USA-1, USA-2 reach women semis in Toco

MISSION BEACH, Trinidad, November 17, 2012 - The USA-A team of recently crowned World University champions, Summer Ross and Emily Day, and the USA-B duo Tealle Hunkus and fan favourite Tracylyn Weamer both advanced to the semifinals of the tenth stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Mission Beach, Toco on Saturday.

Ross and Day started off day two of the tournament with a 21-6, 21-4 triumph over Grenada’s Yenelsi Rincon and Akida Peters to top their three-team Pool B round-robin series with a 2-0 record after easing past T&T-C, Shenelle Gordon and La-Teisha Joseph on Friday’s opening day, 21-3, 21-11.

Next up for USA-A was a quarterfinal encounter with T&T-B, Elki Phillip and Andrea Davis, which the North Americans won 21-9, 21-10 to set up a semis meeting with Costa Rica on Sunday’s final day.

Hunkus and Weamer, after topping Pool A with a 2-0 record on Friday overcame a spirited showing from T&T-C debutants, Gordon and Joseph, 21-11, 21-11 in their quarterfinal encounter.

In the two other last-eight matches, the top T&T pair of Nancy Joseph and Ayanna Dyette (T&T-A), playing together on the tour for the first time withstood the challenge of Virgin Isands’ Jamie Farley and Laurie Bachler in three sets , 21-14, 22-24, 15-10 to secure a semifinal meeting with Hunkus and Weamer.

In Sunday’s other women’s semifinal, Ross and Day will meet Costa Ricans, Ingrid Morales and Natalia Alfaro. This after Morales and Alfaro shrugged off the challenge from St Lucians, Dania Hamilton and Indira Laurencini, 21-10, 21-12.

Earlier in the day in the final round of women’s pool matches, Phillip and Davis outlasted Canada’s Kimberly Dalcourt and Rosalie Sinanan, the latter of T&T parentage, 21-13, 26-28, 17-15 to finish second behind USA-B in Pool A while Joseph and Dyette also won in three tough sets over Hamilton and Laurencini 21-8, 15-21, 15-9 to top their two-team Pool D series.

Saturday’s women results: TRI-B d CAN 2-1 (21-13, 26-28, 17-15); USA-A d GRN 2-0 (21-6, 21-4); TRI-A d LCA 2-0 (21-8, 15-21, 15-9); CRC d TRI-D 2-0 (21-8, 21-8). Quarterfinals: USA-B d TRI-C 2-0 (21-11, 21-11); CRC d LCA 2-0 (21-10, 21-12; USA-A d TRI-B 2-0 (21-9, 21-10); TRI-A d ISV 2-1 (21-14, 22-24, 15-10).