Cubans seek to continue dominance in NORCECA Beach 2017

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica, June 22, 2017 – Cubans Daisel Quesada and Karell Peña are seeking their third title of the season in as manu attempts when the third leg of the 2017 NORCECA Beach Volleyabll Circuit kicks off on Friday at Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Ocho Rios is hosting for the first time a NORCECA Circuit tournament but the location is not new to volleyball as it hosted one of the stages of the Continental Cup towards Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games last year.

Quesada and Peña won the first two events of the year held in La Paz, Mexico and Cayman Islands and are among the pre-tournament favorites here.

Mexicans Josue Gaxiola and Jose Rubio, third in La Paz, and USA’s William Kolinske, third in Cayman Islands with Mark Burik, is registered to participate with Miles Evans this time around.

In the women’s tournament, Cubans Lianma Flores and Yanisleidis Sanchez will be trying to emulate the success attained by countrywomen Lidiannis Echeverria and Leila Martinez who took home the first two titles of the year.

The major competition could come from Olympians Natalia Alfaro and Karen Cope of Costa Rica and the teams of Jamie Broder and Sophie Bukovec of Canada and Jace Pardon and Lara Dykstra of the United States.

Alfaro and Cope won the Continental Cup in Guaymas, Mexico to claim the ticket to Rio last year, Pardon and Dykstra took the silver medal in Cayman Islands where Broder claimed the bronze playing with Caleigh Whitaker.

Winners in 2017

La Paz, Mexico

CUB Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martínez

CUB Daisel Quesada/Karell Peña

Cayman Islands

CUB Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martínez

CUB Daisel Quesada/Karell Peña

Women’s Teams

Canada-A (Jamie Broder/Sophie Bukovec), Canada-B (Helen Rancourt/Sarah Meunier), Costa Rica (Natalia Alfaro/Karen Cope), Cuba (Lianma Flores/Yanisleidis Sanchez), Dominican Republic (Camila Moreno/Franchesca Santana), Guatemala (Natalia Girón/Estefanie Bethancourt), Honduras (Christiane Etches/Jarisa Hynds), Jamaica-A (Abigail Thompson/Lisanne Roofe), Jamaica-B (Kai Wright/Tsahi Williams), Mexico (Zaira Orellana/Stephanie Burnside), Puerto Rico (Lian Benier/Eva Torruella), Trinidad & Tobago (Delana Mitchell/Reeza Grant), United States-A (Kearisa Cook/Katie Spieler), United States-B (Jace Pardon/Lara Dykstra), U.S. Virgin Islands (Amber Bennett/Melanie Valenciana).

Men’s Teams

Canada-A (Sergei Grabovsky/Liam Kopp), Canada-B (Aron Nusbaum/Ryan Vanderburg), Costa Rica (Bryan Monge/Richard Smith), Cuba (Daisel Quesada/Karell Peña), Dominican Republic (William Sanchez/Alex Medina), Guatemala (Andy Leonardo/Luis García), Jamaica-A (Mark Lewis/Patrico Grant), Jamaica-B (Duante Smith/Jamaal Willis), Jamaica-C (Christopher Walters/Triston Hitchaman), Jamaica-D (Noley Ferguson/Rojey Hutchinson), Mexico (Josue Gaxiola/Jose Rubio), Saint Kitts & Nevis (Kemoroy Percival/Rancinto Jeffers), Suriname (Joshua Duarkasing/David Pinas), Trinidad & Tobago (Daneil Williams/Marlon Phillip), United States-A (Miles Evans/William Kolinske), United States-B (Jon Mesko/Skylar del Sol).