Díaz and Alayo Crowned Kings in Varadero
Stage of the NORCECA Beach Circuit
VARADERO, Cuba, May 4, 2025.- Cubans Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis
Alayo were crowned kings of the first stage of the 2025 NORCECA
Beach Volleyball Circuit, successfully held at this traditional
venue since 2011.
Díaz and Alayo, ranked in the FIVB world top ten, claimed their
first gold on home soil by convincingly defeating the experienced
Nicaraguan duo of Rubén Mora and Dany López in two easy sets, 21-10
and 21-12.
“For us, this medal carries a tremendous sense of honor, pride, and
sacrifice, it’s a gift to the Cuban people, and we’re incredibly
happy. Playing here is very motivating; it's a chance to be seen in
our homeland and have our family and friends cheering nearby,” said
an passionate Alayo to the press.
His towering partner added, “This means a lot to us. We’ve wanted to
win gold here for four years. We've earned five medals on the world
tour, but never in Varadero. This is our gift to the people and all
who support us. We’ll keep fighting to bring more victories, and
we’re thrilled that the final stage of this circuit is scheduled to
be held right here on this wonderful beach.”
The bronze medal went to their compatriots Damián Gómez and Eblis
Veranes, who dominated Puerto Rico’s Arnaldo Y. Torres and Cristian
Encarnación in straight sets, 21-10 and 21-9, a remarkable
achievement considering they debuted in Varadero just a year ago
with a ninth-place finish.
In the semifinals, Noslen and Jorge Luis defeated Damián and Eblis
2-0 (21-16, 21-10), while the Nicaraguans Rubén and Dany edged out
the Puerto Ricans Torres and Encarnación in a hard-fought 2-1
(21-16, 19-21, 17-15) battle, with the Caribbean pair pushing them
to the limit in a thrilling tie-break that could have gone either
way.
Fifth place went to Americans Troy Field and Ryan Wilcox, who
outplayed Canada’s Steven Abrams and Tynan Gannett 2-0 (21-15,
21-19).
Seventh place was secured by fellow Americans Charles Siragusa and
Dexter Campbell after defeating William Clements and Devin Van
Siclen of the U.S. Virgin Islands in straight sets, 21-15 and 21-16.
Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia and Jorman Osuna finished ninth by
nonattendance after one of the players of the Canadian duo, Martin
Licht and Luke de Greeff, was injured and unable to compete. The
eleventh position went to Costa Rica’s Justin Solano and Jevan
Coronado, who overcame Honduras’ Jairo Gálvez and Irvin Reyes 2-0
(21-18, 21-10).
Mexico’s Antonio Vargas and Carlos Andrés Ayala defeated Venezuela’s
Enyenser Delgado and Juliangel Zaid in a tight 2-1 match (21-23,
21-19, 20-18) to claim 13th place.
They were followed by Trinidad and Tobago’s Stephen Enile and Joel
Theodore, who beat Suriname’s Joshua Dwarkasing and Dean Kasdi 2-0
(21-15, 21-11), and the Dominican Republic duo Hayerling De Jesús
and Rolvin Maldonado, who won over Guatemala’s Andy Blanco and Luis
García 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) to round out the standings from 15th to
18th place. |