcomes of the meeting, Cristobal Marte remarked, “this gathering shows the spirit of unity and collaboration that defines our zone. By aligning our efforts and forging strategic partnerships, we are poised to elevate the caliber of volleyball excellence across North and Central America, and the Caribbean, thereby reinforcing our collective impact on the global stage.”
The North, Central Volleyball Zone looks forward to leveraging the momentum generated by this meeting to propel the region towards new heights of success and excellence.
Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship arrives in Ponce, Puerto Rico
PONCE, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2024.- Eight national teams will be competing at the Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship in Ponce, Puerto Rico from May 14-19.
The NORCECA Continental event, to be contested at Salvador Dijols Coliseum, is part of the qualifying process to the 2025 Boys U19 FIVB World Championship.
Cuba is the current champion, with a historic record of five titles since the tournament’s inception back in 1998.
The Caribbean country has reached five consecutive title matches, losing once to the United States in 2024 while seeking a hat-trick, and has clashed against the Americans in the last three editions of the event (2014, 2015, 2018).
United States and Puerto Rico have two titles each.
The preliminary pool-play round has two pools consisting of pool A with Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and host team Puerto Rico; while Canada, Cuba, Suriname and the United States are in pool B.
The top ranked teams resulting from each pool after the conclusion of the preliminary round will advance directly into the semifinals.
Year by Year Podiums
| YEAR | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
| 1998 | DOM | MEX | PUR |
| 2000 | MEX | PUR | CAN |
| 2002 | PUR | USA | MEX |
| 2004 | CUB | CAN | MEX |
| 2006 | PUR | USA | CUB |
| 2008 | USA | PUR | MEX |
| 2010 | CUB | USA | PUR |
| 2012 | CUB | MEX | USA |
| 2014 | USA | CUB | MEX |
| 2016 | CUB | USA | MEX |
| 2018 | CUB | USA | PUR |
Composite Medal Table
| COUNTRY | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| CUB | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| USA | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| PUR | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| MEX | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| DOM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
USA Volleyball Announces Men’s Team for Paris 2024
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, May 10, 2024. – USA Volleyball is proud to announce the athletes and staff who will comprise the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The athlete roster includes nine players with Olympic experience and three newcomers who will compete at the Paris Games, which run July 26-August 11.
Opposite Matt Anderson and middle blocker David Smith will compete in their fourth Olympic Games. Each athlete made his Olympic debut at London 2012 and earned a bronze medal at Rio 2016.
Setter Micah Christenson, middle blocker Max Holt, outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke and libero Erik Shoji have each made a third Olympic roster. Each also has a bronze medal from Rio 2016.
Outside hitters T.J. DeFalco, Aaron Russell and Garrett Muagututia will each compete in a second Olympics. Russell won a bronze medal in Rio but did not compete at Tokyo 2020. DeFalco and Muagututia made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo.
Middle blockers Taylor Averill and Jeff Jendryk, and setter Micah Ma’a will make their Olympic debuts in Paris.
Opposite Kyle Ensing, a 2020 Olympian, will be the team’s official alternate athlete, a new position for 2024. The official alternate is a non-competing athlete who may serve as a last-minute replacement if a player is unable to compete due to injury or illness. In that event, the replaced athlete would not be allowed to compete for the remainder of the competition.
“One of the hardest parts about coaching this team is naming the final 12 athletes who will play at the Olympics,” U.S. Men’s Head Coach John Speraw said. “We travel 14 players to every single tournament during a quad. To narrow it down to 12 is always such a challenge.
“It’s such a tough decision because we have so many talented, hard-working, high-character athletes who have been great teammates and represented the United States very well. Ultimately, we decided that this was the best 12 to go compete for us in Paris.
“Choosing the team now allows us to manage a veteran team and the grind of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) travel to ensure we have a good balance between training, recovery and competition to prepare ourselves for the Games.
“It’s an incredible honor to coach these men. I’ve known all of them for a long time. I have such a high degree of trust in their ability to play the game and respect for how they compete and represent the United States. I know how special this experience is and I’m grateful to these 12 men and to all the athletes who have given their best toward this Olympic effort.”
Speraw will serve as head coach of his third Olympic team after leading the U.S. Men in Rio, where they took the bronze medal, and Tokyo. He served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s Team that won gold at the Beijing 2008 Games, and for the London 2012 team.
Speraw is also the head coach of the UCLA men’s volleyball team and won his second straight NCAA championship on May 5.
Speraw’s assistant coaches are Matt Fuerbringer, Javier Weber and Michael Wall.
The U.S. Men are ranked No. 2 in the world. The team has competed in 12 Olympic Games, including the last 10, and has won three Olympic gold medals (1984, 1988 and 2008) and two bronze medals (1992 and 2016).
The men’s Olympic competition schedule and pools will be revealed at the conclusion of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League Final Round, which ends on June 30. The U.S. Men will begin play in the Volleyball Nations League on May 22.
Indoor volleyball at the 2024 Olympic Games will take place at South Paris Arena 1.
U.S. Men’s Roster for the Olympic Games Paris 2024
No. Player (Position, Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Matt Anderson (Opp, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State, Western Empire)
2 Aaron Russell (OH, 6-9, Ellicott City, Md., Penn State, Chesapeake)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
8 T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
11 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Southern California, Aloha)
12 Max Holt (MB, 6-10, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State, Ohio Valley)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
17 Thomas Jaeschke (OH, 6-6, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
18 Garrett Muagututia (OH, 6-5, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
19 Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Univ. of Hawaii, Northern California)
20 David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., Univ. of California Irvine, Southern California)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
Official Alternate: 5 Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State Univ.,
Head Coach: John Speraw Southern California)
Assistant Coaches: Matt Fuerbringer, Javier Weber and Mike Wall
Athletic Trainer: Aaron Brock
Performance Analyst and Technical Coordinator: Nate Ngo
Team Leader: Erik Sullivan
Mental Performance Coaches: Andrea Becker and Peter Naschak
Technical Coordinator: David Dantes
Team Doctor: Lori Boyajian-O’Neill
Harward and De Berg take top honors in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 10, 2024.- Americans Haley Harward and Kylie De Berg defeated the Mexican duo Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) to be crowned champions of the third stage of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 that took place on Juan Dolio beach, Dominican Republic.
Harward and De Berg, who won bronze at the second stage in Varadero, achieve their second gold medal in this year’s Beach Tour as they had previously claimed gold in the opening stage on Güibia´s beach in Santo Domingo.
The bronze medal was won by Puerto Rico with Allanis Navas/María González who defeated Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-14, 21-11).
Fifth place was occupied by Lea Monkhouse/Maria-Alex Belanger of Canada who defeated Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina of Costa Rica 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 15-9).
Seventh place were Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua who beat Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado of Guatemala 2-0 (21-18, 21-12), while in ninth place were Dominicanas Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo who defeated Salvadorans Karla Tovar /Daniela Vigil (ESA) 2-0 (21-9, 26-24).
Eleventh place went to Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell of St. Vincent who beat Cubans Maykelin Drik/Amanda Armenteros due to injury, while Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner of the U.S. Virgin Islands finished in thirteenth place after beating Heather Thompson/ Maryn McCoombs of the Cayman Islands 2-0 (21-12, 21-14).
In fifteenth position was the duo of Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee of Suriname.
The other results of the day were:
Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina (CRC) d Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado (GUA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-16); Lea Monkhouse/Maria-Alex Belanger (CAN) d Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) 2-0 (21-9, 21-17); Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez (MEX) d Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua (DOM) 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) and Haley Harward/Kylie De Berg (USA) d Allanis Navas/María González (PUR) 2- 0 (21-11, 21-12).
Cuba Men Win Gold in 3rd stage of the NORCECA Beach Tour in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 10, 2024.- After losing the first set, the Cuban duo of Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz knew how to recover to beat Evan Cory and Robert Harrison of the United States 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 15-10) to win the gold medal in the third stage of the 2024 NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour on the sand courts of Juan Dolio´s beach, Dominican Republic.
The bronze medal was won by Puerto Ricans William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres after defeating Hayerling De Jesús and Oscar Martínez from the Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-18, 21-10).
Fifth place went to Rubén Mora/Dany López from Nicaragua who beat Mexicans Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz 2-1 (16-21, 21-6, 15-0), while in seventh came Christopher Guardado/ Yoel Guardado of El Salvador after beating Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli the U.S. Virgin Islands 2-0 (21-15, 21-9).
Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers of Canada were in ninth place after beating Edgar Guatemala’s Maldonado/Luis García 2-0 (21-15, 21-14).
Eleventh place was occupied by Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica who defeated Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson of St. Kitts & Nevis 2-0 (21-15, 21-13), while 13th place went to the Dominican duo of Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore beating Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing of Suriname 2-1 (14-21, 21-15, 15-7).
Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) finished in 15th position, beating Dan Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-18, 21-18).
The other results of the day were:
Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) d Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli (ISV) 2-0 (21-14, 21-15); Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) d Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado (ESA) 2-0 (21-18, 21-8); Evan Cory/Robert Harrison (USA) d William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR) 2-0 (23-21, 21-14) and Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz (CUB) d Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) 2- 0 (21-6, 21-15).
Dominican Republic, United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico advance to the women’s semifinals in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 9, 2024.- The women’s pairs from the Dominican Republic, the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico won the right to compete in the Semifinals of the third stage of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 that is taking place at the Juan Dolio Beach, Dominican Republic.
Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Crismil Paniagua had to battle hard in their Quarterfinal match to overcome the Costa Ricans Kianny Quesada and Laura Molina 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 19-17) to achieve their place in the semifinal.
The American pair of Haley Hardward/Kylie De Berg also advanced after defeating Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) 2-0 (21-9, 21-9).
The Mexican duo of Susana Torres/Atenas Gutiérrez moved forward after defeating the Guatemalan team of Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado 2-0 (21-7, 21-9), as well as Allanis Navas/María González from Puerto Rico who defeated the Canadian duo of Lea Monkhouse/María-Alex Belanger 2-0 (21-14, 21-17).
In the semifinals, Navas/González (PUR), who have won silver in the previous two stages, will face Americans Hardward/De Berg, who won gold in Güibia and bronze in Varadero, while Payano/Paniagua (DOM) will take on the Mexican team of Torres/Gutierrez.
Position matches will be held on Friday morning as well as the semifinals, and the medal matches will be in the afternoon.
The other results of the day were:
Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua (DOM) d Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) 2-1 (4-21, 21-10, 15-9); Kianny Quesada/Laura Molina (CRC) d Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo (DOM) 2-0 (21-18, 25-23); Haley Hardward/Kylie De Berg (USA) d Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) 2-0 (21-11, 21-8); Allanis Navas/María González (PUR) d Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado (GUA) 2-0 (21-7, 21-14); Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) d Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee (SUR) 2-1 (21-17,17-21, 15-11) y Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez (MEX) d Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs (CAY) (21-10, 21-7); Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) d Ketura Heymans/Simone Elizee (SUR) 2-0 (21-10, 21-6) y Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo (DOM) d Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) 2-0 (21-12, 21-6).
Men’s teams from the United States, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico are in the Semifinals in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 9, 2024.- The men’s teams of the United States, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico were placed in the semifinals of the third stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 that takes place in the sand courts of Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic.
Americans Evan Cory/Robert Harrison advanced to the semifinals after beating the pair of Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-12), while the Dominican pair of Hayerling De Jesús/ Oscar Martínez won their ticket after defeating twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado from El Salvador in an electrifying match that went to the maximum of three sets 2-1 (24-26, 21-18, 15-10).
The other tandems that advanced were Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz (CUB) who defeated Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) and the one formed by William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres de Puerto Rico who defeated Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli of the U.S. Virgin Islands with a score of 2-0 (21-17, 21-11).
In Friday’s semifinals Cory/Harrison (USA), winners of the gold medal in the first stop and bronze in the second stop, will face William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR), while Dominicans De Jesús/Martínez will battle against Cubans Alayo/Díaz who come from winning silver in Varadero.
The competition continues this Friday morning with the position matches and the semifinals, while the bronze medal match and the final will be held in the afternoon.
The other results of the day were:
Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) d Dany Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) 2-1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-10); Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-13, 21-9); Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) d Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore (DOM) 2-0 (21-19, 21-17); Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz (CUB) d Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli (ISV) 2-0 (21-9, 21-13); Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson (SKN) d Dany Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-19, 21-15); William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR) d Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers (CAN) 2-0 (21-9, 21-19); Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) d Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR) 2-0 (21-12, 21-13); Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore (DOM) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-13, 21-18); Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers (CAN) d Dany Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) 2-0 (21-14, 22-20); Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) d Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson (SKN) 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) and Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-19, 21-18).
Navas and Rodríguez start the Juan Dolio NORCECA Tour with the right foot
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 8, 2024.- Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas and María Rodríguez ended the first day of competition with two victories without defeats, seeking to climb to the top of the podium for the first time this year in the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Tour.
Navas/Rodríguez (PUR) won their first match against Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) 2-0 (21-7, 21-5) in pool C, and their second victory was against KeturaHeymans/Simone Elizee from Suriname 2-0 (21-3, 21-3).
Five other teams also went undefeated during the day.
Americans Haley Hardward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg, who won bronze last week in Varadero, defeated Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo (DOM) 2-0 (21-13, 21-8) and Laura Molina/Kianny Quesada from Costa Rica 2-0 (21-12, 21-11) in pool B.
In group C, Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado (GUA) defeated KeturaHeymans/Simone Elizee (SUR) 2-0 (21-8, 21-10) and won their second game of the day against Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell (VIN) 2-0 (21-12, 21-16).
Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez from Mexico topped Lea Monkhouse/Maria-Alex Belanger from Canada 2-1 (22-24, 21-19, 15-12) in pool D and Cubans Maykelin Drik/Amanda Armenteros 2-0 (21-16, 21-13).
In pool A action, the Dominican duo of Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua defeated Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil from El Salvador 2-0 (21-9, 21-14), while their second victory of the day came via bye, the same as Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA), who had previously also defeated the Salvadoran duo 2-0 (21-8, 21-11).
The preliminary round concludes on Thursday, followed by the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round.
Other results of the day:
Laura Molina/Kianny Quesada (CRC) d Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) 2-0 (21-15, 21-15); Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo (DOM) d Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner (ISV) 2-0 (21-19, 21-19); Maykelin Drik/Amanda Armenteros (CUB) d Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs (CAY) 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) and Lea Monkhouse/Maria-Alex Belanger (CAN) d Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs (CAY) 2 -0 (21-17, 21-7).
Six Men duos undefeated in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 8, 2024.- Six men´s duos went undefeated during the first day of competitions of the third stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour that is being held in Juan Dolio beach, Dominican Republic.
In pool B, Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador went through the first day undefeated, beating Edgar Maldonado/Luis García of Guatemala 2-1 (16-21, 21-18, 15-9) and Dominicans Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore 2-1 (21-17, 15-21, 15-11).
Americans Evan Cory/Robert Harrison, who won bronze last week in Varadero, defeated Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore (DOM) 2-0 (21-11, 21-14) in their first match in pool B and then beat the Guatemalan duo Edgar Maldonado/Luis García 2- 0 (21-17, 21-13.
Varadero’s silver medalists, Cubans Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz who are playing in pool C, defeated Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-8, 21-8) and Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson of Saint Kitts 2-0 (21-8, 21-4).
Also in pool C, Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli of the U.S. Virgin Islands defeated Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson (SKN) 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) and Declan Van Dam/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-14, 21-9).
Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora/Dany López beat Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela from Costa Rica 2-1 (21-23, 21-16, 15-11) and Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) in pool A.
The other undefeated duo was William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres of Puerto Rico who defeated Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) 2-1 (13-21, 21-17, 15-11) and Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR ) 2-0 (21-7, 21-9).
Pool-play concludes on Thursday morning, followed by the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round.
The other results of the day were:
Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-8, 21-14); Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) d Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn (VIN) 2-0 (21-17, 21-17); Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers (CAN) d Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR) 2-0 (21-6, 21-11); Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz (MEX) d Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers (CAN) 2-1 (14-21, 21-19, 15-9).
International Course for Level 1 Coaches opens in Santo Domingo
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 8, 2024.- With the participation of 45 coaches from Honduras, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic, the NORCECA/FIVB Regional Development Center opened the International Course for Level 1 Coaches.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, FIVB Executive Vice President and President of the NORCECA Confederation, accompanied by Professor Nelson José Ramírez, Director of the Center, Mr. Bernardo Mesa, Technical Director of Centro Caribe Sports, and FIVB instructors Rubén Sainz from Cuba and Alexander Gutiérrez from Venezuela.
Professor Ramírez welcomed all participants and highlighted the work carried out by the Development Center during the current year, including the organization of two Continental courses for Volleyball and Beach Volleyball referees in Puerto Rico, as well as the International Course for Level 1 Coaches in Cuba.
Mr. Marte emphasized that NORCECA has implemented a specific development plan for training in all aspects of Volleyball, as it is now doing with the opening of this course.
He also recognized and congratulated the Regional Center in the Dominican Republic for the excellent work it has carried out since its foundation, being recognized as the best Development Center in the world.
The course takes place at the Volleyball Pavilion facilities in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center and concludes next Saturday, May 11.
The 2024 NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour continues this Wednesday in Juan Dolio
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, May 7, 2024.- A total of 31 teams from 15 countries will see action at the third stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour that begins this Wednesday in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic.
16 men’s and 15 women’s teams confirmed their participation in the event during the preliminary meeting on Tuesday seeking to advance from the first round of groups that starts this Wednesday starting at 8:30 am (local time) on the sand courts located in the Juan Dolio beach.
The preliminary group round begins this Wednesday and will conclude on Thursday in the morning and in the afternoon the Quarterfinals and the losers’ round will be played, while on Friday the Semifinal and the Final will be played as well as the positions round.
Men’s teams: CAN Robert Kemp/Arran Chambers, CAY Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson, CRC Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela, CUB Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz , DOM Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez, Rolvin Maldonado/Alexander Wilmore, ESA Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado, GUA Edgar Maldonado/Luis García, MEX Miguel Sarabia/Gabriel Cruz, NIC Rubén Mora/Dany López, PUR William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres, SNK Clerique Ward/Nage Hendrickson, SUR Ethan Asimia/Joshua Dwarkasing, USA Evan Cory/Robert Harrison, ISV Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli, , VIN Jamaar Cropper/Ronaldo Franklyn
Women’s teams: CAN Lea Monkhouse/Maria-Alex Belanger, CAY Heather Thompson/Maryn McCoombs, CUB Maykelin Drik/Amanda Armenteros, CRC Ximena Núñez/Kianny Araya, DOM Crismil Paniagua/Julibeth Payano, Nallelyn Taveras/Darlenys Olivo, ESA Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil, GUA Danna Aguilar/Paola Alvarado, MEX Susana Torres/Atenas Gutierrez, NIC Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez, PUR Allanis Navas/María González, SUR KeturaHeymans/Simone Elizee, USA Haley Hardward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg, ISV Cristina Almeida-Anz/Taylor Buckner, VIN Shanadia Sylvester/Nikita Campbell
Supernovas’ Valentin-Anderson Selected for Weekly Honors
May 7, 2024.- For the fourth time this season, an Omaha Supernovas player has earned weekly accolades from the league. On the heels of two straight victories, setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson has been chosen the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports. The four weekly honors for Omaha this season have been captured by four different players on the roster.
The setter was inserted into the lineup and helped the Supernovas lock up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Pro Volleyball Federation Championship. Making her first start since April 13, she dished out 55 assists to go along with 17 digs, two aces, one block and one kill in a four-set victory over Columbus.
The native of Caguas, Puerto Rico then led Omaha to a sweep of Vegas on Monday, finishing with 31 assists, 15 digs and one kill. The veteran also excelled on the defensive end, making a diving save off the side court before running to the other side to produce a block touch and then make an incredible diving save to keep the point alive. For her efforts, she was featured in the No. 2 spot of the daily Top 10 plays on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The Pro Volleyball Federation Championship will take place next week at the CHI Health Center in Omaha.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
Date Player
May 7 Natalia Valentín-Anderson, Omaha Supernovas, S
April 30 Willow Johnson, San Diego, OPP
April 23 Marlie Monserez, Atlanta Vibe, S
April 16 Nootsara Tomkom, San Diego Mojo, S
April 9 Bethania De La Cruz, Omaha Supernovas, OH
April 2 Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S
March 26 Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB
March 19 Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S
March 12 Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH
January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Grand Rapids earns Postseason Berth
May 7, 2024.- The Grand Rapids Rise are postseason bound. With a guaranteed spot in the Pro Volleyball Federation playoffs awaiting the winner Sunday afternoon inside Van Andel Arena, the Rise overcame the San Diego Mojo for the first time this season.
Grand Rapids (11-12) prevented San Diego (10-11) from completing a four-match season series sweep with a 3-0 home victory by set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 25-16.
The Rise became the third team to clinch a postseason berth with the win, leaving the Mojo, Columbus Fury (8-13), and Vegas Thrill (8-14) to fight for the final spot with a week left in the regular season.
Less than 24 hours after Grand Rapids lost to the Mojo, the rematch on Sunday was a complete turnaround for the Rise. Grand Rapids hit .296 – its second-best attack percentage this year, with a season-low 11 attack errors.
Rise Match Notes
For the first time this season, the Rise didn’t give up an ace to their opponent.
Grand Rapids earned its third sweep this season, tied for second-most in the League with Omaha. Atlanta finished its regular season already with 10 sweeps in 24 matches.
After playing 13 out of their 14 players on Saturday, the Rise didn’t make any substitutions on Sunday. All seven players who started ended up playing the whole match. It’s the first time the Rise rotation went untouched during a match this season.
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Omaha Supernovas clinch Championship Spot
May 7, 2024.- The Omaha Supernovas have officially secured a spot in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Championship. With the Columbus Fury losing to the Atlanta Vibe last week, Omaha is guaranteed to finish inside the top four in the league standings.
The landmark championship is scheduled to take place on May 15 and May 18 at the home of the Supernovas, the CHI Health Center in Omaha.
