Costa Rica’s Araya and Varela Lead U23

NORCECA Tour in Cayman Islands Stage

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Cayman Islands, June 19, 2025.– After claiming gold in the opening stop of the 2025 NORCECA U23 Beach Volleyball Tour, Costa Rica’s Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela arrive in the Cayman Islands as the team to watch for the second leg of the tour, which will take place from June 20 to 22 on the iconic shores of Seven Mile Beach.

Araya and Varela were crowned men’s champions in the first stage of the tour held in May at Juan Dolio beach, Dominican Republic. They triumphed in a thrilling three-set final against the United States’ Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst, winning 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-12).

All eyes now turn to the second stage of the tour, where 14 women’s teams and 16 men’s teams representing 13 countries will compete over three days. A total of 28 matches are expected on the opening day alone.

The tournament serves as a crucial stepping stone for rising beach volleyball athletes aiming to compete at major international events, including the 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.

The competition begins at 9:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday with pool play and continues Saturday with the quarterfinals and classification matches. The event concludes on Sunday with semifinals and medal matches, promising a weekend full of high-level action and emerging talent on the sand.

Pool distribution

WOMEN

POOL A: Anjia Delapenha/Joanna Robinson CAY-1, Meeka Johnson/L’fe Roberts TTO, Megan Hands/Hailey Moss BER

POOL B: Alexis Durish/Audrey Koenig USA, Brooklyn Donovan/D’Keisha Jordan ISV, Destiny Layne/Sierra Rayside BAR

POOL C: Ariel Forgarty/Bailey Royston CAN-1, Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil ESA, Brandy McCarthy/Damia Sibblies JAM, Brianna Delapenha/Luna Ebanks CAY2

POOL D: Ana Sofía Arevalo/Danna Aguilar GUA, Sofia Vega/Laura Molina CRC, Celina Alwani Jontelle Hensley Philip  SKN, Claire Neagle/Nolyn Houben CAN2

MEN

POOL A: Stephen Watson/Dylan Lynee CAY, Jerome Morrison/Jahreef Miguel TTO, Armani Anderson/Aden Rojas ISV-1, Brandon Burnside/Reed Venning CAN-2

POOL B: Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela CRC, Daniel Delgado/Jose Guevara GUA, Jeandre Kock/ Thelion Coutinho ARU, Liam Chisholm/Declan Van Dam CAY-3

POOL C: Ayden Keeter/Carson Barnes USA, Julian Bristol/Clerique Ward SKN, Nkoya Williams-Bailey/Aaron Taylor BAR, Armani Anderson/Aden Rojas ISV-2

POOL D: Charles Ellinas/Colin Lash CAN, Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado ESA, Love-Let Blake/Ithran Softley JAM, William Duty/Dimitri Cardenas CAY-2