SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 24, 2024. – The fourth edition of the NORCECA Women’s Final Six Tournament is about to begin at the “Prof. Ricardo Gioriber Arias” Volleyball Palace in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, in Santo Domingo, from June 26 to June 30.
The NORCECA Women’s Final Six Tournament is a competition that is part of the qualification process for the 2025 NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup and the 2025 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship.
Dominican Republic has won the event twice and will aim to recover the title after losing it to the United States in 2023.
The six competing teams are divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals scheduled for June 29.
Pool A consists of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Pool B includes Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 24, 2024. – Nicaragua needed four sets to defeat Belize, with scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-18, and 25-15, in the fifth match of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
The first two sets saw alternating dominance between the teams, but from the third set onward, Nicaragua managed to control Belize’s attacks, securing victory in both sets and the match.
Nicaragua outperformed Belize in attacks with a 50-38 lead and in serves with a 6-2 advantage. Belize was stronger in blocking, leading 10-5, despite committing 22 errors.
Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 20 points, including one block. María José Rivera supported the attack with 12 points. For Belize, Fatoumata Camara led the scoring with 15 points, followed by Nisaan Martínez with 14 points, including 3 blocks, making her the top blocker of the game.
Nisaan Martínez BIZ
Claudia Noguera, head coach of Nicaragua, explained “It was a significant victory for us. Belize is a strong team in attack and blocking, so it was a game that required a lot of focus, and the players executed the strategy perfectly. Defense was crucial in this game”.
Lawrence Bennett, assistant coach of Belize, said “We lost our fundamentals, especially in blocking. We were not blocking properly, and our defense fell a little weak at the end of the game. I know we could have done better, but we are here to try and improve every day we play”.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 24, 2024.- Costa Rica secured a comfortable 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-8, and 25-11) over Panama at the start of the second day of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
After a first set where Panama tried to challenge the Costa Rican team, Costa Rica managed to maintain effective net attacks to comfortably overcome Panama in the 2nd and 3rd sets.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica dominated Panama in all aspects of the game, with a 41-13 advantage in attacks, 4-1 in serves, and 7-1 in blocks. The match saw few unforced errors from both teams, with Panama committing 23 and Costa Rica 15.
Nhya Barley from Costa Rica commented: “I think we played quite well and were very motivated. We had a lot of strength in our attacks and achieved our goal of starting the championship with a win. The Panamanian team is very tenacious; they don’t give up and always fight for every point until the very end”.
Keisy Janeth Fuentes from Panama said: “The game was a bit intense; we started off playing well but gradually dropped our level of defense, which affected us. The Costa Rican team is taller, stronger, and has more experience than us. I think it was a good match.”
TORONTO, Canada, June 24, 2024 – Eight teams are set to compete for the U21 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship title from June 25 to 30 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
The head coaches expressed their thoughts on their teams at this tournament today:
Head coach Puerto Rico, Jose Ricardo Rivera
“The expectation for this tournament is to finish in one of the top four places. We have been preparing for 12 weeks for this event, training very hard and coming together as a team. “
Head coach Canada, Olivier Faucher
“We have high expectations. We have a good group of players who have had a decent amount of training, and we will play the best volleyball we can this week. Moving forward, we should expect good matches and results on our end. For some of our players, it’s the first time representing Canada, so there will be some nerves, which is expected. … it’s an honour to represent Canada and having this opportunity at home in front of friends and family is extra special.”
Head coach Costa Rica, Kareem Richards
“It’s an honour to be here; amongst the best teams in the region. Our expectation is to gain a lot of experience. We have a young team that we are trying to develop, and the girls are very excited to continue their process of learning from the best… including myself learning from the other coaches here. We are here to share, learn and grow. We have some players as young as 15 and 16 and some older players. We see this tournament as a great opportunity and we’re looking forward to it.”
Head coach US Virgin Islands, Isaac Raphael
“We are excited to be here. We have a young team, and we are looking forward to seeing them perform at this level. It’s going to be a tough competition, but I believe that is the way you improve. We’re going to play some hard volleyball and have a good time.
We spent a couple of weeks at a training camp in Orlando and we are hoping that will be enough. It should show what we have done in the last couple of weeks.”
Head coach Mexico, Luis Leon Lopez
“Our first goal is to qualify for the next round and then the semifinals and finals. Most of our players come from other national programs and we’ve been training together for three weeks for this tournament. We are looking forward to competing here.”
Head coach USA, Heather Olmstead
“We’re excited to be representing United States of America at this tournament – we’ve had a great week of training, and we have a good young group with us and we’re excited to play all the teams here. We are going to give it our all and compete … every match is a battle and we expect to play really well at this tournament.”
Head coach Suriname, Miquel Misidjang
“Our expectations are not too high because we have a team in development, a very young selection with an average age of around16. We are using this opportunity for the girls to have experience for the future. We are coming to compete, but we are realistic about the expectations. We’ve been training as a team for a couple of weeks now and worked with the team of Trinidad at a training camp there.”
Head coach Dominican Republic Cristian Cruz
“We know this will be a very strong competition with strong teams such as USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. We think this is a strong competition for us and we will fight very hard in each match. We start training earlier in the year, but we have also had some players in college in the United States as well as one player who was in VNL with the senior team, so we are just coming together as a team and we know this is a good team.”
TORONTO, Canada, June 23, 2024.- Eight teams are set to compete for the U21 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship title from June 25 to 30 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
This event is a part of the qualification system towards the FIVB U21 Women’s World Championship in 2025.
United States is the defending champion and the most successful team in the event’s history, having won seven NORCECA titles.
The competition will begin with a preliminary round of pool play. Pool A includes Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Suriname, and the United States. Pool B features Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Group winners will advance directly to the semifinals, while the teams finishing second and third in their groups will compete in the quarterfinals. The medal matches are scheduled for June 30.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024.- The Honduran Women’s National Team secured a challenging 3-0 win (25-11, 25-14, 25-11) against Panama in the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Despite the wide point margins in each set, Honduras had to work diligently for every point as Panama’s defense improved throughout the game.
A highlight for Panama was when Janeth Fuentes, just 13 years, 11 months, and 27 days old, scored her first point in the U23 category, making her the youngest athlete to play in this tournament. Fuentes finished the game with 2 points, one from a spike and the other from a block.
Honduras capitalized on Panama’s 30 unforced errors while committing only 15 themselves. They led in every statistical category, in attacks (29-16), blocks (6-3), and serves (10-2).
Andrea Aceituno of Honduras was the only player to reach double digits, scoring 10 points, including 3 from serves. Other significant contributors for Honduras were Natalia Reyes with 9 points and Shantte Siliezar with 7 points.
Janeth Fuentes PAN
For Panama, the top scorers were their captain Ekaterina Ureña and Lurianis González, each with 6 points.
After the match, Andrea Aceituno, captain of Honduras, commented, “It was a game where we could show our strengths. Panama is a team that defends very well. We managed to overcome that and gave our best. I hope we can continue winning; the tournament has just started, and starting with a win is good for us”.
Ekaterina Ureña, captain of Panama, remarked, “The game was very close. We made errors that helped Honduras win the match. Gradually, we improved, and it was evident in the consistency with which we ended up playing.”
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024. – The Nicaraguan Women’s National Team secured a decisive 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-12, 25-12) over El Salvador in the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Nicaragua dominated El Salvador across all aspects of the game, leading in attacks (37-19), blocks (6-0), and serves (7-4). El Salvador committed 25 unforced errors compared to Nicaragua’s 16.
María José Rivera NCA
Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 14 points, while María José Rivera contributed 10 points. Naomi Méndez was the only Salvadoran player to reach double digits, scoring 10 points.
María Marcela Roa, libero and captain of Nicaragua expressed, “We saw El Salvador as always, very tenacious. They possibly struggled to find their rhythm today, but I believe they will improve with each game. Our team includes eight players who just won the Final Four last week, bringing the excitement and enthusiasm from that title. We also have new generations joining with very high skill levels”.
Marcela Roa NCA
Daniela Alexandra López, the captain of El Salvador, commented, “I congratulate the Nicaraguan team on their victory. They are a strong team. Unfortunately, we didn’t achieve the win today, but I hope we perform better in the next match. We are a young team, not as experienced as Nicaragua”.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 23, 2024. – Samuel Schachter and Daniel Dearing of Canada confirmed their talent by winning the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Qualifying Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning the gold medal.
Schachter/Dearing triumphed with a decisive 21-13, 21-13 victory over the host team of Juan Virgen and Ricardo Galindo. Despite the support of the fans who filled the Jorge “El Ranchero” Aguilar bullring, the Mexican duo couldn’t stop the Canadians.
Schachter-Dearing, CAN attacks
“This is incredible. It’s hard to describe. We’ve worked so hard to achieve this goal, and succeeding is an amazing feeling for us. Our entire team is part of our group and part of our victory, and I think everyone can share in this experience and the love,” said Sam Schachter.
“We are thrilled to go and showcase our best and represent our country on the Olympic stage,” he added. Reflecting on his teammate Dearing, he said, “These will be his first Olympic Games. So, we were obviously trying to prepare and manage all the emotions leading up to this match. He was incredibly resilient, even dealing with injuries. He’s so talented, and we have a great relationship and connection, which played a significant role in helping us come through under pressure and deliver our best performance.”
“I haven’t fully realized what we’ve accomplished yet. I focused on every match, every set, every point, and every breath. It feels amazing. We will celebrate tonight and truly feel all this joy, and then we’ll focus on Paris,” said Dearing.
Galindo-Virgen, MEX, attacks
“We were focused all year on the Beach Pro Tour. We had our ups and downs, discussed everything as a team, and aimed to prepare for this tournament. I think we did a great job.”
Schachter/Dearing advanced to the final by defeating Rubén Mora and Dany López of Nicaragua 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the Mexican pair Galindo/Virgen comfortably overcame Christopher and Yoel Guardado from El Salvador 2-0 (21-13, 21-9).
The Guardado twins from El Salvador continued their impressive run by defeating Mora/López of Nicaragua 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-12) to claim the bronze medal in their first Olympic qualifying event, the youngest pair in the competition.
Yoel Guardado-Christopher Guardado, ESA, celebrates
Results Final Day
Gold Medal: Schachter/Dearing CAN d Galindo/Virgen MEX 2-0 (21-13, 21-13). Bronze Medal: Guardado Y./Guardado C. ESA d Mora/Lopez NCA 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-12); 5th De Jesus/Martinez DOM d Mayer/Penberthy ISV 2-1 (21-13, 14-21, 15-4); 7th Blanco/Garcia GUA d D. Dyner/Varela CRC 2-0 (21-18, 21-17); 9th Torres/Rivera PUR d Sporkslede/Pinas SUR 2-0 (21-7, 21-14); 11th Nage/Hodge SKN d Theodore/Enile TTO 2-0 (22-20, 21-15)
Positions 5-8: Mayer/Penberthy ISV d D. Dyner/Varela CRC 2-1 (13-21, 21-14, 15-13)
De Jesus/Martinez DOM d Blanco/Garcia GUA 2-0 (21-17, 25-23)
Semifinals: Galindo/Virgen MEX d Guardado Y./Guardado C. ESA 2-0 (21-13, 21-9); Schachter/Dearing CAN d Mora/Lopez NCA 2-0 (21-18, 21-16)
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024.- The Guatemalan National Team struggled to overcome Belize, winning 3 sets to 2 (17-25, 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, and 16-14), in the opening match of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
The first set was quite balanced up to the 6-point mark, after which Belize took control, doubling Guatemala’s points 16-8. In the second and third sets, the Guatemalan team regained control. In a thrilling fourth set, Belize once again dominated, but ultimately, in another gripping set, Guatemala secured the game.
Guatemala outclassed in attack points 51-37, while Belize outperformed Guatemala in blocks 15-10 and in aces 10-8.
María Andrea Santa Cruz and Naomi Monney were the offense leaders of Guatemala’s attack, each scoring 22 points. Santa Cruz’s points included one block and 3 aces, while Monney contributed 3 blocks and one ace.
María Santa Cruz GUA
For Belize, Gareth Bruce and Nisaan Martínez scored 13 points each. Martínez was spectacular with 5 blocks, while Bruce had 3 successful serves.
María Andrea Santa Cruz said, “The game was very close; we didn’t expect to play 5 sets, but in the end, we made it. It was a team effort; we were all ready to help each other. Belize is very strong; they are quite tall players and have a very tight block, which complicated things for us a lot. Thank God we managed to get the victory”.
Gareth Bruce from Belize commented, “I think both teams played very well, played very hard. We’ve played Guatemala a couple of times, and they have a faster game than us. I think our team fought to the end and we did our best”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 22, 2024.- Gustavo Alvarez of Puerto Rico grabbed the Most Valuable Player Award at the inaugural Boys U17 Pan American Cup that concluded on Saturday at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima, Mexico.
Gustavo Alvarez was key leading his team with 27 points over Mexico in the gold medal match.
Puerto Rico also earned the awards for second Best Spiker to Adrian Carrillo, the first and second Best Blocker to Jorge Suarez and Dylan López. Ignacio Cruz was granted the Best Libero and Best Digger awards.
From Mexico, Emi Diaz was named the first Best Spiker and Eduardo Escoto de Best Setter.
The awards for Best Receiver and Best Server went to Cuban Samuel Rodríguez.
Luis Mendizabal of Guatemala was named the Best opposite and Canadian Tyson Dezutter the Best Scorer with 113 points.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 22, 2024. – Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic continue their quest to reach the Olympics, moving int’ the women’s semifinals at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifier Tournament.
Canadian Olympian Heather Bansley and teammate Sophie Bukovec secured their spot in the semifinals by winning Pool B and then dominating Amber Bennett and Taylor Buchner from the U.S. Virgin Islands with a convincing 2-0 (21-6, 21-11) win in the quarterfinals.
Puerto Rico
Bansley and Bukovec have been competing in Beach Pro Tour events, including a recent tournament in Guadalajara, where they secured third place. Here in Tlaxcala semifinals, they will face the 2023 Central American and Caribbean champions, Allanis Navas and María González of Puerto Rico, who defeated Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez of Nicaragua with a solid 2-0 (21-4, 21-14) victory in their quarterfinal match.
Navas and González have been training for over a year to achieve their Olympic dream. This year, they earned two silver medals and one bronze in the NORCECA Tour events held in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, finishing sixth at the Continental Final in the Dominican Republic.
Mexico
In the other bracket, Mexico’s Atenas Gutiérrez and Susana Torres advanced undefeated from Pool A and secured their semifinal spot by beating Ximena Nuñez and Kianny Araya of Costa Rica 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) in the quarterfinals.
The Mexican pair trained extensively in Brazil and this year finished third in the NORCECA Tour event in the Dominican Republic and matched that position in the NORCECA Tour Final.
Their semifinal opponents will be the Dominicans Jubileth Payano and Martha Paniagua, who defeated Paola Alvarado and María Orellana of Guatemala 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) in the quarterfinals.
Payano and Paniagua are always ranked among the top six pairs in NORCECA, although they have yet to reach the podium. They missed out on the bronze medal at the third stop of the 2024 NORCECA Tour in the Dominican Republic, losing to Puerto Rico’s Navas and González.
Payano-Paniagua DOM, celebrate
Quarterfinal Results
Navas/González PUR d Lopez/Lolette NCA 2-0 (21-4, 21-14); Payano/Paniagua DOM d Alvarado/Orellana GUA 2-0 (21-18, 21-15); Gutiérrez/Torres MEX d Nuñez/Araya CRC 2-0 (21-12, 21-15); Bansley/Bukovec CAN d Bennett/Buckner ISV 2-0 (21-6, 21-11).
Saturday’s Results / Women’s pool-play
Pool A: Gutiérrez/Torres MEX d López/Lolette NCA 2-0 (21-6, 21-11); Bennett/Buckner ISV d Balkaran/Tammenga SUR 2-0 (21-9, 21-6).
Pool B: Bansley/Bukovec CAN d Nuñez/Araya CRC 2-0 (21-7, 21-9); Alvarado/Orellana GUA d Thornia/Stafford GRN 2-0 (21-17, 21-16)
Pool C: Navas/González PUR d Payano/Paniagua DOM 2-0 (21-17, 21-10); Vigil/Tobar ESA d A. Delapenha/B Delapenha CAY 2-0 (21-6, 21-7).
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 20, 2024.– El Salvador pulled off an upset against Guatemala to join Mexico, Canada, and Nicaragua in the semifinals of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
The Guardado twins, Christopher and Yoel, from El Salvador, surprised everyone by defeating Andy Leonardo and Luis García of Guatemala 2-0 (21-16, 26-24) in the quarterfinals. This marks their debut in Olympic qualification, and they are undoubtedly the youngest duo in the tournament.
Schachter-Dearing, CAN, attacks
Meanwhile, hosts Juan Virgen and Ricardo Galindo took a significant step towards their aspirations by overcoming the Dominican pair Hayerling Goris and Oscar Martínez.
The experienced Mexican player Virgen, alongside Galindo, advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought three-set victory over Goris/Martínez, winning 2-1 (21-11, 18-21, 15-11). Virgen, who holds the record for the most medals in the NORCECA Tour and was an Olympian at Rio 2016, is also the current Central American and Caribbean Games champion.
Virgen and Galindo are set to face the Guardado twins from El Salvador in the semifinals.
Olympian Samuel Schachter and his partner Daniel Dearing from Canada displayed their skills by securing the top spot in their pool and then defeated Costa Rica’s Daniel Dyner and Jhostin Varela 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) in the quarterfinals.
This year, the Canadian duo finished second in the NORCECA Continental Cup final in Juan Dolio and competed in the Beach Pro Tour in Xiamen, Saquarema, Recife, Doha, and Poland earlier this June, where they reached the round of 16 before losing to Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo.
Schachter and Dearing will meet Rubén Mora and Dany López of Nicaragua in the semifinals. Mora and López advanced by defeating Bryce Mayer and Tyler Penberthy of the U.S. Virgin Islands with a double 21-15.
Results Pool-Play
Pool A: Galindo/Virgen MEX d ISV Mayer/Penberthy 2-1 (19-21, 21-12, 18-16); Dyner/Varela CRC d Nage/Hodge SKN 2-0 (21-10, 21-14).
Pool B: Guardado Y./Guardado C. ESA d Sporkslede/Pinas SUR 2-0 (21-9, 21-14); Schachter/Dearing CAN d De Jesus/Martinez DOM 2-0 (21-18, 21-16).
Pool C: Blanco/García GUA d Theodore/Enile TTO 2-0 (21-17, 21-14); Mora/Lopez NCA d Torres/Rivera PUR 2-0 (24-22, 24-22).
Results Men’s Quarterfinals
Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA) d Bryce Mayer/ Tyler Penberthy (ISV) 2-0 (21-15, 21-15); Samuel Schachter/ Daniel Dearing (CAN); Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC) 2-0 (21-9,21-12); Yoel Guardado/Christopher Guardado (ESA) d Andy Leonardo/Luis García (GUA) 2-0 (21-16, 26-24); Ricardo Galindo/Juan Virgen (MEX); Hayerling Goris/Oscar Martínez (DOM); 2-1 (21-11, 18-21, 15-11).
COLIMA, Mexico, June 22, 2024. – Puerto Rico captured the gold medal at the first-ever Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup with a thrilling five-set victory (25-10, 23-25, 25-27, 25-16, 15-12) over host Mexico at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima.
Puerto Rico finished the tournament undefeated with a 4-0 record. Mexico took the silver medal, ending with a 4-1 record. Last year, Puerto Rico also beat Mexico for the U17 NORCECA Continental title.
Puerto Rico dominated Mexico with an impressive 20-6 advantage in blocks and outscored them 62-52 in attacks. Both teams had 4 service aces. Puerto Rico committed one more error than Mexico (28-27).
Puerto Rican captain and outside hitter Gustavo Alvarez led all scorers with 27 points (24 attacks, 3 blocks). Outside hitter Adrián Carrillo added 24 points (23 attacks, one ace), and middle blocker Dylan López contributed 12 points, 8 of them from blocks. Middle blocker Jorge Suárez also contributed with 6 blocking points.
For Mexico, outside hitter Emi Díaz led his team with 16 points, all from attacks, while Oskar González scored 10 points.
Puerto Rico started strong, dominating Mexico in every aspect to take the first set with a significant lead (25-10). The second set was tightly contested, with the score tied at 14, 18, 20, and 22 points. Mexico managed to tie with an attack by Emi Díaz, an ace from Tomás Villalobos, and another attack by Oskar González. After multiple ties in the third set, Mexico reached set point with an attack from Raúl Silva, but Gustavo Alvarez evened again for Puerto Rico. Mexico eventually won the third set due to a Puerto Rican error. Puerto Rico controlled the fourth set thanks to the offensive contributions of Adrián Carrillo, Dylan López, and Gustavo Alvarez. In the decisive tiebreaker, the score was tied at 10, but two crucial points from Alvarez gave Puerto Rico the lead. They closed the set and match at 15-12 with a kill from Alvarez and a block by Dylan López.
Ignacio Cruz, Puerto Rico’s libero, said, “Mexico lost their rhythm but then regained it. This motivated us to push harder and speed up the pace of our game”.
Carlos De Sevilla, Puerto Rico’s coach, commented, “At this level, ups and downs are normal. Mexico came back from behind many times, and all credit to them, they are an excellent team. I’m very proud of my boys. In crucial moments, we were able to close out the sets. Mission accomplished”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 22, 2024. – Cuba clinched the bronze medal at the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup by defeating Canada 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19) at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima, Mexico.
Cuba recovered from losing the first set to secure third place in the event, finishing with a record of three wins and two losses. Canada ended with a 3-3 record.
Cuba dominated in attacks (55-46) and service points (3-1), while Canada led in blocks (9-7). Cuba committed 25 errors compared to Canada’s 33.
