Panama advance with golden set victory over St. Kitts

MONTELIMAR, Nicaragua, February 16, 2012 – Panama outdueled St. Kitts and Nevis in a golden set and El Salvador saw off Cayman Islands 3-1 to move on to the quarterfinals of the NORCECA Men's Beach Volleyball Continental Cup inter zonal tournament between Central America and the Caribbean at Montelimar Beach Resort in Nicaragua on Thursday.

Panama clash with Central America top-seeded Costa Rica while El Salvador meet Trinidad and Tobago, the first seeded country of the Caribbean in Friday’s quarterfinals. Two other match-ups will see Guatemala against Jamaica and Bahamas against hosts Nicaragua.

The top four teams from the tournament will then take on the four qualifiers from the Central Zone – Cuba, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico – for a London 2012 Olympic Games berth. That tournament will be held in Nayarit, Mexico from June 19 to 23.

The Panama-A team of Domingo Avila and Edward Diaz won a decisive golden set 15-10 over Shawn Seabrookes and St. Clair Hodge of St. Kitts and Nevis-A to keep their country in the winners’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

Seabrookes/Hodge opened the best-of-five contest with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) win over Otto Penso/Gilberto Martinez of Panama-B but Avila/Edwards responded with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) victory off Carl Collins/Kemoroy Percival of St. Kitts and Nevis-B.

The series was extended to the golden set when Avila/Edwards edged Seabrookes/Hodge 2-1 (21-18, 15-21, 15-12) and Collins/Percival prevailed 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 15-11) against Penso/Martinez.

El Salvador-A team of Carlos Leiva and David Vargas began the day with a 2-0 (23-21, 21-9) win over Philippe Deslandes and Olney Thompson of Cayman Islands-B while compatriots Luis Morales and Carlos Escobar of El Salvador-B beat Sherin Rankin and Richard Campbell of Cayman Islands-A by score of 2-0 (21-19, 21-13).

Morales/Escobar put El Salvador out of reach with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) victory against Deslandes/Thompson while Rankin/Campbell edged Leiva/Vargas 2-1 (21-18, 10-21, 15-12).

In Friday’s action Cayman Islands is scheduled to meet the loser of the series between Guatemala and Jamaica while St. Kitts and Nevis will face the loser of the Bahamas-Nicaragua confrontation.

The calendar features Guatemala versus Jamaica starting at 8:30 a.m. (local time) and Bahamas against Nicaragua one hour later.

The General Technical Meeting, presided over by NORCECA delegate Ms. Marta Centeno de Sajche, was held on Thursday night at Barceló Montelimar Hotel.

Thursday’s results

Panama 3, St. Kitts and Nevis 2

SKN-A d. PAN-B 2-0 (21-14, 21-17), PAN-A d. SKN-B 2-0 (21-13, 21-13), PAN-A d. SKN-A 2-1 (21-18, 15-21, 15-12), SKN-B d. PAN-B 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 15-11), GS: PAN-A d. SKN-A (15-10).

El Salvador 3, Cayman Islands 1

ESA-A d. CAY-B 2-0 (23-21, 21-9), ESA-B d. CAY-A 2-0 (21-19, 21-13), ESA-B d. CAY-B 2-0 (21-16, 21-16), CAY-A d. ESA-A 2-1 (21-18, 10-21, 15-12).