Puerto Ricans and Mexicans claim gold medals in Chula Vista

CHULA VISTA, California, August 30, 2010 – The Puerto Rican women’s team of Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo and the Mexican men’s team of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen won gold on Sunday at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit event at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

In the women’s gold medal match, Santiago and Acevedo avenged their loss in their first pool play match to the USA-5 team of Tealle Hunkus and Heather Lowe, defeating the Americans, 21-19, 18-21, 15-13. On Friday, the Puerto Ricans lost to Hunkus and Lowe, 21-15, 21-19.

“When we got here, we had not played together in more than a month,” Santiago said. “We had lost our rhythm.

“(The victory) means a lot since it’s been a month since we played together and even though we didn’t play well, we still played well enough to win.”

The USA-1 team of Lynne Galli and Kelly Brunning won the bronze medal with a 21-14, 21-16 victory over the USA-3 team of Michelle Moriarty and Heather Hughes.

Miramontes and Virgen won a 21-13, 24-22 battle over Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Orlando Irizarry in the gold medal match. The finished the tournament with a perfect 7-0 record.

The Mexican team had to keep its cool in the second set of the final when it went from four-point lead to trailing by one.

“We had a strategy but we had to change that strategy between sets,” Virgen said through a translator. “What we were doing wasn’t working. Puerto Rico was hitting the ball faster than we expected.”

In the men’s bronze medal match, the USA-2 team of Seth Burnham and Andy McGuire defeated the USA-3 team of Will Montgomery and Evan Barry, 21-17, 21-12.

The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit will be played next on Sept. 25-27 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Women’s results of Sunday: Semifinals – USA 5 d USA 1 (22-20, 21-16), PUR d USA 3 (21-14, 21-19). Bronze medal match: USA 1 d USA 3 (21-14, 21-16). Gold medal match: PUR d USA 5 (21-19, 18-21, 15-13).

Women’s final positions: 1. PUR, 2. USA 5, 3. USA 1, 4. USA 3, 5. USA 2, 6. USA 4, 7. CRC, 8. GUA.

Men’s results of Sunday: Semifinals – PUR d USA 3 (21-14, 22-20), MEX d USA 2 (21-11, 21-13) Bronze medal match: USA 2 d USA 3 (21-17, 21-12). Gold medal match: MEX d PUR (21-13, 24-22).

Men’s final positions: 1. MEX, 2. PUR, 3. USA 2, 4. USA 3, 5. USA 4, 6. CRC 1, 7. USA 1, 8. CRC 2, 9. ESA, 10. GUA.