The Supernovas become the second of four teams set to battle it out for the Pro Volleyball Federation crown. The Atlanta Vibe was the first team to clinch on April 15. Omaha has been one of the top teams in the league over the entire season, as it sits in second place behind Atlanta with a record of 13-7 with four matches left in the regular season. The Supernovas have regularly been in the top two, not dropping below second in the standings since the first few weeks of the year.
The Supernovas are also in position to lock in the No. 2 seed for the championship. Omaha needs to win two more matches or have the San Diego Mojo (9-10) reach 12 losses to secure the spot.
The top four teams in the league standings will advance to the championship in Omaha. The semifinals are to take place on May 15 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. CT. No. 1 seed Atlanta will play the No. 4 seed at 6 p.m., with the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds competing in the 8:30 p.m. slot.
The two winning teams from the semifinals will advance to the championship on Saturday, May 18 with first serve set for 3:30 p.m. CT. CBS Sports Network will televise each match.
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Canada’s Women’s Roster Announced for Week 1 of Volleyball Nations League
May 06, 2024.- Canada’s head coach Shannon Winzer has released the roster for the opening week of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2024, which begins for the women in Brazil on May 14.
“This year’s VNL has the additional importance of achieving our goal of qualifying for Paris 2024,” said Winzer. “Earning a spot in the Olympic tournament requires the time, effort and commitment of more than just the 14 athletes selected to this roster, it’s the effort of the athletes and staff of the program as a whole.”
Additional senior athletes will remain training in Richmond, BC, and the Next Gen team is scheduled to be announced this week.
In this year’s VNL, the women hit the ground running in Rio de Janeiro on May 14 against host Brazil, to be followed by matches against strong teams including Dominican Republic, China and Thailand.
The women’s team is still in contention to qualify for Paris 2024 via the World Rankings.
Seven women’s teams are already qualified for the Games. The remaining five places are filled by selecting the top five not yet qualified teams in the FIVB World Ranking as of the end of the preliminary phase of Volleyball Nations League.
VNL Web site: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/
VNL Roster Week 1
Brie O’Reilly – Langley, BC
Courtney Baker – Bridgewater, NS
Emily Maglio – Coquitlam, BC
Jazmine White – Oshawa, ON
Alicia Ogoms – Winnipeg, MB
Layne Van Buskirk – Windsor, ON
Alexa Gray (C) – Calgary, AB
Hilary Howe – Calgary, AB
Andrea Mitrovic – Mississauga, ON
Vicky Savard – Jonquière, QC
Kiera Van Ryk – Surrey, BC
Shainah Joseph – Ottawa, ON
Julia Murmann – Toronto, ON
Kacey Jost – St. Albert, AB
Staff:
Head coach : Shannon Winzer
Vincenzo Mallia – Asst. coach
Matt Krueger – Asst. coach
Kevin Valcke – Physiotherapist
Gabriele Tortorici – Statistician
Rob Hooper – IST lead
Hilary Mallinger – Physiotherapist
Roger Friesen – Mental performance coach
Julien Boucher – High performance director
Jennah Paron – Team coordinator
Queens of the Caribbean Head to Brazil for Training Base in Preparation for VNL
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 6.- The two-time Pan American and NORCECA champions, the Dominican Republic Women’s Volleyball Team (The Queens of the Caribbean), qualified for the Paris Olympics for the fourth time, departed this weekend for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they will hold a training base in preparation for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) starting on May 14th.
Head coach, Marcos Kwiet, stated that these days of training leading up to the Nations League will be crucial for the matches ahead.
“Brayelin Martínez, Gaila González, Jineirys Martinez, Alondra Tapia, Eve Mejía, Yonkaira Peña, Vielka Peralta, Florangel, among others, who were reinforcing in different professional leagues, have already joined the practices. They are all in good health conditions, and that is key,” Marcos said.
He mentioned that star players Brenda Castillo and Bethania de la Cruz, who are still reinforcing in Italy and the United States, are yet to join.
The Dominican Republic will debut on May 14th against Serbia in the start of the 2024 Nations League, in the first week of the competition from May 14th to 19th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Queens of the Caribbean defeated Serbia the last time they clashed in the Pre-Olympic Tournament last year in September in China.
On May 16th, the Dominicans will face Canada. May 17th will be a rest day, and they will return on the 18th when they play against Korea.
The Dominican Republic will compete in the second week in Macau from May 28th to June 2nd, and then head to Hong Kong for the final leg from June 11th to June 16th.
Kloth/Nuss Win Silver in Brasilia
BRASILIA, Brazil, May 6, 2024- USA’s Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss won the silver medal from the Elite 16 Beach Volleyball Pro Tour in Brasilia over the weekend.
Kloth and Nuss, currently No.2 in the world, lost to No.1 Ana Patricia/Duda of Brazil 0-2 (17-21, 14-21) in the gold medal match.
Earlier in semifinals, the Americans recovered from losing the first set to Swiss Esmée/Zoe to advance to the title match 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 15-12).
Brasília Elite16 – Final Results
The next Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event of the season will take place in Espinho, Portugal, later this month, from May 22-26.
NORCECA Final Standings
MEN 5 Evans/Budinger (USA)& Partrain/Benesh (USA); 13 Crabb Tr./Brunner (USA)
WOMEN 5 Hughes/Cheng (USA); 9 Melissa/Brandie (CAN); 21 Bansley/Bukovec (CAN) & Pavan/McBain (CAN)
Simo and Van Winkle (USA), Champions of the second phase of the NORCECA Beach Tour
VARADERO, Cuba, May 5, 2024 – Americans Savannah Simo and Abby Van Winkle clinched the gold medal in the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour by defeating Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas and María González 2-1 (21-14, 17-21, 15-12).
With this performance, they now have two medals in this circuit, as they won bronze in the opening event in Güibia, Santo Domingo, while the Puerto Ricans, titleholders of the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023, once again missed out on the top spot, settling for second place.
Simo and Van Winkle avenged their fellow Americans Harward Hailey and Kylie De Berg, who had defeated them in the semifinals a month ago. This time, the roles were reversed, with Simo and Van Winkle emerging as the victors, winning 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) and securing their place in the final.
However, Harward and DeBerg, reigning champions at Güibia Beach, didn’t leave empty-handed, as they secured the bronze by defeating hosts Maykelín Drik and Amanda Armenteros 2-1 (21-17, 17-21, 15-13) in a hard-fought match that lasted 48 minutes.
In the other semifinal, Navas and González once again prevailed over the Cubans, this time with scores of 2-0 (21-18, 21-18).
One of the champions, Simo, expressed, “We are very motivated to have won medals in both phases. We attended university together; however, this is the first year we have teamed up and competed in the NORCECA Tour. Although I played it three years ago, this is my fourth experience”.
Abby added, “This is our first time in Varadero, there is a lot of wind, but it’s beautiful, we love it. The people are very friendly, they enjoy the energy, and are very sociable”.
The fifth place went to Darby Dunn/Myriam Robitaille (CAN-1) who defeated Dominicans Julibeth Payano/Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-18, 21-13).
Guatemalans Danna Aguilar/Naomi Monney secured seventh place without playing due to the non-appearance of Canadians Marie Ale Bélanger/Lea Monkhouse (CAN-2).
Ninth place was for the second home pair, Kailin Garrido/Yenifer Rivera, after defeating Amber Bennett/Taylor Buckner (ISV-2) 2-0 (24-22, 21-14), and the eleventh place went to Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) who overcame Dana Funes/Keiry Guzmán (ESA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).
Ximena Núñez/Kianny Araya (CRC) defeated Mannika Charles/Tara Austin (ISV-1) 2-1 (21-14, 14-21, 15-9) to claim the 13th position; Selena Spek/Mileidy Paret (CUB-3) defeated Shanicia Dyer/Shajunee Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-14-21-11) finishing in 16th place, while Janneke Tammenga/Chelleney Soedamah (SUR) rounded off the table.
Drost and Caldwell reign at NORCECA Beach Tour in Varadero sands
VARADERO, Cuba, May 5, 2024 – Avery James Drost and Cody Caldwell, from the United States, reigned on the sands of this resort by defeating the host top pair of Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) in the men’s grand final of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour.
The bronze medal went to Evan Cory and Robert Harrison (USA-1), who defeated Puerto Ricans Arnaldo Torres and William Rivera 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).
In the semifinals, while Alayo and Díaz overcame the Puerto Ricans relatively easily 2-0 (21-16, 21-13), while the American duos engaged in a tight battle that extended to a tie-break, with Drost and Caldwell ultimately prevailing 2-1 (28-26, 20-22, 15-11) in the only match of the tournament that exceeded one hour of play (1.08).
Visibly moved after securing the final winning point against Alayo and Díaz, a pair aiming for Olympic qualification through the FIVB world ranking, champion Drost humbly acknowledged the quality of his opponents. “They are great players and good people,” said the experienced 37-year-old athlete.
“We are happy for this victory, thanks to Cuba for their support and love. I won the gold medal here in 2018 with another partner, and it’s a satisfaction and blessing to keep playing at my age, and for my family to continue enjoying my successes.”
Drost added in Spanish, which he learned in Mexico, “I dedicate this medal to my new partner Cody and especially to my wife, who is celebrating her 37th birthday today, as well as to my three children, a seven-year-old girl, and two boys aged five and fourteen months.”
For fifth place, Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Tynan Gannett (CAN-1) defeated Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer (ISV-2) 2-1 (21-11, 17-21, 15-13), while Garret Bucklin/Robert Cronshaw (ISV-1) secured seventh place by defeating Arran Chambers/Robert Kemp (CAN-1) in two identical sets of 21-15.
The young international debutant duo of Damián Gómez/Eblis Veranes (CUB-2) secured ninth place by defeating El Salvador’s twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado 2-0 (21-17, 21-15).
In eleventh place were Nicaraguans Rubén Mora and Denis López, who defeated Guatemalans José Izaguirre/Luis García 2-0 (21-13, 21-11); in fifteenth place, Clair Hodge/Clerique Ward (SKN) received a bye, and in seventeenth place, Gino Naarden/Keven Sporkslede (SUR-2) defeated their compatriots Joshua Dwarkasing/David Pinas 2-0 (21-15, 22-22-20).
Varadero women’s semifinals, a repeat from Güibia
VARADERO, Cuba, May 4, 2024 – The four pairs that advanced to the women’s semifinals of the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour are an exact replica of those who starred in this round a month ago at the Güibia venue on the Malecón in Santo Domingo.
At this international resort, at 12:30 p.m., Cuba’s main duo of Maykelín Drik and Amanda Armenteros will face their same victors, Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas and María González, champions of the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, on central court.
Simultaneously on the other court, American duos of Hailey Harward and Kylie Kuyava DeBerg, and Savannah Simo and Abby Van Winkle, will once again face off, precisely gold and bronze, in that order, at the first stop of this tour.
In the inaugural stop of this tour in April, Allanis and María took home the silver medal, after they dominated Cuba in the semifinals, so there is a real possibility of repeating their victory or avenging their loss to Hailey and Kylie, who denied them the top spot on the podium.
The Cuban duo, as well as Harward and DeBerg, and the Puerto Ricans, remained undefeated in their respective groups A, B, and C in the preliminary round with four wins, while Simo and Van Winkle finished second with a 3-1 record behind Allanis and María.
Then in the quarterfinals, Drik and Armenteros defeated Darby Dunn and Myriam Robitaille (CAN-1) in two sets (21-10, 21-17), while Savannah Simo and Van Winkle (USA-1) did something similar against Marie-Alex Bélanger and Lea Monkhouse (CAN-2) by winning 21-5 and 21-16.
Also in quarterfinals, Navas and González easily overcame Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-10, 21-7) and Harward and DeBerg (USA-2) defeated Danna Aguilar and Naomi Monney (GUA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-15).
In other results during the sunny Saturday, in the semifinal to determine places from 9 to 12, Kailin Garrido and Yenifer Rivera (CUB-2) prevailed over the Nicaraguans Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-10), and Amber Bennett and Taylor Buckner (ISV-2) defeated El Salvador’s Dana Funes and Keiry Guzmán 2-0 (21-10, 21-6).
While in that round for places 13 to 16, Ximena Núñez and Kianny Araya defeated the locals Selena Spek and Mileidy Paret (CUB-3) 2-1 (21-12, 16-21, 15-3), and Mannika Charles and Tara (ISV-1) overcame Shanicia Dyer and Shajunee Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-15, 21-18).
United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico advance to men’s semifinals
VARADERO, Cuba, May 4, 2024 – United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico have advanced to the semifinals of the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, which concludes this Sunday in this renowned tourist destination.
The American duos of Evan Cory/Robert Harrison (USA-1) and James Drost/Cody Caldwell (USA-2) will face off starting at 11:45 a.m., and at the same time, on the central court, the hosts Jorge Luis Alayo/Noslen Díaz will play against Puerto Rico’s Arnaldo Torres/William Rivera.
The local team is a strong contender to take the crown in Varadero considering their physical form after delivering a remarkable performance in several stops of the Beach Pro Tour, where they earned two silver medals in the Challenge level and one bronze in Elite16 in pursuit of points for their Olympic qualification through the FIVB ranking.
Alayo and Díaz, as well as Drost and Caldwell, led their respective elimination groups A and B undefeated with four wins each, while Cory and Harrison, as well as the Puerto Ricans, finished second in pools C and D, both with a 3-1 win-loss record.
In the quarterfinals, the Cubans secured their fifth consecutive victory by defeating Arran Chambers and Robert Kemp (CAN-1) in 36 minutes 2-0 (21-16, 21-14).
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s Torres and Rivera (second in group D with a 3-1 record) had to use all their resources to overcome Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Tynan Gannett (CAN-2), winners of group C with a 3-1 record, in a match that extended to a tie-break (21-19, 17-21, 15-13) in nearly an hour of play.
In the quarterfinal round, Cory and Harrison dominated Tyler Penberthy and Bryce Mayer (ISV-2) 2-0 (21-14, 23-21), who had finished first in group D (3-1).
Meanwhile, Drost and Caldwell defeated Garrett Bucklin and Robert Cronshaw (ISV-1), also with a sweep (21-18, 21-15).
In other results from Saturday’s matches: Semifinals 9-12: Gómez-Veranes (CUB-2) def. D. Dyner/Varela (CRC) 2-0 (17-21, 18-21), Guardado C./Guardado Y (ESA) def. De Jesús/Martínez (DOM) 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 17-15); Semifinals 13-16 Mora/Lopez (NCA) def. Hodge/Clerique (SKN) 2-0 (21-10, 21-8), and Izaguirre/Garcia (GUA) def. Williams/Whitfield (TTO) by forfeit.
Favorites prevail in Varadero on the first day of the NORCECA Tour
VARADERO, Cuba, May 3, 2024 – The top favorites to contend for the podium in the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour got off to a strong start in the beginning of the group elimination stage, taking place on the courts at the Barceló Arenas Blancas hotel.
Hailey Harward and Kylie Kuyava-DeBerg (USA-2), champions in the previous stop in Santo Domingo a month ago, defeated their strongest opponents in Group B, Cuban pair Kailin Garrido-Yenifer Rivera, 2-0 (21-18, 21-12), and the Canadian pair Darby Dunn-Myriam Robitaille in two identical sets of 21-13.
They only must face the Costa Rican pair Ximena Núñez-Kianny Araya, as the team from Trinidad and Tobago withdrew from participating in the event at this venue, which has hosted the important event since 2011.
Among the hosts, it’s worth noting the significant victory they secured against the Canadians, and they still have to clash with the Central Americans, as they already secured a victory against the no show Trinidadians.
Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas, titleholders of the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023, seem determined to avenge their loss to Hailey and Kylie in the Güibia beach final.
In Group C, the spirited Puerto Rican duo defeated the young debutants Selena Spek and Mileidy Paret (CUB-3) with easy scores of 21-9 and 21-4, and also defeated the American pair Savannah Simo-Abby Van Winkle in consecutive sets (21-18, 21-10). The Americans were bronze medalists in the opening of the 2024 NORCECA Tour, scored victories against the Cubans and the Nicaraguans.
Meanwhile, the main local pair, Amanda Armenteros and Maykelín Drik (fourth in Güibia), after receiving a bye in Group A, defeated Charles/Austin (ISV-1) 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) and will try to maintain their undefeated record against El Salvador’s Keiry Guzmán and Dana Funes, and Guatemala’s Naomi Monney and Danna Aguilar this Saturday.
Friday’s results:
Group A: Aguilar/Monney (GUA) def. Charles/Austin (ISV-1) 2-1 (21-9, 19-21, 15-7); Drik/Amanda (CUB-1) def. Charles/Austin (ISV-1) 2-0 (21-9, 21-12); Aguilar/Monney (GUA) def. Funes/Guzmán (ESA) 2-0 (22-20, 21-18).
Group B: Harward/DeBerg (USA-2) def. Kailin/Rivera (CUB-2) 2-0 (21-18, 21-12); Dunn/Robitaille (CAN-1) def. Núñez/Quesada (CRC) 2-0 (21-16, 21-16); Harward/DeBerg (USA-2) def. Dunn/Robitaille (CAN-1) 2-0 (21-13, 21-13); Kailin/Rivera (CUB-2) def. Choon/Selvon (TTO) forfeit; Núñez/Quesada (CRC) def. Choon/Selvon (TTO) forfeit; Kailin/Rivera (CUB-2) def. Dunn/Robitaille (CAN-1) 2-1 (13-21, 26-24, 15-12).
Group C: Navas/González (PUR) def. Spek/Paret (CUB-3) 2-0 (21-9, 21-4); Savvy/Van Winkle (USA-1) def. López/Lolette (NCA) 2-0 (21-4, 21-10); Navas/González (PUR) def. Savvy/Van Winkle (USA-1) 2-0 (21-18, 21-10); Spek/Paret (CUB-3) def. Tammenga/Soedamah (SUR) 2-0 (21-11, 21-15); López/Lolette (NCA) def. Tammenga/Soedamah (SUR) 2-0 (25-23, 21-17); Savvy/Van Winkle (USA-1) def. Spek/Paret (CUB-3) 2-0 (21-12, 21-10).
Group D: Payano/Paniagua (DOM) def. Dyer/Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-7, 21-10); Bélanger/Monkhouse (CAN-2) def. Dyer/Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-16, 21-12); Payano/Paniagua (DOM) def. Bennett/Buckner (ISV-2) 2-0 (24-22, 21-17).
Drost/Caldwell and Alayo/Diaz unbeaten at the start of the NORCECA Beach Tour
VARADERO, Cuba, May 3, 2024 – James Drost and Cody Caldwell (USA-2) and Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Diaz (Cuba-1) went undefeated through in the group elimination round in the opening day of the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour at the attractive venue of this international resort.
The Americans managed to defeat their three opponents of the day in group B. In this order, they swept Nicaraguans Rubén Mora and Denis López (21-17, 21-18) and Canadians Arrán Chambers and Robert Kemp (21-18, 21-18), but they had to push against the young debutants, Damián Gómez and Eblis Veranes, from Cuba, to overcome them in a tiebreaker 2-1 (21-19, 15-21, 17-15).
On the other hand, the main local duo of Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Diaz had no setbacks in defeating Joshua Dwarkasing and David Pinas (SUR-1) in two sets (21-8, 21-10), and similarly against Garret Bucklin and Robert Cronshaw (ISV-1) 2-0 (21-14, 21-12).
The hosts emerge as favorites to triumph in this stop, following their outstanding performances in several events in the FIVB Beach Pro Tour in search of the necessary points to qualify through the world ranking for the Paris Olympic Games.
On Saturday, they must face the duos from Guatemala and El Salvador, against whom they should not have difficulties given their physical and technical form, while Americans Drost and Caldwell only have one match, against the second team from Suriname.
On day two of the event, the matches of each group will be completed to continue with the quarterfinal round and define the pairs that will advance to the semifinals.
Friday’s results:
Group A: Alayo/Diaz (CUB-1) def. Dwarkasing/Pinas (SUR-1) 2-0 (21-8, 21-10); Bucklin/Cronshaw (ISV-1) def. Guardado C./Guardado Y. (ESA) 2-0 (21-18, 21-12); Alayo/Diaz (CUB) def. Bucklin/Cronshaw (ISV-1) 2-0 (21-14, 21-12); Izaguirre/García (GUA) def. Dwarkasing/Pinas (SUR-1) 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, 15-13); Guardado C./Guardado Y. (ESA) def. Izaguirre/García (GUA) 2-1 (21-12, 20-22, 15-12) and Bucklin/Cronshaw (ISV-1) def. Dwarkasing/Pinas (SUR-1) 2-0 (21-7, 21-14).
Group B: Chambers/Kemp (CAN-1) def. Gómez/Veranes (CUB-2) 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 15-13); Drost/Caldwell (USA-2) def. Mora/López (NCA) 2-0 (21-17, 21-18); Drost/Caldwell (USA-2) def. Chambers/Kemp (CAN-1) 2-0 (21-18, 21-18); Gómez/Veranes (CUB-2) def. Naarden/Sporkslede (SUR-2) 2-0 (21-10, 21-11); Mora/López (NCA) def. Naarden/Sporkslede (SUR-2) 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) and Drost/Caldwell (USA-2) def. Gómez/Veranes (CUB-2) 2-1 (21-19, 15-21, 17-15).
Group C: D. Dyner/Varela (CRC) def. Hodge/Clerique (SKN) 2-0 (21-12, 23-21); Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN-2) def. D. Dyner/Varela (CRC) 2-0 (21-11, 21-12); Cory/Harrison (USA-1) def. Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN-2) 2-0 (22-20, 21-17).
Group D: Penberthy /Mayer (ISV-2) def. Williams/Whitfield (TTO) forfeit team B; Penberthy /Mayer (ISV-2) def. Torres/Rivera (PUR) 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-11); Torres/Rivera (PUR) def. De Jesús/Martínez (DOM) 2-0 (21-19, 21-15).