Cuban captain and opposite hitter Yosdani Medina led all scorers with 23 points, all from attacks. Key contributions also came from outside hitter Andy Marrero, who scored 15 points (14 attacks and one service ace), and Samuel Rodríguez, who added 12 points (11 attacks and one service ace).
For Canada, Tyson DeZutter led with 19 points (18 attacks and one block), followed by Seth Brunoro with 14 points (12 attacks, one block, and one service ace), and William Clarmo, who contributed 12 points (11 attacks and one block).
The first set was closely contested, but Canada reached set point with two consecutive points from William Clarmo, a block and a kill. Andy Marrero denied them with a powerful attack, but ultimately, Tyson DeZutter clinched the set for Canada with an attack. In the second set, Cuba finished strong, scoring the last three points with kills from Andy Marrero and Yosdani Medina, followed by a Canadian error. In the third set, Cuba dominated in attacks (11-6) and finished it after a Canadian service error led to the final points by Medina and Samuel Rodríguez. Cuba reached match point in the fourth set thanks to a reception error by Canada, and two powerful attacks from Medina sealed the victory.
Lian Sem Estrada, head coach of Cuba, said, “In the final sets, we made adjustments, especially in our serves, changing their direction and placement. I think that was key to our victory. Given the experience gained, we should advance from our current position. I’m pleased because we have little time training, and the players followed the instructions well. I believe we’ll continue to grow as we prepare for the World Championship”.
Dan Ota, head coach of Canada said “Cuba is a very strong attacking team, and they were able to play with their style a little more than we were. We knew it was going to be a very difficult match and a difficult team to beat, I think our guys fought. Overall, our guys made too many mistakes in little things during the games. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the result. I am very proud of my team for getting better every day and they all have a very bright future in the game”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 22, 2024. – Costa Rica claimed sixth place over Nicaragua with a 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 25-15, 25-15) victory at the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup on Saturday in Colima, Mexico.
Costa Rica finished the event with a 1-3 record, while Nicaragua ended with 0-5.
Derek Farley CRC
Costa Rica led the match with a 51-46 advantage in attacks, a 13-8 margin in blocks, and a 4-3 lead in aces. They also benefited from Nicaragua’s 25 errors compared to their own 17.
The top scorers for Costa Rica were Derek Farley, who scored 17 points on 13 attacks, 3 blocks, and 1 ace; followed by Ethan Smith with 15 points on 13 attacks and 2 aces; and Deymian López with 11 points on 10 attacks and 1 ace.
For Nicaragua, Joaquín Padilla scored 18 points on 16 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace. Keneth Urtecho contributed 15 points on 12 attacks and 2 blocks.
Joaquin Padilla NCA
Eladio Vargas, Coach of Costa Rica, said, “We had ups and downs with the players; at some point, we had to place them in different positions. These are kids whose morale fluctuates, which is natural at this age. Today, the player who won us the match didn’t have the same spirit yesterday”.
Jorge Mena, Coach of Nicaragua, said, “We lost our spirit. We played better yesterday and definitely with more enthusiasm. We have a team that knows how to play. Yesterday’s five-set match exhausted them physically, and we need to keep working on getting the athletes committed to training”
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 22, 2024. – Honduras is set to host the 6th Central American U23 Women’s Championship from June 23 to 29 at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium, following the preliminary meetings and registration of the seven Central American teams.
All the coaches agree that the level of all the teams is quite balanced, and they anticipate a highly competitive tournament with a high standard of play.
Here are the insights shared by the coaches regarding the tournament and their teams and competitors.
José Donaldo Ureña, Coach of Panama commented, “We have very high expectations for the tournament. Our team is a young group that we have been preparing for competitions more aligned with their age. We are very happy to be competing again in such tournaments to continue growing in our area”.
Panama
Laurence Bennett, Assistant Coach of Belize, said, “We have been working hard for this tournament. Our goal is to guide the players. We want them to develop and achieve good results”.
Belize
Noe Fabian, Coach of El Salvador, expressed, “I want to thank Honduras for resuming the U23 tournament, allowing the athletes to maintain their competitiveness. Regarding El Salvador, we come with great enthusiasm and the desire to perform our best”.
El Salvador
Claudia Noguera, Coach of Nicaragua affirmed, “We believe it will be a very close competition. We’ve seen that some teams have a very good level. It’s going to be a strong contest at the Central American level with several teams vying for the podium. Our team is quite young; we have refreshed some players and consider we have a team to contend for the title”.
Nicaragua
Carlos Quezada, Coach of Costa Rica, explained, “We are very happy to be in Honduras. It’s a new opportunity to compete. It’s good to have these chances for the girls to stay active. Our team has worked very well. I feel our team is strong. We have a lot of hope, and we aim to do our best to represent well”.
Costa Rica
Marcus Sugiyama, Coach of Honduras, stated, “Thank you for the invitation to the U23 Championship. Our team is prepared because it will be a very tough competition. We will take it step by step, as there are very strong teams in the tournament. We aim to achieve our goals”.
Honduras
William Fernández, Coach of Guatemala, said, “I thank Honduras for hosting this event, which is the foundation for the senior teams. It will be a very even tournament in terms of level, as everyone has prepared extensively for this event. We come to fight for a place among the top positions”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 21, 2024.- Mexico mastered a 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory against Cuba in the semifinals of the Boys U17 Pan American Cup being held in Colima, Mexico.
On Saturday, Mexico will face Puerto Rico, the winner of the other semifinal, for the championship. Cuba will compete for the bronze medal against Canada.
Mexico dominated in attacks (42-31) and service points (7-1). Both teams recorded 13 blocks. Mexico benefited from 35 Cuban errors while committing 27 of their own.
Mexico celebrate
Mexican outside hitters Oskar González and Emi Díaz contributed 17 and 16 points respectively. Oskar scored on 14 attacks, one block, and two aces. Emi tallied 10 attacks, 5 blocks, and one ace. Opposite hitter Ricardo González also added 11 points to the victory.
Cuban captain and opposite hitter Yosdani Medina was the only player on his team to reach double digits, leading the match with 21 points. Medina made 20 successful attacks and one block.
Mexico controlled the first set completely, scoring 6 blocks that unsettled the Cuban team’s system. Cuba adjusted well in the second set, staying tied at 16 points and maintaining the lead with Medina steering their offense. Mexico bounced back in the third and fourth sets, quickly achieving a solid six-point lead (11-5) with Oskar and Emi putting pressure on Cuba, which committed a significant number of errors, especially in the third set (a total of 12), paving the way for Mexico to advance to the championship match.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 21, 2024.- Puerto Rico advanced to the Boys U17 Pan American Cup final after defeating Canada 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20) on Friday’s semifinals in Colima, Mexico.
On Saturday, Puerto Rico will face the winner between Mexico and Cuba in the gold medal match. Canada will compete for the bronze medal against the losing team.
Puerto Rico led in attack points (55-44) and aces (7-3), while Canada held advantage in blocks (17-13). Canada also conceded fewer points on errors (22-25).
Puerto Rico
Gustavo Alvarez of Puerto Rico led all scorers with 26 points, on 24 kills, one block, and one ace. Outside hitter Adrián Carrillo contributed 14 points on 10 attacks, one block, and three aces. Middle blocker Dylan López scored 12 points, including 8 attacks, 3 blocks, and one ace. Middle blocker Jorge Suarez added 6 points from blocks.
Canadian captain Tyson Dezuter led his team with 19 points on 13 attacks and 6 blocks. Outside hitter Seth Brunoro registered 11 points on 8 attacks and 3 blocks. Middle blocker Brayden Long also tallied 11 points, with 5 attacks, 4 blocks, and 2 aces.
In the first set, Puerto Rico managed to pull ahead by reaching the 20-point mark, closing it with an ace from setter Yael De Jesús. In the second set, Canada surged to a 4-1 lead, capitalizing on a Puerto Rico error and three consecutive blocks. Canada tied the match when Puerto Rico missed a serve (23-22), followed by a block from Brayden Long on Jorge Suarez. Key contributions from Maximiliano Aponte, Adrián Carrillo, and Jorge Suarez helped Puerto Rico secure the third set. Despite a comeback by Canada in the fourth set from a 14-19 deficit, which included an ace by Brayden Long, a block by Liam Ulrich, and kills by Brunoro and Clarmo, Puerto Rico scored three consecutive points to clinch the victory.
Puerto Rico’s coach, Carlos De Sevilla, remarked, “Credits to Canada; they are a tall and very strong team. I trusted my players because they have always shown resilience under pressure. We played a tremendous match and had a good result. Now it’s time to rest and fight until the end tomorrow”.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 21, 2024.- Five women pairs secured two wins each on the opening day of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament, leaving the Round of 16 to be decided on Saturday in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
In Pool A, the local duo of Atenas Gutiérrez and Susana Torres defeated teams from the U.S. Virgin Islands and Suriname. Nicaraguans Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez, also beat the same teams. The first place in the pool will be determined on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Atenas Gutiérrez from Mexico said: “We are happy to have secured the wins and are ready to take first place in the group tomorrow. We have met the goals we set for ourselves and are moving step by step with motivation and confidence”.
In Pool B, the Canadian duo of Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec started with comfortable wins against Guatemala and Grenada, while Paola Alvarado and María Orellana from Guatemala surprised Costa Rica.
Heather Bansley said: “We were very motivated to play today, it was really enjoyable, and we managed to make game adjustments considering the atmosphere here in Tlaxcala. The organizers did a great job, and we really enjoyed the vibe here. It’s great to be back in NORCECA; this is where I started playing, and it’s nice to see familiar faces. We are taking it one game at a time. We still have a pool-play match left, and that’s our approach, one match at a time”.
The Puerto Rican duo of Allanis Navas and María González dominated Pool C with wins over the Cayman Islands and El Salvador. They will compete for first place in their pool against Jubileth Payano and Crismil Paniagua from the Dominican Republic, who also secured two wins against the same opponents.
María González from Puerto Rico commented: “It was a very good day. We came out strong to do our job, and we love the atmosphere. We’ve been here for a week and a half adapting, and we feel very prepared. We were aware of the altitude and the cold, which are factors, so we are ready for whatever comes next. We’ve been focused on this dream for a year and have worked for it very hard”.
Friday Results:
Pool A: Lopez/Lolette (NCA) d Bennet/Buckner (ISV) 2-1 (17-21, 21-14, 15-13); Gutiérrez/Torres MEX d Balkaran/Tammenga (SUR) 2-0 (21-12, 21-9); Lopez/Lolette (NCA) d Balkaran/Tammenga (SUR) 2-0 (21-16, 21-10); Gutiérrez/Torres MEX d Bennet/Buckner (ISV) 2-0 (21-5, 21-9).
Pool B: Alvarado/Orellana (GUA) d Nuñez/Quesada (CRC) 2-1 (21-18, 10-21, 15-10); Bansley/Bukovec (CAN) d Thornia/Stafford (GRN) 2-0 (21-9, 21-5); Nuñez/Quesada (CRC) d Thornia/Stafford (GRN) 2-0 (21-7, 21-14); Bansley/Bukovec (CAN) d Alvarado/Orellana (GUA) 2-0 (21-9, 21-13).
Pool C: Payano/Paniagua (DOM) d Vigil/Tobar (ESA) 2-0 (21-13, 21-13); Navas/González (PUR) d A. Delapenha/ B Delapenha (CAY) 2-0 (21-1, 21-7); Navas/González (PUR) d Vigil/Tobar (ESA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-8); Payano/Paniagua (DOM) d A. Delapenha/ B Delapenha (CAY) 2-0 (21-6, 21-5).
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 21, 2024.- Suspense dominated the first day of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the men’s division, with Canada, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Nicaragua remaining undefeated under intense pressure from their opponents.
In Pool A, Mexico’s duo Juan Virgen and Ricardo Galindo, along with Bryce Mayer and Tyler Penberthy from the U.S. Virgin Islands, are unbeaten.
Virgen/Galindo won a hard-fought three-set match against Costa Rica and also defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis. Mayer/Tyler Penberthy surprised by also beating Costa Rica and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Schachter-Dearing, CAN
On Saturday, Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will face off to determine who advances to the quarterfinals as pool top finisher, while Costa Rica will aim to secure a spot as one of the best third-place teams.
Bryce Mayer from the U.S. Virgin Islands said, “It feels great to get these wins today, and we are ready for tomorrow’s match against Mexico. Costa Rica is a very good team; they play really well. I think beating them was important for boosting our morale and looking forward to bigger things. We are very excited to play against Mexico”.
In Pool B, Samuel Schachter and Daniel Dearing from Canada defeated El Salvador and Suriname. They will play against the Dominican Republic on Saturday, who lost to El Salvador and need a victory to reach the quarterfinals.
Nicaragua
In Pool C, Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Danny López secured two wins, against Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala’s Andy Leonardo and Luis García, who had earlier defeated Arnaldo Torres and William Rivera from Puerto Rico. Mora/López will aim to secure the top spot in the group when they face Torres/Rivera.
Rubén Mora from Nicaragua said: “First, I want to thank God for being here once again at an Olympic Qualifier and especially for starting the competition with these two wins. We are physically well-prepared and have quickly adapted to the altitude here in Tlaxcala, as we were here last year for the Beach Volleyball World Championship. Tomorrow, we have a very important game against Puerto Rico, and we will give it our all on the court because with each victory we achieve, we are closer to our Olympic dream.”
Friday Results:
Pool A: Galindo/Virgen (MEX) d Nage/Hodge (SKN) 2-0 (21-13, 21-6); Mayer/Penberthy ISV d D. Dyner/Varela (CRC) 2-0 (21-17, 1-16); Galindo/Virgen (MEX) d D. Dyner/Varela (CRC) 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 15-11); Mayer/Penberthy ISV d Nage/Hodge (SKN) 2-0 (21-17, 21-16)
Pool B: Guardado/Guardado (ESA) d De Jesús/Martínez (DOM) 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-13); Schachter/Dearing (CAN) d Sporkslede/Dwarkasing (SUR) 2-0 (21-13, 21-14); De Jesús/Martínez (DOM) d Sporkslede/Dwarkasing (SUR) 2-0 (21-11, 21-11); Schachter/Dearing (CAN) d Guardado/Guardado (ESA) 2-0 (21-15, 21-13)
Pool C
Blanco/García (GUA) d Torres/Rivera (PUR) 2-0 (21-16, 21-17): Mora/López (NCA) d Theodore/Enile (TTO) 2-0 (21-11, 21-13); Torres/Rivera (PUR) d Theodore/Enile (TTO) 2-0 (21-8, 21-12); Mora/López (NCA) d Blanco/García (GUA) 2-0 (21-17, 21-18)
COLIMA, Mexico, June 21, 2024.- Guatemala came from behind to secure a 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-14, 15-13) victory over Nicaragua, clinching fifth place at the first edition of the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico.
Guatemala rallied from a two-set deficit to finish the event with a 2-3 record and in fifth place. Nicaragua will face Costa Rica on Saturday in the match for positions 6-7.
Guatemala held advantage in kills (64-56) and committed fewer errors than Nicaragua (28-31). Nicaragua held an advantage in blocks (13-10) and service points (4-1).
Luis Mendizabal GUA
Guatemala’s captain and opposite hitter, Luis Mendizábal, scored 19 points (15 attacks, 3 blocks, and one ace). Outside hitter Juan Menéndez added 17 points (16 attacks, one block). Middle blocker José Asencio finished with 15 points (11 attacks and 4 blocks).
Nicaragua’s middle blocker Keneth Urtecho was the top scorer of the match with 25 points on 22 attacks and 3 blocks. Outside hitter Joaquín Padilla and middle blocker Antonio Márquez each scored 12 points.
Luis Mendizábal led his team to match point, and Menéndez scored the final point with a powerful kill when it seemed Nicaragua might take the win after tying the score at 13 and coming back from 11-13.
Juan Mendez GUA – Joshua Rivas NCA
After Guatemala’s victory, Luis Mendizábal commented, “I thought it wouldn’t be that hard, but it was. Nicaragua put pressure on us the whole time. We showed courage as a team, and that wore Nicaragua down. We fought for Guatemala and united as a team in the last three sets for the victorious result”.
Keneth Urtecho, the leading scorer of the game, said, “We had the point to win, but we couldn’t make it. Guatemala is undoubtedly a good team, and their best attacker scored several key points against us. We always sought victory, but unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain our advantage. We made mistakes, as anyone can”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 20, 2024. – Canada fought hard to defeat Nicaragua 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-20) and reach the Boys U17 Pan American Cup semifinals in Colima, Mexico.
Canada will face Puerto Rico in Friday’s semifinals. In the other semifinal, Cuba will compete against Mexico.
Nicaragua will play in the classification match for positions 5 to 7 against Guatemala; the winner will finish the event in fifth place, and the loser will play for positions 6-7 against Costa Rica on Saturday.
Canada
Canada managed to control Nicaragua thanks to their advantage in attacks (40-29) and blocks (11-4); they also held a comfortable margin in serves (4-2). Canada gave away 26 points on errors, while Nicaragua gave away 22.
Canadian outside hitter Danilo Skipina scored 17 points, including 11 kills, a match-high of 5 blocks, and one serve. Opposite hitter William Clarmo registered 11 points on 9 kills and two blocks.
Nicaraguan outside hitter Joaquin Padilla led his team with 16 points on 15 kills and one serve. Middle blocker Keneth Urtecho scored 9 points.
Joaquin Padilla NCA
Canada and Nicaragua faced off in an exciting first set where Nicaragua came back from a 13-17 deficit to tie the game, thanks to middle blocker Keneth Urtecho. Service errors from both Canada and Nicaragua extended the set to a thrilling 27-25, with a block from Canadian Kaysen Flaman securing the final point. Canada jumped to an early 10-4 lead in the second set and kept the lead throughout the set. In the third set, with Canada holding set point at 24-18, a kill from Axel Arbizu and three consecutive Canadian errors brought the score to 24-20. However, the winning point came when Nicaragua committed a service error.
Canada’s leading scorer Danilo Skipina said “Coming off the bench it was a rusty start, but it was a really good game, near the end I started to pick up on the reception on hitting. Both teams came together towards the end, it was a good experience. About the semifinals, Puerto Rico is a great team as ours; we’re just going to play together as a team and make sure we have good block-defense, in addition to do whatever we can to hit the ball and win on offense, make them work for it”.
Joaquín Padilla, top Scorer for Nicaragua, commented, “In general, we played well. We needed better reception. It was an exciting game. Canada had better block and serve. Tomorrow, we’ll give it our all against Guatemala”.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 20, 2024. – This Thursday officially marked the start of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tlaxcala, which will award one berth in both the men and women for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The registration of the pairs and the court training were part of the kickoff for the most important Olympic event in the NORCECA Confederation.
In the men’s category, NORCECA has already secured berths vie world ranking for the Cuban team of Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz and two U.S. pairs: Andy Benesh/Miles Partain and Chase Budinger/Miles Evans.
control committee
Thus, the remaining spot will be contested by 12 pairs from the same number of countries starting this Friday, all vying for the ticket to Paris.
Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing from Canada are among the most experienced teams in this qualifier. Schachter competed in the 2016 Olympic Games with Josh Binstock. Schachter is seeking redemption after being eliminated in the final of the Olympic qualifying tournament for Tokyo 2020 by Mexico (each country played with two pairs).
Meanwhile, Rio 2016 Olympian and Mexico’s most decorated player in the NORCECA Tour, Juan Virgen, who recently won the Central American and Caribbean Games 2023 and has multiple medals from these games, will team up this time with young talent Ricardo Galindo.
Other strong teams are Rubén Mora/Danny López (NCA), Andy Leonardo/Luis García (GUA), the Dominican duo Hayerling Goris/Oscar Martínez, and Puerto Ricans Arnaldo Torres/William Rivera.
Technical meeting
The remaining pairs are: Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC); Yoel Guardado/Christopher Guardado (ESA); Nage Hendrickson/St Clair Hodge (SKN); Keven Sporkslede/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR); Joel Theodore/Stephen Enile (TTO); Bryce Mayer/Tyler Penberthy (ISV).
Pool A consists of Galindo/Virgen (MEX), Mayer/Penberthy (ISV), D. Dyner/Varela (CRC), and Nage/Hodge (SKN).
Pool B includes De Jesús/Martínez (DOM), Guardado/Guardado (ESA), Schachter/Dearing (CAN), and Sporkslede/Dwarkasing (SUR).
Pool C features Torres/Rivera (PUR), Blanco/García (GUA), Mora/López (NCA), and Theodore/Enile (TTO).
The competition system will be a preliminary poo-play, with the top two teams from each pool and the two best third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
The matches will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Jorge “El Ranchero” Aguilar Bullring and the MAT court.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 20, 2024.- Cuba defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-12) to advance to the semifinals of the U17 Men’s Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico, where they will face Mexico.
Guatemala will compete in the classification matches for positions 5 to 7, starting against the loser between Canada and Nicaragua.
Cuba celebrate
Cuba was dominant, outscoring Guatemala 42 to 16 in attacks and 14 to 3 in aces. Both teams scored two points from blocks. Guatemala benefited from 29 Cuban errors while conceding 17 of their own.
Cuban outside hitter Samuel Rodríguez was the top scorer with 14 points, including 9 attacks and a match-high 5 aces. Andy Marrero added 13 points on 10 attacks and three aces. Julio Acosta contributed 10 points on 8 attacks and 2 service points.
Samuel Rodriguez CUB
In the first set, Guatemala rallied from a 17-23 deficit, scoring four consecutive points from Cuban errors and with a kill from José Quintana and an ace by Luis Mendizábal. Cuba led the second set entirely, scoring 6 aces, with 3 of them from Samuel Rodríguez. In the third set, Guatemala quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead, but Cuba rapidly evened the score.
Cuban libero Luis Paumier said, “We achieved the result in straight sets, but we relaxed too much, and Guatemala took advantage. The coach used the entire roster, preparing us for tomorrow’s very important match. Today, the opponent didn’t challenge us much, so I didn’t have to defend as much. I support my team in every moment from the court”.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 20, 2024. – The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Women’s Tournament is set for a thrilling competition, promising a competition full of excitement.
