Beautiful Varadero to welcome NORCECA beach volley

VARADERO, Cuba, August 19, 2013 – For third consecutive year the beautiful surroundings of the international famous beach of Varadero in Cuba welcome the best beach volleyball players of the region from August 23-25 as the 2013 NORCECA Circuit resumes the actions following a two-month hiatus.

Twenty-one men’s pairs and sixteen women’s duos are announced to compete in the area of Punta Hicacos where the official venue Blau Privilege Cayo Libertad Hotel is located.

Arnaldo Sanchez, the technical director of the circuit, informed that the women will compete in a preliminary four-pool play with the top two ranked teams from each pool advancing to a single elimination bracket.

On the other hand, the men will play in a double elimination tournament.

Cuba will be represented by two women pairs and three men tandems while Canada has two teams per gender. Aruba has registered two men teams while Mexico is entering two women pairs.

The Mexican pair of Lombardo Ontiveros and Juan Virgen, winners in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic and Guatemala are among the men competitors as also are Puerto Ricans Roberto Rodriguez and Erick Haddock, who won in Cayman Islands.

In the women’s division, Canadians Kacie MacTavish and Caleigh Whitaker, who won the gold medal in Guatemala will be trying emulate their past success.

Mexico tops the men’s rankings with 720 points thanks to two victories with United States in a close second place with 700 points and Puerto Rico in third with 660. United States lead the women’s standings with 760 points followed by Canada with 720 and Mexico with 520.

Cubans have been prophet at their own soil so far, locking up the gold medals in both genders in the two previous tournaments held in Varadero.

Ion Canet-Nirian Sinal and Kirenia Ballar-Onayamis Sinal triumphed among the women while Sergio Gonzalez has collected two gold medals pairing up with Yaismel Borrell and Karell Peña.

Women’s Teams

Canada-A (Melisa Humana-Taylor Pischke), Canada-B  (Kacie MacTavish-Caleigh Whitaker), Cayman Islands (Cristin Alexander-Stefania Gandolfi), Costa Rica (Ingrid Morales-Mariela Quesada), Cuba-A (Lianma Flores-Leila Martínez), Cuba-B (Mailen Delis-Yanisleidis Sánchez), Dominican Republic (Nairobi Agramonte-Diana Peguero), Guatemala (María Andrea Orellana-Nadia Galán), Honduras (Gina Flores-Martha Euceda), México-A (Bibiana Candelas-Martha Revuelta), México-B (Stephanie Burnside-Vanessa Virgen), Nicaragua (Elia Torres-Swan Mendoza), Puerto Rico (Eva Torruellas-Linda Bernier), St Kitts & Nevis (Brenda Allen-Shanicia Dyer), Trinidad & Tobago (Elki Phillip-Pauline Woodrofe), United States (Leah Hinkey-Emily Stockman).

Men’s Teams

Aruba-A (Mitchel Daniel-Eargenell De Cuba), Aruba-B (Fransua Angela-Gino Hodge), Barbados (Curtis Gaskin-Hugh Sealey), Canada-A (Grant O’Gorman-Sam Pedlow), Canada-B (Josh Binstock-Samuel Schachter), Cayman Islands (Olney Thompson-Philippe Deslandes), Costa Rica (Gilberto Villegas-Alexander Villegas), Cuba-A (Karell Peña-Sergio Gonzalez), Cuba-B (Nivaldo Díaz-Yendri Castillo), Cuba-C (Alex Ruiz-René Patterson), Curacao (Derwin Colina-Giandro Tokaay), Dominican Republic (William Sánchez-Luis Castillo), El Salvador (Carlos Talavera-David Vargas), Guatemala (Julio Recinos-Luis García), Jamaica (Gatasheu Bonner-Christopher Walters), Mexico (Lombardo Ontiveros-Juan Virgen), Nicaragua (Gerald Umaña-Henry Hernández), Puerto Rico (Roberto Rodríguez-Erick Haddock), St Lucia (Julian Bissette-Joseph Clercent), Trinidad & Tobago (Fabien Whitfield-Colin Bernard), U.S. Virgin Islands (Marc Lomeli-Anthony Pippen).