USA’s Hailley and DeBerg hope to repeat victory in Varadero Beach Tour
VARADERO, Cuba, May 2, 2024.- Americans Hailey Harward-Kylie Kuyava-DeBerg hope to climb to the top of the podium in the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, just as they did in the opening event last April in Dominican sands.
Just a month ago, they dominated the final against Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas in a closely contested match that extended to a tiebreaker. However, the champions of the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023 return to Varadero with every intention of repeating their success.
Two other pairs who faced off at Güibia Beach were also from the North: Savannah Simo-Abby Van Winkle and Cuba’s main female pair, Amanda Armenteros and Maykelín Drik, but the Americans won in two identical sets of 21-15.
Nevertheless, Canada is here with two pairs whose opponents should not be underestimated, nor should the Dominican duo, led by Julibeth Payano, who, along with Bethania Almanza, secured the silver medal. Payano now arrives in Varadero with Crismil Paniagua, embracing the same desire to continue progressing.
On Friday, the preliminary group elimination matches take place, continuing Saturday until the quarterfinals, while semifinals on Sunday will pave the way for the battle for medals.
Group A: Amanda Armenteros-Maykelín Drik (CUB-1), Keiry Guzmán-Dana Funes (ESA), Naomi Monney-Danna Aguilar (GUA), and Mannika Charles-T’ara Austin (ISV-1).
Group B: Hailey Harward-Kylie Kuyava-DeBerg (USA-2), Ximena Núñez-Kianny Araya (CRC), Britney Choon-Tsyan Selvon (TTO), Darby Dunn-Myriam Robitaille (CAN-2), and Kailin Garrido-Yenifer Rivera (CUB-2).
Group C: María González-Allanis Navas (PUR), Socorro López-Lolette Rodríguez (NCA), Janneke Tammenga-Chelleney Soedamah (SUR), Savannah Simo-Abby Van Winkle (USA-1), and Selena Spek-Mileidy Paret (CUB-3).
Group D: Lea Monkhouse-Marie-Alex Bélanger (CAN-1), Julibeth Payano-Crismil Paniagua (DOM), Amber Bennett-Taylor Buckner (ISV-2), and Gumbs Shajunee-Dyer Shanicia (SKN).
Extensive day kicks off men’s action at the second phase of the Norceca Circuit in Varadero
VARADERO, Cuba, May 3, 2024.- The second phase of the 2024 Norceca Beach Volleyball Tour began in this international resort with an extensive program that includes 15 men matches to start the group elimination round.
Among the 18 pairs from 13 countries, the local duo of Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz (CUB-1) stands out, following their performances at the Beach Pro Tour in Brazil, Mexico, and China, where they collected two silver medals at the Challenge level and a bronze in Elite 16, keeping their hopes alive for Olympic qualification to Paris through the FIVB ranking.
Also important is the presence of Americans Evan Cory-Robert Harrison (USA-1), the runners-up of the Norceca circuit opener in early April at Güibia Beach on the Malecón in Santo Domingo.
The pairs from Canada cannot be underestimated because of the traditional quality of their players, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they manage to reach the podium. A team from this country took gold in the Dominican capital, although they are not participating in this event, which once again takes place on courts adjacent to the Barceló Arenas Blancas Hotel.
During the preliminary meetings on Thursday night, Mireya Luis, Cuban three-time Olympic champion and control committee Norceca supervisor, welcomed each of the teams. She introduced the competition director, Cayacoa Moquete, and Miguel Ramírez, referee coach, as well as Omelio Castillo, from the Cuban Volleyball Federation.
Group A: Jorge Luis Alayo-Noslen Díaz (CUB-1), Christopher Guardado-Yoel Guardado (ESA), José Izaguirre-Luis García (GUA), Garrett Bucklin-Robert Cronshaw (ISV-1), and Joshua Dwarkasing-David Pinas (SUR-1).
Group B: Arran Chambers-Robert Kemp (CAN-1), Rubén Mora-Denis López (NCA), Gino Naarden-Keven Sporkslede (SUR-2), James Drost-Cody Caldwell (USA-2), and Damián Gómez-Eblis Veranes (CUB-2).
Group C: Rouzbeh Rahnavard-Tynan Gannett (CAN-2), Daniel Dyner-Jhostin Varela (CRC), Clair Hodge-Clerique Ward (SKN), and Evan Cory-Robert Harrison (USA-1).
Group D: Hayerling De Jesús-Oscar Martínez (DOM), Tyler Penberthy-Bryce Mayer (ISV-2), Arnaldo Torres-William Rivera (PUR), and Daneil Williams-Fabien Whitfield (TTO).
San Diego’s Johnson Earns Weekly Accolades
May 2, 2024.- For the second time in three weeks, the surging San Diego Mojo have had a player earn weekly honors from the League. After helping her squad to two wins in three matches, Willow Johnson has been tabbed the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports.
The Mojo have won six of nine matches overall during the month of April.
The opposite hitter averaged 20 points and 17.7 kills in three outings. On Tuesday, she made her home debut, leading San Diego to a five-set victory over Omaha with 14 kills, 15 digs, three blocks and an ace. A native of Paradise Valley, Ariz., she recorded another double-double versus Vegas, scoring on 22-of-61 swings (.361) to go along with 13 digs. Johnson finished the week with match highs of 20 points and 17 kills in a win against Orlando.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
Date Player
April 30 Willow Johnson, San Diego, OPP
April 23 Marlie Monserez, Atlanta Vibe, S
April 16 Nootsara Tomkom, San Diego Mojo, S
April 9 Bethania De La Cruz, Omaha Supernovas, OH
April 2 Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S
March 26 Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB
March 19 Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S
March 12 Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH
January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Pools for the Inaugural Girls’ U17 World Championship
May 1, 2024.- The pools for the inaugural edition of the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship are now formed as the drawing of lots for the event was completed on Wednesday.
The 16 national teams from five continents were allocated into four pools and are now aware of their opponents in the first round of the tournament, which will be held in Lima, Peru, from August 17-24.
Hosts Peru will be in Pool A, where they will face continental rivals Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Canada. Pool B will feature Türkiye, Thailand, China and Ecuador.
Pool C has teams from four different continents in Italy, Argentina, Egypt and Mexico. Japan leads Pool D, where it will be faced with Croatia, Puerto Rico and the Chinese Taipei.
The first edition of the Girls’ U17 World Championship, which starting in 2024 will be held every two years, will have 56 matches during the seven days of competition.
Teams will face their pool opponents in the first three days in order to determine their positions ahead of the start of the playoffs. All 16 national teams will advance to the Round of 16, with the winners progressing for the quarterfinals and the losers battling in the playoffs to determine positions from 9th-16th.
Duels Set For The First-Ever Boys’ U17 World Championship
May 1, 2024.- Exciting duels are set to take place in the first days of the FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship as the drawing of lots for the event was completed on Wednesday, determining the composition of the pools.
The inaugural edition of the biennial event will be hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria, from August 24-31, and the 16 participating national teams were split into four pools in the first round of the tournament.
Allocated in Pool A, hosts Bulgaria will face Mexico, the Chinese Taipei and Spain. Entirely formed by teams from Africa and Asia, Pool B will have Iran, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
Italy start the event as the top team in Pool C, where they will face Argentina, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Pool D is led by Belgium, also featuring Brazil, Chile and Uzbekistan.
Pool play will open the first edition of the Boys’ U17 World Championship with teams facing their opponents in a single round-robin format. All 16 participating national teams will advance to the Round of 16.
The winners of the first match of the elimination rounds will move forward to the quarterfinals, while the losers will play in the playoffs to determine final positions from 9th to 16th.
Puerto Rico Chase Historic Olympic Spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Support
May 1, 2024.- With support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program, Allanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez will be looking to add a historic appearance at the Olympic Games to their cap this year.
Coach Angel Peña has identified the NORCECA Continental Cup scheduled for June in Mexico as their sure route to the Olympic Games, with the winner guaranteed a ticket to Paris.
Navas and Gonzalez won silver medal at the first stop of the 2024 NORCECA beach volleyball Tour.
After making their first appearance at the FIVB World Championships in 2023, Puerto Rico’s women’s beach volleyball team pair of Allanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez will be looking to add a historic appearance at the Olympic Games to their cap this year.
With the trailblazing duo of Navas and Gonzalez facing the world’s best at the FIVB World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico, they were only further galvanized to achieve their dream of featuring in the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games, this year.
Supporting the duos development is Angel Peña. Peña has taken charge of Puerto Rico’s women’s beach volleyball team thanks to an investment of CHF 72,000 in coach support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Program. Peña is no stranger to Navas and Gonzalez, having worked with them from youth categories.
“I know them so well having worked with them from as young as 12 years. I have seen them develop from a young age and I’m confident now that I have more time to work with them, we can make history together by qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time,” Peña told FIVB.com.
“The Volleyball Empowerment support is a game changer for us. It has made a big difference because I can now focus on this team 24/7. We are now training consistently and having three sessions a day for six days a week. Before we could only have one session per day for five days in a week,” noted Peña.
Peña has identified the NORCECA Continental Cup scheduled for June in Mexico as their sure route to the Olympic Games, with the winner guaranteed a ticket to Paris. Providing them with added confidence going into this competition will be the silver medal that the pair recently won at the first stop of the 2024 NORCECA beach volleyball Tour held at the Güibia beach in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in April.
In addition to competitions, the duo is also scheduled to attend training camps in both Brazil and Puerto Rico as well as four Challenge events in the Beach Pro Tour. Namely Recife, Saquarema, Guadalajara and Stare Jablonki. There is also another stop on the NORCECA Tour in Cuba as well as a Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 event in Tepic, Mexico lined up.
“We have made our program in such a way that we will have one week after each tournament to regroup and work on our mistakes. These competitions will help us to gauge the duos performance against high-level opponents, work on their mental strength and see how they adapt to different playing styles.” asserted Peña.
“We want to build on this experience and ensure the players are well prepared for the Continental Cup where we expect stiff competition from Mexico, Cuba and Canada. However, the players are showing great improvement and I’m confident that come June they will have matured and stand a good chance of qualifying (for the Olympic Games),” Peña added.
For both Navas and Gonzalez, qualifying for Paris 2024 will be the perfect birthday gift (they both turn 22 this year), since they graduated to the senior category having featured in the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018.
JaVA Appoints Roy Taylor as Technical Director
KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 30, 2024.- The Jamaican Volleyball Association (JaVA) is excited to announce the appointed of Roy Taylor as its Technical Director, confident that his leadership will propel the Association to new heights in the ever-evolving landscape of volleyball.
Roy Taylor is a Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Justice of the Peace, and a FIVB Level 3 Coach. He was the former Head Coach of Kingston Technical High School, Lakers Volleyball Club, MOSA Volleyball Club, Mico College (now Mico University College), University of the West Indies, former volleyball lecturer at the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports and has worked with several senior and junior national programs from as far back as 1988.
JaVA President, Jacqueline Cowan explained that the role of Technical Director is not new to Taylor, “he held the position during the administration of former President Warrenton Dixon and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Association’s Primary School’s Competition”.
In his role, Taylor will be responsible for leading technical projects, driving innovation, and ensuring the alignment of technical strategies with the overall volleyball development initiatives at all levels.
“With a proven track record of success in volleyball, Taylor is well positioned to guide our national programs toward continued excellence and growth”, stated Audley Weir, JaVA General Secretary.
Simon and Lopez lead Cuba’s Roster for 2024 Volleyball Nations League
HAVANA, Cuba, April 28, 2024 – Star players Robertlandy Simón and the no less distinguished captain Miguel Ángel López lead Cuba’s roster for the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), which preliminary round from May 21 to June 23 will close the Olympic qualification through the FIVB world ranking.
Alongside the towering middle blocker are also middle blockers Javier Concepción, José Israel Massó, Roamy Alonso, and Alexis Wilson, as well as other outside hitters Marlon Yant, Osniel Mergarejo, Julio César Cárdenas, Bryan Camino, and Yusniel González.
Christian Thondike, Lyván Taboada, Adrián Goide, and Julio Alberto Gómez, are announced as setters, while Yonder García and Alain Gorguet are both liberos.
As opposites, Jesús Herrera, Miguel David Gutiérrez, Alejandro Miguel González, Michael Sánchez, José Miguel Gutiérrez, José Carlos Romero, and Carlos Charles, although the first three in this important position will not be available from the first week, according to their head coach Jesús Cruz and his assistants Mario Izquierdo and Manuel de Jesús Espinosa.
Cruz explained that “left-handed Herrera, the team’s starter for several years, requested to recover from a knee injury that has been bothering him, so he won’t be available for the first two weeks, and Alejandro Miguel recently underwent minimally invasive knee surgery, which will require several weeks of recovery, and we may not be able to count on him in the League”.
Regarding Miguel David Gutiérrez’s case, the head coach and the team doctor, Lenin Hernández, intervened, referring to his satisfactory recovery, but they won’t be able to count on him in the first week. However, they will assess his condition over time, and if by the second week he can train fully and join the games.
“However, as we have always said, the most important thing is the players’ health, and then we will try to have alternatives”, Cruz commented during a press conference, chaired by Ariel Saínz, INDER vice president and president of the Cuban volleyball federation.
Cruz, a former player and since last year the head coach of the stellar team, qualifies this start as somewhat adverse, but the inclusion of Michael Sánchez, “El Ruso”, gives him “some relief”.
“He is an experienced player, but he comes fully committed to fight with the team, and that is very positive, and we also have outside hitters who can assume that position at a given moment”, he pointed out.
“The Volleyball Nations League is an extremely difficult tournament for the Cuban team because our only possibility of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be through the ranking, so we must accumulate the most points in this league” he commented.
By May 6, the majority of the players should be training at the National Volleyball School, as some have not finished playing their respective leagues outside the island. Only two or three from the main squad would be missing by that date, although by the time they depart for Argentina, the team should have accumulated training sessions with all those who will participate in the two preparation matches in that country on May 17 and 18. They will then move to the neighboring South American giant for the start of the competition, where they will face Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Iran, in that order.
Saínz referred to all conditions being in place for this preliminary encounter with Argentina’s national team and adjustments being made with the organizers to gain access to the television signal for live broadcasting in coordination with Cuban television.
The official also pointed out that after participating in the three preliminary phases of the League, if the goals and objectives are met and they advance to the final, there is a possible participation route planned at a base in Europe to attend that final round, scheduled in Poland.
Completing this team are team doctor Hernández, physiotherapist Eladio Vives, and national commissioner Jorge Sosa, who will serve as the head of the delegation.
Ten Olympians Highlight U.S. Men’s 2024 VNL Roster
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 26. – Ten Olympians highlight the U.S. Men’s National Team’s 30-athlete roster for the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Volleyball Nations League is the world’s premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The top 16 teams in the world play four matches a week for three weeks of preliminary competition. The top eight teams at the end of the preliminaries will go to the Final Round on June 27-30 in Łódź, Poland.
Coaches will select 14 athletes from the long-list roster to compete at the United States’ VNL stops in Antalya, Türkiye (May 22-26), Ottawa, Canada (June 4-8) and Manila, Philippines (June 19-23).
The 10 Olympians on the roster are: opposites Matt Anderson and Kyle Ensing, setter Micah Christenson, libero Erik Shoji, outside hitters T.J. DeFalco, Thomas Jaeschke, Garrett Muagututia and Aaron Russell and middle blockers Max Holt and David Smith.
Besides those 10, others on the roster with previous VNL experience include opposites Jake Hanes and Kyle Russell, setters Micah Ma’a and Josh Tuaniga, liberos Mason Briggs and Kyle Dagostino, outside hitters Jacob Pasteur and Cody Kessel, and middle blockers Taylor Averill, Patrick Gasman and Jeff Jendryk.
Players who have not made a VNL travel roster are opposite Gabi Garcia, setters Quinn Isaacson and Nicholas Slight, outside hitters Ethan Champlin, Jordan Ewert and Brett Wildman, and middle blockers Matthew Knigge, Michael Marshman and Daniel Wetters.
The U.S. Men’s head coach is John Speraw, who was named head coach in 2013 and helped the team to the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Speraw’s top assistants are former indoor and beach player Matt Fuerbringer, who has coached college and club teams, and Javier Weber, a three-time Olympian for Argentina who also coached the national team and continues to coach for professional club teams. Andy Read, who has coached numerous junior and senior teams for USA Volleyball, will also help with the team.
The U.S. Men are ranked No. 2 in the world and have won the silver medal at the last two VNLs (in 2022 and ’23). They are qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Olympic hopefuls to bring star-studded rosters to VNL 2024
April 24, 2024.- Still looking for a spot at the Paris Olympics, national teams like Italy, Argentina, Slovenia and Cuba will have their main stars available.
With five spots at the Paris Olympics still up for grabs and several men’s national teams lining up for them, the Volleyball Nations League 2024 will be the battleground where the last tickets to the French capital will be awarded.
Teams vying for the coveted Olympic spots will bring their best players to the battle as the rosters of the 16 national teams set to appear in the sixth edition of the tournament were announced (subject to eligibility check to be conducted by the FIVB).
Watch the previous VNL seasons on demand with your FREE 7-day access to VBTV.
The result of the matches of the VNL Preliminary Round, which will be played from May 21 to June 23 for the men, will all be reflected in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Rankings and the five best-ranked teams (including one from Africa to guarantee the principle of universality) still not qualified for Paris 2024 at the end of the opening round of the event will earn spots at the Games.
From NORCECA, Cuba, involved in the battle for an Olympic spot, will bring the offensive power of Marlon Yant, Robertlandy Simon and Jesus Herrera.
Already qualified for Paris 2024, last year’s VNL silver medalists USA with setter Micah Christenson and middle blocker David Smith, while Canada will also bring their best men to the court.
The opening week of the VNL 2024 for the men will be from May 21-26, with eight teams playing Antalya, Türkiye, and another eight competing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The VNL 2024 Finals will be held in Łódź, Poland, from June 27-30, less than a month before the start of the Olympics.
Volleyball Canada Announces Additional Men’s Program Athletes
April 24, 2024.- Volleyball Canada is pleased to announce the Next Gen and age-group athletes that will be part of the men’s national team program for the 2024 season.
The following athletes will be part of the teams that will participate in various NORCECA (Continental) Championships and Pan Am tournaments.
The Next Gen team will be featured on home soil, at the NORCECA Final 6, which will take place at the Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, Quebec in August (ticket info coming soon).
These teams are in addition to the senior team, which was announced earlier.
2024 NEXTGEN TEAM
Christopher Byam – Bow Island, AB
Jordan Canham – Avonmore, ON
Maxwell Elgert – Edmonton, AB
Jesse Elser – Calgary, AB
Mason Greves – Calgary, AB
Daenan Gyimah – Scarborough, ON
Isaac Heslinga – Orangeville, ON
Zachary Hollands – Victoriaville, QC
Matthew Neaves – Calgary, QC
Darian Picklyk – Winnipeg, MB
Skyler Varga – Muenster, SK
James Vincett – Calgary, AB
2024 U21 TEAM and U23 ATHLETES
Kai Boyko – Winnipeg, MB
Trent Cherewaty – Mansfield, ON
Piers de Greeff – Victoria, BC
Kale Fisher – Edmonton, AB
Quintin Greenidge – Hamilton, ON
Daniil Hershtynovich – Thornhill, ON
Grant Hill – Calgary, AB
Cody Hudson – Calgary, AB
Ryan John – Calgary, AB
Jared Kuiken – London, ON
Zakari Morneau – Québec, QC
Brady Paterson – Baden, ON
Ashton South – Airdrie, AB
Owen Weekes – Winnipeg, MB
Reeve Gingera – Calgary, AB (U23)
Maxime Gratton – Ottawa, ON (U23)
Dylan Martens – Winnipeg, MB (U23)
Cory Schoenherr – Waterloo, ON (U23)
2024 U19 TEAM
Tyson Cassone – Stratford, ON
Tyson DeZutter – Red Deer, AB
Grayson McDonald – Edmonton, AB
Kai Miles – Edmonton, AB
Dennis Moschopoulos – Burnaby, BC
Isaac Navarro – Surrey, BC
Pavlo Ostapchuk – Kiev, Ukraine
Simon Tate – Ladner, BC
Aiden Vandenheuvel – Puslinch, ON
Rueben Veith – Prince Albert, SK
Benjamin Weiss – Sherwood Park, AB
Luke Wright – Edmonton, AB
Thirty U.S. Women Selected for VNL Long-List Roster
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 24, 2024.– Thirty athletes, including nine Olympic gold medalists, are on the U.S. Women’s National Team long-list roster for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Volleyball Nations League is the world’s premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The top 16 teams in the world play four matches a week for three weeks of preliminary competition. The top eight teams at the end of the preliminaries will go to the Final Round.
Coaches will select 14 athletes from the long list to compete at the United States’ VNL stops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (May 15-19), Arlington, Texas (May 28-June 2) and Fukuoka, Japan (June 11-16). The VNL Final Round is scheduled for June 20-23 in Bangkok, Thailand.
U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly has said that he will use the early VNL matches to help choose the players for his 2024 Paris Olympic Games roster. That team will have 12 players plus an alternate who will travel to Paris.
Nine players on the roster return from the team that won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: setters Micha Hancock and Jordyn Poulter, libero Justine Wong-Orantes, outside hitters Jordan Larson and Kelsey (Robinson) Cook, middle blockers Chiaka Ogbogu and Haleigh Washington, and opposites Annie Drews and Jordan Thompson.
Besides those nine, players on the roster who have competed in previous VNLs include setters Lauren Carlini, Ashley Evans and Jenna Gray, liberos Morgan Hentz and Kendall White, outside hitters Ali Frantti, Khalia Lanier, Kathryn Plummer, Avery Skinner and Sarah Wilhite Parsons, middles Brionne Butler, Anna Hall, Asjia O’Neal and Dana Rettke and opposite Danielle Cuttino.
Those who have not played in prior VNL matches are libero Zoe Fleck, outside hitter Madisen Skinner, opposites Kendall Kipp and Taylor Mims and middles Kayla Haneline and Serena Gray.