With only one ticket to Paris available for the NORCECA Confederation, the participating countries have come a long way over three years to reach this Olympic qualifier stage and have no intention of falling short now.
The Canadian pair Heather Bansley/Sophie Bukovec are eager to join their compatriots Melissa Humana-Paredes/Brandie Wilkerson, who secured their spot in Paris vie the world rankings.
Puerto Rico
Bansley competed in the 2016 London Olympics, winning all pool-play matches with her former teammate Sarah Pavan.
The United States has already qualified their maximum of two pairs (Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss and Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes).
Among Bansley and Bukovec’s strong competitors are the Mexican duo of Atenas Gutiérrez/Susana Torres and the Puerto Rican duo Allanis Navas/María González, who are gold medalists from the Central American and Caribbean Games and have multiple medals in the NORCECA Tour.
Canada
The teams are divided into three pools.
Pool A consists of Atenas Gutiérrez/Susana Torres (MEX), Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA), Amber Bennett/Taylor Buchner (ISV), and Balkaran/Tammenga (SUR).
Pool B includes Núñez/Quesada (CRC), Paola Alvarado/María Andrea Orellana (GUA), Bansley/Bukovec (CAN), and Thornia Mitchell/Renisha Stafford (GRN).
Pool C features the teams of Payano/Paniagua (DOM), Daniela Vigil/Karla Tovar (ESA), Navas/González (PUR), and Anija Delapenha/Brianna Delapenha (CAY).
The top two teams from each pool, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
The women’s matches will start at 9:00 a.m. at the Jorge “El Ranchero” Aguilar Bullring and the MAT court, continuing until 11:00 a.m., and will resume action at 3:00 p.m. at both venues.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 20, 2024.- The VI Central American U23 Women’s AFECAVOL Championship is fast approaching. The event will take place at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in the Tegucigalpa Sports Complex, Honduras, from June 23 to 29, 2024.
This is the second consecutive occasion that Honduras hosts this age-group championship, where Costa Rica has dominated since its inception in 2012.
In the previous edition held in 2022, Costa Rica clinched their fifth consecutive title defeating Honduras, with both teams progressing into the final match of the event undefeated.
Throughout the history of the Central American U23 Women’s Championship, Guatemala has won two silver and two bronze medals. Honduras and Nicaragua are tied, each having one silver and one bronze medal. Belize reached the podium in 2022, earning the silver medal. El Salvador has secured one bronze medal.
The sixth edition of the tournament will feature all seven countries in the region, competing in a round-robin format starting Sunday, June 23.
June 19, 2024.- Just hours before the drawing of lots for the women’s volleyball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the wide team rosters for USA and Dominican Republic were released, along with the other competing teams.
The list of names, from which the head coaches will make their final selections of 13 players for Paris, promises a solid stellar presence and plenty of electrifying action on the volleyball court at the South Paris Arena in the French capital from July 27 to August 11.
The roster of defending Olympic champions USA features not only Tokyo 2020 Olympic MVP Jordan Larson, but also Tokyo Dream Teamers Jordyn Poulter, Haleigh Washington and Justine Wong-Orantes.
In its fourth Olympic Games, Dominican Republic’s features stellar libero Brenda Castillo, siblings Brayelin and Jineiry Martinez and young opposite Alondra Tapia who recently became one of just four players to score 37 points or more in a VNL match.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 19, 2024.- Mexico won a hard-fought battle against Canada in five sets, securing a 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 19-25, 15-13 victory to advance to the semifinals of the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico.
Mexico topped pool A with a perfect 3-0 record. Canada finished second with a 2-1 record and will face Nicaragua in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Mexico led in attacks (62-43) and service points (9-7). Canada had a significant advantage in blocking points, leading 18-7, and committed 26 errors compared to Mexico’s 38.
Ricardo Gonzalez MEX
The leading scorer of the match was Mexican opposite hitter Ricardo González, who tallied 23 points from 21 attacks, one block, and one ace. Outside hitter Oskar González also scored double digits, contributing 21 points from 18 attacks and 3 aces. Emi Díaz added 12 points to the victory.
For Canada, outside hitters Seth Brunoro and Tyson DeZutter each scored 16 points. Middle blocker Brayden Long contributed 15 points, including a match-high of 7 blocks. Opposite hitter William Clarmo added 5 blocks to his total of 13 points.
Canada made a tremendous effort, recovering from a two-set deficit to push the match to a dramatic fifth set, where they initially led 6-4. The teams were tied at 10, 11, and 13 points. Oskar González then pushed Mexico to match point with a powerful kill, and the winning point came from Eduardo Escoto, who blocked Canadian captain Tyson DeZutter.
Kade Funk CAN
Mexican head coach Denis Omar Rivera said, “The victory came from the heart. Canada was very disciplined on the court and knew how to adjust against us. We will review the mistakes we made with the players, study the match, and be prepared for what comes next”.
Dan Ota, head coach of Canada said, “We know how to fight. We knew that we could recover from 0-2 if we made some good adjustments, and we did. Going into the fifth set anything could happen, we had chances to win and obviously they had a couple more points at the end. It’s a very good learning experience for us and that’s the number one thing. This environment, with the fans, was incredible and it makes things very special for this young group, it’s an experience that our players will never forget”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 19, 2024.- Puerto Rico advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Boys U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, after defeating Cuba 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-17) to secure the top spot in Pool B.
With a 2-0 record in the preliminary round, Puerto Rico earned a direct ticket to Friday’s semifinals. Cuba will face Guatemala in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Puerto Rico outperformed Cuba in attacks (40-34) and service points (7-2). Cuba led in blocks by a narrow margin of 7-6. Errors were balanced, with Puerto Rico committing 21 and Cuba 23.
Three Puerto Rican outside hitters scored in double digits. Maximiliano Aponte led the team with 14 points (9 attacks, 2 blocks, 3 aces), followed by Gustavo Alvarez with 13 points, all on kills, and Adrián Carrillo with 10 points (9 attacks, one block).
For Cuba, Samuel Rodríguez was the top scorer of the match with 15 points (12 attacks, 2 blocks, one ace).
Cuba started strong, jumping to a five-point lead (18-13) in the first set but couldn’t maintain it. Puerto Rico came from behind with attacks from Gustavo Alvarez and blocks by Maximiliano Aponte. Middle Julio Acosto with a kill, prevented Puerto Rico from winning at 24-23, but a kill from Adrián Carrillo and an ace from Jose Soriano secured the set for Puerto Rico. In the second set, Puerto Rico and Cuba tied several times, but from point 18 onwards, Puerto Rico held the lead. Puerto Rico opened the third set with a 3-0 run, extended their lead to 17-9, and sealed the victory at 25-17 with an attack by Adrián Carrillo.
Puerto Rico
Maximiliano Aponte, Puerto Rico’s top scorer, said, “The game was tough. Cuba has tall players and strong attackers, but with what we’ve practiced, we managed the match and got the victory. We kept our spirits high and executed well in defense, blocking, and serving”.
Cuban outside hitter Byron Herrera commented, “We started strong, but we relaxed because we had the lead in the first set, and Puerto Rico took full advantage of that. I think we need to improve our mental game. The more we play, the more opportunities we have to get better.”
COLIMA, Mexico, June 19, 2024.- Guatemala defeated Costa Rica 3-1 (25-18, 27-25, 22-25, 27-25) in their final pool-play match, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Boys U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico.
Guatemala concluded pool A with a 1-2 record, while Costa Rica finished 0-3. Guatemala will await their quarterfinal opponent for Thursday’s match. Meanwhile, Costa Rica will compete in the classification matches for positions 5 to 7.
Guatemala capitalized their win with significant advantages in attacks (61-51), blocks (11-7), and service points (6-0). Despite benefiting from 23 Costa Rican errors, Guatemala also conceded 35 points from their own errors.
Jorge Gonzalez GUA
Guatemala’s captain and outside hitter, Luis Mendizábal, led all scorers with 23 points (20 attacks, one service point), followed by Juan Carlos Menéndez with 21 points (18 attacks, 2 blocks, one service point). Jorge González also contributed to the victory with 14 points, all from kills.
For Costa Rica, the leading scorer was Ignacio Morales with 18 points (16 attacks, 2 blocks). Deymian López added 13 points, all from attacks, and Ángel Monge finished with 10 points, also all from attacks.
Guatemala dominated the first set and reached set point in the second set (24-22). However, two attacks from Deniz Vargas tied the score at 24. Guatemala regained set point at 26-24 with a kill by Carlos Menéndez, and Juan Zúñiga closed the set with a block. Costa Rica extended the match by winning the third set, led by Ignacio Morales and Deymian López. In the fourth set, Costa Rica rallied from a three-point deficit (17-20) to tie in the final points. Luis Mendizábal secured the victory at 27-25 with a kill and a block.
Ignacio Morales CRC
Juan Carlos Menéndez, Guatemala’s outside hitter, commented, “The key to our victory today was our setter’s intelligence; he read the opponent well. We wouldn’t be in the next round without him. We lost a very tight set that could have gone either way. In the fourth set, we managed to stay calm and played with strong attacks”.
Costa Rica’s coach, Jenkins Cruz, said, “We couldn’t recover our setter for this match. We came prepared with a strategically established plan, but you can’t anticipate injuries, especially not to the setter who distributes the whole game. The substitute player did well, but he hasn’t been with the team for long. The physical integrity of the setter is more important, and we hope he can play for the rest of the tournament”.
June 19, 2024.- In a much-anticipated moment, the single round-robin pools for the first stage of the women’s volleyball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were drawn in Bangkok on Wednesday, a day before the start of the women’s 2024 Volleyball Nations League Finals in Thailand’s capital.
The 12 qualified teams were drawn into three pools of four:
Pool A: France, USA, China, Serbia
Pool B: Brazil, Poland, Japan, Kenya
Pool C: Italy, Türkiye, Netherlands, Dominican Republic
The Olympic volleyball tournaments at Paris 2024 will be conducted under a new format, starting with three round-robin pools of four. The pool winners, the pool runners-up and the two best ranked third-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals for the start of the single elimination bracket that will lead to the semifinals and eventually to the medal matches to determine the Olympic podium.
The Paris 2024 volleyball matches will be held at the South Paris Arena in the French capital from July 27 to August 11 to produce the 16th Olympic volleyball champions in each gender.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 18, 2024. – Mexico defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (28-26, 25-17, 25-16) to claim their second consecutive win at the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup, being played at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima, Mexico.
Mexico (2-0) will face Canada (2-0) on Wednesday to determine who advances directly to the semifinals from pool A. Costa Rica (0-2) will play against Guatemala (0-2) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Mexico led Costa Rica with a significant advantage in attacks (56-24) and a comfortable lead in service points (5-1), although they conceded 27 points from errors compared to Costa Rica’s 12. Costa Rica outperformed in blocks (7-5).
Oskar Gonzalez MEX
Mexican outside hitter Oskar González led all scorers with 21 points (20 attacks and one ace). Emi Díaz contributed 19 points (15 attacks, one block, and 3 service points).
Costa Rican opposite hitter Derek Farley scored 7 points.
After a grueling first set, which Mexico won with a block by middle blocker Raúl Silva, Mexico came out stronger in the second set, quickly establishing a huge lead (20-10) that Costa Rica couldn’t overcome. Late in the third set (22-13), Costa Rican captain and setter Gabriel Córdoba suffered an ankle injury after a bad fall. Mexico sealed the victory with two kills from Emi Díaz.
Leading scorer of Mexico, Oskar Gonzalez, said “The first set was dramatic because we lacked concentration and our errors, it wasn’t about Costa Rica’s scoring more points. We were able to control the situation to take the lead. In the next two sets, we were decisive because we elevated our level of play, with strength in every element of the game, including in defense”.
Opposite hitter Derek Farley of Costa Rica said, “We couldn’t keep up the courage we had in the first set. We fell and we could have done things better today, like yesterday. I hope my teammate recovers soon. We followed our coaches’ instructions, but we lacked courage. We had trouble in not committing errors”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 18, 2024. – Cuba opened the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup with a decisive 3-0 win (25-14, 25-17, 25-12) against Nicaragua at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima, Mexico.
With a dominant performance in kills (38-22), blocks (8-3), and service points (13-3), Cuba secured their first victory in pool B. Cuba committed 15 errors while Nicaragua had 16.
Cuba (1-0) will wrap up the preliminary round on Wednesday against Puerto Rico (1-0); the winner will advance directly to Friday’s semifinals. Nicaragua finished pool B with an 0-2 record and will compete in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Cuba
Three Cuban outside hitters led the offense with double-digit points. Byron Herrera scored 14 points from 10 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 aces; Andy Marrero contributed 12 points from 10 attacks and 2 blocks; and Samuel Rodríguez added 12 points from 6 attacks and a match-high of 6 aces.
Nicaragua’s middle blocker Keneth Urtecho scored 9 points for his team.
In the second set, Nicaragua surprised Cuba by tying the score at 12 points thanks to the efforts of Joaquín Padilla and Ismael Martínez, but Cuba closed strong.
Julio Acosta CUB
Cuban team captain Yosdani Medina said, “We were more decisive at the start. We are getting into rhythm as we prepare for the World Championship, and today everyone had the chance to play and get warmed up. Tomorrow we will come out strong against Puerto Rico. We are very united and combined with our attacking power”.
Nicaraguan setter Axel Aribzu commented, “We had ups and downs; we lacked defense and better cohesion because we just joined from playing in the U21 tournament. We know we will do better; we are already in the quarterfinals and need more consistency in our attack.”
COLIMA, Mexico, June 18, 2024. – Canada won over Guatemala 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 26-24) in their second victory at the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup being held in Colima, Mexico.
After losing the first set, Canada came back strong to improve their record to 2-0 in pool A, while Guatemala remains winless at 0-2.
Canada concludes pool-play on Wednesday against Mexico, while Guatemala will face Costa Rica.
Tyson Dezutter CAN
Canada’s dominance in blocking (10-4) and service points (10-4) was crucial for their victory. Guatemala committed fewer unforced errors (22-36).
Canadian captain and outside hitter Tyson DeZutter was the leading scorer in the match with 24 points, on 18 attacks, 2 blocks, and a match-high of 4 aces. Opposite Kade Funk, who came in as a substitute in the first set, added 13 points on10 attacks, 2 blocks, and one ace. Outside hitter Seth Brunoro also contributed with 12 points.
For Guatemala, captain Luis Mendizábal led his team with 16 points from 14 attacks and 2 blocks.
Luis Mendizabal GUA
Guatemala led throughout the first set, but Canada returned with greater confidence to take the second. In the third set, Canada quickly built a commanding 18-9 lead. Despite Guatemala rallying from a six-point deficit (14-20) in the fourth set, thanks to a series of Canadian errors and strong offense from Mendizábal, Canada regained control and reached match point at 24-23, which Guatemala managed to stave off twice. Tyson DeZutter ended the match with a powerful spike.
Cruz Chittick, libero of Canada said “Our team relied on each other to recover from falling in the first set. Our resiliency was better than Guatemala’s, when they came down they couldn’t bounce back, while we bounced back in every sense”.
Edvin López, Guatemala’s coach, commented, “I think the boys were too anxious. We made mistakes, but we need to work more as a team. Some players are also overloaded from the U21 competition. We’ll aim for a win against Costa Rica to advance to the next round”.
TLAXCALA, Mexico, June 18, 2024. – The NORCECA Olympic Beach Volleyball Qualification Tournament will grant the continental quota for both men’s and women’s teams to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The tournament will start on Friday, June 21, at the Tlaxcala Bullring in Mexico.
The Olympic race for the NORCECA Confederation was developed in three phases, involving the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Continental Tour Finals. From these events, twelve teams per gender have qualified to compete in Tlaxcala.
One team per gender will qualify to the Paris Olympic Games, which run July 26-August 11.
According to the regulations, only two teams per country can participate in the Olympic Games. Thus, four duos from the United States (two men’s and two women’s), Canada in women and Cuba in men, earned an Olympic berth by finishing among the top 17 of their gender’s FIVB Olympic Rankings within the qualification period, which ran January 1, 2023, to June 9, 2024.
These are the 24 teams that will compete from Friday, June 21, to Sunday, June 23, in the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Men: Samuel Schachter/ Daniel Dearing (CAN); Daniel Dyner/Jhostin Varela (CRC); Hayerling Goris/Oscar Martínez (DOM); Yoel Guardado/Christopher Guardado (ESA); Andy Leonardo/Luis García (GUA); Ricardo Galindo/Juan Virgen (MEX); Rubén Mora/Dany López (NCA); Arnaldo Torres/William Rivera (PUR); Nage Hendrickson/ St Clair Hodge (SKN); Keven Sporkslede/Joshua Dwarkasing (SUR); Joel Theodore/ Stephen Enile (TTO); Bryce Mayer/ Tyler Penberthy (ISV).
The women’s team that wins Olympic Qualifer will join the pairs of Melissa Humana-Paredes/Brandie Wilkerson from Canada and Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss and Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes from the United States in Paris.
In the men’s field, the champion team will join Jorge Alayo/Noslen Díaz from Cuba and the U.S. teams of Andy Benesh/Miles Partain y Chase Budinger/Miles Evans.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 17, 2024.- Mexico controlled Guatemala with a significant service advantage of 14 to 2, securing a 3-1 victory (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19) on the opening day of the Boys U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico.
In pool A, Mexico (1-0) will face Costa Rica (1-0) on Tuesday, while Guatemala (0-1) will play against Canada.
Besides dominating in service points, Mexico also had the advantage in attacks (56-34) and blocks (6-5). Guatemala benefited from 38 Mexican errors and gave away 21 points on their own errors.
Mexico
Mexican outside hitter Emi Díaz led all scorers with 24 points (20 attacks, one block, and three aces). Oskar De Jesús González contributed 18 points (13 attacks, one block, four aces). Ricardo González and Tomás Villalobos each added 11 points.
Jorge González of Guatemala scored 14 points from 12 attacks, one block, and one ace.
In the first set, the teams were tied several times until Mexico jumped to a four-point lead (19-15) with consecutive attacks and a serve by Oskar González. They tied again at 19 in the second set, but with two errors from Mexico and a block by Jorge González, the Central American team found the necessary boost to level the match after losing two set points. In the third set, Mexico scored 5 points from aces alone. Mexico won the match in the fourth set with a service point by David Preciado.
Juan Zuñiga GUA
Daniel Fajardo, Mexico’s captain, said, “We started the match strong and confident. We lost focus in the second set, leading to unforced errors and losing it. We closed the match well. It was a good game to start the tournament”.
Luis Mendizábal, Guatemala’s captain, commented, “We could have won the match. We lacked drive, a bit of attitude, and believing in ourselves. We made many mistakes. We need to come together more as a team to improve”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 17, 2028.- Puerto Rico secured a 3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-10) victory over Nicaragua on the first day of the Boys U17 Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico.
In pool B, Puerto Rico (1-0), the current NORCECA champions in this category, will have a rest day on Tuesday, while Nicaragua (0-1) will face Cuba.
Puerto Rico had a strong debut and had no trouble prevailing over Nicaragua, leading 43 to 12 in attack points and 8 to 1 in service points. Nicaragua performed better in block points (3-1).
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s coach rotated all his players, with Adrián Carrillo leading the scoring with 9 points. Erick Vazquez and Maximiliano Aponte each finished with 7 points.
Luis Valle and Ismael Martínez each scored 4 points for Nicaragua.
Nicaragua
Gustavo Alvarez, Puerto Rico’s captain, said, “Serving was one of our strengths in this match. Our passing was good, which allowed us to have a strong offense. Our receiving and blocking helped a lot in our defense, factors that contributed to the victory”.
Bradley Cordon, Nicaragua’s captain, commented, “We were mainly missing two players who just finished the U21 NORCECA yesterday and will join the team tomorrow, one of whom is our setter. The problem was that we had to adapt as setters, which was a new experience, but it ultimately helps us become more complete as players”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 17, 2024. – Canada opened the Boys U17 Pan American Cup with a five-set victory (23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 31-29, 15-10) over Costa Rica in Colima, Mexico.
On the second day of pool A, Canada (1-0) will face Guatemala, and Costa Rica (0-1) will play against the host country, Mexico.
Canada took 2 hours and 26 minutes to open pool A of the event, splitting sets with Costa Rica until winning in a thrilling five-set match.
Canada dominated in attacks (70-58), in blocks (16-13), and had a slight edge (5-4) in aces. Canada capitalized on 26 points from Costa Rican errors but also gave away 39 points on their own errors.
Outside hitters Seth Brunoro and Tyson Dezutter led Canada’s offense with 18 points each. Opposite hitter William Clarmo also contributed with 16 points.
The top scorer of the match was Costa Rica’s outside hitter Ian Sánchez with impressive 31 points. Deyman López added 17 points.
The Canadians managed to extend to a tie-break in a dramatic fourth set that ended 31-29. Canada lost their first set point (24-23) after a powerful attack by Deyman López. Costa Rica missed the chance to close the match (25-24) due to a serve error by Ian Esquivel, and again (26-25) due to a successful attack by William Clarmo; but Costa Rica’s Ian Sánchez tied the score at 27 points. Canada’s next chance to win the fourth set came from another kill by Clarmo, but Sánchez tied it again at 28. An attack by Tyson Dezutter tied it at 29, but then he missed a serve. Two Costa Rican errors forced the match to a fifth set, which Canada won, always staying ahead in the score.
Tyson Dezutter, team captain of Canada said “We passed very well and we received well. Our setters put the ball in a good location. It was a good team effort”.
Gabriel Córdoba, team captain of Costa Rica said “We played a good game. We weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunities at the end. I feel we can improve our team spirit”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- Outside hitter Sterling Foley of the United States was named the Most Valuable Player of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship that ended on Sunday at Nogales, Mexico.
