Rogers and Brunner triumph in Varadero
 

VARADERO, Cuba, August 24, 2014 – Former Olympic champion Todd Rogers and Theo Brunner of United States-B stopped the undefeated Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez of Cuba-A in the men’s gold medal match of the Varadero Beach Volleyball Tournament, the seventh stop of the 2014 NORCECA Circuit.

Rogers and Brunner, winners of the first tournament of the year at Cayman Islands, were victorious again with a 2-1 (13-21, 21-18, 15-11) win over the Cuban pair who had won the three events in which they took part this year –two in Guatemala and the other in Huixquilucan, Mexico.

The victory of Rogers and Brunner was a sweet revenge for the lost suffered at the hands of Diaz and Gonzalez in two sets in the preliminary Pool D. The match lasted 47 minutes and was watched by an enthusiastic crowd from the temporary stands at Puntarena Hotel.

The 40-year old Rogers, a very popular player among the young fans, expressed his satisfaction for the victory in his first visit to Cuba.

“It was a great event for the NORCECA region and the people were very kind and the Cuban players are tall and strong with excellent abilities that can play at a world level,” Rogers said.

“Even though we lost we have the satisfaction of losing against well respected opponents that we had defeated before in the tournament,” Sergio said. “In the third set we were tired and lost our much of our strength.”.

In the semifinals, Rogers and Brunner defeated Grant O’Gorman and Sam Pedlow of Canada 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) in 43 minutes while Díaz and González defeated compatriots Karel Piña and Yendris Castillo 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) in 40 minutes.

Piña and Castillo of Cuba-B won the bronze medal with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) victory over O’Gorman and Pedlow.

Men’s Sunday Results

Semifinals: USA-A d CAN-A 2-0 (21-19, 21-15), CUB-A d CUB-B 2-0 (21-14, 21-15). Bronze Medal Match: CUB-B d CAN-A 2-0(21-18, 21-18). Gold Medal Match: USA-A d CUB-A 2-1 (13-21, 21-18, 15-11).

Final Positions: 1. USA-B, 2.CUB-A, 3. CUB-B, 4. CAN-A, 5. USA-A, 6. MEX, 7. PUR, 8. CUB-C, 9. CAN-B, 10. GUA, 11. ARU, 12. CRC, 13. NCA, 14. ESA, 15. BIZ, 16. DOM.