Head Coach Karch Kiraly is a three-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist as a player who took over as head coach in 2013.
Kiraly’s first assistant is Tama Miyashiro, who won a silver medal as a libero with the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. The second assistants will be Marv Dunphy, Alfee Reft and Erin Virtue.
The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic champions and ranked No. 2 in the world. They have won the VNL three times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. In 2023, they finished fourth overall.
Atlanta Vibe Clinches No. 1 Seed at Championship
April 24, 2024.- The Atlanta Vibe have officially claimed the No. 1 overall seed in the Pro Volleyball Federation Championship, slated for May 15-18. The 2024 regular season champions have two remaining home matches before they head off to the neutral-site postseason event.
Standing at 17-5 record and on top of the league standings, the Vibe have won eight of their last nine matches.
The league’s first championship will be held in the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The two semifinals matches will be on Wednesday, May 15 and the title match on Saturday, May 18. All matches will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Tickets for the neutral-site championship matches are officially on sale to the public and available here.
The Vibe head into the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Championship looking to bring home Atlanta’s fifth pro sports championship trophy. Winning the event in 2024 would make the Vibe Atlanta’s first team to accomplish the feat in their first year, and only the fourth fully professional team to bring a trophy to the city of Atlanta (Atlanta Braves, 1995, 2001; Atlanta United, 2018; Georgia Swam, 2017).
JDF and UWI retain JaVA Men’s and Women’s Club League titles
SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, April 24, 2024.- The Jamaica Defence Force and UWI Volleyball are champions of the the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) Club League. The league culminated at the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports over the past weekend.
In the Women’s final, Master’s Volleyball Club were no match for the defending champion as UWI Volleyball Club won in straight sets 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-20).
The team was led by team captain and national representative Erica Harris.
In the Men’s final, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) defeated MOSA Volleyball Club in straight sets 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-22).
JDF was led by 2023 RJR Sportsman of the year for Volleyball and team captain, Captain Ryck Webb.
GC Foster College (Women) and UWI A (Men) placed third after straight sets victories over MOSA Volleyball Club and UWI B respectively in the 3rd place playoffs.
Atlanta’s Monserez Selected for Weekly Award
April 23, 2024.- After helping her team become the first squad in the league to clinch a postseason spot, Atlanta setter Marlie Monserez is the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports.
Marlie Monserez is the fourth different Vibe player to be tabbed for weekly recognition this season and it marks the third time in the past four weeks a league setter has been chosen for the accolade.
Monserez averaged 11.6 assists and 4.3 digs during a 2-1 week for Atlanta. The native of Windermere, Fla. began with a 44-assist, 20-dig performance in a victory over Grand Rapids. She then notched 40 assists and 18 digs in a loss to Columbus before posting 55 assists and 13 digs in a win at Orlando.
She has posted double-figure assists and digs in four consecutive matches and 13 times overall this season. For the week, she connected on a .357 hitting percentage.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Tuesday, April 23 when the Omaha Supernovas travel to face the San Diego Mojo.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
| Date | Player |
| April 23 | Marlie Monserez, Atlanta Vibe, S |
| April 16 | Nootsara Tomkom, San Diego Mojo, S |
| April 9 | Bethania De La Cruz, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| April 2 | Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S |
| March 26 | Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB |
| March 19 | Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S |
| March 12 | Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| March 5 | Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP |
| February 27 | Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH |
| February 20 | Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP |
| February 13 | Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH |
| February 6 | Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
| January 30 | Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Cangrejeras Conquer their First National Title in Puerto Rico
MANATÍ, Puerto Rico, April 23, 2024 – The Cangrejeras de Santurce franchise, which debuted last year in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation (FPV), conquered their first national title over the Manatí Ateniense.
Last year, the Cangrejeras had to settle for the second place against the Corozal Pinkin, but they returned this season with a team full of local and international talent with the mission of winning the title, sweeping the final series in four games (4-0).
The Cangrejeras de Santurce join the Chicas of San Juan as the two teams from the capital city to win a Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) championship. The Chicas did it in the 1992 season.
Santurce concluded the final series on Monday night after a 3-0 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17) victory, at the Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu Coliseum in Manatí.
American reinforcement McKenzie Adams was the top scorer for Cangrejeras with 18 points, 13 in attacks, three in blocks, two direct services, 17 defenses, and seven passes; Turkish player Yeliz Basa with 17 points, 15 in attacks, two in blocks, and eight defenses; Czech player Helena Havelkova with 15 points, 12 in attacks, three in blocks, 12 defenses, and 22 passes; Puerto Rican Neira Ortiz contributed eight points, five in attacks, three in blocks, and an ace; and naturalized Venezuelan Shirley Florián with eight points, all in attacks.
Cangrejeras’ setter Carli Lloyd made 27 assists, 15 defenses, and five points, two in attacks, two in blocks, and an ace.
Cangrejeras’ libero and captain Debora Seilhammer was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 final series. Seilhammer made 35 defenses and 11 passes in the last match of the final series.
For Manatí, Zoe Weatherington scored 18 points, 15 in attacks, two in blocks, an ace, and 15 defenses; Karla Santos achieved 17 points, all in attacks, 18 defenses, and 22 passes; María Schlegel with 12 points, 11 in attacks, a block, 20 defenses, and 13 passes; and Claudia Dillon with 10 points, five in attacks, three in blocks, and two direct serves.
FINAL SERIES:
Sunday, April 14 Manatí (1-3) Santurce
Wednesday, April 17 Santurce (3-2) Manatí
Saturday, April 20 Manatí (0-3) Santurce
Monday, April 22 Santurce (3-1) Manatí
36 tandems at Varadero NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour
HAVANA, Cuba, April 22, 2024.- The second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, hosted in the tourist city of Varadero, will feature 36 tandems, 18 in each gender, from May 2nd to 5th.
Mireya Luis, former triple Olympic volleyball champion, confirmed the information as supervisor of the event and organizer since 2011 as this attractive venue has been hosting an annual stop, and in the last seven editions at the Barceló Solymar Arenas Blancas complex.
Cuba will be represented by its two main pairs, in the women’s category Maykelín Drik-Amanda Armenteros and Kailin Garrido-Yenifer Rivera, and in the men’s category Jorge Luis Alayo-Noslen Diaz and Damián Gómez-Eblis Veranes.
The women’s duos also include Savannah Simo-Abby Van Winkle (USA-1), Hailey Harward-Kylie Kuyava-De Berg (USA-2), Britney Choon-Tsyan Selvon (Trinidad and Tobago), Mannika Charles-T’ara Austin (Virgin Islands-1), Amber Bennett-Taylor Buckner (ISV-2), Janneke Tammenga-Chelleney Soedamah (Suriname), Julibeth Payano-Crismil Paniagua (Dominican Republic), and Karla Tovar-Keiry Guzmán (El Salvador).
Also registered are Socorro López-Lolette Rodríguez (Nicaragua), Allanis Navas-María González (Puerto Rico), Abril Flores-Yeray Vidaurrazaga (Mexico-1), Atenas Gutiérrez-Susana Torres (Mexico-2), Marie-Alex Bélanger-Lea Monkhouse (Canada-1), Anna Licht-Amy Ozee (Canada-2), Natalia Girón-Paola Alvarado (Guatemala), and Ximena Núñez-Kianny Araya (Costa Rica).
The men’s teams include Evan Cory-Robert Wyatt (USA-1), James Avery Drost-Cody Caldwell (USA-2), Daneil Williams-Fabien Whitfield (Trinidad and Tobago), Garrett Bucklin-Robert Cronshaw (ISV-1), Tyler Penberthy-Bryce Mayer (ISV-2), Joshua Dwarkasing-David Pinas (Suriname-1), Gino Naarden-Keven Sporkslede (Suriname-2), and Arnaldo Torres-William Rivera (Puerto Rico).
Completing the men’s field are Christopher A. Guardado-Yoel Guardado (El Salvador), Rubén Mora-Jefferson Cascante (Nicaragua), Ricardo Galindo-Isaías Aguirre (Mexico), Arran Chambers-Steven Abrams (Canada-1), Jake MacNeil-Alexander W. Russell (Canada-2), Edgar Maldonado-Luis García (Guatemala), Daniel Villa-Jhostin Varela (Costa Rica), and Hayerling Goris-Oscar Martínez (Dominican Republic).
Alongside Mireya Luis, the NORCECA control committee includes Dominicans Eduardina Báez (Competition Director) and Cayacoa Moquete (Info and Technology), and Mexican Miguel Ramírez (Referee Coach).
The international referees appointed are Dominican Rocío Lai, Nicaraguan Arianna Argüello, and Cuban Erick Martínez.
Cuba’s Noslen Diaz & Jorge Alayo won bronze at their first Main Draw Elite 16
TEPIC, Mexico, April 21, 2024.- Cuba’s Noslen Diaz & Jorge Alayo continued their fabulous season by snatching bronze at their first Elite16 main draw appearance after beating Germany’s Clemens Wickler & Nils Ehlers on Sunday in Tepic, Mexico.
13th-seeded Diaz & Alayo, who started the tournament from the qualifiers, delivered a 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) upset of fifth-seeded Wickler & Ehlers. Alayo contributed six kill blocks towards the victory to finish with 21 points, while Ehlers was the best scorer of the match with 23. It was the fourth consecutive final four finish on the Beach Pro Tour for the Cuban duo. In the previous three Challenge events, they collected two silvers and a fourth place. The Tepic tournament was the first time they played in an Elite16 main draw, and the bronze earned will help them a lot in their quest to climb up the provisional Olympic ranking and qualify for Paris.
In their semifinal match, Diaz & Alayo took the first set, but Brazil’s Andre Stein & George Wanderley mounted a 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-12) comeback.
Swedish David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig defended the Tepic trophy edging Brazil’s Andre & George in three sets 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 15-10) to celebrate their seventh Beach Pro Tour gold.
In the women’s field, Switzerland’s Nina Brunner & Tanja Huberli celebrated their first-ever Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour gold after defeating Netherlands’ Katja Stam & Raisa Schoon 2-1 (21-14, 19-21, 19-17) victory. Brazil’s Barbara Seixas & Carol Solberg squeezed out a bronze victory over Italy’s Marta Menegatti & Valentina Gottardi 2-1 (22-20, 21-23, 25-23).
Santurce is one win away from its first LVSF championship
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 21, 2024.- The runners-up Cangrejeras de Santurce (3-0) won the third game of the 2024 Women’s Volleyball Superior League (LVSF) final series against the Atenienses de Manatí (0-3), standing one win away from capturing the first national title for this franchise.
Santurce dominated the match 25-16, 25-22, and 25-21, at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in Hato Rey on Saturday night.
With the third set tied at 21-21, Andrea Rangel attacked for the point and Santurce’s lead, 22-21. Czech player Helena Havelkova smashed through the Atenienses’ block to put the score at 23-21. A shot from Karla Santos fell outside, giving Cangrejeras the match point at 24-21. And Havelkova secured point 25 and the victory for the capital’s team.
For Santurce, Havelkova was the top scorer with 20 points, including 17 attacks, two blocks, one ace, 13 digs, and 16 passes; McKenzie Adams contributed 11 points, with 10 attacks, one block, nine digs, and 15 passes; Neira Ortiz with nine points, three attacks, and six blocks; and Andrea Rangel with eight points, seven attacks, one block, and seven digs. Setter Carli Lloyd made 27 assists in three sets, 12 digs, and four points, all on attacks. Libero and captain of Santurce, Deborah Seilhammer, made 26 digs and seven passes.
For Manatí, Zoe Weatherington scored 14 points, including 13 attacks, one block, and 13 digs; Karla Santos with eight points, seven attacks, one block, 13 digs, and 19 passes; and Spanish player María Schlegel with eight points, six attacks, one block, one ace, 12 digs, and 12 passes.
The final series will continue on Monday, April 22 at 8:30 p.m. with the fourth game at the Coliseo Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu.
Before Saturday’s match started, there was a minute of silence for the eternal rest of the scorer director of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation (FPV), Diana Santiago-Sotomayor, who passed away suddenly this week.
On the other hand, at the end of the match, the final whistle was blown by the main referee Arnaldo Piñero, who officiated his last game after four decades on the local and international volleyball courts. “Grndpa”, affectionately known by all, was congratulated by his colleagues, players, coaches, and other volleyball personalities present at the Clemente.
The final series is broadcasted by WIPR Canal 6, https://wipr.pr/envivo/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wiprtv.
FINAL SERIES SCHEDULE:
Sunday, April 14 Manatí (1-3) Santurce
Wednesday, April 17 Santurce (3-2) Manatí
Saturday, April 20 Manatí (0-3) Santurce
Monday, April 22 8:30 p.m. Santurce at Manatí
Wednesday, April 24 8:30 p.m. Manatí at Santurce (If Necessary)
Friday, April 26 8:30 p.m. Santurce at Manatí (If Necessary)
Sunday, April 28 7:00 p.m. Manatí at Santurce (If Necessary) (neutral court)
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
Women VNL 2024 Rosters Are Released
April 18, 2024.- The last international tournament before the start of the Paris Olympics, the Volleyball Nations League 2024 will feature the biggest stars of the sport as the rosters for the 16 women’s national teams that will compete in the tournament were revealed.
Set to take the volleyball elite to the highly anticipated Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 20-23, the VNL will visit five different countries during the Preliminary Phase, which will be played from May 14-June 16.
Watch the previous VNL seasons on demand with your FREE 7-day access to VBTV.
The VNL 2024 will play a major role in determining the last five national teams qualified for the Paris Games as the results of the Preliminary Phase matches will be reflected in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Rankings, which will assign the last five Olympic spots.
Focusing on NORCECA, Canada is still looking to qualify for Paris 2024, will be featuring outside hitter Alexa Gray and opposite Kiera Van Ryk.
Most of the teams already guaranteed in Paris will go at full force in the VNL 2024 too, with the Dominican Republic listing Brayelin Martínez and the USA presenting Jordan Larson.
The VNL 2024 will have its first week of action from May 14-19, with eight of the 16 teams playing in Antalya, Türkiye, and the other half competing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dramatic five set victory for Cangrejeras against Atenienses
MANATÍ, Puerto Rico, April 18, 2024.- A block by Shirley Florián against Jonnalys Matos ended a dramatic fifth set, in which the runner-up Cangrejeras de Santurce claimed victory and took a (2-0) lead in the 2024 Women’s Volleyball Superior League (LVSF) final series against the Atenienses de Manatí.
Santurce secured the win 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, and 16-14, at the Coliseo Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu in Manatí.
The Cangrejeras team was trailing in the fourth set, 16-10, at the second technical timeout for Manatí. The home team threatened to take the victory by extending their lead to 22-20, but errors became their own enemy, giving the Cangrejeras a break, who seized every opportunity to dominate, 25-23, and force a fifth set.
In the fifth set, Manatí led 8-7 at the side switch. Santurce quickly turned the score, leading 9-8, and the Atenienses called a timeout. Upon returning, they scored four consecutive points to pull ahead, 12-10; and later, 14-11.
Then came the spectacular comeback. A block by middle blocker Neira Ortiz against Zoe Weatherington of Cangrejeras initiated Santurce’s five-point run, three of which were on errors with shots going out of bounds. And Florián sealed the deal with a block on Matos, to close 16-14, and secure a 2-0 series lead.
For Santurce, McKenzie Adams scored 17 points, 16 in attacks, one block, 15 digs, and 24 passes; Andrea Rangel contributed 16 points, 14 in attacks, two blocks, and 14 digs; Helena Havelkova with 15 points, 12 in attacks, three blocks, six digs, and 15 passes; setter Carli Lloyd with 10 points, six in attacks, four blocks, 16 digs, and 29 assists; and Neira Ortiz with eight points, five in attacks, and three blocks.
For Manatí, Zoe Weatherington was the top scorer of the match with 28 points, 25 in attacks, three blocks, and 16 digs; Karla Santos with 16 points, 15 in attacks, one block, 12 digs, and 20 passes; María Schlegel with 15 points, 14 in attacks, one block, 19 digs, and 12 passes. Claudia Dillon and Jonnalys Matos with six points each.
The final series will continue this Saturday, April 20, at 8:30 p.m. at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in Hato Rey.
The final series is entirely broadcast by WIPR Canal 6, https://wipr.pr/envivo/, and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wiprtv.
SCHEDULE FINAL SERIES:
Sunday, April 14 Manatí (1-3) Santurce
Wednesday, April 17 Santurce (3-2) Manatí
Saturday, April 20 8:30pm Manatí at Santurce
Monday, April 22 8:30pm Santurce at Manatí
Wednesday, April 24 8:30pm Manatí at Santurce
Friday, April 26 8:30pm Santurce at Manatí (If Necessary)
Sunday, April 28 7:00pm Manatí at Santurce (If Necessary) (neutral venue)
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
San Diego’s Tomkom Garners Weekly League Honors
April 17, 2024.- San Diego setter Nootsara Tomkom led the Mojo to two wins last week and as a result has been named the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports.
It marks the first time in this inaugural campaign that a San Diego player has received the accolade and third time in the past five weeks a league setter has captured the honor.
The native of Ratchaburi, Thailand finished the week with 122 assists over three matches, including a franchise-record 49 on two occasions (vs. Columbus, vs. Orlando). She averaged 9.4 assists across 13 sets.
Tomkom delivered a solid defensive performance as well with 29 digs versus the Valkyries, 18 against the Fury and six in the match with league-leading Atlanta. Her 613 assists overall rank third in Pro Volleyball Federation, while her 10.9 assist average leads the league. She also boasts 188 digs during the 2024 campaign.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
| Date | Player |
| April 16 | Nootsara Tomkom, San Dieto Mojo, S |
| April 9 | Bethania De La Cruz, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| April 2 | Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S |
| March 26 | Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB |
| March 19 | Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S |
| March 12 | Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| March 5 | Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP |
| February 27 | Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH |
| February 20 | Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP |
| February 13 | Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH |
| February 6 | Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
| January 30 | Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Atlanta Vibe clinches postseason berth
April 16, 2024.- The Atlanta Vibe, the city’s newest professional sports team, are the first team in the inaugural season of the Pro Volleyball Federation to clinch a spot in the league’s postseason championship.
Sitting on top of the league standings with a 15-4 record, the Vibe have won their last six matches and 11 of their last 12 overall.
The league’s first championship will be held in the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The two semifinal matches on Wednesday, May 15 and title match on Saturday, May 18 will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Tickets for the neutral-site championship matches are officially on sale to the public and available here.
The Vibe head into the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Championship looking to bring home Atlanta’s fifth pro sports championship trophy. A win in the event would make the Vibe the first team from the City of Atlanta to accomplish the feat in their first year of play, and only the fourth fully professional team to bring a trophy to Atlanta (Atlanta Braves, World Series, 1995, 2021; Atlanta United, MLS Cup, 2018; Georgia Swarm, National Lacrosse League Championship, 2017).
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Crabb & Brunner top Men’s podium and Bansley & Bukovec take Women’s Bronze in Guadalajara
GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 14, 2024.- USA’s Trevor Crabb & Theodore Brunner gained an important edge in the race towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France by snatching the men’s gold while Canada’s Heather Bansley & Sophie Bukovec took the women’s bronze at the Beach Pro Tour Challenge event in Guadalajara.
15th-seeded Trevor Crabb & Theodore Brunner advanced to the Guadalajara knockouts as Pool C runners-up and won their next four games (all four of them in tiebreakers!) to snatch their second Beach Pro Tour gold, after topping the podium at the Espinho Challenge last summer. They also have the Haikou Challenge silver from November in their collection.
In their last two matches, the Americans had to come back from a set down but persevered on the way to a 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-13) semifinal win over third-seeded Cubans Noslen Diaz & Jorge Alayo and a 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-12) victory in the final against eighth-seeded Pfretzschner & Winter of Germany.
In the women’s field, Bansley & Bukovec, who launched their participation in the tournament from Thursday’s qualifiers, but then also started the main draw with a defeat, bounced back from their narrow semifinal loss with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) victory over German’s Borger & Ittlinger to get the bronze, their third Beach Pro Tour medal, after the Halifax Futures gold in September and the Recife Challenge silver in March.
In their semifinal game, Bansley & Bukovec fell 1-2 (18-21, 21-18, 18-21) to Switzerland’s Esmee Bobner & Zoe Verge-Depre who later won the gold medal.
The Beach Pro Tour will stay in Mexico for this week’s Tepic Elite16 event from April 17 to 21. The next Challenge event is in Xiamen, China from April 25 to 28.
Santurce dominated the first match of the LVSF Final Series
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 14, 2024.- The runner-up Cangrejeras de Santurce (1-0) started the 2024 Final Series of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) with a four-set victory over the Atenienses de Manatí (0-1).
Santurce prevailed 24-26, 26-24, 25-26, and 25-25 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.
The capital team managed to make the necessary adjustments to stop their opponents, who started Sunday’s match dominating the first set. Manatí returned to the second set with the same intention. The Atenienses managed to keep the score close every time Santurce threatened to pull away. Reinforcement Zoe Weatherington took charge of the Atenienses’ offense to bring the team point by point until achieving a tie at 20-20, 22-22, 23-23, and 24-24. Setter Carli Lloyd took the visitors’ breath away with one of her masterful plays at the net (25-24); and Neira Ortiz blocked Karla Santos to close the second set (26-24).
From then on, the game was completely different, and the Cangrejeras won the match in four sets.
McKenzie Adams was the top scorer for Cangrejeras with 22 points, 20 in attacks, two blocks, 12 digs, and four passes; Helena Havelkova contributed 16 points, 13 in attacks, two blocks, one ace, 16 digs, and eight passes; Neira Ortiz with 11 points, six in attacks, and five in blocks; Carli Lloyd and Yeliz Bassa with eight points each.
For Manatí, Zoe Weatherington with 23 points, 21 in attacks, one block, one ace, and 11 digs; Karla Santos with 14 points, all in attacks, 11 digs, and 19 passes; and María Priscilla Schlegel with 11 points, 10 in attacks, one block, seven digs, and 10 passes.