Foley was handed the MVP award during the closing ceremony after his team won the Championship to Canada in straight sets.
individual awards
Foley was also recognized as Best Spiker along with his teammate middle Jackson Cryst as the Best Blocker in the event.
Canadians Piers De Greef was the second Best Spiker, Cody Hudson the second Best Blocker, Kale Fisher the Best Setter and libero Quintin Greenidge the Best Receiver.
The Best Opposite, Best Server and Best Scorer went to Cuban Daniel Martinez.
Nicaragua’s Osmar Peralta was named Best Libero and Best Digger.
Aquí tienes la traducción al español del texto proporcionado:
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- The United States won the gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s U21 Continental Championship defeating Canada 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 27-25) on Sunday in Nogales, Mexico.
This is the fourth gold medal for the United States in the history of the event, for an overall of 11 medals (two silvers, five bronzes).
For Canada, this is their fifth silver medal. They also have two golds and three bronze medals.
USA Block
United States led in attack points by a huge margin (44-29) and also finished with a comfortable lead in blocks (12-9). Both teams scored one ace. United States gave away 25 points from errors compared to Canada’s 20.
Outside hitter Sterling Foley scored 16 points (13 attacks, 3 blocks) to lead the victory. Captain and outside hitter Sean Kelly contributed 12 points, all from attacks. Cole Hartke added 11 points (9 attacks, one block, one ace). Middle blocker Jackson Cryst had a match-high of 5 block points.
Opposite hitter Owen Weekes, who came in as a substitute during the first two sets and played the entire third set, was Canada’s top scorer with 13 points.
Canada
USA jumped to an early 13-8 lead and never allowed Canada to catch up in the first set. The same happened in the second, but after being up 15-10, an error and two consecutive blocks by Canada narrowed the gap. However, Sean Kelly ended Canada’s streak with a direct attack. Canada adjusted in the third set and held the lead several times, with attacks from Ashton South and serves from Piers De Greeff. USA reached match point at 24-23 with a block by Jackson Cryst, but Owen Weekes tied it with a kill. Then, Canada missed a set point, but two consecutive points from Sterling Foley (one kill and a block) pushed the Americans to another match point, which middle blocker Parker Tomkinson secured with a block.
Setter Tread Rosenthal said “It was an exciting finish. It was just great and playing together as a team, we’ve been preaching this for a while and just staying together through tough and good times. Finn Kearney and Trent Teliaferro came off the bench and gave us a little juice towards the end, and then it was just making the right play at the right time. Poise was our best skill, no matter what happened we stayed together and played steady the whole time”.
USA Head coach John Hawks said “Those last points were tough. The character of our guys, our coaching staff, the systems were putting in and they all just believed we could do it. Until we lose, we were still in this thing. The subs did a great job, all twelve of these players earned our trust, they can go in and do it, they all helped turn things around a little bit and I am so proud of them”.
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 16th, 2024.- Kevin Rodríguez, starter setter from Puerto Rico, was named the Most Valuable Player MVP after Puerto Rico won the gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s Final Four.
Kevin Rodríguez received the MVP recognition from Mayor of the City of Ponce, Mrs, Marlese Sifre Rodríguez, during the closing ceremony at the Salvador Dijols Coliseum. In addition, Rodríguez received the award for best setter of the tournament.
Awards
Also from Team Puerto Rico, outside hitter Pedro Molina was awarded best attacker, best server and best scorer, outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas was selected second best attacker and opposite Klistan Lawrence was awarded best opposite.
From Dominican Republic, middle blocker Rafael Burgos was the best blocker, outside hitter Henry López was recognized as the best reception and libero Enger Miéses was awarded best defense and best libero of the competition.
From Mexico, middle blocker Víctor Parra was second best middle.
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 16th, 2024.- Led by an outstanding performance of Pedro Molina, Puerto Rico bounced back from losing the first set to Mexico and won the NORCECA Men’s Final Four in Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico defeated Mexico 3-1 with scores 23-25, 25-14, 25-22 and 25-21.
Puerto Rico won the gold medal undefeated (3-0), while Mexico ended with one win, two losses and in third place. Dominican Republic with a 2-1 record finished in second place.
Pedro Molina PUR block
Mexico came focused and were in control of the first set involved offensively and defensively to win 25-23. Puerto Rico took the time between sets to adjust the game tactics and overpowered Mexico with their serves and consistent attacks. Mexico tried to battle the home team in the following sets, but Puerto Rico displayed enhanced performance during the rest of the match winning the next two sets 25-22 and 25-21 and winning the gold medal.
Puerto Rico performed better in attacks 49-45, blocks 9-7 and serves 10-2, committing fewer errors than Mexico 28-30.
Outside hitter Pedro Molina from Puerto Rico was the top scorer of the match with 22 points (15 kills, 1 block and 6 aces) followed by teammate and opposite hitter Klistan Lawrence with 19 points (14 kills, 2 blocks and 3 aces). The top scorers for Mexico were captain and outside hitter Mauro Fuentes with 13 points (12 kills and an ace) and middle blocker Axel Tellez Rodríguez with 12 points (9 kills, 2 blocks and an ace).
Head Coach of Puerto Rico – Alberto Jamille Torres: with Mexico it is always a war, we knew it was not going to be easy. I think that in the first set we started a little anxious, making a lot of mistakes, but we managed to clean up our game and get a good result. This is a young group although they have experience at the international level and playing in front of our fans gives you a plus and it was nice to win at home. Now to rest a little and prepare for the Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic. This was a great stage to test ourselves, see where we are and what things we should improve.
Klistan Lawrence – Opposite of Puerto Rico: It was a difficult match; Mexico came to play well. We felt good about the environment, the fans, the trust and this worked for us. Playing at home helped, we stayed together following the instructions of our coaches and we ended up getting the victory. Now for our next tournament, which is the Pan American Cup, I think the most important thing in order to perform well is to keep practicing and gain more confidence.
Mexico coach – Carlos Schwanke: after three games we started to get to a better level. We began to obtain better results; the boys began to change the strategy of the game and we managed to put a little pressure on Puerto Rico. It was a good game for us and the champions. We must build a pattern and have a little more time to work together plus we need to improve our attack. Soon we will be traveling to China for the FIVB Challenger Cup, which is a very big challenge for us, and this helped us evaluate ourselves.
Axel Tellez Rodríguez – middle blocker from Mexico: as always, the match with Puerto Rico is something you need to see, with high-level players just like us. This time the game was in their favor being at home. We have a lot to improve. We are working with new coaches, and new technical staff. We must move on, see defeats as an experience and move on. We have a lot to improve in all aspects of volleyball, both technically and physically, and be prepared for our next commitment, which is the FIVB Challenger Cup.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- Daniel Martínez scored 30 points in Cuba’s 3-1 (13-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-22) victory over Puerto Rico in the bronze medal match of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
This is the first bronze medal for Cuba in the history of the event. Cuba finished the competition with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. Puerto Rico, in fourth place, ended with a 2-4 record.
The opposite hitter, Daniel Martínez, tallied his 30 points from 23 attacks, 4 blocks, and 3 aces. Martínez sealed Cuba’s victory with a direct service ace. He was supported by outside hitter Kelly Oviedo, who scored 16 points.
CUB Daniel Martinez spikes
Puerto Rico’s captain and opposite hitter, Ramón Rosado, led his team with 18 points on 15 attacks and 3 blocks. Outside hitter Lorenzo Rivera scored 17 points on 16 attacks and one service ace. Middle blocker Yann Colon scored a match-high of 7 blocks.
Cuba outperformed in attacks 55-46, while Puerto Rico was superior in blocks with 13-9. Cuba had one more ace (6-5) but conceded more points from errors (21-18).
Puerto Rico built a solid wall with their blocking (7-0) in the first set, finishing with a commanding lead. However, Cuba rallied from a 5-point deficit (6-11) in the second set, thanks to Martínez’s blocking and attacking, coupled with Oviedo’s serving, to level the match. Cuba knocked off Puerto Rico’s block to win the next two sets. Puerto Rico’s setter had to withdraw in the fourth set after slipping during a defensive play.
CUB Flaquet set
Lian Sem Estrada, Head Coach of Cuba, said, “We lost the first set because the boys are still learning how to play at this level. They got overconfident after winning the first match against Puerto Rico 3-0. I had to remind them that we were here with a goal that hadn’t been achieved yet. Puerto Rico is a tough team that we respect. We had to work hard for the victory”.
Ronaldo Flaquet, Captain of Cuba, said, “We were nervous at the beginning of the match since, for most of the team, it’s their first international competition. With the support of the crowd and a lot of motivation, we managed to pull through, showing great resilience”.
Gerardo De Jesús Sánchez, Head Coach of Puerto Rico, said, “Cuba stayed united during tough moments. At times, we did things that disrupted our organization. During a crucial moment in the third set, a red card shifted the game and put us under a lot of pressure; up to that point, the match was evenly balanced. We need to learn how to handle the tension to win these kinds of matches”.
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 16th, 2024.- Dominican Republic won a five-set thriller 3-2 (25-17, 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 15-7 in their last match at NORCECA Men’s Final Four in Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Dominican Republic finished the tournament with a record of 2 wins and one loss while Guatemala ended with 0-3.
Dominican Republic
It was an even start of the match for both teams. Dominican Republic started pushing mid first set with their blocks and serves to win 25-17. Guatemala turned up the heat going up 3-0 at the beginning of second set. Dominicans started to push and forcing Guatemala with their serve to take the lead by three points 17-14. Guatemala bounced back and forced extra points to win the set 27-25. Guatemala came inspired in the third set showing a great defense and controlled attacks to win 25-23. Dominican Republic improved in the fourth set with a change in their lineup and forced a tie break. The experience of the Dominican team was shown in the fifth set which they won 15-7.
Dominican Republic led in attacks 66-57, blocks 11-9 and serves 7-3, committing fewer errors than Guatemala 27-29.
Outside hitter Wilfredo Hernández was the top scorer for Dominican Republic with 19 points (16 attacks, 1 block and 2 aces) followed by Adrian Figueroa who came from the bench and scored 17 pts (16 attacks and an ace). For Guatemala the top scorer was José Pérez with 18 points (16 attacks and 2 blocks).
Lopez Santiago GUA
Head coach of Dominican Republic – José Gutiérrez: We showed many ups and downs. I think that having won the first set so comfortably gave us too much confidence and things didn’t start to go as they should. We had to make some changes, give confidence to our young talent which worked for us in the end, giving us the peace of mind we need. Our team has several Under-23 players, and our intention is to continue developing them. Now we will prepare for the Pan American Cup in which we have not had good results but this year we are hosting the event and we want to do the best possible, counting on all our players and strengthening the weaknesses.
Best scorer of the Dominican Republic – Wilfrido Hernández: first I want to congratulate Guatemala, who showed a good game, they surprised us, and I think that our overconfidence was what affected us. Now we have to continue working to improve and learn to never underestimate the rival. Our next commitment is the Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic, I think that the team is doing well despite everything and with the integration of the player Alexis García, who could not participate in this event, it will strengthen us and help us do a great job.
Coach of Guatemala – Reider L. Mora: This competition has been very useful to us, we have had good preparation, playing from less to more. The first match was more unstable, then against Mexico we were a little better and today we ended up playing five sets with a Dominican team with a lot of experience and level and we are happy that we have been improving over the course of the competition. We have taken great advantage of all the conditions to prepare for our next tournaments.
Best scorer for Guatemala – José Pérez: The truth is that it was a tough game. The Dominican Republic is a very experienced and high-level team. Our team is young, but we gave everything on the court, unfortunately we did not win but we are very happy with the result. Now we will continue preparing to give everything on the court, unite more as a team and continue improving.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- Mexico defeated Suriname 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-18) on Sunday to claim fifth place in the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
Mexico secured fifth place in the tournament with a 4-2 record. Suriname finished with a 2-4 record. In pool-play, Mexico also defeated Suriname in three sets.
Suriname struggled to develop their game system, failing in reception due to Mexico’s targeted serves, which ended with a 6-0 advantage for Mexico. Mexico also dominated in attacks with a 46 to 24 lead. Suriname was more effective in blocking, with a 7-3 edge, and committed one less error than Mexico (20-21).
Mexican middle blocker Daniel Craioto led all scorers in the match with 13 points. Opposite hitter Cristian Cadena added 9 points.
Suriname’s opposite hitter Mesón Anakaba dropped his performance compared to previous matches, scoring 9 points.
Mexico led in all sets, but in the closing of the second set, they lost seven set points (24-17) before finally winning it 25-20.
Jorge Alberto Romero, Coach of Mexico, said, “I expected Suriname to put up more of a fight. My boys started off organized. I feel that as the match went on, there was an excess of confidence from my players. We could have made it a more interesting game on our side and been more aggressive, but the inexperience of the team allowed the scores to be closer towards the end. The result of the match was positive, though not the result we were hoping for in the tournament”.
Furgil Ong-A-Fat, head coach of Suriname said “We lost our energy level. I told them during the morning practice that they needed to play it together as a team, it our last match in this NORCECA. We are looking forward to coming to the next tournament and keeping up the pressure”.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 16, 2024.- Molly Shaw and Chloe Loreen of the United States won a thrilling final 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 18-16) against Marie-Alex Bélanger and Lea Monkhouse (CAN) to claim the gold medal at the fourth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Managua 2024.
For Shaw and Loreen, this is their second gold medal in the NORCECA Tour, having previously won the continental final in the Dominican Republic a month ago. For Bélanger, this is her second silver medal in Managua.
USA-Chloe Loreen y Molly Shaw
After a relatively comfortable first set in favor of the champions, Bélanger and Monkhouse applied pressure with their blocking and strong defense, which helped them even the match at one set each. The tight contest continued into the third set, but Shaw and Loreen, thanks to their spectacular defense, ultimately secured the final advantage.
Shaw said, “I was telling Chloe that this is the kind of game I play volleyball for. The crowd was really loud, it was pouring rain, and honestly, this was one of my favorite matches ever. The rain adds many different dynamics; the ball is slipperier, and a lot happens. It was stressful and fun at the same time”.
CAN-Lea Monkhouse y Alex-Marie Bélenger
Loreen added, “I feel great. I think Molly and I really came together in this match. Playing in the rain was fun; it brought me back to my roots playing in Washington, and I’m very happy we pulled through. Everything has been fantastic—I love the stadium, the crowd was so much fun, and the rain just came out of nowhere, but it was exciting”.
For the bronze medal, Nicole Reinking and Heather Friesen (USA) won 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) against Nicaragua’s Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez
Sunday matches
Positiion 13: Núñez/Quesada (CRC) d Penner/Valenciana (ISV) 2-0 ; Position 11: Zuñiga/Aguilar (GUA) d Hands/Hamilton (BER) 2-0 (21-8, 21-10); Position 9: Valeska/Silva (NCA) d Molina/Aguilar (CRC) 2-0 (21-17, 21-14). Position 7-8: Quesada/Ramírez (CRC) d Alvarado/Resau (NCA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-15). Position 5-6: Orellana A/Alvarado (GUA) d Robitaille/Dunn (CAN) 2-0 (23-21, 21-15); Bronze Medal: Reinking/Friesen (USA) d Lopez/Lolette (NCA) 2-0 (21-14, 21-18). Gold Medal: Shaw/Loreen (USA) d Bélanger/Monkhouse (CAN) 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 18-16).
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 16, 2024.- Timothy Brewster and Kyle Friend (USA) claimed the gold medal defeating Rouzbeh Rahnavard and Tynan Gannett (CAN) 2-0 (21-19, 22-20) in the fourth stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour held in Managua.
Brewster and Friend won their second title at this venue, and for Friend, it marked his farewell from the NORCECA Tour, leaving Brewster with a new partner for the upcoming tour stops. “I ended my journey well; I feel satisfied. This will be my last tour. Tim will continue on the tour, but I’m saying goodbye, and winning the final is a fantastic way to go out”, said Kyle.
USA-Kyle Friend y Timothy Brewster campeones
Brewster added, “We came back here with a lot of confidence after a year (they won in 2022), and we were very excited to return to Managua and secure the title again”.
Meanwhile, Diego Perez and Ryan Ierna (USA) captured the bronze medal by winning 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 15-10) against Ruben Mora and Danny López (NCA). After a tightly contested first set won by the home team, Perez and Ierna bounced back to win the next two sets.
USA-Kyle Friend
Results Sunday
Pos. 7-8. Rivera/Torres (PUR) de Ratter/Lomeli (ISV) 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) Pos. 5-6 D. Dyner/Araya (CRC) d. Maldonado/García (GUA) 2-0 (21-19, 21-16). Por medalla de bronce, Perez/lerna (USA) d Mora/Lopez (NCA) 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 15-10). Por Medalla de Oro: Brewster/Friend (USA) d Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) 2-0 (21-19, 20-22).
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- Guatemala defeated Nicaragua 3-0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-22) to claim seventh place in the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
Guatemala finished the tournament with a 1-4 record, for seventh position. Nicaragua ended in eighth place with a 0-5 record.
Guatemala topped Nicaragua in attacks (41-36) and blocks (12-9). Nicaragua held a slight advantage in serves (3-2). Guatemala committed 23 errors, while Nicaragua had 22.
Luis Mendizabal GUA
The top scorer of the match was Luis Mendizábal from Guatemala, with 20 points on 15 attacks, 4 blocks, and one service point.
Evans Solís led Nicaragua in scoring with 15 points on 13 attacks and 2 service points. Taushaun Hooker added 13 points.
NCA Solis attack GUA defense Samayoa and Mendizabal
Luis Fernando Castañeda, Coach of Guatemala, said, “The team consists of young players who are still developing. We knew we were entering a tough competition. We started strong against Cuba and then gave Canada a good fight, but the inexperience of some of our players started to show. We brought athletes from a lower age category. Today, Luis Mendizábal, who is U17, had a great tournament and has a lot of potential. We earned the victory today. We thought we could have finished in a higher position, but we will keep working hard”.
Jorge Mena, Coach of Nicaragua, said, “There are players who don’t play as a team; there is too much individuality. I think we missed the opportunity to extend the match in the second set with just a small touch. We need to keep improving and set aside individual play. It was a challenge to beat Guatemala; we defeated them in Cuba, and now they have beaten us here. We should have performed better against Guatemala. We know we were missing some players, but we didn’t expect a 3-0 result”.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- The first Under-17 Boys Pan American Cup presents a new challenge for seven national teams, which will compete at the Colima Multifunctional Auditorium from June 17 to 22.
Coaches spoke about the start of the competition and outlined their objectives for this event, which is part of the qualification system for the U17 NORCECA Continental Championship in 2025 and the age-group FIVB World Championship in 2026.
Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “The players were playing with their respective club teams, so our team did not have an opportunity to train for this tournament. This is our first time together with these athletes. It’s great for athletes to give them an opportunity to experience international competition at this age. I think that developing an understanding of international games at a younger age is a very helpful experience to help them later in their careers. Our team has a lot of great athletes, but we will have to come together very quickly to develop our team spirit and cohesion, and hopefully we will start to play better as the week goes on. I know it will be a very difficult tournament because many other excellent teams are here, so every game will be difficult for us”.
Canada
Walter Jenkins, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “We have been working on this process for almost two years. Since the beginning, there have been some interesting changes, such as the physical growth of our players. In the past year, they have grown, and now the team’s average height is 1.85 meters. At this international level of competition, height is important because our opponents are generally tall. We competed in Poza Rica last year, and we have three new players joining us now. Like everyone here, we come with the hope of reaching the top; we want to work hard to achieve a podium finish”.
Costa Rica
Frank Almendariz Dávalos, Team Manager of Cuba: “This group has been together since September. They attended the qualifier for the U17 World Championship qualifier here in Mexico and secured one of the spots. The team has stayed together in preparation for competing in the World Championship in August in Bulgaria. We are here to compete and to give them more game experience so they can gain more exposure. Of the 12 players who went to Poza Rica last year, we have brought 10. We want the players to enjoy the tournament, to put into practice everything we have worked on with them, and also to achieve a good result that will provide a positive psychological environment for the World Championship.”
Cuba
Edvin Obed López, Head Coach of Guatemala: “We come well-organized. The parents supported us to conduct training camps in various provinces of Guatemala. The team consists of athletes from the national champion and runner-up teams, along with some reinforcements from other teams. We aim to perform well and represent Guatemala as it should be represented; if we can reach the podium, it will be a great achievement. Six players were part of the U17 team that competed in Poza Rica.”
Guatemala
Denis Omar Rivera, Head Coach of Mexico: “We’ve been here in Colima for two weeks, training in double sessions, and we’re about to complete 15 days in preparation for the event. Our goal is to reach the final again, as we did in the U17 NORCECA Championship. We have added three new athletes to the team: one from here in Colima, one from Sinaloa, and another from Baja California”.
Mexico
Benito Escorcia, Assistant Coach of Nicaragua: “In Nicaragua, we are always preparing new talents to be part of our national teams. This competition wasn’t initially in our yearly schedule, but it is a great development opportunity. Like all the teams here, we aim to win every match, though it will be challenging given the high level of play from other teams. We will gain valuable experience, and our players will get a firsthand look at international volleyball”.
Nicaragua
Carlos De Sevilla, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “This tournament serves as preparation for this year’s World Championship, for which we qualified last year in Poza Rica. We have a preliminary squad of 18 players who have rotated in and out of different tournaments. The Federation decided well that this team (plus one U19 player) would participate in the NORCECA U19 tournament recently held in Puerto Rico. We have been gaining experience. We are familiar with several teams here; we know their strengths and weaknesses. We haven’t faced Canada before. The challenge is to identify the key players of each team and fight until the end”.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – Nicaraguan player Dalia Conto Calero was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the first edition of the Central American Women’s Final Four.
Conto Calero received the award during the closing ceremony after Nicaragua was crowned champion by winning all three of their matches. She was also named the Best Opposite.
