VARADERO, Cuba, May 4, 2024 – The four pairs that advanced to the women’s semifinals of the second phase of the 2024 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour are an exact replica of those who starred in this round a month ago at the Güibia venue on the Malecón in Santo Domingo.
At this international resort, at 12:30 p.m., Cuba’s main duo of Maykelín Drik and Amanda Armenteros will face their same victors, Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas and María González, champions of the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, on central court.
Simultaneously on the other court, American duos of Hailey Harward and Kylie Kuyava DeBerg, and Savannah Simo and Abby Van Winkle, will once again face off, precisely gold and bronze, in that order, at the first stop of this tour.
In the inaugural stop of this tour in April, Allanis and María took home the silver medal, after they dominated Cuba in the semifinals, so there is a real possibility of repeating their victory or avenging their loss to Hailey and Kylie, who denied them the top spot on the podium.
The Cuban duo, as well as Harward and DeBerg, and the Puerto Ricans, remained undefeated in their respective groups A, B, and C in the preliminary round with four wins, while Simo and Van Winkle finished second with a 3-1 record behind Allanis and María.
Then in the quarterfinals, Drik and Armenteros defeated Darby Dunn and Myriam Robitaille (CAN-1) in two sets (21-10, 21-17), while Savannah Simo and Van Winkle (USA-1) did something similar against Marie-Alex Bélanger and Lea Monkhouse (CAN-2) by winning 21-5 and 21-16.
Also in quarterfinals, Navas and González easily overcame Dominicans Julibeth Payano and Crismil Paniagua 2-0 (21-10, 21-7) and Harward and DeBerg (USA-2) defeated Danna Aguilar and Naomi Monney (GUA) 2-0 (21-8, 21-15).
In other results during the sunny Saturday, in the semifinal to determine places from 9 to 12, Kailin Garrido and Yenifer Rivera (CUB-2) prevailed over the Nicaraguans Socorro López and Lolette Rodríguez 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-10), and Amber Bennett and Taylor Buckner (ISV-2) defeated El Salvador’s Dana Funes and Keiry Guzmán 2-0 (21-10, 21-6).
While in that round for places 13 to 16, Ximena Núñez and Kianny Araya defeated the locals Selena Spek and Mileidy Paret (CUB-3) 2-1 (21-12, 16-21, 15-3), and Mannika Charles and Tara (ISV-1) overcame Shanicia Dyer and Shajunee Gumbs (SKN) 2-0 (21-15, 21-18).
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