The final series will continue this Wednesday, April 17, at 8:30 p.m. at the Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu Coliseum in Manatí.
The final series will be entirely broadcasted by WIPR Channel 6, https://wipr.pr/envivo/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wiprtv .
FINAL SERIES SCHEDULE:
Sunday, April 14 Manatí (1-3) Santurce
Wednesday, April 17 8:30 p.m. Santurce at Manatí
Saturday, April 20 8:30 p.m. Manatí at Santurce
Monday, April 22 8:30 p.m. Santurce at Manatí
Wednesday, April 24 8:30 p.m. Manatí at Santurce (If Necessary)
Friday, April 26 8:30 p.m. Santurce at Manatí (If Necessary)
Sunday, April 28 7:00 p.m. Manatí at Santurce (If Necessary) (neutral court)
For more information, visit Fedpurvoli.com
2024 Canada Senior Men’s Indoor Team
April 12, 2024.- Volleyball Canada has announced the 18 athletes on the senior men’s squad for 2024.
Rosters for specific tournaments, including Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and Paris 2024, will be released before those events get underway.
Under the guidance of head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo, the senior men will kick off Volleyball Nations League on May 21 and will play matches in Antalya (Türkiye), Ottawa, and Manila (the Philippines).
The senior team is qualified for the highly anticipated Paris 2024 Olympics (roster TBA), which run between July 27 to August 11, 2024. Team Canada earned the berth at last year’s Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) in China.
Next Gen and age-group athletes will be announced soon.
2024 SENIOR TEAM
Ryley Barnes – Edmonton, AB
Samuel Cooper – Hamilton, ON
Landon Currie – Coldstream, BC
Danny Demyanenko – Toronto, ON
Pearson Eshenko – Banff, AB
Luke Herr – Winnipeg, MB
Nicholas Hoag – Sherbrooke, QC
Brodie Hofer – Langley, BC
Jackson Howe – Calgary, AB
Xander Ketrzynski – Toronto, ON
Eric Loeppky – Steinbach, MB
Justin Lui – Pickering, ON
Stephen Maar – Aurora, ON
Fynn McCarthy – Lake Country, BC
Jordan Schnitzer – Surrey, BC
Arthur Szwarc – Toronto, ON
Lucas Van Berkel – Edmonton, AB
Brett Walsh – Calgary, AB
Staff list can be found here.
Manatí eliminated the champions and advanced to the LVSF grand final series
COROZAL, Puerto Rico, April 12, 2024 – The Atenienses de Manatí (4-1) became finalists of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) for the first time, after eliminating the two-time champions Pinkin de Corozal (1-4), in the fifth game of the semifinal B series.
Manatí will play their first final under the management of Dr. Luis Santini, against the Cangrejeras de Santurce.
The Atenienses secured the desired spot by defeating the Pinkin in three sets, 25-16, 25-23, and 25-17, at the Carmen Zoraida Figueroa court in Corozal.
The champions pushed all night to try to take the lead in the sets, but they were unsuccessful. The Atenienses simply established their game from the initial whistle and managed to stop the Pinkin’s streaks to not turn around the result.
Zoe Weatherington, María Priscilla Schlegel, and Karla Santos, who were the only players in double digits, took charge of the Atenienses’ offense.
Weatherington was the best with 19 points, 15 in attacks, one block, three direct services, and 16 defenses; Schlegel with 17 points, 14 in attacks, three blocks, 10 defenses, and seven passes; and Santos with 13 points, 12 in attacks, one ace, 12 defenses, and six passes.
For Corozal, reinforcement Payton Caffrey was the only player in double digits, scoring 10 points, eight in attacks, one block, and one ace. Paola Santiago, who debuted in the Pinkin uniform, was the second highest scorer with five points, all in attacks. Santiago was the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the last season with the champions.
Semifinal B / Manatí (4-1)
Wednesday, April 3 Manatí (2-3) Corozal
Saturday, April 6 Corozal (1-3) Manatí
Sunday, April 7 Manatí (3-1) Corozal
Tuesday, April 9 Corozal (2-3) Manatí
Thursday, April 11 Manatí (3-0) Corozal
The schedule for the 2024 final series between Manatí and Santurce is as follows:
Sunday, April 14, 6:15 p.m. Manatí in Santurce
Wednesday, April 17, 8:00 p.m. Santurce in Manatí
Saturday, April 20, 8:15 p.m. Manatí in Santurce
Monday, April 22, 8:00 p.m. Santurce in Manatí
Wednesday, April 24, 8:15 p.m. Manatí in Santurce (if necessary)
Friday, April 26, 8:15 p.m. Santurce in Manatí (if necessary)
Sunday, April 28, 7:00 p.m. Manatí in Santurce (if necessary) (Neutral court)
FIVB appoints Instructors for Coaches Courses
SANTO DOMINGO, April 11, 2024. – The International Volleyball Federation has appointed the instructors who will conduct the Level 1 and Level 3 Coaches Courses that will be taking place soon at the NORCECA/FIVB Regional Development Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The Director of the Regional Center, Prof. Nelson José Ramírez, announced that Rubén Sainz from Cuba will be the FIVB instructor for the International Level 1 Coaches Course, which will take place from May 7 to 11.
Sainz is a volleyball veteran who has coached national teams in several countries, and for the past 10 years, he has been called upon by the FIVB to assume the role of instructor due to his extensive experience and ability to transfer his knowledge to young coaches from developing countries.
He also indicated that for the International Level 3 Coaches Course to be held from June 22 to 30, FIVB has appointed well-known FIVB instructors Luis Fernando Muchaga Torres from Spain and Antonio Rizola Neto from Brazil.
Luis Fernando Muchaga is a veteran Physical Education Professor with a Master’s degree in Sports Management and Administration, he also is a veteran coach who won the Bronze Medal at the Seoul Olympic Games; in addition, he has coached professional teams in the European League and currently, besides being an instructor, he is the Technical Director of the Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation.
Instructor Antonio Rizola is a veteran coach who has coached several national teams of Brazil, he won the gold medal with the women’s team at the 2012 London Olympics, and with the men’s team, he won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He has also coached several national teams in different countries, the last national team he coached was Colombia women, winning a Pan American medal and qualified for two World Championships, and he was recently announced as the coach of the women’s team of Peru.
Professor Ramírez said he was very pleased to have these great world-class instructors who will pass on their knowledge in these important coaches’ courses, with the support of the FIVB and the NORCECA Confederation, which will bring together around 110 coaches from America and Europe.
De La Cruz Tabbed For Weekly League Honors
April 10, 2024.- Supernovas outside hitter Bethania de la Cruz has her best week of the season – breaking multiple franchise records to earn Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports. It is the second consecutive week an Omaha player has been recognized.
A native of the Dominican Republic, she totaled a franchise-record 26 kills on a 4.18 clip with 13 digs and three blocks versus the San Diego Mojo on April 2. She also had her 24th ace of the season in the match, while her kill total accounted for 50 percent of the Supernovas kills on the night.
De la Cruz followed up that performance by tying her own team mark with 26 kills against Columbus on April 4. She noticed a franchise-record .585 hitting percentage on 41 swings with only two errors. She also notched 14 digs, which equaled her season best.
Overall, de la Cruz recorded 52 kills on a .490 hitting percentage with 27 digs, three blocks and one ace, resulting in 7.4 kills and 3.9 digs per set.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Wednesday, April 10 when the Atlanta Vibe travels to San Diego to take on the Mojo.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
| Date | Player |
| April 9 | Bethania De La Cruz, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| April 2 | Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S |
| March 26 | Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB |
| March 19 | Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S |
| March 12 | Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| March 5 | Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP |
| February 27 | Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH |
| February 20 | Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP |
| February 13 | Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH |
| February 6 | Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
| January 30 | Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
For more information visit ProVolleyball.com
Cangrejeras return to the final series, while Atenienses are one victory away from advancing
Puerto Rico, April 10, 2024. – The Santurce Cangrejeras (4-0) completed an undefeated run in the semifinal series A of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF), while the Atenienses are one victory away from securing the coveted spot.
This past weekend, Cangrejeras defeated Juncos Valencianas (0-4) in three sets to advance to the 2024 grand final.
For the second consecutive year, Santurce will compete in the championship series after securing a crucial victory of 25-20, 25-22, and 25-18 at the Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos.
In 2022, Cangrejeras, in their first year under this franchise name, lost the final to the two-time champions Pinkin of Corozal. Now, they will await the winner of semifinal B between Pinkin and the Atenienses of Manatí.
The capital team was led by McKenzie Adams, the top scorer of the match with 17 points, including 16 in attacks, a block, eight digs, and 11 passes. Andrea Rangel contributed 15 points, Helena Havelkova scored nine points, and Neira Ortiz added eight points. Olympic setter Carli Lloyd provided 23 assists, 10 digs, four points, three in attacks, and a block.
For Juncos, who didn’t have a player in double digits, Sh’Diamond Holly scored nine points, eight in attacks, and a block; Kara McGhee and Elissa Alcántara each contributed seven points.
The Atenienses of Manatí (3-1) are one victory away from reaching the desired spot in the grand final of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF), defeating the two-time champions Pinkin of Corozal (1-3) in five thrilling sets.
Manatí secured the fourth game of the semifinal B with a 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-23, and 15-12 victory at the Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu Coliseum, home of the Atenienses.
The Manatí team needs one more victory to become finalists and face the Santurce Cangrejeras for the championship of the 2024 LVSF tournament. In fact, the members of the capital team, along with their coach Jamille Torres, attended the match between Pinkin and the Atenienses.
Karla Santos, captain of Manatí, was the top scorer for Atenienses with 23 points, followed by María Priscilla Schlegel with 18 points, Zoe Weatherington with 17 points, and Claudia Dillon with 12 points. Setter Nicole Drewnick provided 24 assists, 18 passes, and five points, three in attacks, and two in blocks. Libero Yaleimid Correa finished the night with 16 digs and 16 passes.
For Corozal, Daly Santana scored 18 points, all in attacks, Yanlis Feliz contributed 17 points, Payton Caffrey scored 17 points, and Génesis Castillo added 11 points. The new reinforcement for the Pinkin, setter Gabby Blossom, provided 33 assists, 12 digs, and an ace.
Manatí recorded nine blocks for points compared to Corozal’s 14. In digs, both teams reached 100; Corozal with exactly 100 and Manatí with 113; and in passes, the Pinkin had 64 passes compared to 55 for the Atenienses.
The semifinal B between the Pinkin and the Atenienses will continue on Thursday, April 11, with the fourth game of the series at 8:00 p.m. at the Carmen Zoraida Figueroa Court in Corozal.
Semifinal A
Saturday, March 30 Juncos (0-3) Santurce
Monday, April 1 Santurce (3-0)Juncos
Wednesday, April 3 Juncos (1-3) Santurce
Friday, April 5 Santurce (3-0) Juncos
Semifinal B
Wednesday, April 3 8:15 p.m. Manatí (2-3) Corozal
Saturday, April 6 8:15 p.m. Corozal (1-3) Manatí
Sunday, April 7 7:00 p.m. Manatí (3-1) Corozal
Tuesday, April 9 8:15 p.m. Corozal (2-3) Manatí
Thursday, April 11 8:15 p.m. Manatí en Corozal
Friday, April 12 8:15 p.m. Corozal en Manatí (DSN)
Sunday, April 14 7:00 p.m. Manatí en Corozal (DSN)
Volleyball Canada 2024 men’s program staff
APRIL 9, 2024.- Volleyball Canada has confirmed its men’s program staff for the upcoming season, which includes senior staff for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I am thrilled to announce the staff for our men’s senior team, as well as NextGen and age-group squads,” said Julien Boucher, High Performance Director (Indoor). “It promises to be an exciting season for all our teams. The coaches will provide excellent leadership and we have assembled a high-quality staff to support our athletes throughout the international season.”
The senior team will kick off the season at the upcoming Volleyball Nations League, while the development teams will represent Canada at NORCECA events throughout the summer.
Senior Men’s Team- VNL & Paris 2024
Head coach: Tuomas Sammelvuo
Assistant coach: Joao Paolo Bravo
Assistant coach: Michael Hawkins
Strength and conditioning: Michael Cook
Medical coordinator: Melissa Healy
Performance analyst: Damian Musiak
Athletic therapist: Schad Richea
Chiropractor: Abe Avender
Mental performance coach: Jelle Koijman
Dietician: Erik Sesbreno
Team manager: Cassandra Nicol
NextGen Team – NORCECA Pan Am Cup and Final 6
Head coach: Glenn Hoag
Assistant coach: Chris Voth
Assistant coaches: John Barrett / Shayne White
Strength and conditioning coach: Louis-Jean Tremblay
IST lead: Michael Cook
Medical coordinator and athletic therapist: Melissa Healy
Performance analysts: Lionel Bonnaure / Christophe Elek
Mental performance coach: Jelle Koijman
Dietician: Erik Sesbreno
Program coordinator: Cassandra Nicol
Team Manager: Matheus Braz
U21/U23 Men – U21 NORCECA Championship
Head coach: Daniel Lewis
Assistant coach: Ghazi Guidara
Assistant coach: Josh Gaudet
Strength and conditioning coach: Louis-Jean Tremblay
IST lead: Michael Cook
Medical coordinator: Melissa Healy
Performance analyst: Lionel Bonnaure
Sport physiotherapist: Meredith Waisman
Mental performance coach: Brendan Dinsdale
Dietician: Erik Sesbreno
Team manager: Matheus Braz
U19 Men – U19 NORCECA Championship
Head coach: Dan Ota
Assistant coach: Bryan Duquette
Assistant coach: Phil Dixon
IST lead: Michael Cook
Medical coordinator: Melissa Healy
Performance analyst: Lionel Bonnaure
Athletic therapist: Ashley Hiscock
Mental performance coach: Brendan Dinsdale
Dietician: Erik Sesbreno
Program coordinator: Cassandra Nicol
Team manager: Phil Dixon
U17 Men – U17 NORCECA Pan Am Cup
Head coach: TBD
Assistant coach: Daniel Lewis
Assistant coach: TBD
IST lead: Michael Cook
Medical coordinator: Melissa Healy
Performance analyst: Lionel Bonnaure
Athletic therapist: Ashley Hiscock
Mental performance coach: Brendan Dinsdale
Dietician: Erik Sesbreno
Program coordinator: Cassandra Nicol
Team manager: TBD
Canada wins men’s gold on the NORCECA Tour
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 7, 2024.-In a match that went to the maximum of three sets, the Canadian duo of Jake MacNeil/William Russell won the gold medal beating the Americans Robert Harrison/Evan Cory 2-1 (16-21, 21-17,15-11) on the first date of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 that took place on the sand courts installed on Güibia beach on the Santo Domingo boardwalk.
The bronze went to the Americans Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend who defeated in an exciting match the pair of Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez from the Dominican Republic 2-1 (20-22, 21-13, 15-8).
Fifth place went to Arran Chambers/Steven Abrams from Canada who easily defeated the Mexicans Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre 2-0 (21-14, 21-12), in seventh place were Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer (ISV) after defeating Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) 2-1 (12-21, 21-12, 15-13).
Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala (ESA) finished ninth by defeating Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante (NCA) 2-0 (21-13, 21-16), in eleventh place was the Dominican duo of Jorge Rosario/Rolvin Maldonado who had Edgar Maldonado/ Luis García of Guatemala 2-0 (21-17, 29-27).
Robert Naarden/Keven Sporkslede of Suriname took 13th place after beating Eddy Toro/Gregory De La Cruz of Aruba 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-12), while 15th place went to the Cayman Islands with the Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson duo who defeated the Elkreen Morton/Clerique Ward duo of Saint Kitts 2-0 (21-18, 21-19).
The other results of the day were:
Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre (MEX) d Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer (ISV) 2-1 (15-21, 21-15, 16-14), Arran Chambers/Steven Abrams (CAN) d Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) ) 2-1 (18-21, 24-22, 15-11), Jake MacNeil/William Russell (CAN) d Hayerling De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) 2-0 (21-18, 21-17), Robert Harrison/Evan Cory (USA) d Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend (USA) 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 23-21).
Women’s duo from the United States takes gold in the NORCECA 2024 Tour
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 7, 2024.- The Americans Hailey Harward/Kylie DeBerg won the gold medal this Sunday after beating the pair of Allanis Navas/María González from Puerto Rico 2-1 (18-21, 23 -21, 15-13) at the first stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 held on Güibia beach in Santo Domingo.
The bronze medal was won by the United States couple Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle after defeating the Cubans Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).
In the match for 5th place, Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos (MEX) defeated Dana Rosik/Calinda Kok (CAN) 2-0 (21-17, 21-19), while the Dominicans Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua were in seventh place after beating Socorro López/LoletteRodríguez (NCA) with a score of 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).
The ninth place went to the Mexicans Susana Torres/Yeray Vidaurrazaga who dominated Kianny Quesada/Ximena Nuñéz from Costa Rica 2-0 (21-14, 21-17), the eleventh position went to Naomy Monney/Danna Aguilar (GUA) who They beat Kathya Vásquez/Daniela Vigil (ESA) 2-0 (21-13,21-16).
Canadians Kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield took thirteenth position defeating Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon of Trinidad Tobago 2-1 (21-12, 24-26, 17-15) and in fifteenth place were Deajra Tulloch/Ilean Powery (CAY) beating Zoureena Koningverander/Shaniva Balkaran (SUR) 2-0 (21-16, 21-10).
The other results of the day were:
Dana Rosik/Calinda Kok (CAN) d Socorro López/LoletteRodríguez (NCA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-17), Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos (MEX) d Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua (DOM) 2-0 ( 21-7, 21-11), Hailey Harward/Kylie DeBerg (USA) d Savannah Simo/ Abby Van Winkle (USA) 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-11), Allanis Navas/María González ( PUR) d Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik (CUB) 2-0 (21-15, 21-17).
2,203 young girls want to “Become a Queen”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 7, 2024 – The National Women’s Volleyball Team Project, by the Dominican Volleyball Federation, welcomed a record number of 2,203 girls and young women at the Volleyball Pavilion, who came from the 31 provinces of the country accompanied by their parents with the desire to become “A Queen of the Caribbean” in the not-so-distant future.
Immediately, Mr. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, president of the Project, and Milagros Cabral, general director, announced they will grant 500 scholarships that will significantly impact an equal number of families.
“This is something incredible, we are happy with the support of the Dominican people, that’s why we will hand out 500 scholarships, those from the provinces only need to have family in Santo Domingo to host them, then we will pay for their school, school supplies, uniforms, transportation, allowances, shoes, backpacks,” Marte and Cabral rejoiced. “Studies and sports go side by side,” they added.
They thanked sponsors such as Malta Morena, GBC pharmacies, Gatorade, and the Economic Cafeterias, who made their important contributions to make this third edition of “I want to be a Queen” a reality.
They pointed out that, with this human resource, they aim to obtain talents for the upcoming Olympic cycles, which will continue to strengthen the generational relay that women’s volleyball has always showcased for decades.
They explained that Espaillat province (Moca) sent the highest number of young girls to the Olympic Center, something that filled them with emotion and satisfaction.
From the early hours of Saturday, the Volleyball Pavilion became a “human anthill” with the arrival of girls and young women from Santo Domingo and many provinces of the country, who came full of hopes and dreams of seeing their Caribbean Queen dreams come true.
The coaching staff of the national teams, as well as several players from the Queens of the Caribbean, began working in segmented form with all the young women, identifying ages, sizes, and athletic abilities.
“Now with that database, we will make a preselection of those athletes to call them for training and to monitor the others,” said Milagros Cabral, who couldn’t hide her satisfaction and joy at seeing the volleyball pavilion filled with girls seeking to make their dreams come true.
At the event, the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Garibaldi Bautista, congratulated the National Team project for reaching its third “I want to be a Queen” call and urged them not to give up, as this will help keep volleyball in the national and international spotlight.
Girls and young women returned to their homes in the afternoon after the activity.
Dominican Republic, United States and Canada advance to the semifinals
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 6, 2024.- The teams from the Dominican Republic, the United States and Canada made their way to the semifinal of the first stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 after winning their respective quarterfinal matches this Saturday at the event held on the sand courts installed on Güibia beach on the Santo Domingo boardwalk.
The Dominican duo Hayerlin De Jesús/Oscar Martínez advanced after beating in an electrifying game the pair of Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer of the Virgin Islands 2-0 (28-26,25-23), while the Canadians Jake McNeil/William Russell beat their counterparts Arran Chambers/Steven Abrams with a score of 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).
The Americans Robert Harrison/Evan Cory moved on to the next stage, beating Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre of Mexico 2-0 (21-15, 22-20), meanwhile the couple of Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend also from the United States placed in the Semifinal defeating the Costa Ricans Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela 2-1 (21-14, 20-22,15-7).
The semifinals, the Bronze medal match and the Grand Final will be played this Sunday starting at 8 am.
The other results of the day were:
Hayerlin De Jesús/Oscar Martínez (DOM) d Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala (ESA) 2-0 (21-11, 21-11), Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) d Robert Naarden/Keven Sporkslede (SUR) 2- 0 (21-15, 21-12), Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend (USA) d Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Mayer (ISV) 2-0 (21-12, 21-14), Jorge Rosario/Rolvin Maldonado (DOM) d Elkreen Morton/Clerique Ward (SKN) 2-0 (21-18, 21-19), Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre (MEX) d Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante (NCA) 2-1 (23-21, 15-21, 15-13), Arran Chambers/Steven Abrams (CAN) d Eddy Toro/Gregory De La Cruz (ARU) 2-0 (21-9, 21-13), Jake McNeil/William Russell (CAN) d Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) 2-0 (21-11, 21-17), Robert Harrison/Evan Cory (USA) d Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 (21-12, 21-5), Eddy Toro/ Gregory De La Cruz (ARU) d Elkreen Morton/Clerique Ward (SKN) 2-0 (21-12, 21-17), Robert Naarden/Keven Sporkslede (SUR) d Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson (CAY) 2-0 ( 21-12, 21-18), Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala (ESA) d Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) 2-1 (21-19, 19-21, 15-12), Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante (NCA) ) d Jorge Rosario/Rolvin Maldonado (SUN) 2-0 (21-15, 21-11).