Other awards were given to recognize individual performance based on statistical data during the event.
From Costa Rica, Tatiana Sayles received the award for Top Scorer, Tamara Espinoza was awarded Best Server and Second Best Spiker, and María José Castro was named Best Receiver and Best Libero. Yuliana González was honored as the Best Setter of the tournament.
Tatiana Sayles CRC – Mejor Anotadora
For Honduras, Ana Gabriela Marcelin received the award for Best Blocker.
Among the champions, Brittany Forbes was named Best Spiker, Josefat Diaz was recognized as the Second Best Blocker, and Marcela Roa was awarded Best Defense, joining the tournament MVP in the honors.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – Costa Rica claimed the silver medal by defeating Honduras 3-1 (14-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19) in the final match of the inaugural Central American Women’s Final Four Championship held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Costa Rica lost the first set to a dominant Honduras. However, starting in the second set, the Costa Rican players found new energy and comfortably outplayed Honduras, which, despite excelling in blocks, could not match the experience of the Costa Rican side.
Tatiana Sayles CRC
Costa Rica nearly doubled Honduras in attack points over the net (52-37). While Honduras led in blocks (10-7), both teams scored 4 aces.
Tatiana Sayles of Costa Rica was the top scorer of the match with a total of 23 points, including 2 blocks and one ace. She was supported by Lakysha Nicolle Thompson, who scored 14 points, 4 of which were blocks (more than half of Costa Rica’s blocks in the match). Tannia Carazo also contributed with double-digit points, scoring 11.
Ana Gabriela Marcelin HON
For Honduras, the top scorer and the only player with double-digit points was Ana Gabriela Marcelin, who scored 19 points, including 4 blocks.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – The Nicaraguan women’s team defeated El Salvador 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) to become the champions of the first AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four.
The Nicaraguan team claimed the title undefeated, having won their first two matches against Honduras and Costa Rica. They needed to win against El Salvador on Saturday to secure the championship, regardless of the later match between Honduras and Costa Rica.
Nicaragua was dominant in attacks and serves, outscoring El Salvador 41-26 in attacks and 7-2 in aces. El Salvador led in blocks, 5-4.
Nicaragua’s attack was led by Brittany Forbes, who scored 14 points, including 3 from serves, and Hellen Traña, who scored 12 points, with 2 from serves and 1 block, causing significant trouble for El Salvador.
Dalia Conto NCA – Tatiana Menjivar ESA
El Salvador’s offense was weakened from the beginning of the second set when Tatiana Menjívar was injured. Marcela Alejandra Soriano and Daniela Alexandra López each scored 6 points.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- The United States swept Cuba (25-20, 25-21, 25-16) and will face Canada on Sunday for the gold medal at the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
The U.S. has won the competition on three occasions, and this will be their sixth appearance in the championship match.
The defending champions, Cuba, have never won a bronze medal in the history of the event. They will play Puerto Rico for third place in the tournament.
United States outperformed Cuba with 40 points to 25 kills, 15 to 5 blocks, and 5 to 1 ace, but they handed out 26 points on errors compared to 15 from Cuba.
Team captain and outside hitter Kelly Sean led the United States with a match-high of 15 points on 13 attacks and two blocks. He was joined by Cole Hartke and Sterling Foley with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Setter Tread Rosenthal scored a match-high of 5 blocks along with a match-high of 3 aces.
Daniel Martínez was Cuba’s leading scorer with 10 points on 7 attacks, 2 blocks, and one ace.
Sean Kelly USA
United States only trailed in the first set. In the second set, they quickly took a 13-8 lead, extending it to 21-11; they had difficulty closing the set after losing 5 set points (16-24) but eventually won 25-21 with a kill point from Cole Hartke. They dominated the third set without major difficulty.
John Hawks, head coach of United States said “We missed a lot of serves; if you’re thinking about missing serves, you’re going to miss serves. We just got go in tomorrow morning, we’re going to work out and talk about it a little bit, and just do a better job in managing situations; it happens, they are just young kids. We’ll do it better tomorrow night against Canada, a well coached team, they are doing a nice job, we just have to be sharp tomorrow night”.
Cuba’s head coach, Lian Sem Estrada, said, “Today, I think the boys lacked experience; there were some situations that weren’t complicated, but they didn’t know how to find the right solutions, and I believe that’s where our performance failed. We are still enthusiastic. We came with the goal of winning and earning a medal, and for this team to gain experience in pursuit of victory. My objectives remain the same; we are still in the fight.”
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 15, 2024.- Marie-Alex Bélanger/Lea Monkhouse (CAN) and Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen (USA) will compete for the gold medal at the fourth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour Managua 2024 .
Shaw/Loreen won the gold medal in the final phase of the Tour in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic, a month ago, in a final against another couple from Canada. Bélanger won the silver medal in 2022 in Managua and is now alongside Monkhouse, with whom she placed second in a stop last year.
CAN-Marie-Alex Bélanger
Shaw/Loreen had to battle hard to overcome their teammates Nicole Reinking/Heather Friesen (USA) in three sets (21-14, 22-24, 15-12), while the Canadians beat the locals Socorro López/ in the semifinal Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) with a score of 21-10, 21-16.
In the quarterfinals, Shaw/Loreen won 2-0 (21-4, 21-8) against Quesada/Ramírez CRC; Bélanger/Monkhouse defeated Orellana A/Alvarado GUA 2-0 (21-9, 21-14); Reinking/Friesen beat Robitaille/Dunn CAN 2-0 (21-17, 21-112) and López/Lolette beat Alvarado/Resau, also from Nicaragua, 2-0 (21-15, 21-13).
USA- Chloe Loreen y Shaw Molly
Saturday results
Semifinals: Bélanger/Monkhouse (CAN) d Socorro Lopez/Lolette Rodriguez NCA 2-0 (21-10, 21-16); Shaw/Loreen (USA) d Nicole Reinking/ Heather Friesen (USA) 2-1 (21-14, 22-24, 15-12); For place 15: McCoombs/H. Thompson CAY d Funes/GUZMAN ESA 2-1 (23-25, 21-15, 15-13); By positions 5-8: Orellana A/Alvarado GUA d Quesada/Ramírez CRC 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-11); Robitaille/Dunn CAN d Alvarado/Resau NCA 2-0 (21-19, 21-17); Quarterfinals: Shaw/Loreen USA d Quesada/Ramírez CRC 2-0 (21-4, 21-8); Bélanger/Monkhouse CAN d Orellana A/Alvarado GUA 2-0 (21-9, 21-14); Reinking/Friesen USA d Robitaille/Dunn CAN 2-0 (21-17, 21-12); Lopez/Lolette NCA d Alvarado/Resau NCA 2-0 (21-15, 21-13). Classification 9/12: Valeska/SILVA NCA d Zuñiga/Aguilar GUA 2-0 (21-15, 21-11); Molina/Aguilar CRC d Hands/Hamilton BER 2-0 (21-6, 21-5); Classification 13/16: Núñez/Quesada CRC d Funes/GUZMAN ESA 2-0 (21-12, 21-15); Penner/Valenciana ISV d McCoombs/H. Thompson CAY 2-0 (21-10, 21- 14).
Sunday games
For 13th place: Penner/Valenciana (ISV) vs Núñez/Quesada (CRC) (9:00 a.m.); For 11th place: Hands/Hamilton (BER) vs Zuñiga/Aguilar (GUA) (9:00 a.m.); For 9th place: Molina/Aguilar (CRC) vs Valeska/SILVA (NCA) (9:00 a.m.); By place 7-8: Alvarado/Resau (NCA) vs Quesada/Ramírez (CRC) 9:45 a.m.; By place 5-6: Robitaille/Dunn (CAN) vs Orellana A/Alvarado (GUA) 10:30 a.m.; For bronze medal: Lopez/Lolette (NCA) vs Reinking/Friesen (USA) 12:45 p.m.; for gold medal: Bélanger/Monkhouse (CAN) vs Shaw/Loreen (USA) 1:30 p.m.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 15, 2024.- Rouzbeh Rahnavard/ Tynan Gannett (CAN) and Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend (USA) will play this Sunday in the men’s final of the fourth stage of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour that takes place in Managua .
Brewster and Friend won the title in the 2022 edition at this venue and want to repeat, but they will have strong opponents in the Canadians. To reach the final, Brewster/Friend had to play a grueling three-set semifinal, which lasted one hour and 13 minutes, against Diego Perez/Ryan Lerna (USA) with scores 29-27, 19-21, 25-23.
USA-Ryan Lerna
In the other semifinal, Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Tynan Gannett (CAN) beat Rubén Mora/Danny López (NCA) 2-0 (21-18, 22-20). The bronze medal will be disputed between Perez/Lerna (USA) and Mora/López (NCA).
In the quarterfinals, Brewster/Friend (USA) defeated Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA) 2-0 (24-22, 21-15); while Diego Perez/Ryan Lerna (USA) won 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) against Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli (ISV); Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) won 2-1 (14-21, 21-21,15-11) against William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR) and Mora/López (NCA) won 2-1 (19-21, 21- 13, 15-12) to Daniel Dyner/Julián Araya (CRC).
USA- Kyle Friend
Sunday games
Positions 7-8. Rivera/Torres (PUR) vs Ratter/Lomeli (ISV) 09:45 a.m. Pos. 5-6 D. Dyner/Araya (CRC) vs Maldonado/Garcia (GUA) 10:30 a.m. For bronze medal, Mora/Lopez (NCA) vs Perez/lerna (USA) 11:15 a.m. For Gold Medal, Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) vs Brewster/Friend (USA) 12:00 MD
Saturday results
Semifinal: Brewster/Friend USA d Perez/Lerna USA 2-1 (29-17, 19-21, 25-23); Rahnavard/Gannett CAN d. Mora/Lopez NCA 2-0 (21-18, 22-20); Positions 5-8 Maldonado/Garcia GUA d Ratter/Lomeli ISV 2-1 (16-21, 21-12, 18-16); D. Dyner/Araya CRC d Rivera/Torres PUR 2-0 (21-17, 21-17). Quarterfinals Brewster/Friend USA d Maldonado/Garcia GUA 2-0 (24-22, 21-15); Perez/Ierna USA d Ratter/Lomeli ISV 2-0 (21-15, 21-16); Rahnavard/Gannett CAN d Rivera/Torres PUR 2-1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-11); Mora/Lopez NCA d D. Dyner/Araya CRC 2-1 (19 21, 21-13, 15-12). Classification 9/12. Lopez/Meneses NCA d Pepe/Vargas ESA 2-0 (21-18, 21-12); Zendai/Clerique SKN d Darnell/Rio LCA 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-13). Qualifying 13/16: Jesario/Watson CAY d Cooke/Somerville BER 2-0 (21-15, 21-6).
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 15th, 2024.- Puerto Rico swept Dominican Republic and is still undefeated in NORCECA Men’s Final Four at Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico beat the Dominicans with scores 25-20, 30-28, 25-20.
Puerto Rico holds a 2-0 record in this event while Dominican Republic has one win and one loss.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico had a good start on the first set leading by three points, but Dominican Republic bounced back and tied the set 12-12. Dominican Republic committed consecutive errors and the Puerto Ricans won the set 25-20. It was a nail-biting battle on the second set, where both teams fought point by point and Puerto Rico won in extra points 30-28. Dominican Republic came focused on the third set leading by up to two points, but Puerto Rico fought back to tight the set 17-17 and trusting in their attacks where able to close the set 25-20.
Puerto Rico secured a straight-set victory and will play for first place tomorrow vs Mexico. Dominican Republic will play vs Guatemala looking for the second place.
Puerto Rico led in attacks 47-45, blocks 9-5 and serves 4-2 and committed less errors than the Dominicans 19-20.
Puerto Rico’s top scorer was opposite Klistan Lawrence with 16 points (14 attacks and 2 blocks) and outside hitter Pedro Molina with 14 points (14 attacks). For Dominican Republic the best scorer was captain and opposite Henry Tapia with 19 points (18 attacks and an ace).
Vidal Klistan Lawrence
Setter of Puerto Rico – Kevin Joel Rodríguez: We knew it was a team we had to play hard all the time. We prepared for this, and I think we had a good game together. We stayed patient and followed the game plan. At first, we failed a little, but we maintained the serves and that’s what worked for us. Now what we must do is rest, tomorrow we will watch videos, prepare, have a good practice and come focused on giving a good show to our audience.
Dominican Republic Setter – Francisco Arredondo: Puerto Rico had a better game and better distribution of the serve that hurt us, and we couldn’t close on the counterattacks, which I think was what affected us the most in being able to close the sets. We should have been more decisive and finished the points on the counterattack, we had many opportunities to score the points, but we could not finish with our attacks. We know that Guatemala gives its best in every match, but I think that if we focus and correct today’s mistakes, we can come out victorious tomorrow.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 15, 2024. – Canada defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-14, 25-19) on Saturday in the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship semifinals in Nogales, Mexico.
This is the seventh time that Canada has reached the title match in the history of the U21 NORCECA event, having won the title twice. Canada will face the winner of the other semifinal between the United States and Cuba.
Puerto Rico has played in the bronze medal match seven times, winning the bronze twice.
CAN Hershtynovich attack
Canada also defeated Puerto Rico in pool-play, but in four sets.
Canada excelled in attacks (56-38), blocks (12-5), and service aces (3-2). Both teams had a similar number of errors, with Canada committing 25 and Puerto Rico 27.
Canadian opposite hitter Daniil Hershtynovich led all scorers with 28 points (27 attacks, one block). Outside hitter Piers De Greeff contributed 21 points (17 attacks, 2 blocks, 2 aces).
Puerto Rico defence
For Puerto Rico, Lorenzo Rivera led with 17 points, all from kills. Captain and opposite hitter Ramón Rosado scored 11 points from 10 attacks and one service ace.
Daniel Lewils, head coach of Canada said “Puerto Rico has a good skill level; they weren’t going to go away easily; we beat them 3-0 earlier so it’s always tough to face them again so we had to be super technical in our execution and very disciplined. There were some periods when we didn’t adjust properly, we weren’t technically or tactically taking something away and we didn’t, and it made things more difficult. I must prepare them mentally better to play that style of game where they shouldn’t be making errors. Tomorrow will be an easier game because whoever we play will have more height, which makes it easier to block, but we still must be tactical and be able to execute our desired game plan”.
Puerto Rican outside hitter Diego López said, “It was a tough match. We entered with little confidence in ourselves. That changed in the second set, we’ve been working hard in practice and trust in our game. We couldn’t regain our spirit in the following sets. We must acknowledge that Canada is a tremendous team; they have one of the best programs in the world, which has taken them to the Olympics. We gave them a good fight”.
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 15th, 2024. Mexico had to battle a motivated Guatemala to get the win in the NORCECA Men’s Final Four at Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Mexico defeated Guatemala with scores 27-25, 25-23, 25-17.
This is the first victory for Mexico (1-1) in this tournament while Guatemala records two defeats (0-2).
Mexico
Mexico started a solid 4-0 lead on the first set, but Guatemala began getting confidence point by point and tied the set 9-9. The set was tight all the way to the end but two blocks from Mexico closed the set in extra points 27-25. Mexico and Guatemala battled the second set, but errors from Guatemala gave the advantage to Mexico up to 4 points mid set (20-16). Guatemala kept fighting and with two attacks and an ace tied set 23-23. Two errors gave the set to Mexico 25-23. Determined to finish the game in three sets, Mexico came back strong and started pressuring with their serve-attack combination which Guatemala was not able to overcome. The set ended 25-17 for Mexico.
Mexico led in kills 39-32, blocks 8-6 and serves 9-3 but also committed more errors than Guatemala, 24-21.
Best scorers for Mexico were captain and outside hitter Mauro Fuentes with 14 points (11 kills, 1 block and 2 aces) and Franky Hernández Milantony with 10 points (6 kills, 1 block and 3 aces). For Guatemala José Pérez was the top scorer with 14 points (12 kills, 1 block and ace).
Yasutaka Sanay Heredia MEX
Mexico setter – Edgar Mendoza: playing with Guatemala is always a difficult game since they have a very different game system and adapting to their game is complicated if you get carried away with their rhythm. We came from a process of changes in the players and technical team. We have been working well on the games, technical-tactical things, but we must have more confidence in ourselves. Tomorrow against Puerto Rico, they play at home, and we know they are strong but we have to come and give 100%.
Guatemala Setter – Adan Ruano: We are happy with what we are doing but it is a little frustrating to be fighting and not be able to close the sets as we would like. We are always happy to be in these type of tournaments, competing with people who are used to playing on other continents. We lacked a bit of grit to close the sets, our team has been training a little and we must finish getting together to be able to close the sets. Tomorrow we are going to go out to fight with everything like we have done since the beginning.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 15, 2024. – Mexico will compete for the fifth place in the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship against Suriname after defeating Nicaragua in straight sets 25-17, 25-16, 25-18 on Saturday in Nogales, Mexico.
The host team, Mexico, will face Suriname on Sunday, who earlier defeated Guatemala. Nicaragua goes against Guatemala for seventh place.
Mexico dominated all statistics, leading in attacks (43-28), blocks (7-0), and service aces (5-3). Both teams committed 20 errors.
Cristian Cadena MEX
Outside hitter Samuel Valdes and opposite hitter Cristian Cadena each scored 11 points for Mexico, while Brandon Ramírez added 10 points.
For Nicaragua, middle blocker Alvaro Quesada and outside hitter Evans Solís scored 8 and 7 points, respectively.
Mexico used all their players in the match. Carlos García, who came in for the final points, scored the match-winning point with a block.
NCA Solis spikes
Carlos García, said, “It was my first time entering a game, I came in to finish the match with the instruction to block, and that’s what I did. Mexico showed great unity, and the coach’s strategy worked”.
Nicaragua’s setter, Rafael Gómez Escalante, commented, “Nicaragua always plays with the mentality of fighting to win, no matter the opponent. With each match, we keep learning and growing. We are a team with little experience; we adapt well, but we need to be more organized.”
NOGALES, Mexico, June 15, 2024. – Meson Anakaba scored 37 points in Suriname’s win over Guatemala 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23) in a classification match for positions 5 to 8 at the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales.
On Sunday, Suriname will compete for fifth place in the event against the winner between Nicaragua and Mexico. Guatemala will face the loser for seventh place.
Opposite hitter Mesón Anakaba scored 37 points in Suriname’s victory, the highest in the tournament so far. Anakaba tallied 32 attack points, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. Gianni Ritfeld contributed 15 points from direct attacks, and Anfernee Lee added 13 points.
Luis Mendizabal GUA
Guatemala’s Roberto Recinos finished with 21 points, including 17 attacks, 3 blocks, and one ace. Opposite hitter Luis Mendizábal scored 15 points on 14 attacks and one service ace.
Suriname led in attack points (62-52), blocks (9-7), and service points (5-4). However, Suriname gave away more points on errors (26-21).
Suriname celebrate
Roberto Benschop, libero of Suriname said “We should have performed better. In the fourth set we were overconfident, we should have won quicker, but Guatemala got closer, with unnecessary substitutions. We need to play seriously and more consistency”.
Josué González, libero for Guatemala, said, “We lost because for moments we lacked concentration. We didn’t follow our coaches’ instructions. I congratulate Suriname on their victory. As a team, we need to play with more determination and show our game in tomorrow’s match”.
June 15, 2024.- On Saturday, young Dominican Republic’s opposite Alondra Tapia became one of just four players to score 37 points or more in a VNL match, but saw her team go down to Bulgaria in Hong Kong, while Canada swept France in Fukouka, Japan.
The 20-year-old Dominican had a stellar performance, leaving the court with 35 kills, one block and one ace to her name. The second-best scorer in her team was outside hitter Yonkaira Peña, who tallied 14 points.
Dominican Republic concludes the 2024 VNL with a record of two wins and nine losses.
Canada
Canada swept France 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 31-29), with France pushing Canada into overtime points from a tie at 24 in the third set. After multiple match-point opportunities, Canada’s Kiera Van Ryk, who scored 26 points, ended the contest with the final kill at 31-29.
Canada dominated in attacks (53-33), and led in blocks (12-7), while France had more aces (6-3) and made fewer errors (13-16).
This was the second narrow margin for Olympic qualification by this gutsy squad – at last year’s Olympic Qualification Tournament, Canada’s women’s team narrowly missed earning a spot in Paris, coming a close third in their pool. This time around, Canada needed to edge ahead of Netherlands in the rankings to put the team in contention for a position to qualify for Paris 2024.
Canada has completed all of its 12 matches with seven wins and five losses.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 14, 2024. – Honduras’ 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-20, 25-17) over El Salvador keeps them alive in the first Central American Women’s Final Four Championship.
With the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium nearly full, the crowd witnessed Honduras’ first victory in this tournament. This Saturday, Honduras will face Costa Rica to determine the final standings of the round-robin event. Depending on the result of the match between Nicaragua and El Salvador, there could be a tie for first place. Honduras needs Nicaragua to lose their match.
Sasha Kawas HON – Roxana Avalos ESA
Honduras outperformed El Salvador in all areas, with advantages in attacks (31-21), blocks (5-3), and serves (9-4), and also benefited from 30 unforced errors by El Salvador compared to the 25 made by Honduras.
Honduras’ Sasha Kawas and Andrea Aceituno were the top scorers of the match, each with 11 points. Both had 2 service aces, and Sasha also had one block point.
On the other hand, Tatiana Menjívar and Marcela Soriano were the top scorers for El Salvador with 5 points each.
Alejandra Soriano ESA
Sasha Kawas of Honduras said, “We defended very well, and our setter (Gabriela Gómez) was incredible. We did what we needed to do. We came in with a lot of energy, and although sometimes that hurt us a bit, we managed to resolve it well”.
