Canada Records Two Wins; Mexico and Dominican Republic Also Victorious in Women’s Beach Volleyball at Dakar 2026

DAKAR, Senegal, October 31, 2026. – The women’s teams from Canada, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic opened their campaigns with victories in the beach volleyball tournament at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, being held at Saly Beach West in Senegal.

Canada’s Julia McDougall and Natalia Casas stood out with two victories in Pool A, while Mexico’s Ángela Pérez and Celia López, along with the Dominican Republic’s Zoe Paniagua and Carlenis Reyes, secured their first wins of the competition.

McDougall and Casas opened their campaign with a hard-fought three-set victory over Paraguay’s Martínez/Gómez, 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 21-8), bouncing back after dropping the opening set.

Later, due to the time difference, the Canadians played their second match while it was still October 31 in the Americas, although November 1 had already begun in Dakar. They defeated China’s Zhuang Ming/Qi S.Y. 2-1 to claim their second consecutive victory.

In Pool C, Mexico’s Ángela Pérez and Celia López made a strong debut, defeating Ecuador’s Habze/Párraga in straight sets, 21-10 and 21-11.

Meanwhile, in Pool F, the Dominican Republic’s Zoe Paniagua and Carlenis Reyes also opened with a victory, defeating Malaysia’s Candence/Jing Yi 2-1.

Also in Pool C, Puerto Rico’s Marina Rodríguez and Sofía Serrano were unable to get past Switzerland’s Gähwiler/Eugster, falling 0-2 in straight sets in their opening match.

In the men’s competition, all four NORCECA teams suffered defeats in their respective opening matches.

Nicaragua’s Justin Barrios and Matthew Kempf fell to Chile’s Gael/Farías 0-2 (9-21, 16-21).

Meanwhile, Americans Caden Phillips and Gavin Mortensen battled Brazil’s Gabriel/Bruno Fellipe in a closely contested match, with the Brazilians prevailing in two tight sets, 22-20 and 30-28.

Guatemala’s David Godoy and René Vásquez were also unable to secure a victory in their debut, falling to Venezuela’s Camejo/Yépez 0-2 (18-21, 8-21).

Finally, the Cayman Islands duo of Rares-Edward Pomian-Brad and Dylan Simpson lost to Iran’s Jamshidi/Vakili 0-2 (6-21, 5-21).