The women’s teams from the United States, Puerto Rico and Cuba advance to the Semifinals
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 6, 2024.- The couples from the United States, Puerto Rico and Cuba emerged victorious in their Quarterfinal matches of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour 2024, which takes place on the sand courts located in Güibia beach in Santo Domingo.
The United States couples formed by Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle and Hailey Harward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg won their respective matches in this phase of the competition. Part of the competition to advance, the duo of Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle overcame to the Canadians Kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield 2-0 (22-20, 21-14), while Hailey Harward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg were victorious against the Dominicans Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-13, 21-17).
Allanis Navas/María González from Puerto Rico easily defeated the Mexican duo of Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos 2-0 (21-16, 21-10), while Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik from Cuba easily defeated the Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez team from Nicaragua with a score of 2-0 (21-11, 21-13).
The Semifinals and medal matches will be played this Sunday starting at 8 am.
The other results were:
Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua (DOM) d Kathya Vasquez/Daniela Vigil (ESA) 2-0 (21-7, 21-18), Amanda armenteros/Maykelin Drik (CUB) d Zoureena Koningverander/Shaniva Balkaran (SUR) 2-0 (21-8, 21-11), Hailey Harward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg (USA) d Naomi Monney/Danna Aguilar (GUA) 2-0 21-15, 21-10), Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) d Kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield (CAN) 2-0 (21-14, 23-21), Dana Roskic/Calinda Kok (CAN) d Kianny Quesada/Ximena Nuñez (CRC) 2-0 (21-16, 21-11 ), Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos (MEX) d Deajra Tulloch/Ileann Powery (CAY) 2-0 (21-8, 21-14), Allanis Navas/María González (PUR) d Susana Torres/Yeray Vidaurrazaga (MEX) 2 -0 (21-12, 21-18), Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle (USA) d Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon (TTO) 2-0 (21-9, 21-7), kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield (CAN ) d Deajra Tulloch/Ileann Powery (CAY) 2-0 (21-14, 21-17), Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon (TTO) d Zoureena Koningverander/Shaniva Balkaran (SUR) 2-0 (21-15, 21- 7), Susana Torres/Yeray Vidaurrazaga (MEX) d Kathya Vasquez/Daniela Vigil (ESA) 2-0 (21-6, 21-8), Kianny Quesada/Ximena Núnez (CRC) d Naomi Monney/Danna Aguilar 2-0 (21-13, 21-12).
Dominicans De Jesús/Martínez undefeated on the first day
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 5, 2024.- The pair formed by Hayerling De Jesús and Oscar Martínez from the Dominican Republic won their two matches on the first day of competition of the first stage of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 that takes place Play on the sand courts located on Güibia beach.
In the first match the Dominican duo easily dominated Robert Naarden/Keven Sporkslede of Suriname 2-0 (21-8, 21-14), while in the second game they beat the Costa Ricans Daniel Dyner/Justin Varela 2-0 (21- 15, 21-17).
Four other couples that won their matches on the first day were Tyler Penberthy/Bryce Myers of the Virgin Islands, who defeated Elkreen Morton/Clerique Ward of Saint Kitts 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) and Jorge Rosario/Rolvin Maldonado of the Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-12, 21-15), the American pairs of Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend who defeated the Dominicans Jorge Rosario/Rolvin Maldonado 2-1 (21-11, 18-21, 15- 13) and in the second game to Elkreen Morton/Clerique Ward of Saint Kitts 2-0 (21-6, 21-10) and the other USA pair were Wyatt Harrison/Evan Cory who beat Jake McNeil/Alexander Russell of Canada 2-1 ( 14-21, 21-16, 15-12) and the Guatemalans Edgar Maldonado/Luis García 2-0 (21-17, 21-12), while Arran Chambers/Steven Abrams of Canada beat the Mexicans Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre 2-0 (24-22, 21-19) and Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-19, 21-17).
The competition continues this Saturday starting at 8 am with the continuation of the preliminary round, while in the afternoon the quarterfinals and position matches will be played.
Men’s first day results:
CRC Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela d ESA Franklin Flores/Armando Guatemala 2-0 (21-13, 21-15), NCA Rubén Mora/Jefferson Cascante d ARU Eddy Toro/Gregory De La Cruz 2-0 (21-15, 21 -12), GUA Edgar Maldonado/Luis García d CAY Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson 2-0 (21-17, 21-14), GUA Franklin Flores/Armando d Robert Naarden/Keven Sporkslede 2-1 (15-21, 21 -16,15-11), MEX Ricardo Galindo/Isaías Aguirre d ARU Eddy Toro/Gregory De La Cruz 2-0 (21-17, 21-14), CAN Jake McNeil/Alexander Russell d CAY Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson 2 -0 (21-10, 21-7).
Women’s teams from the United States, Mexico and Cuba undefeated on the first day
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 5, 2024.- The United States couples Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle and Hailey Harward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg, the Cuban couple Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik and the Mexicans Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos They remained undefeated on the first day of competitions of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour Güibia 2024.
The Americans Hailey Harward/Kylie Kuyava-De Berg defeated the Canadians Kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield 2-0 (21-12, 21-5) in their first match, and in the second match they defeated the Nicaraguans Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez by 2-0 (21-14,21-10), while the other couple from the United States Savannah Simo/Abby Van Winkle beat Allanis Navas/María Rodríguez from Puerto Rico in their first match by 2-0 (22-20 , 21-13) and her second victory of the day was against Susana Torres/Yeray Vidaurrazaga of Mexico by 2-1 (21-15, 16-21,15-13).
The other pairs that also won their two matches were the Cubans Amanda Armenteros/Maykelin Drik who beat Kathya Vasquez/Daniela Vigil from El Salvador in the first match by 2-0 (21-11, 21-10), while In the second they beat the Dominicans Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua 2-1 (16-21, 21-15, 15-11) and the Mexicans Esperanza Albarrán/Evelyn Ramos who beat the Canadians Dana Roskic/Calinda Kok 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 15-9) and Kianny Quesada/Ximena Núñez of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-11, 21-14).
This Saturday the preliminary round continues starting at 8 am and in the afternoon the quarterfinals and position matches will be played.
Women’s results day 1:
DOM Nallelin Taveras/Crismil Paniagua d SUR Zoureena Koningverander/Shaniva Balkaran 2-0 (21-15, 21-7), NCA Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez d GUA Naomi Monney/Danna Aguilar 2-0 (21-11, 21-18 ), CRC Kianny Quesada/Ximena Núñez d CAY Deajra Tulloch/Ileann Powery 2-0 (21-13, 21-12), MEX Susana Torres/Yeray Vidaurrazaga d TTO Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon 2-0 (21-12, 21 -17), ESA Kathya Vasquez/Daniela Vigil d SUR Zoureena Koningverander/Shaniva Balkaran 2-0 (21-8, 21-12), GUA Naomi Monney/Danna Aguilar d CAN Kristina Vicek/Claire Crossfield 2-1 (21-18 , 17-21, 15-12), CAN Dana Roskic/Calinda Kok d CAY Deajra Tulloch/Ileann Powery 2-0 (21-14, 21-8), PUR Allanis Navas/María Rodríguez d TTO Britney Choon/Tsyan Selvon 2 -0 (21-3, 21-8).
Staff Announced for Volleyball Canada’s Women’s National Pathways Programs
April 5, 2024.- Volleyball Canada has announced staff for several national age-group women’s programs. Team Canada women’s pathway programs are critical to the ongoing development and identification of athletes throughout the system.
2024 U21 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship
U21 National Team (Born in 2005 or later)
Competition Dates: June 23-July 1 in Toronto, Ontario
Training Dates: June 10-22 in Kitchener, Ontario
Head Coach: Olivier Faucher, QC
Assistant Coach: Chad Grimm, BC
Assistant Coach & Team Lead: Sandra Lamb, AB
2024 U19 NORCECA Girls’ Continental Championship
U19 National Team (Born in 2007 or later)
Competition Dates: July 12-20, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Training Dates: July 7-11 in Toronto, Ontario (York University)
Selection is open until April 9
Head Coach: Gina Schmidt, BC
Assistant Coach: Christine Biggs, AB
Assistant Coach & Team Lead: Chris Wandler, AB
2024 U17 Girls’ FIVB World Championships
U17 National Team (Born in 2008 or later)
Competition Dates: August 17-24 in Peru
U17 Worlds selection is open until April 12
Head Coach: Ryan Hofer, BC
Assistant Coach: Sammy Fraser, AB
Assistant Coach & Team Lead: Sandra Lamb, AB
2024 Canada Cup
Team Canada Red & White (Born in 2008 or later)
Competition Dates: July 23-28 in Tsuut’ina Nation, AB
Training Dates: July 12-22 in Olds, Alberta
Canada Cup selection is open until April 12
Head Coach: Ryan Hofer, BC
Lead Assistant Coach: Sammy Fraser, AB
Assistant Coach: Matthew Schnarr, ON
Assistant Coach: Andre Gendron, QC
Assistant Coach: Hayden Nichol, ON
Assistant Coach: Chantelle LaMotte, AB
16 countries will compete in the 2024 Güibia NORCECA Tour
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 4, 2024.- A total of 16 countries will be taking action at the first stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour that will start this year in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
32 teams, 16 men and 16 women, confirmed their participation during the preliminary inspection held this Thursday seeking to advance from the preliminary group stage that begins this Friday at 8:00 am on the sand courts located on Güibia Beach in Santo Domingo .
The tournament consists of three days of competitions. On the first day of competition, 32 matches will be played, 16 matches per gender. The quarterfinals and semifinals will take place on Saturday and medal matches will be held on Sunday.
Teams:
Women’s Teams: CAN Roskic/Kok, Vicek/Crossfield; CAY Tulloch/Powery; CRC Quesada/Núñez; CUB Amanda/Drik; DOM Taveras/Paniagua; ESA Vasquez/Vigil; GUA Monney/Aguilar; MEX Albarrán/Ramos, Torres/Vidaurrazaga; NCA López/Lolette; PUR Navas/González; SOUTH Koningverander/Balkaran; TTO Choon/Selvon; USA Harward/DeBerg, Savvy/Van Winkle.
Men’s Teams: ARU Toro/De La Cruz; CAN Chambers/Abrams, McNeil/Russell; CAY Jesario/Watson; CRC Dyner/Varela; DOM De Jesús/Martínez, Rosario/Maldonado; ESA Flores/Guatemala; GUA Maldonado/García; MEX Galindo/Aguirre; NCA Mora/Cascante; SKN Morton/Clerique; SOUTH Naarden/Sporkslede; USA Brewster/Friend, Harrison/Cory; ISV Penberthy/Mayer.
Twenty Selected for Boys U19 USA National Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 4, 2024.- USA Volleyball is announcing the 20 players on the 2024 U.S. Boys U19 National Team.
The team will train May 3-11 in Anaheim, California. During that time, 12 athletes out of the 20 will be selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship on May 12-20 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Boys U19 Team has won the last two Pan American Cup tournaments in 2022 and ’23. The 2023 Boys U19 Team finished fourth at the World Championship, its best finish ever.
Charlie Sullivan, men’s head coach at Springfield College, will serve as the U19 head coach with assistance from Pat Shawaryn of Penn State and Chris Seiffert of Concordia Irvine.
“Having the opportunity to represent the United States is the ultimate honor for players and coaches,” Sullivan said. “I am excited to be a part of this new group of young men who are beginning their journey in the USA Volleyball pipeline.”
2024 Boys U19 National Team
Name (Pos., Ht, Hometown, School, USAV Region)
Layton Bluth (L, 5-8, Gilbert, Ariz., Casteel HS, Arizona)
Titus Brown (OH, 6-4, Groton, Conn., Robert E. Fitch HS, New England)
Dante Cayaban (MB, 6-6, St. Cloud, Fla., St. Cloud HS, Florida)
Thomas Demps IV (OH, 6-4, Raleigh, N.C., Broughton HS, Carolina)
Joel Eanes (Opp, 6-9, Virginia Beach, Va., Floyd E. Kellam HS, Old Dominion)
Blake Fahlbusch (OH, 6-8, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Loyola HS of Los Angeles, Southern California)
Matt Fisher (S, 6-6, Camarillo, Calif., Adolfo Camarillo HS, Southern California)
Myles Jordan (OH, 6-5, Houston, Texas, Ridge Point HS, Lonestar)
Cooper Keane (Opp, 6-6, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Mira Costa HS, Southern California)
Grant Lamoureux (OH, 6-10, Clemmons, N.C., West Forsyth HS, Carolina)
Isaiah McCoy (MB, 6-7, Lantana, Fla., The Kings Academy, Florida)
Noah Meabon (OH/Opp, 6-4, Fairport, N.Y., Fairport, Western Empire)
Leon Meng (L, 5-8, Los Altos, Calif., Homestead HS, Northern California)
Aleksey Mikhailenko (OH, 6-7, Mequon, Wis., Homestead HS, Badger)
Lincoln Myers (MB, 6-9, Madison, Wis., Vel Phillips Memorial HS, Badger)
Roman Payne (MB, 6-10, Carlsbad, Calif., Carlsbad HS, Southern California)
Thomas Phung (L, 5-10, Dallas, Texas, North Garland HS, Southern)
Luc Soerensen (MB, 6-8, Meadville, Pa., Meadville Area Senior HS, Southern)
Malakai Tuakoi (S, 6-3, Los Angeles, Calif., Da Vinci HS, Southern California)
Rafa Urbina (S, 6-6, Broomfield, Colo., Legacy HS, Rocky Mountain)
Head Coach: Charlie Sullivan (Springfield College)
Assistant Coach: Pat Shawaryn (Penn State)
Assistant Coach: Chris Seiffert (Concordia Irvine)
Performance Analyst: Evan Metzger (Springfield College)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Sean Byron (Marist College)
Seminar: “Mental Performance” for the Dominican Female Age-Group Teams
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 3, 2024. – A seminar on “Mental Performance” was held for the Dominican Female Age-Group National teams at the FIVB/NORCECA Regional Development Center led by Dr. Jovanny Montero, PhD, National Volleyball Mental Coach.
The seminar was focused on working on various strategies for Team Building and Conflict Management to strengthen the bond between the players and improve communication within the team.
The athletes had the opportunity to attend psycho-sport discussions that provide the necessary tools for conflict resolution in the sports context, highlighting the importance of effective communication and teamwork, so that they can identify, understand, and resolve conflicts constructively.
In addition, practical activities were carried out, including a group dynamic where the players shared their strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations were provided for their improvement. This allows for strengthening group cohesion, facilitating more open and effective communication among team members.
The players showed greater commitment to teamwork and a greater willingness to address conflicts, which contributes to the team’s ability to face the challenges of the game, as well as the team’s success in future competitions, creating more confidence, collaboration, and a better performance.
The Cangrejeras swept Valencianas again
JUNCOS, Puerto Rico, April 2, 2024.- Santurce Cangrejeras (2-0) swept Juncos Valencianas (0-2) once again in the second game of the A semifinal of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF).
Santurce achieved the victory 25-16, 25-17, and 25-23, at the Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos.
The capital team has won six consecutive sets in the series and tonight left Juncos’ offense without players in double digits again.
Andrea Rangel and McKenzie Adams scored 12 points each; Neira Ortiz and Helena Havelkova contributed 11 points each. Shirley Florián added eight points. Turkish player Yeliz Baza did not play today. Setter Carli Lloyd made 18 assists, 10 digs, and five points, two of them in blocks. Libero Deborah Seilhammer made 26 digs and eight passes.
For Juncos, Keishlyann Sánchez and Sh’Diamond Holly scored eight points each; and seven points from Kara McGhee. Setter Belle Morgan made 14 assists, 12 digs, and one point. Libero Madison Cruzado made 11 digs and 17 passes.
Semifinal A will continue on Wednesday, April 3 at 8:15 p.m. at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey.
Semifinal A
Saturday, March 30 Juncos (0-3) Santurce
Monday, April 1 Santurce (3-0) Juncos
Wednesday, April 3 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce
Friday, April 5 8:15 p.m. Santurce at Juncos
Sunday, April 7 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce (DSN)
Tuesday, April 9 8:15 p.m. Santurce at Juncos (DSN)
Thursday, April 11 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce (DSN)
(*DSN – If necessary)
Semifinal B begins Wednesday in Corozal
The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation announced that the schedule for the B semifinal series will begin this Wednesday, April 3.
Atenienses will visit the two-time champions Pinkin at the Carmen Zoraida Figueroa court in Corozal, home of the monarchs. The champion played the regular season at the José “Pepín” Cestero court in Bayamón, due to the remodeling work being done in Corozal.
Wednesday, April 3 8:15 p.m. Manatí at Corozal (Carmen Zoirada Figueroa Court)
Saturday, April 6 8:15 p.m. Corozal at Manatí
Sunday, April 7 7:00 p.m. Manatí at Corozal (Carmen Zoirada Figueroa Court)
Tuesday, April 9 8:15 p.m. Corozal at Manatí
Thursday, April 11 8:15 p.m. Manatí at Corozal (DSN)
Friday, April 12 8:15 p.m. Corozal at Manatí (DSN)
Sunday, April 14 7:00 p.m. Manatí at Corozal (DSN)
(*DSN – If necessary)
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
Sydney Hilley Earns Weekly League Honors
April 2, 2024.- After leading her team to two victories last week, Sydney Hilley of the Omaha Supernovas is the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports. She is the second Omaha player in the past four weeks to garner weekly recognition.
Hilley averaged 12.2 assists across seven sets, including a franchise-record 51 assists in a win over the Grand Rapids Rise. She followed that effort with a 35-assist performance in a three-set sweep against the Vegas Thrill.
The Brooklyn Park, Minn.-native also turned in a strong defensive performance, recording 15 digs versus the Rise before adding 11 more digs in the match with the Thrill. The stats equate to a 3.7 digs per set mark in the two outings. Hilley’s setter dump attack has become a timely maneuver as she tallied five kills on seven attacks against Grand Rapids while chipping in another kill versus Vegas.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Tuesday, April 2 when Omaha travels to San Diego to take on the Mojo.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
| Date | Player |
| April 2 | Sydney Hilley, Omaha Supernovas, S |
| March 26 | Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB |
| March 19 | Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S |
| March 12 | Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH |
| March 5 | Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP |
| February 27 | Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH |
| February 20 | Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP |
| February 13 | Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH |
| February 6 | Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
| January 30 | Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH |
Santo Domingo will host the First Event of the 2024 NORCECA Tour
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 1, 2024. – The 2024 season of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour will kick off at Güibia Beach on the Santo Domingo Pier in Dominican Republic.
The first stop of the 2024 NORCECA Tour in Güibia Beach will take place from April 5-7, featuring 32 teams (16 per gender) representing 15 countries from the Americas and the Caribbean. During the technical meeting scheduled for April 4, the official team registration and group distribution will be announced.
This is the first of three events leading up to the 2024 NORCECA Continental Tour Finals (May 11-15), which offers the opportunity to qualify for the NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualification Finals (June 19-24).
According to the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification System, in which it was established that a series of three (3) NORCECA Beach Tour Finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024, will qualify 12 National Federations per gender for the 2024 NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualification Finals foreseen to be held in the city of Tlaxcala, Mexico on June 19-24, 2024, and will qualify two teams (one per gender) for the Olympic Games.
At least seven dates are scheduled on the 2024 NORCECA Tour calendar: 2024 NORCECA Beach Tour
Díaz and Alayo win another Silver at a Beach Pro Tour Challenge event
SAQUAREMA, Brazil, April 1, 2024. – The Cuban duo of Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo secured the silver medal at the Challenge Beach Pro Tour World Beach Volleyball event held last weekend in Saquarema, Brazil, marking their second consecutive silver at this level.
The Cubans fought hard against hosts George Souto and Andre Loyola, who needed three sets (21-18, 17-21, 19-17) in the gold medal match.
Díaz and Alayo amassed five victories against two defeats, matching their outstanding performance from the previous week in Recife, where they also claimed a silver medal after losing in the final to a Brazilian pair (Evandro and Arthur).
The Cuban team began their journey to the final in elimination group B. They lost to hosts Vinicus Freitas and Frank Heitor (18-21, 14-21), but stayed alive by defeating Ukrainians Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik (19-21, 21-17, 15-12).
With a record of 1-1, they advanced to the round of 18 and defeated brothers Javier and Joaquín Bello, who represent Great Britain, in a 2-1 sets victory (21-18, 22-20).
In the round of 16, they won 2-1 (22-20, 19-21, 16-14) against renowned Brazilians Pedro Solberg and Gustavo Carvalhaes, advancing to the quarterfinals where they defeated Austrians Julian Hört and Alexander Horst 2-0 (21-14, 21-17).
**Saquarema Challenge – Final Results**
The next Challenge tournament of the season is set to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from April 11-14.
Santurce takes first game of Semifinal A in three sets against Juncos
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 31, 2024. – The leverages were felt on Saturday night at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey, in front of a large crowd that gathered for the first game of the Semifinal A Series of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF).
Santurce Cangrejeras needed 90 minutes to defeat Juncos Valencianas in three sets.
The capital team secured their first victory with 25-16, 25-16, and 25-18.
Turkish player Yeliz Baza was the top scorer for Cangrejeras with 18 points, 15 in attacks, two in blocks, one ace, and eight digs; American reinforcement Mckenzie Adams contributed 11 points, 10 in attacks, one block, 10 digs, and nine passes; Czech player Helena Havelkova helped with 10 points, eight in attacks, two blocks, seven digs, and 11 passes; and Puerto Rican Neira Ortiz with nine points, seven in attacks, and two blocks. American setter Carli Lloyd made 14 assists, 10 digs, and four points, two of them in direct serves.