Tatiana Menjívar of El Salvador explained, “It’s been a very tough tournament. I am just coming back from knee surgery. We are a fairly young team and started training about a month ago. I think we have had a good tournament. Our opponents have been challenging and have more experience than us”.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 14, 2024. – Once again, Nicaragua bounced after losing the first set to defeat Costa Rica 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17), remaining unbeaten in the first AFECAVOL Senior Women’s Final Four Championship.
Costa Rica managed to win the first set, but not without a tough fight. In the second set, Nicaragua reached a 21-15 lead, and although the Costa Ricans leveled the score, they ended falling 25-23.
Dalia Conto NCA
In the third and fourth sets, the Nicaraguan dominance was evident from the start of each set, leading to a victory in the match.
Nicaragua now holds a 2-0 record and will face El Salvador this Saturday. A win would secure them the Gold Medal in the tournament. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, with a 1-1 record, will play against Honduras in the final match of Saturday.
Nicaragua outperformed Costa Rica in attacks (62-57) and blocks (7-4), while Costa Rica was more effective in serving (5-4).
Tatiana Sayles CRC
Tatiana Sayles of Costa Rica and Dalia Conto Calero of Nicaragua were the top scorers of the match, each with 20 points. Tamara Espinoza of Costa Rica tied with Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua, each scoring 18 points.
Dalia Conto Calero of Nicaragua said, “I am very excited about the victory; it’s something we’ve been striving for since previous tournaments where we came close to beating them. It was a very tough game. Costa Rica is a very good team and quite tactical, but in the end, we did it, and now we need to focus on tomorrow’s match”.
Tamara Espinoza of Costa Rica commented, “It was a very complicated match for us. Nicaragua gave us a lot of trouble with their defense. The defeat is definitely a credit to the great game played by Nicaragua. Volleyball is a team sport; if we are struggling with spikes, serves, and receptions, it’s very hard to win”.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 14, 2024. – The women’s quarterfinals of the fourth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour in Managua 2024 will be determined this Saturday.
In pool A, Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA) secured three victories; they overcame Katherine Quesada/Eugenia Ramírez (CRC) 2-0 (21-15, 21-10), then defeated Megan Hands/Kayley Hamilton (BER) 2-0 (21-4, 21-14), and won by forfeit against Maryn McCoombs/Heater Thompson (CAY), who couldn’t compete due to a delayed flight. Quesada/Ramírez advanced in second place by defeating Hands/Hamilton 2-0 (21-10, 21-3).
USA-Chloe Loreen.
Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen (USA) secured their spot in the quarterfinals by winning all three of their matches; first 2-0 (21-15, 21-6) against Yulimar Alvarado/Ella Resau (NCA), then 2-0 (21-7, 21-7) against Martiza Zuniga/Danna Aguilar (GUA), and finally 2-0 (21-6, 21-10) against Dana Funes/Keiry Guzman (ESA).
On Saturday, Zúñiga/Aguilar (GUA) will face Alvarado/Resau (NCA) to determine the second team advancing to the quarterfinals, as both have one win each against El Salvador.
CRC María Araya
Marie-Alex Bélanger/Lea Monkhouse (CAN) appear unbeatable in pool C, having defeated Nicole Reinking/Heather Friesen (USA) 2-0 (21-11, 21-13) and Valeska Hernández/Nahima Silva (NCA) 2-0 (21-7, 21-7). Reinking/Friesen will face Hernández/Silva to determine the second team advancing, while Bélanger/Monkhouse will close against Nuñez/Quesada.
In pool D, Myriam Robitaille/Darby Dunn (CAN) won 2-0 (21-14, 21-11) against Sarah Penner/Melanie Valenciana (ISV) and 2-0 (21-10, 21-18) against Maria Orellana/Paola Alvarado (GUA), who overcame Kiany Araya Quesada/Aliza Aguilar (CRC) 2-1 (17-21, 21-11, 15-7).
ESA Michelle Guzman
Saturday’s matches will determine the qualified teams: Robitaille/Dunn versus Araya/Aguilar and Orellana/Alvarado against Penner/Valenciano.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 14, 2024.- Puerto Rico upset Mexico 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22), winning the quarterfinal match to reach the semifinals of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
Puerto Rico will face Canada in the semifinal on Saturday, in a pool-play rematch won by Canada. Mexico will compete for positions 5 to 8, starting with Nicaragua.
Puerto Rico emerged victorious with an advantage of 53 to 46 in attacks and a slight edge of 4-3 in aces. Both teams were tied at 10 in blocks. Mexico made one less error than Puerto Rico (29-30).
Diego Estrada PUR
Outside hitter Antonio Rivera scored a tournament-high of 28 points (26 attacks, one block, one ace), in Puerto Rico’s win. Also contributing to the victory were outside hitter Diego López with 13 points (12 attacks, one block) and middle blocker Janluar Figueroa with 11 points (7 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks).
Mexico’s outside hitter Brandon Ramírez scored 18 points (16 attacks, 2 blocks) and opposite Cristian Cadena added 11 points, all from attacks.
It was a party of points in a balanced match. All four sets were closely contested. In the first set, they were tied at 17 points, and it was the Puerto Ricans who managed to gain a crucial two-point lead (23-21) on a Mexican error and a kill from López, allowing Rivera to close it with an ace. Mexico tied by winning the second set, reaching a five-point lead (18-13) with points shared by Cadena, Cravioto, and Ramírez. Puerto Rico came back from a six-point deficit (5-11) in the fourth set thanks to the offensive efforts of Rivera, López, and Figueroa.
Ramón Rosado, captain of Puerto Rico, said, “It feels incredibly satisfying because two years ago in Guatemala, in the U19 category, this group beat us in the semifinals. We prepared very well, and I must give credit to the fans, who made it challenging for us. We came together as one to achieve this victory. I believe our reception, outside hitters, and middle blockers performed excellently, but the most crucial factors were our composure and unity to execute what the coach planned after the tough matches against Cuba and Canada”.
Jorge Romero, coach of Mexico, said, “The difference was Puerto Rico’s aggressiveness and determination, which we lacked. Every time Puerto Rico had possession of the ball, they were determined to attack. We were too hesitant.”
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 14, 2024. – Two USA teams, and one each from Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Virgin Islands, and Guatemala, have advanced to the quarterfinals of the fourth stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, being played at the Paseo Xolotlán court in Managua.
In quarterfinals, Timothy Brewster and Kyle Friend (USA) will face Edgar Maldonado and Luis García (GUA); Diego Perez and Ryan Lerna (USA) goes against Kendall Ratter and Marc Lomeli (ISV); William Rivera and Arnaldo Torres (PUR) meet Rouzbeh Rahnavard and Tynan Gannett (CAN) and Rubén Mora and Danny López (NCA) face Daniel Dyner and Julián Araya (CRC)**
David Vargas ESA
The local team, Mora/López, topped pool A with two straight-set victoriesm2-0 (21-8, 21-12) over Zendai Richard/Clerique Ward (SKN) and 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) over Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA). Before facing Mora/López, Maldonado/García won a close contest 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 16-14) against Richard/Ward.
Timothy Brewster and Kyle Friend (USA) dominated pool B, winning 2-0 (21-14, 21-12) against Denis Lopez/Alexander Meneses (NCA), 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) over Daniel Dyner/Julián Araya (CRC), and a forfeit win against the Cayman Islands team (Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson). Dyner/Araya (CRC) secured the second spot in the group by defeating Lopez/Meneses (NCA) 2-1 (22-20, 18-21, 16-14).
PUR Yereth Torres
Diego Perez and Ryan Lerna (USA) won all three of their matches in pool C to advance. They first defeated Rouzbeh Rahnavard and Tynan Gannett (CAN) 2-0 (21-17, 21-11), then David Vargas and Gabriel Vargas from El Salvador 2-0 (21-11, 21-18), and finally Braedon Cooke and Connor Somerville (BER) 2-0 (21-6, 21-8). Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) finished second in the group by winning 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) against Pepe/Vargas (ESA) and 2-0 (21-15, 21-6) against Cooke/Somerville (BER).
William Rivera and Arnaldo Torres (PUR) advanced from pool D with a forfeit win over Honduras and a 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) victory against Darnel Eudoxie and Rio Jaden Victor (LCA), who also lost 0-2 (18-21, 13-21) to Kendall Ratter and Marc Lomeli (ISV).
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 14th, 2024.- Puerto Rico outplayed Guatemala in straight sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-10) in their debut at in the NORCECA Men’s Final Four in Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Guatemala kept close in the first set 12-14 but three consecutive blocks from Puerto Rico helped them jump to a 5-point lead (17-12). Guatemala kept pushing at the end of the set, but it was not enough, and Puerto Rico won 25-19. Puerto Rico kept their concentration and pushing with their serve-block combination in the second set to win 25-17. Guatemala’s reception suffered in the third set and Puerto Rico took advantage with their high and powerful attacks and won the set 25-10.
Pedro Molina PUR
Puerto Rico held advantages in all the elements of the game, 44 to 29 in attacks, 6-1 in blocks and11-2 in points from serves, while committing fewer errors than Guatemala (14-18).
Outside hitter Pedro Molina was the top scorer of the match with 13 points, on 7 attacks, 2 blocks and 4 aces. Outside hitter Pelegrín Vargas and Opposite Klistan Lawrence added 9 points each.
Puerto Rico
Captain and outside hitter Carlos López led the offense in Guatemala with 9 points (9 attacks) followed by opposite Andy Leonardo Blanco with 8 points.
Alberto Jamille Torres, coach of Puerto Rico: today’s game was the result of teamwork, and we achieved what we wanted, which was to test all the players, have everyone fresh and prepared for a great game tomorrow against the Dominican Republic. We are betting on our serve; we know that if our serve is good, we have a good chance of winning and creating a service-defense system.
Pedro Molina, best scorer of Puerto Rico: it was the match to start off the tournament. This is practically a new team, but a super motivated one and we did well, thank God. We are warming up for the season, we have two more competitions ahead and we are preparing for much more, this is just the beginning. All the teams that came to the Final Four are good, our team has a lot of chemistry, and we are like a family and that helps us a lot when it comes to playing. A strong game tomorrow against Dominican Republic, but we are focusing day by day, on our game and on improving each point.
Reider Lucas Mora, coach of Guatemala: A game in which Puerto Rico always led the pace. They have a fairly solid team, and we think they are the most solid team in the competition, they served very well, and it made it very difficult for us to receive. Our pace of play sometimes makes it difficult for us to close a game, and it is a bit difficult for us to face a team like Puerto Rico. Tomorrow we will go out and play like we did today, hoping that things will turn out a little better for us.
Carlos López, best scorer of Guatemala: I think we are going from better to less in the game. We knew they were going to play a tough match since Puerto Rico is a great team. I think we should concentrate a little at the end, which is what failed us when they pushed the serve. For the next game we must improve our reception and get in with greater confidence, which was what made the difference in this game. Our spirits are very good since we understand that we have nothing to lose, but a lot to win and we are going to enjoy the competition.
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 14th, 2024.- Dominican Republic is off to a good start in the NORCECA Men’s Final Four after defeating Mexico in straight sets in the opening match at the Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico with scores 26-24, 25-18 and 25-13.
A very tight beginning of the match with both teams fighting point by point but Mexico started committing unforced errors and Dominican Republic won the first set in extra points 26-24. The Dominicans started putting pressure with the serve since the beginning of the second set, forcing Mexico to make substitutions in their line up looking for a momentum. The set finished in favor of Dominican Republic 25-18. In the third set Dominican Republic took an early lead by 5 points (6-1) forcing Mexico to take a time out. They had control of the whole set with good serves – block combination to win the set 25-13.
The best scorers for Dominican Republic were outside hitters Wilfredo Hernández with 19 points (16 attacks and 3 aces) and Henry López with 13 points (7 attacks, 2 blocks and 4 aces) and for Mexico outside hitter Mauro Fuentes with 13 points (11 attacks and 2 aces) and outside hitter Jorge Hernández with 9 points (9 attacks).
Wilfrido Hernandez DOM
Dominican Republic led in attacks 37-25, blocks 8-5 and serves while Mexico committed a total of 20 unforced errors against 11 by Dominican Republic.
Coach of the Dominican Republic – José Gutiérrez: I think it was a good and complicated first set. The first match is always difficult for all the teams, and we had a slight lead in the middle of the first set, they tied the set, but we managed to win it and that gave the boys peace of mind and came out with confidence in the next sets. We complicated their reception with our floating and jump serves, that helped us a lot. Today we are going to enjoy this victory a little and then we are going to evaluate and create the tactics that we will use tomorrow against Puerto Rico.
Captain of the Dominican Republic – Henry Tapia: A very good game. We did a good job, and we hope to do better tomorrow. Today was a very important victory for us because it is a Final Four in which we must immediately execute and win. We had consistency in serving, attacking and receiving, which were the elements that led us to victory and tomorrow we will go all out against Puerto Rico.
Dominican Republic
Mexico Coach – Carlos Schwanke: It’s my first match with the Mexican team and we don’t have much to discuss with just a month of work. I must congratulate the Dominican team that played a good game. We must keep working and continue training and acquire aggressiveness. We must attack a little more and to play better. It is our first match, and we must continue playing to be more aggressive and improve in attacks.
Captain of Mexico – Luis Sánchez: I think it was a match where we started slow and that was reflected when closing the sets; we cannot give ourselves the opportunity to start this way because the start of the sets in this match was very important. We struggled a lot in the reception since the Dominican Republic began to press a lot on the service line and it was something that we did not know how to adjust. We must get back to our game and concentrate. Leave what happened today in the past and work on the next game to get into the rhythm and go all out against Puerto Rico.
Nogales, Mexico, June 14, 2024. – Cuba will face the United States in Saturday’s semifinals of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship, being played in Nogales, Mexico.
Cuba advanced to the semifinals after defeating Suriname in straight sets 25-18, 25-22, and 25-22 in their quarterfinal match. Suriname will compete for positions 5-8.
Cuba dominated all match statistics, leading with 43-31 in attacks, 9-4 in blocks, and 4-2 in aces. Suriname committed 19 errors compared to Cuba’s 25.
Wilfrido Hernandez DOM
The leading scorer of the match was Cuba’s opposite hitter Daniel Martínez, who stands at 2.15 meters tall, capitalizing on 13 attack points, 2 blocks, and 4 aces for a total of 19 points. Kelly Oviedo also reached double figures, contributing 11 attack points.
Once again, Mesón Anakaba led Suriname’s scoring with 9 points from kills.
Suriname took an early lead in all three sets. In the first set, with the score tied at 7, two serves by Martínez and two attack points by Larrea and Morejón allowed Cuba to pull ahead. In the second set, Suriname reached a four-point advantage on kills from Ritfeld and Lee A Leong, but after the second technical timeout, Cuba never trailed. In the third set, the teams were tied at 21 points, but two errors from Suriname gave Cuba the necessary push, ending with the win on a kill point by Martínez.
Dominican Republic
Daniel Martínez, Cuba’s top scorer, said, “The team played to Suriname’s level, but we won with strength. We trust our game despite some players lacking court time; there are those who haven’t had international competitions, and those of us with experience are supporting them. Everyone had the chance to play today to be better prepared for tomorrow and come out stronger against the United States”.
Middle blocker Jahmit Jambo or Suriname said, “Today we played slow, we weren’t at our full potential, and we needed to pass the ball better. They were tall and it was hard. We made a lot of mistakes in blocking, we could have done better”.
June 14, 2024.- Poland, ranked third in the world, secured a hard-fought 3-0 victory over the Dominican Republic (2-8) with scores of 33-31, 25-20, 25-16 in a match of week three of the Volleyball Nations League in Hong Kong.
The Dominican Republic, ranked 11th in the world, will conclude their participation in VNL at 1:30 AM this Saturday when they face Bulgaria starting at 1:30 AM.
The match was fiercely contested in the first two sets, with thrilling plays, although in the third set, the game opened up in favor of the Polish.
The attack for the victors, who are in second place with nine wins, was led by Stysiak who scored 24 points, followed by Lukassik with 11 and Rosanski with 8.
For the Caribbean team, Yonkaira Peña excelled with 16 points, and Alondra Tapia added 11 points.
The first set was a nail-biter, as the Dominican team started behind (15-12) against Poland, which presented a fierce attack, with an impenetrable block and solid defense.
However, a tip attack from Alondra Tapia tied the score at 20 points after a 3-0 rally by the Dominicans.
From there, both teams engaged in a battle for the ball, and the score was tied about 12 times until Poland took the set 33-31.
June 14, 2024.- Canada will conclude 2024 Volleyball Nations League this weekend with a respectable record and many highlights, but likely falling short of its goal of an Olympic berth.
Earlier today, Netherlands shut out Canada in one of the week’s most anticipated women’s Volleyball Nations League matches in Fukuoka, Japan, just two days before the race for the last Olympic tickets to the women’s volleyball tournament at Paris 2024 officially closes on Sunday.
Aside from today’s loss, overall Canada had surpassed expectations, beating many top teams in the last couple of years.
“If you told me three years ago that we’d be in this situation, fighting to go to the Olympics, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Canada’s captain Alexa Gray said in the post-match interview on VBTV. “This group has grown so much and we’ve been through a lot together, climbing in the rankings the past few years, and seeing everyone grow as a team and playing better and better volleyball each year. I’m so proud of this group. I’m honoured to represent Canada and play with these girls.”
In its final match of VNL preliminary phase, Canada faces France on Saturday in Japan, which is 11 pm Eastern time on Friday in Canada. France is automatically in the Olympics as host country. Canada currently has six wins and five losses in VNL 2024.
COLIMA, Mexico, June 14, 2024.- The city of Colima, Mexico will host the first Boys U17 Pan American Cup from June 17-22 at the Multifunctional Auditorium in Colima.
In this same venue, the fourteenth edition of the Men’s Senior Pan American Cup was held in 2019.
The Boys U17 Pan American Cup is an event that is part of the qualification system for the NORCECA U17 Continental Championship in 2025 and the age-group FIVB World Championship in 2026.
The tournament will have seven national teams competing, divided into two pools.
Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and host Mexico are in pool A; and pool B consists of Cuba, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico won the first NORCECA U17 Continental Championship last November in Poza Rica, Mexico, qualifying for the 2024 FIVB Boys U17 World Championship along with Mexico who finished second and Cuba in third place.
The preliminary pool-play round begins on Monday, June 17. Teams finishing first place in each pool will advance directly to the semifinals; the second and third-place teams will compete in the quarterfinals.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 13, 2024. – The 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour returns to the courts at Paseo Xolotlán in Managua for its fourth stop of the year. The event kicks off this Friday at 8:00 a.m. with over 30 matches scheduled.
A total of 30 teams are set to compete in the tournament, which will be played across three courts over three days, culminating in the final on Sunday.
Men’s Competition
In the men’s division, 14 teams are registered, divided into four groups:
Group A Edgar Maldonado/Luis García (GUA), Zendai Richard/Clerique Ward (SKN), and Rubén Mora/Danny López (NCA).
Group B Daniel Dyner/Julian Araya (CRC), Jesario Ebanks/Stephen Watson (CAY), Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend (USA), and Denis Lopez/Alexander Meneses (NCA).
Group C David Vargas/Gabriel Vargas (SLV), Braedon Cooke/Connor Somerville (BER), Rouzbeh Rahnavard/Tynan Gannett (CAN), and Diego Perez/Ryan Lerna (USA).
-Group D Kendall Ratter/Marc Lomeli (ISV), William Rivera/Arnaldo Torres (PUR), and Darnel Eudoxie/Rio Jaden Victor (LCA).
USA
Women’s Competition:
In the women’s division, 16 teams will vie for the top spot on the podium. The groups are as follows:
Group A Maryn McCoombs/Heater Thompson (CAY), Megan Hands/Kayley Hamilton (BER), Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez (NCA), and Katherine Quesada/Eugenia Ramírez (CRC).
Group B Dana Funes/Keiry Guzman (ESA), Martiza Zuniga/Danna Aguilar (GUA), Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen (USA), and Yulimar Alvarado/Ella Resau (NCA).
Group C Ximena Núñez/Kianny Quesada (CRC), Nicole Reinking/Heather Friesen (USA), Marie-Alex Bélanger/Lea Monkhouse (CAN), and Valeska Hernández/Nahima Silva (NCA).
Group D Sarah Penner/Melanie Valenciana (ISV), Myriam Robitaille/Darby Dunn (CAN), Maria Orellana/Paola Alvarado (GUA), and Kianny Araya/Aliza Aguilar (CRC).
Puerto Rico
Men’s Morning Schedule
Maldonado/Garcia (GUA) vs Zendai/Clerique (SKN) Cancha 2 08:00 a.m.
Mora/Lopez (NCA) Bye
D. Dyner/Araya (CRC) vs Jesario/Watson (CAY) 3 08:00
Brewster/Friend (USA) vs Lopez/MENESES (NCA) 2 08:45
Pepe/Vargas (ESA) vs Cooke/Somerville (BER) 3 08:45
Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) vs Perez/lerna (USA) 2 09:30
Rivera/Torres (PUR) vs Darnell/Rio (LCA) 2 10:15
Mora/Lopez (NCA) vs Zendai/Clerique (SKN) 3 10:15
Maldonado/Garcia (GUA) Bye
Brewster/Friend (USA) vs Jesario/Watson (CAY) 2 11:00
D. Dyner/Araya (CRC) vs Lopez/MENESES (NCA) 3 11:00
Rahnavard/Gannett (CAN) vs Cooke/Somerville (BER) 2 11:45
Pepe/Vargas (ESA) vs Perez/lerna (USA) 3 11:45
Ratter/Lomeli (ISV) vs Darnell/Rio (LCA) 3 12:30
Men’s Morning Schedule on central court
McCoombs/H. Thompson (CAY) vs Hands/Hamilton (BER) 08:00
Lopez/Lolette (NCA) vs Quesada/Ramírez (CRC) 08:45
Funes/GUZMAN (ESA) Zuñiga/Aguilar (GUA) 09:30
Shaw/Loreen (USA) vs Alvarado/RESAU (NCA) 10:15
Núñez/Quesada (CRC) vs Reinking/Friesen (USA) 11:00
Bélanger/Monkhouse (CAN) vs Valeska/SILVA (NCA) 11:45
Penner/Valenciana (ISV) vs Robitaille/Dunn (CAN) 12:30
Nogales, Mexico, June 13, 2024. – The United States advanced to the semifinals of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship by defeating Mexico 3-1 (25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 25-16) to claim first place in pool A in Nogales, Mexico.
