32 Teams in Costa Rica for the First Stop of the NORCECA Tour

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, April 16, 2026.- A total of 16 women’s and 16 men’s teams from 12 countries are confirmed for the opening of the 2026 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour season, set to take place from Friday, April 17 to Sunday, April 19 on the sand courts of La Sabana in San José, Costa Rica.

In the women’s field, attention is focused on Canadians Darby Dunn and Alison McKay, who will aim to reach the podium and improve on their 2025 campaign, when they won silver in Punta Cana. Another strong Canadian duo, Sophia Hladyniuk and Myriam Robitaille, bronze medalists in Costa Rica in 2024, also join the competition, pointing to a strong presence from Canada in the tournament.

The host country will be represented by three pairs: Marcela Araya and Eugenia Ramírez, Valentina Molina and Aliza Aguilar, as well as Ingrid Núñez and Keila Moreno, who will look to capitalize on home advantage in a high-level field and deliver in front of their fans at La Sabana.

In that same competitive setting, Mexico presents a new duo, as Susana Torres, following the absence of Atenas Gutiérrez, teams up with Abril Flores in a combination that will seek to establish itself from this first stop of the circuit.

In the men’s division, Costa Rica will also feature three teams: Stanley Grant and Julián Araya, Lance Akerson and Christian Oporta, along with Yulius Brown and Sebastián Valenciano, who will take on the challenge of competing at home against experienced international opponents.

On the international stage, the Mexican duo of Carlos Andrés Ayala and Inés Vargas Lares stands out, arriving with strong credentials after winning bronze at last year’s U21 World Championship in Puebla. Their good form was confirmed during the 2025 Tour, where they claimed gold in Honduras by defeating Troy Field and Ryan Wilcox of the United States, who are also competing in this stage in Costa Rica. Additionally, Ayala and Vargas Lares earned silver in Suriname and bronze in Juan Dolio, placing them among the teams to watch in the tournament.

Following the preliminary inquiry, the groups were defined as follows:

Women’s Pools:

Pool A: Darby Dunn / Alison McKay (CAN); Vernecia Caines / D’Keisha Jordan (ISV); Karla Jamileth Tovar / Daniela Sofía Vigil (ESA); Ingrid Núñez / Keila Moreno (CRC).

Pool B: Torrey Van Winden / Lindsey Sparks (USA); Crismil Paniagua / Bethania Almanzar (DOM); Shajunee Gumbs / Jontelle Hensley Philip (SKN); Anna Sofía González Cepek / Ana Sofía Juárez (MEX).

Pool C: Susana Torres / Abril Flores (MEX); Paola Marie Alvarado / Marisabel Gonzalez (GUA); Chante Smith-Johnson / Amanda Robinson (CAY); Laura Valentina Molina / Aliza Aguilar (CRC).

Pool D: Marcela Araya / Eugenia Ramírez (CRC); Socorro Margarita López / Lolette Eleonor Rodríguez (NCA); Sophia Hladyniuk / Myriam Robitaille (CAN); Katie Lindstrom / Halle Hunt (USA).

Men’s Pools:

Pool A: Carlos Andrés Ayala Herrera/Inés Antonio Vargas Lares (MEX); Manuel Estrada Ortiz/Jose Miguel Izaguirre Solís (GUA); Kymani Greenidge/Aden Rojas (ISV); Lance Akerson/Christian Oporta (CRC).

Pool B: Troy Field/Ryan Wilcox (USA); William Rivera Figueroa/Daniel Rivera (PUR); Julian Bristol/Elkreen Morton (SKN); Christopher Guardado /Yoel Guardado (ESA).

Pool C: Luke de Greeff/Tynan Gannett (CAN); Rafael Alberto Vargas Landaverde/Gabriel Baltazar Vargas Romero (ESA); Dylan Lynee/William Duty (CAY); Yulius Brown/Sebastián Valenciano (CRC).

Pool D: Stanley Grant/Julián Araya (CRC); Rubén Mora Romero/Denis López (NCA); Nathaniel Dickinson/Riley Owen (USA); Aidan Labossiere/Liam Pauls (CAN).

Friday’s schedule begins at 8:00 a.m. with men’s matches, marking the start of competition on the sand courts of La Sabana.

This event officially opens a new NORCECA Tour season, a competitive circuit that will travel across the region with a total of 11 stops, establishing itself as one of the most demanding and attractive beach volleyball tours on the continent.