For Juncos, which did not have players in double digits, Amethyst Harper was the best offensive player with nine points, all in attacks, and 11 passes; Kara McGhee with seven points, six in attacks, and one ace; Elissa Alcántara with five points.
The Semifinal A series between Santurce Cangrejeras and the Juncos Valencianas will continue on Monday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. at the Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos.
Semifinal A
Saturday, March 30 Juncos (0-3) Santurce
Monday, April 1 8:15 p.m. Santurce at Juncos
Wednesday, April 3 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce
Friday, April 5 8:15 p.m. Santurce at Juncos
Sunday, April 7 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce (DSN)
Tuesday, April 9 8:15 p.m. Santurce at Juncos (DSN)
Thursday, April 11 8:15 p.m. Juncos at Santurce (DSN)
(*DSN – If necessary)
On another note, the quarterfinal series A between Manatí Athenians (2-1) and Changas (1-2) will continue on Sunday, March 31at 7:00 p.m. with the fourth game at the Gelito Ortega court in Naranjito.
Manatí will seek to conclude the series to advance to the semifinals against the two-time champions Pinkin from Corozal; however, Naranjito will defend their territory with the mission of tying this battle to force a fifth and decisive game.
Series A
Sunday, March 24 Naranjito (1-3) Manatí
Tuesday, March 26 Manatí (3-1) Naranjito
Thursday, March 28 Naranjito (3-1) Manatí
Sunday, March 31 7:00 p.m. Manatí at Naranjito
Monday, April 1 8:00 p.m. Naranjito at Manatí (DSN)
(*DSN – If necessary)
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
27 Successful at FIVB Beach Volleyball Course
SCARBOROUGH, Trinidad and Tobago, March 29, 2024. – The Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation (TTVF) announced the successful completion of the international Beach Volleyball Coaching Course at the Courland Beach Volleyball Facility, which took place from March 24-28 and was conducted by Mr. Rick Bevis a Professor at the Vancouver Island University in Canada with the support of the experienced local coach, Mr. David Thomas.
TTVF President, Daymian Stewart who chaired the closing ceremony expressed his delight and vision for the sport of beach volleyball in this country. The TTVF has a plan to qualify to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. He also promised his former hometown more events including the growing Trinbago Beach Volleyball Tour and possibly a next continental Tour before year end at the new world class facility.
Stewart emphasized the importance of all stakeholders working together for the young people of our country and was thankful for the presence of the representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, SPORTT, Tobago House of Assembly and the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic committee.
SPORTT Board of Director Ms. Dianne Ruthlyn Antoine delivered positive greetings for the Minister of Sport and Community Development giving encouragement to the TTVF on its initiative.
THA’s Administrator Ms. Camille Trim of the Division of Community Development, Youth Development and Sport also addressed the ceremony and invited the TTVF to use the facility more.
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee General Secretary Ms. Annette Knott presented some gifts to the instructors and also expressed her pleasure with the event and the vision of the TTVF.
Mr. Rick Bevis of Vancouver Island University, Canada, the instructor assigned by the international body FIVB was very complementary to the TTVF on its vision and could not resist expressing his willingness to return to help in executing the Beach Volleyball Development plans.
Twenty-Seven (27) of the candidates were successful in there practical and theoretical assessment. They received their certification during the closing ceremony. Thirteen (13) of the successful candidates were from Tobago, there were also two guest participants from Grenada and St. Vincent courtesy scholarships from the continental body NORCECA.
The TTVF express their gratitude to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, The Tobago House of Assembly, E-IDCOT, Zen Sanctuary Condos, YMCA, FIVB, CAZOVA and NORCECA for all the support.
Juan Carlos Núñez appointed Head Coach of Puerto Rico Women’s National Team
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 28, 2024 – The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation announced the appointment of Juan Carlos Núñez, who returns for the third time as the head coach of the Senior Women’s National Team.
Núñez will be back in the position he held until 2016, after leading Puerto Rico to its first Olympic qualification in women’s indoor volleyball, securing a spot in the Rio Olympics.
Núñez, who has been the most successful coach in the women’s National League, will assume the role of head coach of the national team for the third time (2005-2008 / 2015-16).
It was informed that the Senior Women’s National Team has scheduled the NORCECA Final Four (June 5-10) in Puerto Rico this summer, followed by the NORCECA Final Six (June 21-30) in the Dominican Republic; the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Challenge Cup in July, and the Women’s Pan American Cup (August 21-31) in Mexico.
Núñez replaces Fernando Morales, who was announced last week as the head coach of the South Korean National Team.
“I’m a bit surprised because after the 2016 Olympics, I wasn’t involved in anything related to the National Program. I was away until last year when they called me to coach the women’s Under-17 team, which was the project I wanted to get involved in, and we managed to qualify for the World Championship in this age-group last year in Honduras, which will be held this year from August 17 to 24 in Lima, Peru” said Núñez.
“Since there is no conflict between the tournaments of the women’s Under-17 national team and the Senior team, this opportunity arose, and I am grateful to the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation”, said Núñez, who will lead both teams. “I have always said that there are two difficult positions, with a lot of pressure, criticism, and controversy, which are: being the head coach of the National Basketball Team and the Senior Women’s National Volleyball Team. And I accept this with great seriousness and responsibility as I am accustomed to” he emphasized.
Núñez’s coaching staff includes José Mieles as his assistant; Sheila Alicea (statistics); Félix Gordillo (physiotherapist), and Roberto Rivera (fitness coach).
“Now comes the process of meetings to schedule and set start dates to work towards the upcoming tournaments like the Final Four, which will be held in Puerto Rico in June”, Núñez concluded.
USA Volleyball Announces Schedules, Coaches for ’24 Female Age-Group Teams
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, March 28, 2024.- USA Volleyball has announced the coaches and support staff for 2024 U.S. girls and women’s age-group national teams.
Each NORCECA competition listed below will serve as a qualifier for the 2025 FIVB World Championship in that respective age group. Additionally, USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) has confirmed training blocks and coaching staffs for each continental championship and the Collegiate National Team program.
The Women’s Collegiate National Team will train in Anaheim, California, alongside members of the U.S. Women’s National Team as they prepare for the Paris Olympic Games.
2024 U21 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship
Team: Women’s U21 National Team (Born in 2005 or younger)
Competition Dates: June 23-July 1 in Toronto, Canada
Training Dates: June 14-22 in Anaheim, California
Head Coach: Heather Olmstead, BYU
Assistant Coach: Alex Dunphy, Stanford
Assistant Coach: Jaylen Reyes, Nebraska
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham, USC
Athletic Trainer: Rachel Menze, CSUN
Team Leader: Courtney Smith
2024 U19 NORCECA Girls Continental Championship
Team: Girls U19 National Team (Born in 2007 or younger)
Competition Dates: July 12-20 in Honduras
Training Dates for 20 athletes: June 8-13 in Anaheim, California
Training Dates for 12 athletes selected for competition: July 8-11 in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Head Coach: Jamie Morrison, Texas A&M
Assistant Coach: Michelle Chatman, LOVB
Assistant Coach: Keegan Cook, Minnesota
Performance Analyst: Margaret Eppright, LOVB
Athletic Trainer: Cherryl Bueno
Team Leader: Kyle Thompson, Maryland
Women’s Collegiate National Team
Training Dates: June 30-July 6 in Anaheim, California
Head Coach: Chris McGown, Gold Medal Squared
Assistant Coach: Suzie Fritz, LOVB
Assistant Coach: Danielle Scott, LOVB
Assistant Coach: TBD
Performance Analyst: Michael Bouril, Purdue
Athletic Trainer: Cherryl Bueno
Team Leader: Alex Purvey
The mission of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) is to identify, recruit and accelerate the development of high-potential junior volleyball players for the ultimate purpose of strengthening our national team programs to achieve sustained competitive excellence.
O’Neal Garners Latest Weekly Accolades
March 27, 2024.-The Southlake, Texas-native led her team to a 1-1 week, highlighted by a victory over league-leading Atlanta, which stopped the Vibe’s five-match winning streak. She had 34 points for the week, finishing with 4.25 per set.
The Southlake, Texas-native led her team to a 1-1 week, highlighted by a victory over league-leading Atlanta, which stopped the Vibe’s five-match winning streak. She had 34 points for the week, finishing with 4.25 per set.
Returning from an injury in the match against Grand Rapids, O’Neal put down 13 kills, the second-most on her team. She followed with 17 kills versus Atlanta, recording an efficient .556 attack percentage. She also notched two aces during her play last week.
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented by Franklin Sports
Date Player
March 26 Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB
March 19 Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S
March 12 Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH
January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH
Para mayor información visita ProVolleyball.com
FIVB Beach Volleyball Course in Tobago
SCARBOROUGH, Trinidad and Tobago, March 25th, 2024.- An international Beach Volleyball Coaching Course started on Sunday at the Courland Beach Volleyball Facility constructed for the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Black Rock Tobago.
The course that has thirty (30) participants is organized by the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation (TTVF) and will conclude on March 28th kicked off with a small opening ceremony chaired by TTVF President, Daymian Stewart expressing the importance of this program to the TTVF’s strategic plan of the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation, which has as its major milestone the qualification for the 2032 Olympic Games Beach Volleyball in Brisbane.
Also, former NAAA’s boss and SPORTT Company member Mr. Ephraim Serrette greeted the participants and echoed the sentiments of President Stewart about the importance of this development work towards the achieving the desired goals of the federation.
TTOC General Secretary Ms. Annette Knott as the key speaker, welcomed this positive activity in her native Tobago and encouraged the continued use of the facility in Black Rock. She also disclosed that the Olympic movement is already in talks with the TTVF on a next development project for under 19 athletes from around the Caribbean.
The final speaker was Mr. Rick Bevis of Vancouver Island University, Canada, the instructor assigned by the international body FIVB. Mr. Bevis expressed his pleasure of attending this course in Tobago and he is happy to be given the opportunity to deliver his knowledge to eager coaches.
Also in attendance was World Cup footballer and THA representative Mr. Cyd Gray and Trinidad and Tobago Senior Beach Coach Mr. David Thomas serving as the assistant instructor.
The participants included two (2) foreigners on Scholarship from NORCECA from Grenada and St. Vincent and Seventeen (17) participants are from Tobago.
The course will close on Holy Thursday with a written and practical examination. The Minister of Sport and Community Development, the Honorable Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis is expected to address the closing ceremony of the course held in her constituency.
The TTVF expresses its gratitude to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, The Tobago House of Assembly, E-IDCOT, Zen Sanctuary Condos, YMCA, FIVB, CAZOVA and NORCECA for all the support.
Juncos swept the series against Caguas and advanced to the LVSF semifinals
JUNCOS, Puerto Rico, March 25, 2024 – Valencianas de Juncos (3-0) qualified for the semifinal series of the Women’s Volleyball Superior League of Puerto Rico (LVSF) by defeating Criollas de Caguas (0-3) in the third game of the quarterfinals of the 2024 tournament.
The victory came in four sets 25-27, 25-19, 25-22, and 29-27, for Valencianas, at the Rafaek G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos.
Juncos secured their ticket to the semifinal undefeated, 3-0 sweeping the series against Caguas; and will now face the leaders of the regular series, Cangrejeras de Santurce. The A semifinal will begin on Saturday, March 30, at 8:15 p.m. at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey.
Valencianas made 11 direct services against Caguas, seven of them from Keishlyann Sánchez who had a streak of three consecutively in the second set. In addition, Juncos achieved 14 points in blocks, two of them in the fourth set to tie the scoreboard (27-27), and take the lead, 28-27. Point 29, the winning point for Juncos, came from a kill error by Criollas’ reinforcement, Nia Parker-Robinson.
Amethyst Harper and Kara McGhee contributed 17 points each in Valencianas’ victory. Harper scored 15 in attacks, one block, one ace, 14 digs, and 14 passes; McGhee made 11 in attacks, five in blocks, and one ace; Sánchez helped with 13 points, four in attacks, two blocks, seven direct services, 13 digs, and eight passes; Elissa Alcántara ended the night with 12 points, 10 in attacks, one block, one ace, and 13 digs; and Sh’ Diamond Holly with 11 points, seven in attacks, and four in blocks.
For Caguas, the top scorer was Haley Bush with 20 points, 16 in attacks, three blocks, one ace, four digs, and 10 passes; Nia Parker-Robinson made 14 points, 12 in attacks, one block, one ace, and 14 digs; Janice Leao with 13 points, seven in attacks, and six in blocks; Breanna Edwards with 11 points, all in attacks, 11 digs, and 10 passes; and Diana Reyes with 10 points, all in attacks.
Series A: Atenienses claim the first one
Atenienses de Manatí (1-0) dominated in four sets against the Changas de Naranjito (0-1) in the first match of the Series A of the quarterfinals of the LVSF.
The sets of the victory for Atenienses ended 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, and 25-19, at the Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu Coliseum in Manatí.
The American reinforcements Zoe Weatherington and Taylor Borup achieved 21 points each for Manatí. Weatherington scored 19 points in attacks, two in blocks, and 17 digs; Borup with 14 points in attacks, six in blocks, one ace, 14 digs, and 26 passes; captain Karla Santos returned to the game today with 15 points, 14 in attacks, one ace, 15 digs, and six passes; and Claudio Dillon with eight points.
For Naranjito, Génesis Collazo was the top scorer with 21 points, 20 in attacks, one ace, and 17 digs; Kayla Lund scored 19 points, all in attacks, 18 digs, and nine passes; Adanna Rollins with 13 points, 10 in attacks, three in blocks, 17 digs, and 22 passes; and Kianna Schmitt with 11 points, nine in attacks, and two in blocks.
The Series A continues on Tuesday, March 26, starting at 8:15 p.m. when the Atenienses visit the Changas at 8:15 p.m. at the Gelito Ortega court in Naranjito.
The quarterfinal series are a maximum of five games (5-3).
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
Cuba and Canada win Silver in Recife Challenge Beach Pro Tour
RECIFE, Brazil, March 25, 2024.- Cuba’s Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz and Canada’s Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec earned a silver medal on Sunday at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Recife Challenge tournament in Brazil.
Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci took full advantage of their first home event in Recife, with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) win over Alayo and Díaz in front of a packed center court.
Alayo and Díaz earned their way to the finals winning 2-0 over Argentina’s Capogrosso/Capogrosso in the Round of 16, 2-0 against Canada’s Schachter/Dearing in quarterfinals and 2-0 over Bello/Bello from England in semifinals.
While in the women’s field, Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina won the gold-medal match 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) over the Canadians tandem.
Canada came up from the qualifying round to have an almost perfect tournament, including a 2-0 win in semifinals over Ittlinger/Borger of Germany.
Many of the teams competing in Brazil are earning important points towards Paris 2024 Olympic berths. In each gender, 17 spots will be obtained through the Olympic ranking until the June 9 deadline and high-level Beach Pro Tour events offer points towards that ranking.
The battle to qualify for this summer’s Olympics is set to have another chapter in Brazil as the country will host another Beach Pro Tour Challenge event next week, with teams heading south to Saquarema, where they will compete from Thursday to Sunday.
Two-time champions Pinkin de Corozal reach Semifinals
BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico, March 20, 2024 – The national champions Pinkin de Corozal (14-10) narrowly defeated Valencianas de Juncos (11-13) on the final day of the 2024 regular season of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF), securing the second position and a direct ticket to the semifinals.
Corozal won 25-18, 25-20, and 25-13, at the José “Pepín” Cestero court in Bayamón.
The champions earned the three points they needed to reach 39 points and bring their record to 14-10, just like Atenienses, but Corozal won the series 3-1 against Manatí and secured the second spot and the last vacancy in the semifinals alongside the leaders Cangrejeras de Santurce (19-5).
Corozal did not have the reinforcement of Emma Clothier, who was on the bench but did not play.
Dominican reinforcement Yanlis Feliz was the top scorer for the champions with 22 points, 19 in attacks, two in blocks, one ace, 10 digs, and 12 passes; Daly Santana contributed with 13 points, all in attacks, seven digs, and eight passes; Isabella Bergmark with seven points, four in attacks, and three blocks; and Génesis Castillo and Adriana Rodríguez with six points each.
No players for Juncos scored double digits. Elissa Alcántara and Sh’ Diamond Holly each scored eight points.
The Pinkin return to Corozal
In a communication sent to the team representatives, the tournament director of the LVSF, José “Picky” Servera, announced that the representative of the champions, Lillibeth Rojas, “informed us that her team will return to play their matches in Corozal regardless of tonight’s result”.
Pinkin played the entire 2024 regular season at the Pepín Cestero court in Bayamón due to renovations being carried out at the Carmen Zoraida Figueroa court in Corozal.
Quarterfinals begin Thursday in Juncos
Valencianas de Juncos will host the Criollas de Caguas this Thursday, March 21, starting at 8:00 p.m. at the Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum for the start of the quarterfinal Series B of the LVSF.
The quarterfinal series will be played up to a maximum of five games (5-3).
FIVB And Volleyball World Select the Philippines as Host Country for Prestigious Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025
March 20, 2024.- The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and Volleyball World are delighted to announce the selection of the Philippines as the host country for the highly anticipated FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 2025. The event is scheduled to take place from 12 to 28 September and will bring together the world’s top 32 volleyball teams vying for the championship title.
The Philippines emerged as the successful bidder amidst an extremely competitive field of potential hosts. The final decision was made following a rigorous evaluation process where the FIVB and Volleyball World found the Philippine bid to be particularly strong; with its emphasis on ensuring a continued growth of the event and the country’s commitment to the development of volleyball globally.
“This prestigious event will not only inspire a new generation of athletes but will also help to encourage increased participation in sport at all levels in the country and wider region,” stated FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F°. “We are confident that the Philippines, supported by our innovative Volleyball Empowerment programme, will host an extraordinary World Championship that will leave a lasting legacy and help to cultivate an even brighter future for our sport globally.”
“It is with great excitement that we announce the Philippines as the host for the Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025,” said Finn Taylor, CEO of Volleyball World. “This decision underscores our dedication to expanding volleyball’s global footprint and engaging with fans worldwide. The Philippines, with its proven track record of hosting major volleyball events and passionate fanbase, is well-positioned to deliver an exceptional championship that will showcase the best of the sport.”
The Philippine bid was led by the country’s government. The collaboration between key executives, several administrative departments, the country’s Secretary of Tourism, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and private stakeholders played a pivotal role in securing the bid and demonstrating the country’s readiness to host a world-class sporting event.
Senator of the Philippines Pia Caytano stated “Our successful bid to host the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship further reinforces our country’s track record in staging world-class events. With the support and commitment of both our government, and the private sector, we can be certain that it will be a fantastic spectacle.
As a former national volleyball athlete myself, I am excited that the highest level of men’s volleyball competition will be staged in our very own country, to a nation that loves the sport with passion. We get to bring this international competition to the Philippines, for the Filipino people to witness it first-hand. It has been my personal advocacy to make sports more accessible, especially to our youth. We also have the honor of welcoming 32 teams as well as a global audience where they can experience world-renowned Filipino hospitality and colorful Filipino culture. I have always believed that sports can transform communities and change lives. It has the power to bring together a country and other nations. This is one of those opportunities. Our country is a volleyball-loving country. And it is with great pleasure that we welcome FIVB and Volleyball World to the Philippines.”
As part of the event, the Philippines’ Secretary of Tourism will integrate the “LOVE THE Philippines” promotional campaign, highlighting the country’s beauty and hospitality to a global audience. This campaign will serve as a key element in promoting the Philippines not only as the host of the Volleyball Men’s World Championship but also as a premier tourist destination.
“The Philippines’ hosting of this global volleyball event bolsters our sports tourism portfolio, driving economic growth, highlighting the country’s diverse array of tourism offerings that promise a truly unforgettable Philippine Experience,” stated Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco. “We are eager to showcase to the international volleyball community the many reasons to Love the Philippines: from our award-winning destinations, our mega biodiversity, our deep well of culture and heritage, the tapestry of traditions and talents across our islands, and the warmth and hospitality of the Filipino people. We reiterate the Department of Tourism’s full support and commitment to ensure the successful hosting of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Championship in 2025.”
PNVF President Ramon Suzara proudly stated “If there is one thing that we, Filipinos, can do well, it is to equally give every team the best conditions so that they can fully focus on the competition and the championship trophy; to make them feel at home right in our own home. For this, I am ready, our team is ready, the Philippines is ready to boldly face the challenge and to fulfil the dream, as we work collectively to serve volleyball. If you love volleyball then you will surely love the Philippines. See you all in 2025!”
Stay tuned for further updates as we embark on this exciting journey to bring the Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025 to the Philippines!
About the FIVB The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), together with its National Federations, is the sole, global volleyball regulatory body responsible for all forms of volleyball and its development. With its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, the FIVB works closely with all stakeholders of the global Volleyball Family to promote and develop the sport worldwide. Established in 1947, the FIVB is committed to supporting the growth of national teams and athletes across the globe through world-leading development programmes like Volleyball Empowerment. The FIVB is part of the Olympic Movement, contributing to the success of the Olympic Games.
About Volleyball World Volleyball World is a new partnership between the FIVB and the CVC Capital Partners aimed at driving growth, innovation, and investment in volleyball around the globe. Its goal is to create an integrated ecosystem connecting all volleyball stakeholders (fans, athletes, corporate partners) together through both digital and live events. Volleyball World is responsible for the commercial operation of key volleyball and beach volleyball international events, including: the World Championships, Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Qualifiers and Beach Pro Tour.
About the Philippine National Volleyball Federation The PNVF, also known as Volleyball Philippines, is the national governing body for volleyball in the Philippines. With a vision to elevate Philippine volleyball to new heights, the PNVF is focused on ensuring the sustainability of volleyball programmes across all stakeholder groups.
Fernando Morales Makes History in Puerto Rican Volleyball
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 19, 2024. – March 18, 2024, will be a historic day for Puerto Rican volleyball, with Fernando Morales signing on as the new coach of the Korean national women’s team.
Morales opens a unique door in this sport as he becomes the first coach born in the island to work with a national team from another country.