United States finished pool-play undefeated at 3-0, moving directly into Saturday’s semifinals. Mexico, with a 2-1 record, will face Puerto Rico in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Mexico handed the United States its first set loss of the tournament.
USA Sean Kelly spikes
The Americans dominated in kills with 59 to Mexico’s 27, in blocks with 11 to 5, and in service points with 6 to 4. However, they gave away 38 points on errors, compared to Mexico’s 21.
The leading scorer of the match was USA’s outside hitter Sterling Foley, who tallied 23 points on 19 attacks, one block, and 3 aces. Team captain outside hitter Sean Kelly, along with middle blocker Parker Tomkinson, each contributed 12 points.
Mexico’s top scorer was opposite hitter Cristian Cadena, who recorded 13 points from 11 attacks, one block, and an ace.
USA
Sterling Foley, top scorer of the United States, said, “Mexico had a good run in the set we loss, about five points and we struggled with the side-out and the flow-serve; maybe what contributed to it was the noise in here, it was really loud and came a bit lower towards the end and that gave us momentum in the fourth set. We’re ready for our next opponent in the semis, we’ll rest, scout a little bit. I think our ability to pull our side out was one of our best skills, even though we weren’t passing the best we ran a system and we put the ball in play”.
Bladimir Rivera, captain of Mexico, said, “In the set we won, we maintained our serve very well, we were also effective in finishing off free balls, and we were organized in defense and blocking. I feel that’s what we lacked in the other sets. Overall, we were disorganized, didn’t block, and made mistakes in defense, while the United States adjusted well. There’s a clear lesson to be learned, and we need to take the feedback to keep improving”.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 13, 2024.- Nicaragua pulled off a spectacular comeback to secure a 3-2 victory (21-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-12, 15-09) over Honduras in the closing match of the first day of the I AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four.
After narrowly losing the first two sets, the Nicaraguans managed to dominate the next three sets, showcasing their superiority over a Honduran team that seemed to lose its way on the court.
Nicaragua outperformed Honduras in net attacks with a significant margin, scoring 72 against 47 from Honduras. Both teams were evenly matched in blocks, each with 7, but Nicaragua had a slight edge in serving, leading 5 to 4.
Andrea Aceituno HON
Dalia Conto and Brittany Forbes were the standout attackers for Nicaragua, contributing 28 and 20 points respectively. Hellen Traña also made a double-digit contribution, finishing with 13 points.
For Honduras, the attack was more distributed among four players, Andrea Aceituno with 13 points, Ana Gabriela Marcelin with 12, Rocio Duron with 11, and Cecille Johnson with 10.
Hellen Traña NCA
Rene Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, commented, “We realized we were struggling with blocking, so we changed our tactics to neutralize their attack, allowing us to counterattack. This helped us take control of the game. I’m not sure what happened to Honduras, but their level of play dropped significantly after the first two sets”.
Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras, said, “Nicaragua played a great match against us. We lost our focus after the second set. Our serving faltered, we lost our blocking, and we left openings for Nicaragua’s middle attackers. This is just the start of the tournament, and we still have two matches to improve and get back in the fight for the top positions.”
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 13, 2024.- Costa Rica kicked off the inaugural AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four Tournament with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-12) over El Salvador in the opening match of the event.
Costa Rica dominated El Salvador in all aspects of the game. Costa Rica outperformed in attacks (42-26) and serves (5-0), in blocking the teams were balanced but they led 5-3 over El Salvador
Tamara Espinoza CRC
Tamara Espinoza and Tatiana Sayles were key players in Costa Rica’s attack, each scoring 14 points. Espinoza scored 3 aces, while Tannia Carazo added 8 points to Costa Rica’s victory.
For El Salvador, Marcela Alejandra Soriano led the team with 8 points, followed by Daniela Alexandra López with 7 points.
Daniela Lopez ESA
Tatiana Sayles, captain of Costa Rica, commented after the match “El Salvador is a very tough team; they challenged us a lot with their defense in the first two sets. It wasn’t until the third set that we managed to focus on what we wanted, and that’s why there was such a difference in the third set.”
Carmen Chávez, captain of El Salvador, said “We played really well in the first two sets, but in the third set, we struggled a bit with our reception. Our setter got hit in the face with the ball, which distracted her for a few moments. By the time we regained our focus, the gap was too wide to close.”
Nogales, Mexico, June 13, 2024. – Canada earned a direct ticket in the semifinals of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship after defeating Cuba 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21) on Thursday in Nogales, Mexico.
Canada earned its semifinal berth for Saturday as the leader of pool B with a perfect 3-0 record. Cuba finished second in the group with a 2-1 record and will face Suriname in quarterfinals on Friday.
Canadian opposite hitter Daniil Harshtynovich led all scorers with 24 points (19 attacks, 2 blocks, 3 aces). Outside hitter Piers added 20 points (16 attacks, 3 blocks, one ace), and middle blocker Cody Hudson contributed a match-high of 7 blocks.
CAN de Greeff spikes
For Cuba, opposite hitter Daniel Martínez led with 20 points, including a team-high of 5 blocks. Kelly Oviedo added 13 points (12 attacks, one ace), and Carlos Pereira scored 12 points (8 attacks, 4 blocks).
After losing the first set, Canada quickly jumped to a 5-1 lead in the second set and finished strong with two blocks by De Greef and a Cuban error. The third set was blocking spree, with Canada opening with three consecutive blocks (Fisher, Cherewaty, De Greef). In the fourth set, with the score tied at 11 points, Canada pulled away thanks to a direct attack from Boyko and two consecutive aces by Harshtynovich, maintaining their lead until the end.
CUB Daniel Martinez attack
Head coach of Canada, Deniel Lewis said “I think in the first set they had a lot of stress, and the players needed to manage those kinds of situations; but we weren’t executing as our game plan. I had to calm the team down, get them to work on the game plan and they were able to do so. Today’s best skill was mentally, they came back from losing the first set, they stayed focused to execute in different situations. I am really proud of the guys, honestly, they are a young group and they’re doing so well”.
Cuba’s captain, Ronaldo Flaquet, commented, “It was a close match; we were always near, but we couldn’t capitalize on our chances. We weren’t decisive. We stopped playing our game; it wasn’t that they were better”.
Nogales, Mexico, June 13, 2024.- Suriname defeated Nicaragua 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-21) to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
Suriname (1-2) finished third in pool A and will face the loser between Cuba and Canada in the quarterfinals. Nicaragua (0-3) will compete in the matches for positions 5 to 8.
Suriname recovered from losing the first set to clinch the victory with a huge 17-7 advantage in blocking points. They also led in attacks 55 to 52 and aces 3 to none. Nicaragua committed one less error than Suriname (22-23).
SUR Ritfeld spikes
Gianni Ritfeld led Suriname with 19 points on 16 attacks and 3 blocks. Opposite hitter Mesón Anakaba followed with 17 points on 14 attacks, 2 blocks, and one ace. Middle blocker Jahmit Jambo scored 15 points, including a match-high of 7 powerful blocks.
Evans Solís of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 26 points on 23 attacks and 3 blocks. Victor Bermudez added 13 points on 11 attacks and 2 blocks.
Suriname
The first set was closely contested. In the second, both teams took turns leading, but with effective blocking (5-1), Suriname leveled the match. Suriname then had little trouble dominating the next two sets, despite Nicaragua scoring four consecutive points (10-17) in the fourth set.
Furgil Ong-A-Fat, coach of Suriname said: “It was a good match. In the first set we gave away a few points at the last moment and we lost it. The rest of the sets I kept the pressure on my guys to continue scoring better; we played a much better game after the first set”.
Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua, said: “There was no winning attitude. We won the first set, and then the team fell apart. They didn’t want to receive serves, and Evans had no support from the rest of the team. There were easy balls that couldn’t be received; the team that doesn’t defend, doesn’t win”.
Nogales, Mexico, June 13, 2024. – Puerto Rico used its advantage in blocking (12-4) to defeat Guatemala 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-16) and advance to the quarterfinals of the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
Puerto Rico (1-2) finished third in pool B and will face the loser between United States and Mexico in the quarterfinals. Guatemala (0-3) will compete in the matches for positions 5 to 8.
In addition to their significant advantage in blocking, Puerto Rico led in attacks (38-24) and aces (4-0). Puerto Rico committed one more error than Guatemala (22-21).
Puerto Rico
With 11 points each, outside hitters Franco Roark, Sebastián Sánchez, and Lorenzo Rivera led Puerto Rico’s offense.
For Guatemala, team captain Roberto Recinos scored 8 points.
The first set was very close, but in the second, Puerto Rico quickly jumped to a 5-0 lead thanks to a service error by Guatemala, followed by a spike and two blocks from middle blocker Janluar Figueroa, shifting the momentum of the match; from then on, Puerto Rico never trailed.
Roberto Recinos GUA
Puerto Rico’s coach, Gerardo De Jesús, said: “Guatemala has improved in recent years and gave Cuba a tough match, so we came well prepared to face them today. Regardless of the opponent, this age-group is very emotional and is developing. We’ve advanced to the next round, and we look forward to the matchup either against Mexico or the United States, for which we’ll be well prepared.
Guatemala’s captain, Roberto Recinos, remarked: “We started evenly with Puerto Rico, but then we had a bad attitude on the court. We couldn’t maintain our energy throughout the match because Puerto Rico served very well, and we couldn’t handle the reception.”
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 13th, 2024.- Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico is ready to host the 2024 NORCECA Men’s Final Four this weekend and coaches came with high expectations to kick off the 2024 season.
Coach of Dominican Republic – José Gutiérrez: We came with the goal of competing and giving the best possible show knowing that we are incomplete, but the commitment of the players who are here is to give their best. Our players are a base of four veterans plus athletes from our under-23 team that are making the transition to the senior team. Our biggest rivals in this tournament are current champs Mexico and Puerto Rico since our level is equal to theirs. It is a tournament that will be defined by whoever does the best and makes less mistakes.
Dominican Republic
Coach of Puerto Rico – Alberto Jamille Torres: Very excited to play in Puerto Rico and my expectations are quite high. It is the first time we have brought together the entire group, including athletes who play in Europe and programs in the United States. We have been making changes in the past few years and we have a young team mixed with some experienced players. The goal is to win, representing our flag in our country is something great and we are going to give everything to win the championship.
Puerto Rico
Coach of Mexico – Carlos Eduardo Schwanke: First of all, I am happy to be here with Mexico, it is the first time that I am in charge of this team, and I have very high expectations of the level that we are going to show in this championship, and we hope to perform better than we did previously. I’m getting to know my players now, we’ve only been training together for a month and although we have some athletes with injuries, we are here with our best team and we hope they understand the new game system and feel comfortable on the court, improving every moment.
Mexico
Coach of Guatemala – Reider Lucas Mora: We have only three weeks working with this group, but we believe that we can compete well in this first international commitment. I think the boys are going to play and have a good result in this competition. We have a team in which we have included youth athletes who we believe can help a lot with the strength of the group. This year we have Central American and international events, and we hope that this event will also serve as preparation for us.
Guatemala
The NORCECA Men’s Final Four will award FIVB World Ranking Points for Volleyball Nations League.
“That was a big win for us,” said Canada’s head coach Shannon Winzer of her team’s comeback effort after being down two sets to none. “We knew we had to be patient on attack and then work hard on defense around our block and while we kept falling just short in two very close first and second sets, we found our rhythm and our confidence in the third and kept going from there. Big team effort tonight!”
It was a back-and-forth affair, with Canada just edging out Japan in attack points (68-67), service aces even at six and Canada making more errors 26-24. However, Canada’s block was effective with 13 points compared with six for Japan.
Alexa Gray with 30 points and Kiera Van Ryk with 27 points led the attack for Canada. Sarina Koga was top scorer for Japan with 20 points.
Canada is still in a tight race to qualify for Paris 2024. More on that process can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xfcDB0
Canada’s next match – a crucial contest against Netherlands as both teams are still vying for an Olympic berth – is at 2:30 am ET on Friday.
HONG KONG, China, June 13, 2024. – Top-ranked Türkiye recovered after losing the first set and had to give their all to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-1 (17-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18) to continue week three of the Volleyball Nations League in Hong Kong.
The Dominican Republic, now with a record of 2-7, will face Poland in the early hours of Friday at 4:55 a.m. (Eastern Time).
Türkiye outperformed in attacks (55-38), blocks (11-7), and service points (9-6). The Dominican team committed fewer unforced errors (17-24).
Alondra Tapia had an outstanding match both offensively and defensively, scoring 14 points, followed by Lisvel Eve-Mejía with 10. Madeline Guillén and Yonkaira Peña each scored 8 points.
Türkiye’s offensive attack was led by Hande Baladın and Ebrar Karakurt, each scoring 17 points, while Melissa Vargas contributed 14 points.
In the first set, the Dominican players appeared very relaxed and focused, setting their pace in both offense and defense, with Yonkaira Peña and Alondra Tapia successfully challenging the Turkish defense.
The Dominican defense was crucial in containing their rivals, who hold the top position in the world rankings. Brayelin Martínez came in at times for substitutions, and for the second game in a row, opposite hitter Gaila González did not see action due to an injury.
The Dominican team took advantage of the fact that Türkiye’s main attacker, Melissa Vargas, was significantly underperforming in the offense.
In the second set, Türkiye came back strongly with attackers Karakurt and Vargas, who battered the opposing defense with powerful spikes.
The first few minutes were closely contested; however, Karakurt pushed Türkiye ahead on the scoreboard at 8-6. From there, they solidified their attacks and defense to extend the lead.
Türkiye executed two rallies of 4-0 and another of 3-0, which were lethal for the Dominicans, who couldn’t read their opponents’ rhythm. Karakurt ended the set with nine points, and Melissa with eight. It was evident that the “Queens of the Caribbean” lost the joyful playstyle from the first set and were consistently on the defensive.
In the third set, Türkiye managed to maintain dominance over their rivals once again, with Karakurt and Melissa leading the winning attack.
After gaining a good advantage 17-13, they never gave up and capitalized on some defensive errors from their opponents. They won 25-17. Melissa Vargas secured several service aces, as did Karakurt.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 12, 2024. – The U.S. Women’s National Team got its second straight sweep in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Wednesday when it beat Netherlands (25-21, 25-20, 25-22) in Fukuoka, Japan.
The U.S. Women (6-4) will continue week 3 at 11:30 p.m. PT on Friday when they will play Italy (7-2). The U.S. is in sixth place in the standings and the top seven teams plus host Thailand advance to the Final Round on June 20-23. The Netherlands, which is fighting for an Olympic berth by virtue of its world ranking at the end of VNL, fell to 5-5.
Three players led the U.S. Women with 13 points each. Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson Cook had a match-high 11 kills and two aces. Middle blocker Dana Rettke finished with 10 kills, two blocks and one ace. Opposite Annie Drews, who made her 2024 VNL debut, scored on 10 kills, two aces and one block.
“I think, more than the score, I’m just trying to contribute what I can and bring the energy,” Drews told Volleyball World. “Things that weren’t happening on our side of the court took a backseat today.”
The U.S. Women led Netherlands in kills (48-40) and aces (5-0). Netherlands led in blocks (8-6). The U.S. scored 16 points on Dutch errors and committed 15.
Middle Chiaka Ogbogu scored 12 points on nine kills and a team-high three blocks. Outside hitter Kathryn Plummer scored five points on five kills.
Setter Lauren Carlini scored three points on three kills and set the team to a .321 hitting efficiency. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes made some critical plays and was credited with 11 digs and two successful receptions.
The teams were tied 19-19 in the first set when the U.S. scored on successive kills from Cook, Plummer and Drews and a block from Ogbogu to lead 23-19. Netherlands scored twice and the U.S. called timeout. The U.S. reached set point with a Plummer kill and won the match on a Dutch hitting error.
The U.S. jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set and never trailed.
The U.S. led the third set 21-18. Netherlands pulled to within one at 23-22. The U.S. scored the final two points on kills by Carlini and Cook.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 12, 2024 – Mexico beat Nicaragua with an emphatic 3-0 (25-8, 25-19 y 25-21) at the Men’s U21 Continental Championship in Wednesday’s last match at Nogales, Mexico.
On Thursday, Mexico, with an unbeaten record (2-0), will compete against the United States (2-0) for the top spot in pool A, aiming for a direct ticket to the semifinals. Nicaragua (0-2) and Suriname (0-2) will fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Evans Antonio Solis NCA
Mexico maintained their undefeated thanks to their overwhelming advantage in blocking (16-3) and a comfortable lead in attacks (35-29) against Nicaragua. Mexico also had a slight edge in service points (3-2) and committed fewer errors than Nicaragua (14-21).
Opposite hitter Cristian Cadena led Mexico with 13 points on 10 attacks, two blocks, and one ace. Ramiro Ramírez and Gael Olivas each added 8 points. Setter José Alejandro Adame contributed with a match-high of 4 blocking points.
Evans Solís was the top scorer for Nicaragua, scoring 10 points on 8 attacks and 2 service points.
Mexico celebrate
Mexico scored from all angles in the first set, pulling apart Nicaragua’s offense, particularly in the opening set.
Cristian Cadena, Mexico’s top scorer, said: “The communication among all of us helped achieve the result in the first set. We supported each other on the court to take the lead. The finish wasn’t easy; we lost focus a bit, but we got the win. Tomorrow, we will give our best against the United States, and we’ll leave the rest in God’s hands”.
Evans Solís, Nicaragua’s top scorer, said: “At the beginning, we played very tense. We gained more confidence in the next two sets, showing the good spirit that characterizes us. The outcome was not what we hoped for. Mexico studied us very well, especially me. Tomorrow, we will give it our all against Suriname. They are not an easy team, and we won’t give up as we aim to represent Nicaragua well”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 12, 2024. – Cuba secured a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23) victory over Puerto Rico to remain undefeated at the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
On Thursday, Cuba (2-0) will compete for first place in pool B against Canada (2-0); the winner will advance directly to the semifinals. Puerto Rico (0-2) will face Guatemala (0-2) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Cuba dominated in kills (44-30) and blocks (9-4). Puerto Rico had the edge in serves (4-1) and conceded fewer points on errors (21-27).
Carlos Javier Pereira CUB
Three Cuban players finished with double-digits, led by Carlos Pereira Larea with 16 points (15 attacks, one block), followed by Félix Rodríguez with 15 points (11 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks), and Kelly Oviedo with 12 points (10 attacks, 2 blocks).
Lorenzo Rivera led Puerto Rico’s offense with 14 points on 13 attacks and one block.
Kelly Oviedo closed the first set by on a kill and a block. After a defensive error by Puerto Rico while Carlos Pereira was serving and then another attack from Pereira, Cuba took a 2-0 lead. In the third set, Cuba recovered from a four-point deficit (12-16) to go neck to neck with Puerto Rico, remaining tied up to 22 points, and then sealed the straight-set victory.
Cuba
Carlos Pereira Larea, Cuba’s top scorer, said: “It was a very emotional match. Cuba is prepared for everything. We studied our opponent and followed the strategy set out by our coach. Tomorrow, against Canada, we will come out strong”.
Lian Sem Estrada, Cuba’s coach, said: “After struggling against Guatemala, I think that was breaking the ice for this generation, which hadn’t faced any level of competition before. Today, before the match, I told them that we are building a path, we must go step by step, and nothing has been achieved yet. We are taking it one step at a time to reach our goal of qualifying for the World Championship”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 12, 2024. – United States dominated Suriname 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-15) on Wednesday in the U21 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship being played in Nogales, Mexico.
The U.S. with an undefeated record (2-0) in pool A, will conclude the preliminary round against Mexico on Thursday. Suriname (0-2) will play against Nicaragua. The first-place team in the group advances directly to the semifinals.
United States outclassed Suriname in less than an hour (55 minutes), with advantages in attacks (38-16), blocks (7-1), and serves (7-1). Suriname committed one less error than the United States (23-24).
Victor Loiola USA
Victor Loiola from the United States was the top scorer of the match with 14 points (12 attacks, two blocks). Opposite hitter Finn Kearny scored 9 points, including a match-high of 3 aces. Outside hitter Sean Kelly also scored 9 points.
Opposite hitter Mesón Anakaba was Suriname’s best scorer with 10 attacking points.
The U.S. quickly jumped to significant leads in all three sets, maintaining their dominance until the end.
Meson Anakaba SUR
Victor Loiola, top scorer of United States said: “We were working on our teamwork and just how we can bring energy as a team together and dominate the tournament. Today a few more guys got more playing time. Compared to yesterday we were a little bit more connected, got rid of the jetlag and as a group we were all connected. Tomorrow against the home team, we faced Argentina at Worlds and we learned how to play with the environment against us, we’ll take the “boos” as cheers”.
Mesón Anakaba, top scorer of Suriname expressed: “We came into this game knowing that they are stronger than us, so we just focused on doing our game. It didn’t go as we planned but we tried our best. Tomorrow, we must win to make it into the next round so we have to give our all. We are facing Nicaragua; it will be an interesting match and to be honest we came here focused on them to reach the next round”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 12, 2024. – Canada scored their second victory in the U21 Men’s NORCECA Championship after defeating Guatemala 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-17) on Wednesday in Nogales, Mexico.
Canada has a 2-0 record in pool B and will conclude the preliminary round on Thursday against Cuba. Guatemala (0-2) will face Puerto Rico.
Canada outperformed Guatemala 44-30 in attacks, 12-1 in blocks, and 2-1 in aces. Guatemala committed fewer errors than Canada (18-28).