“It was a very difficult decision to leave Puerto Rico after so many years as a player, assistant coach, and coach. But it’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass on, and it’s a big step for my career”, explained Morales.
Morales will make his debut on May 14 in the FIVB Nations League when he faces China. In the first phase, his other opponents will be Brazil, Dominican Republic, Canada, United States, Serbia, and Thailand.
Leading Puerto Rico last summer, Morales achieved an historic victory against the Dominican Republic in the Pan American Cup, where he later won the silver medal. He also won a silver medal in the 2021 at the NORCECA Championship and a silver medal in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador.
His work in the Korean peninsula will begin next month. “Training begins on April 15, so in less than a month, we’ll be there working together with Jesús (Echevarría)”. Echevarría, who worked with Morales in the Puerto Rican national team and at the University of Evansville, will be his assistant in Korea.
His agreement in Korea will last for the next three years until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “My agreement is for three years, but their plans are to have someone for two cycles; everything will be analyzed in due time”, concluded the former player with 15 seasons in Europe.
Glass Childress Selected For Weekly Award
March 19, 2024.- After helping her team record the first reverse sweep in league history, Alisha Glass Childress has been named the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports. She is the first Vegas Thrill player to earn recognition this season.
The first setter in league history to earn weekly accolades, Glass Childress averaged 11.2 assists in the tight five-set victory over Grand Rapids. The native of Leland, Mich. boasted a total of 56 assists, while helping her hitters to 10 points in the decisive fifth set, a 15-12 victory for the Thrill.
Glass Childress racked up 10 digs, three block touches and four kills in the five-set match. She leads the league in assists with 520 on the season.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Wednesday, March 20 when Grand Rapids plays at Columbus.
For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com
2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week Presented By Franklin Sports
Date Player
March 19 Alisha Glass Childress, Vegas Thrill, S
March 12 Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH
Santurce closed out their regular series as the absolute leaders with 58 points
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 19, 2024. – The Santurce Cangrejeras (19-5) concluded their participation in the regular series of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) with their tenth consecutive victory and a direct ticket to the semifinals.
Santurce defeated Naranjito Changas (8-16), who ended their four consecutive winning streak, but not their qualification for the 2024 postseason.
The sets of the victory for Santurce were 25-14, 25-16, and 25-18 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey.
Cangrejeras earned three points, totaling 58 points to finish the regular season as absolute leaders in the standings.
McKenzie Adams was the top scorer for Santurce with 16 points, 14 in attacks, two in blocks, seven digs, and six receptions; Neira Ortiz contributed 12 points, eight in attacks, and four in blocks; Yeliz Basa with 10 points, all in attacks, and seven digs; and Andrea Rangel with nine points, all in attacks.
For Naranjito, there were no players in double digits. The best offensive player was Andrea Serra with nine points, all in attacks, nine digs, and nine receptions.
The action in women’s volleyball continues on Tuesday, March 19, with the last match of the LVSF regular series when the two-time champions Pinkin de Corozal host the Valencianas de Juncos at 8:00 p.m. at the José “Pepín Cestero” court in Bayamón. This match will decide the second position and the direct pass to the semifinals between Manatí and Corozal.
Manatí has already finished their regular series matches. Corozal needs to win in three or four sets against Juncos to earn three points and tie 39 points with Manatí and a record of 14-10; but the champions would remain in second place because they won the series 3-1 against the Atenienses. If Corozal wins in five sets or loses, Manatí retains the second position and the direct pass to the semifinals.
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
U13-Volley Fest 2024 concludes in Suriname
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, March 17, 2024.- The first U13-Fest of the Surinamese Volleyball Association (Suvobo) has come to an end. Coordinator Eric Aikman looks back positively on the pilot. “It’s all about the kids. They enjoyed it and learned from it,” Aikman emphasizes. He admits that there is always room for improvement in terms of organization and that it was a good learning moment for everyone.
The first U13-Volley Fest was open to schools, clubs as well as private clubs. For the boys, Survos, Yelyco and Bazooka were the participating clubs and for the girls, Survos participated with several teams. The mixed teams were always a mix of the three clubs and players of Survos.
“Organizationally, we can or should do much better, but I think we have learned that from this”.
Annual character
“In the coming year, we are going to organize it again anyway and bigger,” says Suvobo chairman Lionel Blokland. Aikman hopes that more teams will participate. The Volley Fest ended on Saturday afternoon after four weekends in the Ismay van Wilgen Sports Hall.
Blokland liked it. “Some of the kids were ahead of the rest, but during the game everything seemed to be on one level. The parents really enjoyed it too,” Blokland continues. Aikman believes that introducing children to competitive sports at an early age can only have long- term benefits for their level. “In a few years, we will be able to participate in international tournaments with better teams.”
Learned from it
Aikman continues to insist that things can and must always be better. “Organizationally, we can or should do much better, but I think we learned that from this. It gets better.” Blokland points out that Suriname, especially as far as men are concerned, has risen considerably in position in the region and internationally.
“We notice from playing within South America that the reality check is there and the introduction to the sport is getting younger and younger, because you have to have follow- up in categories that are higher. We first prepared the framework for this group (VT-1 and possibly VT-2) and we need to make a good organization around it.”
The winners have all had medals and cups. The champions in the boys and girls received three vouchers from McDonalds and SRD 400.
Final Ranking
Boys: 1. Yelyco, 2. Survos, 3. Bazooka
Girls: overall winner: Survos; Mix: 1. Survos, 2. Yelyco, 3. Bazooka
Changas secure the classification and eliminate the Mets
CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, March 17, 2024. – The Naranjito Changas (8-15) achieved their goal of qualifying for the postseason of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF), by defeating the Caguas Criollas (9-14) in four sets at the Roger Mendoza court.
The sets of the match ended 22-25, 29-27, 25-21, and 16-13 in favor of the visitors.
Naranjito earned three points to reach 29, which eliminates the Guaynabo Mets (9-15), who lost in the minimum against Santurce in their last match of the regular series.
With the 29 points, Changas, under the direction of Luis “Feñito” Rodríguez, move from seventh place to fourth, tying with the Criollas. Naranjito has one match left on Monday 19 against Santurce.
Kayla Lund was the top scorer for Naranjito with 20 points, 18 in attacks, two in blocks, 20 digs, and nine receptions; Adanna Rollins helped with 19 points, 15 in attacks, three in blocks, one ace, 17 digs, and 18 receptions; and Génesis Collazo with 18 points, 16 in attacks, one block, one ace, and 17 digs.
For Caguas, Adeola Owokoniran with 20 points, 17 in attacks, three in blocks, four digs, and 19 receptions; Nia Parker-Robinson with 16 points, 15 in attacks, one block, and 17 digs; and Chareika Carrión with 12 points, nine in attacks, two in blocks, one ace, 20 digs, and nine receptions.
Santurce reached 55 points at the top
Santurce Cangrejeras (18-5) secured their ninth consecutive victory of the tournament after defeating the Guaynabo Mets (9-15) in three sets (25-23, 25-18, and 25-20).
Santurce, which already has a direct pass to the semifinals, remains the leader with 55 points, while Guaynabo finished the regular season and was eliminated after Naranjito’s victory against Caguas in four sets.
American McKenzie Adams made a big debut as the top scorer for the Cangrejeras with 16 points, 15 in attacks, one block, four digs, and four receptions; Yeliz Basa contributed 14 points, 11 in attacks, two in blocks, and one ace; Neira Ortiz with 12 points, seven in attacks, and five in blocks; and Helena Havelkova with 11 points, eight in attacks, two in blocks, and one ace.
For Guaynabo, Haley Bush was the only player in double digits with 16 points, 15 in attacks, and one block; Stephanie Rivera and Naya Gross with eight points each.
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
Nuneviller Earns First League Honor For Supernovas
March 12, 2024.- For the first time in 2024, a player from the Omaha Supernovas has captured weekly accolades as Brooke Nuneviller has been selected as the Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week.
The opposite hitter recorded a season-high 20 kills on a season-best .313 hitting percentage in her team’s five-set victory over Orlando on Saturday. She also collected 18 digs to post her seventh straight double-double and eighth overall this year.
The Supernovas’ team captain also registered her fifth ace and fifth block of the inaugural campaign. Nuneviller finished with 22 points on the night to increase her overall total to 139 points in 34 sets in 2024.
Nuneviller played her best when it counted most, adding five kills on six swings for a .667 hitting percentage in the decisive fifth set as the Supernovas finished the match off with a 15-6 set victory.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Thursday, March 14 when Atlanta travels to Omaha for a battle of the two teams tied for first place in the league standings.
For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com
2024 Weekly Awards
Date Player
March 12 Brooke Nuneviller, Omaha Supernovas, OH
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta Vibe, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH
Lima will be the Host City of the 2027 Pan American Games
MIAMI, United States, March 12, 2024 .- In a close vote at the Extraordinary General Assembly, the Peruvian capital was chosen by the member countries of Panam Sports with 28 votes in favor, as the city that will host the continental event.
“We are happy for this triumph. We will work to make everyone’s experience the best they have had, and you have the absolute devotion of more than 33 million Peruvians. Thank you for trusting us”, said the President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, Renzo Manyari.
After two intense months of candidacy, today the city that will organize the next Pan American Games 2027 was finally chosen.
At 9:00 am (ET), the Extraordinary General Assembly of Panam Sports began, which featured the official presentations of the candidate cities Lima and Asunción from Miami, United States.
Both cities had a 40-minute presentation led by the Presidents of the Olympic Committees of Peru and Paraguay, Renzo Manyari and Camilo Pérez respectively. They showed videos, messages from their main authorities, and then submitted questions from participating member countries.
After that, the virtual voting took place, a process that was handled by the British company Lumi. After a few minutes, the President of the Legal Commission of Panam Sports, Michael Chambers, handed the envelope of the winning city to the highest authority of the continental organization.
“The city that will host the next Pan American Games 2027 with 28 votes in favor is… Lima, Peru”, said the President of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic.
Joy erupted among the representatives of Lima and throughout Peru. After organizing the XVIII Pan American Games in 2019 in a great way, the most important multi-sport event of the continent returns to Peruvian lands in 2027.
“I want to highlight the transparency of the process and the brotherhood of both nations that competed healthily for the right to host the 2027 Pan American Games. I want to congratulate Lima, the Peruvian Olympic Committee, and its president Renzo Manyari, and all of Peru for this tremendous achievement. A few years ago, they made an entire continent vibrate and today, with more experience and spectacular infrastructure, they want to repeat or improve the success achieved in 2019”, said the President of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic.
“I also take this opportunity to congratulate Paraguay and President Camilo Pérez. They are doing a great job with Paraguayan sports and their athletes, so my call is for them to continue growing and developing. They have a tremendous challenge ahead with the Pan American Junior Games in 2025, where I am sure they will be great hosts for the entire continent”, added Ilic.
For his part, the President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee was emphatic in stating that “We are happy for this triumph. We will work to make everyone’s experience the best they have had, and you have the absolute devotion of more than 33 million Peruvians. Thank you for trusting us. Thanks also to President Dina Boluarte and her unwavering support for this candidacy. Together We Win!”
Lima or Asunción? The Americas Elect the Host City of the 2027 Pan American Games
Tomorrow, March 12, the city that will host the continental event in 2027 will be elected in a vote in which all the National Olympic Committees members of Panam Sports will participate.
A total of 40 countries will participate in the Extraordinary General Assembly, with a total of 52 votes. Panam Sports Channel will be the official and exclusive channel for this election.
Miami, March 11, 2024.- We are just a few hours away from announcing the host city of the next 2027 Pan American Games.
This Tuesday, at the Extraordinary General Assembly of Panam Sports that will be held virtually for all member countries, the election that will define the winning city will be carried out.
The Executive Board and representatives of the candidate cities of Lima and Asuncion will be in Miami. The rest of the participants, Presidents and Secretaries General of the National Olympic Committees, will connect by zoom.
Each of the candidate cities will have 40 minutes to make a presentation to the Assembly, and then time will be given for questions and answers from the member countries.
After the presentations from Lima and Asuncion, the vote will be held. There are 40 member countries with a total of 52 votes, as the Constitution provides that each country that has hosted the Pan American Games is entitled to two votes.
The election of the host city will be carried out by secret ballot. The winning candidate city will need a majority of votes cast by the NOC members of Panam Sports present at the General Assembly with the right to vote.
“We are very happy with the way that this process has turned out. There is a lot of expectation, as we have two great cities of our continent competing for the honor of hosting the 2027 Pan American Games. I am sure that whoever wins this Tuesday will give everything for the success of our Games”, said the Panam Sports President, Neven Ilic.
To ensure the transparency and success of the process, Panam Sports hired the services of renowned British company Lumi, an expert in virtual elections that has worked with the International Olympic Committee and International Federations.
It should be noted that the Extraordinary General Assembly in which the host city of the 2027 Pan American Games will be elected will be broadcast live and exclusively for the entire world through the Panam Sports Channel, starting at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern time).
The following is the detailed program of the Extraordinary General Assembly:
• Opening of the Extraordinary General Assembly. Remarks by Jimena Saldaña, Secretary General of Panam Sports and Roll Call
• Welcome remarks by President Neven Ilic
• Panam Sports Evaluation Commission Report
• Questions and answers
• City 1 – Presentation
• Questions and answers
• City 2 – Presentation
• Questions and answers
• Voting
• Remarks by President Neven Ilic and announcement of the voting’s results
• Remarks by the President of the National Olympic Committee of the elected city
• Closing remarks
• Closing of the Extraordinary General Assembly
Note: The order of presentation of the candidate cities will be determined through a draw that will be held today, March 11, 2024, at the Executive Board meeting
Canada takes silver in Doha
DOHA, Qatar, March 9, 2024.- Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson take home a silver medal from the first Elite 16 of the year at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour stop in Doha, and Sara Hughes alongside Kelly Cheng of the United States take the bronze.
Melissa & Brandie knocked out two powerful Brazilian pairs on the way to the final but stopped short of beating a third one Bárbara Seixas and Carol Salgado in the gold medal showdown. Seventh-seeded Barbara & Carol showed a solid performance against the fourth-seeded Canadians and mastered a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) shutout to lift the trophy in the Qatari capital.
“It was a hard-fought week of great competition. It feels great to be back on tour playing against the best,” said Humana-Paredes. “We had a tough pre-season preparing for this, so we’re happy to see the things we worked on in action. A big team effort! Would have loved a better showing in the finals but the positive is we have a lot of good to take back home and work on.”
The field in Doha, Qatar, was packed with top-ranking teams. Canada is currently ranked fourth in the world.
Canada defeated number-one ranked Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Ana Patricia Ramos of Brazil in the quarterfinals and then in the semis, Melissa/Brandie beat Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina of Latvia 2-1 to advance.
Hughes/Cheng of USA, reigning world champions who are already qualified for Paris 2024, won the bronze-medal match over Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova & Tina Graudina on the way to a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) sweep. For the reigning world champions, the Doha bronze was the pair’s first ever on the Beach Pro Tour. They also have five golds and a silver on their record.
Beach volleyball rankings: https://en.volleyballworld.com/beachvolleyball/world-ranking/women
NORCECA Female International Referees Share their stories to Celebrate International Women’s Day
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 8, 2024.- To celebrate and recognize International Women’s Day 2024, the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation Refereeing Commission hosted a virtual session “Sharing Our Story” to Inspire and Include NORCECA Female International Referees.
Guy Bradbury, president of the NORCECA Refereeing Commission, highlighted this was the second occasion that NORCECA female international referees had the opportunity to speak about their experiences refereeing at an international level, how they’ve been inspired in doing so and promoting inclusion in volleyball.
Julie Voeck of the United States, member of the NORCECA Refereeing Commission, was the moderator of the virtual session that was divided into two panels.
The first panel was taking a moment to listen to Suzanne Lowry, FIVB International Beach Volleyball Referee and USA National Referee, who spoke about officiating as First Referee for the outdoor match in Nebraska, United States with more than 94,000 spectators, an event in August that set a new world record for the most highly attended women’s sporting event in history.
Suzanne shared her experience sharing how she prepared before the match, the atmosphere and her vivid feelings about the great responsibility and excitement taking part in this great historic event that exposed volleyball to the world, which inspired young girls that aspire to become athletes, coaches and referees. “This was life changing for my career, it gave a sense of awe, pride and inspiration”.
The second panel was a “Q&A” session with the new International Referee Candidates who participated in the Beach Volleyball and Volleyball International Referee Course that took place in January in Puerto Rico, who shared their journeys to becoming a NORCECA International Referee. Among them Rebecca Johannes – PUR (beach), Rochelle Artwell – JAM (beach), Chantal Kasters – SUR (indoor), Breanna Spain – USA (indoor), Ana Marlenis Rodriguez – DOM (indoor) and Diana De la Mora – MEX (beach).
Guy explained that 55 Female International Referees are part of NORCECA and continues to grow, “NORCECA is the only Confederation in the world that is developing International Referee Courses and 54% of the participants during the International Referee Course held in January were female”.
In her closing words, Julie stated “we enjoyed this gathering to celebrate women, inspiring inclusion and their amazing journey full of meaningful moments, which have led us to become a family”.
While Guy thanked each and everyone for their commitment as referees in NORCECA, which have led them to take time from their families, work and friends “as a Confederation we send you our appreciation to help grow volleyball in NORCECA. Happy whistling”.
Atlanta’s Lazareva Collects Weekly Award
March 5, 2024.- For the third time this season, an Atlanta Vibe player has earned weekly recognition after Anna Lazareva was selected as Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week.
The opposite hitter led her team to a 2-1 week, including back-to-back sweeps as the Vibe moved into a tie for first place in the league standings. In three matches overall, she tallied 56 points, 49 kills, 41 digs, six blocks and three aces.
She started off the week with a double-double of 15 kills and 20 digs in a loss to Omaha before recording 12 kills and nine digs in a win over Vegas. Lazareva then finished strong, posting 20 kills and 14 digs while hitting at a .326 clip in Atlanta’s victory over San Diego.
For the week, she notched averages of 6.2 points, 5.4 kills, 4.6 digs and 0.7 blocks. Players from the Vibe have now collected three of the six weekly honors presented so far in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation season.
Pro Volleyball Federation action continues on Saturday with three matches – Columbus at Grand Rapids (Noon ET), Vegas at Atlanta (7 p.m. ET) and Omaha at Orlando (7 p.m. ET).
For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com
2024 Weekly Awards
Date Player
March 5 Anna Lazareva, Atlanta, OPP
February 27 Reagan Cooper, Columbus, OH
February 20 Emiliya Dimitrova, Grand Rapids, OPP
February 13 Adora Anae, Orlando Valkyries, OH
February 6 Leah Edmond, Atlanta Vibe, OH
January 30 Alli Linnehan, Atlanta Vibe, OH
Santurce, Naranjito, and Corozal win in Puerto Rico’s Women’s Superior League
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 3, 2024 – Santurce Cangrejeras (12-5) achieved a quick victory in three sets (25-19, 25-20, and 25-16) against Juncos Valencianas (9-9) at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey.
With the win, Santurce earned three points to stay at the top of the overall standings of the 204th Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) tournament with 37 points and distance themselves from the Manatí Atenienses (33).
Andrea Rangel was the only player with double digits for the Cangrejeras with 16 points, 14 on attacks, two on blocks, and six digs. Helena Havelkova contributed nine points, five on attacks, four on blocks, six digs, and 11 passes; Nancy Carrillo and Neira Ortiz with eight points each.
For Juncos, Elissa Alcántara scored 12 points, seven on attacks, one block, and four direct serves; Amethyst Harper with 11 points, eight on attacks, two on blocks, one ace, eight digs, and 11 passes; and Sh’ Diamond Holly with six points, four on attacks, and two blocks.
Pinkin defeat the Criollas
The two-time champion Pinkin of Corozal (11-7) dominated the Criollas of Caguas (8-10) in four sets to claim three points and move up to the third position in the overall standings with 29 points.
Corozal defeated Caguas 18-25, 25-23, 25-14, and 25-17 at the Pepín Cestero court in Bayamón.
After losing the first set, the champions managed to recover at home and in front of their fans to take the next three sets and win the match at home.
Corozal, which did not have Daly Santana tonight, had Emma Clothier as its top scorer with 18 points, 16 on attacks, and two on blocks; Yanlis Feliz with 13 points, 10 on attacks, two on blocks, one ace, 10 digs, and eight passes; Isabella Bergmark with 12 points, 10 on attacks, and two on blocks; 10 from Seliann Concepción, nine of them on attacks, one ace, eight digs, and 15 passes; and setter Julianna Askew with seven points, two on attacks, three on blocks, two direct serves, 13 digs, and 11 assists.
For Caguas, Nia Parker-Robinson with 14 points, all on attacks; Adeola Owokoniran contributed 13 points, 10 on attacks, two on blocks, one ace, five digs, and 17 passes; and Chareika Carrión and Janice Leao with nine points each.
Naranjito surprises Guaynabo
Changas de Naranjito (3-14) earned three points tonight by defeating the Guaynabo Mets (7-11) in four sets at the Gelito Ortega court.
The sets for the Naranjito were 25-18, 18-25, 28-26, and 25-23.
Adanna Rollins was the top scorer of the match and for Changas with 25 points, 21 on attacks, four on blocks, 13 digs, and 11 passes; Kiana Schmitt with 16 points, 13 on attacks, and three on blocks; Génesis Collazo with 14 points, 12 on attacks, two on blocks, and 20 digs; and Kayla Lund with 13 points, 11 on attacks, one block, one ace, 23 digs, and 17 passes.
For Guaynabo, Kyla Swanson with 16 points, 14 on attacks, and two on blocks; Karina Ocasio with 15 points in her return to the court with nine points on attacks, four blocks, two direct serves, and 12 digs; and Haley Bush with 15 points, 11 on attacks, four on blocks, six digs, and 18 passes.
For more information visit Fedpurvoli.com
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