Canada celebrated
Canadian opposite hitter Daniil Hershtynovich led his team with 12 points from 8 attacks, 3 blocks, and one ace. Outside hitter Piers de Greeff added 11 points from 9 attacks and 2 blocks. Kai Boyko finished with 7 points.
Guatemala’s team captain, Roberto Recinos, scored 12 points, with a match-high of 11 attacks and one block. Opposite hitter Luis Mendizábal contributed 7 points.
Captain Roberto Recinos GUA attack
Canada’s errors worked to Guatemala’s advantage, allowing them to steal a set point before the extended finish in the first set. Canada remained inconsistent throughout the match but managed to capitalize on their blocking.
Daniil Hershtynovich, Canada’s leading scorer said: “It was a challenging first set. I think not having fans on the stands it took time for us to create energy for ourselves. That energy helped us to pull out of the first and second set. For tomorrow we want to bring great energy against, keep the same mentality no matter who we’re facing”.
Luis Mendizábal, Guatemala’s opposite hitter, said: “I believe the team’s attitude didn’t stay consistent throughout the match. In the first set, we were closer in the score, it was tight, and we had very good energy. For tomorrow’s pool-play final, I hope we can bring the same energy as yesterday. We have the team to compete, and we’re going to give it our all against Puerto Rico”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 12, 2024. – The Jorge Galeano Gymnasium will host the inaugural Central American Women’s Final Four Championship, taking place from June 13 to 15.
The event kicked off with the preliminary interviews and registration of the four participating national teams (Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador).
Both the organizing committee and members of the control committee are thrilled to host this first tournament, which brings together the top four teams in the region.
The four coaches expressed their satisfaction with the tournament, as it offers senior teams an annual competitive event. This Final Four will be held every two years, alternating with the Central American Senior Championships, which are also biennial.
Carlos Quezada, coach of Costa Rica, commented, “It’s a great opportunity to keep our senior teams competitive. I believe all the teams are quite evenly matched. We have prepared well, coming from the NORCECA Final Four, and for us, it’s imperative to aim for the top spot. We are here with the mindset of winning the tournament”.
Costa Rica
Japanese Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras, stated, “t’s a very challenging competition for us because we are striving to reach a high level. We have trained extensively to perform well and win the title”.
Honduras
René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, remarked, “This tournament is a first experiment by AFECAVOL. We hope this format continues so that our teams have events to participate in every year, whether even or odd years. Nicaragua always arrives as well-prepared as possible. We have some absences because a few players couldn’t make the trip, but we are committed to making a strong showing”.
Nicaragua
Noe Fabian, coach of El Salvador, said, “This tournament is very beneficial for our AFECAVOL competition because it keeps the senior teams active every year. Last year, we finished fourth in the Central American Championship, and this year we made a significant generational shift in our team. We are bringing a very young team, possibly the youngest senior team El Salvador has had since 2014, and we want to build confidence and gain experience”.
June 11, 2024 .- Dominican Republic defeated Germany 3-1 (26-24, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21) in the first match of Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League in Hong Kong, China.
The Dominican Republic currently sits in 11th place with a record of 3-6. Their next opponent will be Turkey, the reigning VNL champions.
Dominican Republic had a slight edge in attacks (52-51) and conceded fewer points from errors (21-26). Both teams were even in blocks (11-11) and aces (8-8).
The Dominican offense was led by its two outside hitters, Yonkaira Peña and Madeline Guillen. Peña scored 18 points, and Guillen added 16 points. Opposite hitter Alondra Tapia contributed 15 points.
Middle blocker Camilla Weitzel led Germany with 18 points, and opposite Emilia Weske scored 15 points.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 11, 2024. – The U.S. Women’s National Team opened week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League preliminary round with a sweep (25-15, 26-24, 25-20) of France on Tuesday in Fukuoka, Japan.
The U.S. Women (5-4) will continue week 3 at 8 p.m. on Wednesday when they will play Netherlands (5-4). The U.S. is in seventh place in the standings and the top seven teams plus host Thailand advance to the Final Round on June 20-23.
U.S. opposite Jordan Thompson led all scorers against France with 20 points on a match-high 17 kills (.371 hitting efficiency), two aces and one block.
“I was really proud with how we stuck together as a team,” Thompson told Volleyball World. “We could obviously play more clean, but I was really happy we could win in three.”
The U.S. Women led France in kills (46-38) and aces (7-3). The U.S. scored 20 points on France’s errors and committed 12. France led in blocks (6-3).
After finishing the first set with eight errors, France cleaned up its play in the second set and led 18-16. The U.S. used a Thompson kill and ace from Larson to tie the score. At 20-20, the U.S. scored twice on a kill from Carlini and an attack from Thompson, but the teams were tied again at 23-23. The U.S. called timeout and France followed with a service error that gave the U.S. set point. A U.S. service error tied it at 24. Kills from Larson and Carlini gave the U.S. the set win.
The third set stayed close until the U.S. used a service run by Thompson to increase its lead from 7-6 to 10-6 and rolled to the match win.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 11, 2024 – Mexico started off the NORCECA U21 Men’s Continental Championship with a straight-set victory, 25-21, 25-16, 25-14, over Suriname on Tuesday in Nogales, Mexico.
Mexico’s (1-0) next opponent in pool A is Nicaragua (0-1). Suriname (0-1) will face the United States (1-0).
The host team, Mexico, dominated in every skill of the game; they had a significant lead in blocks (12-5), attacks (38-25), and aces (5-1). Both teams were tied in errors (20-20).
Mexico celebrate
Mexican opposite hitter Cristian Cadena led all scorers of the match with 13 points (11 attacks, 2 blocks, one ace). Outside hitter Samuel Valdes scored 9 points.
Suriname’s team captain, Anfernee Lee, finished with 9 points.
Mexico started slowly but gained momentum, managing to contain Suriname starting in the second set. In the first set, the teams were tied at 14 points and matched in all game aspects (12 attacks, 4 blocks, 1 ace). In the third set, Mexico quickly jumped to an eight-point lead (10-8), comfortably sealing their first victory.
Meson Anakaba SUR
Bladimir Rivera, captain of Mexico, said: “We started a bit nervous due to our international debut. We adapted well to the environment, improved as the match progressed, and managed to overcome Suriname’s height advantage (in that aspect, they handled it very well). I believe our greatest strength is our counterattack; when they give us a free ball, we don’t hesitate to hit hard and go for the direct point.”
Anfernee Lee, captain of Suriname said: “Mexico is a very good team. At the beginning of the match, we were doing our best and they proved they are a better team. We had some good points. I think generally speaking we have to get climatized to the court and work a lot in the morning practice”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 11, 2024. – Canada swept Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-13) in their pool B debut at the NORCECA U21 Men’s Continental Championship, which began on Tuesday in Nogales, Mexico.
Canada (1-0) will face Guatemala (0-1) on the second day of competition. Puerto Rico (0-1) will go up against Cuba (1-0).
Canada finished their first match with a huge advantage in blocks (10-1). They also led in attacks (34-30), scored one more point from serves (5-4), and conceded fewer points on errors (20-26).
Piers de Greeff CAN
Outside hitter Piers De Greeff was Canada’s top scorer with 14 points (12 attacks, 2 blocks). Opposite Daniil Hershtynovich recorded 13 points (12 attacks, 1 service ace).
Puerto Rico’s team captain, opposite Ramón Rosado, scored 12 points (10 attacks, one block, one ace). Outside hitter Lorenzo Rivera added 9 points.
Janluar Figueroa PUR
Kai Boyko, captain of Canada said: “There were some ups and downs, which is normal because for many of the guys this is there first international match. We were kind of figuring out what we got to do. We stuck to the game plan well especially in the second and third set. We’re happy with how it went for the most part. I think we blocked a lot better towards the end”.
Ramón Rosado, captain of Puerto Rico, said: “It was challenging. We knew little about them because this Canada team is a new group, and as we saw, they are very good. We came out stronger in the first two sets. I feel that the third set could have been better. But it’s just the first game; hopefully, we’ll get to face them again. We’re going to keep working hard”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 11, 2024.- The United States won 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-12) over Nicaragua in their opening match of the NORCECA U21 Men’s Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico.
In pool A, the United States will face Suriname on Wednesday, while Nicaragua will go up against Mexico.
The Americans were dominant, leading 42-16 in attacks, 7-2 in blocks, and 6-2 in service points. The United States gave away 29 points from unforced errors compared to 20 from Nicaragua.
USA celebrate
Two players scored double digits for the United States; middle blocker Jackson Cryst with 13 points (8 attacks, 3 blocks, 2 aces) and outside hitter Sterling Foley with 11 points, all on attacks.
Nicaragua’s opposite Taushaun Hooker and outside hitter Evans Solís each scored six points.
Devin Taushaun Hooker NCA
Nicaragua managed to keep up with the U.S. only in the first set. The Americans dominated the rest of the match without complications.
Sean Kelly, captain of United States said: “It was a great beginning. We all know we could have played better but we’re just getting used to the gym, getting adjusted, we’re just making sure to stay together no matter what. We’ll definitely do better the rest of the tournament. In the first set we missed a lot of serves and didn’t have a lot of team energy, but towards the end we upped our level”.
Osmar Peralta, captain of Nicaragua, said: “The first set was much better. We executed a good attack and received well. Things didn’t go as we had planned. We’re going to turn the page and focus on the next match”.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 11, 2024. – Cuba needed five sets 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13) to overcome Guatemala in the opening match of the NORCECA U21 Men’s Continental Championship, which began in Nogales, Mexico.
Cuba led in attack points with a 65-51 margin, while Guatemala was ahead in blocks (11-10) and service aces (5-3). Guatemala also committed fewer errors (31-36).
On the second day of pool B, Cuba will face Puerto Rico and Guatemala will go up against Canada.
Daniel Guillermo Martinez CUB celebrate
The top scorer of the match was Cuba’s middle blocker, Daniel Martínez, with 27 points on 22 attacks, 4 blocks, and one ace. He was followed by Kelly Oviedo with 14 points, all on kills and Carlos Pereira with 13 points on 11 attacks and 2 blocks.
Guatemala’s opposite hitter, Luis Mendizábal, led his team with 23 points on 18 attacks and a match-high of 5 blocks. Team captain Roberto Recinos contributed 15 points on 14 attacks and 1 ace. Middle blocker José Samayoa added 12 points from 8 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 service aces.
Luis Roberto Mendizabal GUA
Cuba and Guatemala played a balanced match in which the Central American team seized every opportunity well to take the first set and then entered the next two sets with more confidence, preventing the Cubans from pulling too far ahead. In the fourth set, Guatemala rallied, scoring five consecutive points (from 17-21) to take a 22-21 lead, and then forcing a close fifth set.
Cuba’s captain, Ronaldo Flaquet, said: “We started poorly. Guatemala complicated the match for us; they’re not a team of the level we are used to, and they messed up our game system. We lost focus a lot, but we managed to pull through, and the important thing is the victory”.
Guatemala’s captain, Roberto Recinos, commented: “It was an exciting start. We trained very hard for the competition, and we showed it. The opponent was very strong, but we never gave up. We hope to have a better attitude for the next match”.
June 11, 2024.- The third competition week of 2024 Volleyball Nations League’s preliminary phase is underway in Fukuoka, Japan, for Canada’s women’s team.
It was not the start that Canada was hoping for, with a 3-0 loss (25-16, 25-15, 25-14) to Italy in the week’s opening match for these two teams.
“Italy is an exceptional team, I’d say one of the strongest teams we have faced so far this year,” said Canada’s head coach, Shannon Winzer. “We didn’t play to our full potential for sure, and that is disappointing, no one wants to lose like that, but the margin of error becomes even smaller against such a strong team.”
Stats favoured Italy: 37 to 30 attack points, 11 to 1 blocks, and 7 to 2 in serves. Canada lost eight more points to errors than Italy.
“We struggled on first contact, we struggled on attack…. It just wasn’t a good game at our end. The best thing we can do is take what we can from it and move on as quickly as possible. What we do next is the most important thing.”
Opposite Paola Egonu of Italy led the charge with 18 points for her team; Kiera Van Ryk contributed 13 points to Canada’s effort.
Canada is still in a tight race to qualify for Paris 2024. More on that process can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xfcDB0
Canada’s next match is against host Japan on June 13.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 10, 2024. – USA Volleyball is proud to announce the athletes and staff who will comprise the U.S. Beach Volleyball Team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The athlete roster includes two women’s teams and two men’s teams who qualified for the Paris Olympic Games, which run July 26-August 11.
On the women’s side, the teams of Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss and Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes will be going to Paris. For the men, the teams of Andy Benesh/Miles Partain and Chase Budinger/Miles Evans have qualified.
Cheng is the only athlete on the team with previous Olympic experience. She competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where she tied for ninth with Sarah Sponcil.
All four duos earned an Olympic berth by finishing among the top 17 of their gender’s FIVB Olympic Rankings within the qualification period, which ran January 1, 2023, to June 9, 2024.
Kloth/Nuss finished second overall in the women’s rankings while Cheng/Hughes were third.
Benesh/Partain tied for fourth in the men’s rankings and Budinger/Evans tied for 13th.
Kloth/Nuss are the defending Pro Beach Tour champions and finished third at the 2023 FIVB World Championships. Cheng/Hughes are the defending world champions and took the gold medal at the final qualifying event on June 5-9 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Benesh/Partain took bronze in Ostrava.
Beach volleyball in Paris will take place July 27-August 10 at Eiffel Tower Stadium. Women’s medal matches will be August 9 and men’s will be August 10.
USA Volleyball has won at least one beach volleyball medal in every Olympics since the sport became official in 1996.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 10, 2024.- The fifth stop of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, set to take place at Paseo Xolotlán in Managua, Nicaragua, from June 14 to 16, will feature 30 teams.
The sand courts at Paseo Xolotlán were constructed in 2017 for the Central American Games and will host the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour for the third time, following the 2019 and 2022 editions.
Fifteen pairs per gender are pre-registered for the competition, with final confirmations and group distributions to be announced the day before the event.
Nicaragua has two male duos, Rubén Mora and Dany López, the tournament’s top seeds and the most successful duo in Nicaraguan beach volleyball history, and Denis López with Alexander Meneses. In 2022, Rubén teamed up with Denis López to secure a bronze medal here in Managua.
Returning to defend their title from 2022 are Timothy Brewster and Kyle Friend from the United States, who also won silver at the first stop in Playa de Güibia this year.
Paseo Xolotlan
Luis García of Guatemala, who earned silver in Managua in both 2019 and 2022, will compete this time alongside Edgar Maldonado.
Puerto Rican duo William Rivera and Arnaldo Torres, who have been strong contenders this season, secured bronze at the third stop in Juan Dolio.
The remaining men’s teams are Braedon Cooke/ Connor Somerville (BER), Rouzbeh Rahnavard/ Tynan Gannett (CAN), Jesario Ebanks/ Stephen Watson (CAY), Stephen Watson/ Julián Araya Alas (CRC), David Vargas/ Gabriel Baltazar (ESA), Irvin Armando/ Manuel Alejandro Serrano Avalo (HON), Zendai Richards/ Clerique Ward (SKN), Darnel Eudoxie/ Rio Jaden Victor (LCA), Joshua Dwarkasing/ David Pinas (SUR), Kendall Ratter/ Marc Lomeli (ISV).
In women, Nicaragua’s Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez aim to repeat their historic achievement of winning their first NORCECA Tour medal by finishing second in 2019. Nicaragua is also represented by Valeska Hernández/Nahima Silva and Ylimar Alvarado/Ella Resau.
Marie-Alex Bélanger of Canada, who won silver in Managua in 2022, returns with her partner Lea Monkhouse. As a team they secured their first medal together at the seventh stop of the 2023 Tour in El Salvador. Myriam Robitaille and Darby Dunn form the second Canadian team.
Completing the women’s pairs are Megan Hands/ Kayley Hamilton (BER), Maryn McCoombs/ Heather Thompson (CAY), Aliza Aguilar Delgado/ Laura Valentina Molina Alvarado (CRC1), Ximena Núñez/ Kianny Quesada (CRC2), Dana Funes/Keiry Guzmán (ESA), Maritza Zúñiga/Danna Aguilar (GUA1), Natalia Giron/Paola Alvarado (GUA2), Nicole Reinking/ Heather Friesen (USA1), Molly Shaw/ Chloe Loreen (USA2), Sarah Penner/ Jade Vitt (ISV).
PONCE, Puerto Rico, June 11, 2024.- Action continues from Salvador Dijols Coliseum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with the 2024 NORCECA Men’s Final Four that runs from June 14-16.
The three-day round robin competition features hosts Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Guatemala.
Mexico won the past edition of the event qualifying to the last edition of the Volleyball Men Challenger Cup (VCC) to take place in Linyi, China from July 4-7.
The FIVB Volleyball Nations League will expand to 18 teams in 2025, therefore no team will be relegated at the end of the VNL 2024 season, while the winners of the 2024 Volleyball Challenger Cup and the highest-placed teams in the FIVB Men’s and Women’s Volleyball World Ranking not yet qualified will join the VNL 2025 action.
As of the 2025 edition, the core and challenger team statuses will be abolished and the bottom-placed team in the competition’s final standings in each gender will be relegated, to be replaced by the respective highest-ranked team in the world for the following VNL season.
Consequently, the 2024 NORCECA Men’s Final Four will grant FIVB World Ranking Points to the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
NOGALES, Mexico, June 10, 2024.- Eight teams are ready to compete for the NORCECA Men’s U21 Continental Championship title, which kicks off on Tuesday, June 11, in Nogales, Mexico.
The head coaches have shared their first impressions ahead of the event, which is part of the qualification system for the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship in 2025.
Daniel Lewis, Head Coach of Canada: “The team is of first year university players, so they have some good experience but not internationally. We had five weeks to prepare, and I noticed that our team started to come together well, so I expect us to be ok. We don’t know about the other teams at the beginning of the tournaments, which makes it difficult to prepare for them and you must focus more on yourself, your own team. As the tournament grows, we hope to grow as a team as well, that’s our goal for sure. We take it one game at a time and try to never over or underestimate anybody, just try to make sure our level is always there”.
Canada
Lian Sem Estrada, Entrenador de Cuba: “This is a completely new team. The preparation went well, although there were some challenges because it was at the same time with the U19 team’s preparation. We know these players have little experience, but we will defend our title as champions. We come with the same eagerness and determination to win the ticket to the World Championship.”
Cuba
Luis Fernando Castañeda, Entrenador de Guatemala: “I have come with a young team. We have worked hard, and the level of competition will be high. For us, it’s good to keep competing as preparation for more events. We have a couple of players with experience, but overall, it’s a young group. We hope that the players will develop and evolve as the games progress. We aim to play our best and improve our ranking.”
Guatemala
Jorge Alberto Romero, Head Coach of Mexico: “Since last year I’ve been coaching the team, we finished in second place at the U21 Pan American Cup held in Cuba, and we also competed together in the World Championship in Bahrain. The team is strong, we have a good chance of taking a medal, and our goal is to qualify for the World Championship. However, we know we’ll be facing very tough opponents”.
Mexico
Jorge Mena, Head Coach of Nicaragua: “This version of the team is slightly better. The boys are well-prepared; some of them have considerable experience (5 or 6 participated in the U21 event in Cuba last year), and 80% of the team are the Central American runners-up. We want to perform well, give the players the opportunity to play against high-level teams, and I believe we have a good chance of advancing to the quarterfinals”.
Nicaragua
Gerardo De Jesús Sánchez, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We have come with a balanced team. I have players with international experience; some competed in the U19 World Championship last year in Argentina. Others are new to the group, and some are changing positions. We have worked for a month and a half, and we are in pretty good shape”.
Puerto Rico
Lionel Blokland, Team Manager of Suriname: “Our preparation is fine. The team spirit is high because we want to show the world that Suriname is not a country that you can dismiss, we are here to stay. Suriname is fighting to get better every year, so the other teams have to watch out because slowly but surely, we’re coming on top. That’s our main focus right now”.
Suriname
John Hawks, Head Coach of United States: “We are very excited to be here and represent our country in this tournament. We have a mixture of new guys, but we have a core nucleus that competed in the World Championship last summer. I expect us to compete hard and play for the gold medal”.
OTTAWA, Canada, June 09, 2024.- Canada finished week 2 of Volleyball Nations League (men) with a loss to Serbia today at the Arena at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario.
The final score was Canada 1, Serbia 3 (25-21, 20-25, 18-25, 23-25). Serbia led slightly in attack points (56-54), Canada in blocks (8-7), but Serbia served up 11 aces compared with Canada’s two. Both sides made 22 errors.
“We just couldn’t stop their attack,” said Canada’s Head Coach Tuomas Sammelvuo. ” …If you look at the numbers, we are there, but there’s one point here and there… We knew there would be huge service pressure and they served really well today, so that was another difference. ..We had opportunities, but we didn’t convert, and the result is there. We will focus on getting better and being more efficient in attack and defence.”
Serbia’s Drazen Luburić led the points leaderboard with 22. Stephen Maar and Arthur Szwarc were top scorers for Canada with 16 points apiece.
The next week of men’s play for Canada is in Manila, Philippines, beginning on June 18.
“We’ve improved since last year; I think the work shows – we are able to compete with the top teams and win against top teams. Going forward into the final week in the Philippines, we’ll be looking to make the last few wins and continue improving and hoping to make top 8 (in VNL) and then going to Paris,” said Canadian libero Justin Lui. “We gained a lot of confidence from qualifying for the Olympics and knowing we can win under pressure.
“Last night (a win vs USA) was one of the most memorable matches I’ve had recently. In front of a sold-out home crowd, the team knows now that we can beat top teams when we put our best foot forward.”
Canada’s men’s team is qualified for Paris 2024, Serbia is still looking to qualify via world rankings.
The Canadian women resume VNL play in Japan this week.
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