Puerto Rico, Mexico, USA and Canada Open Undefeated

at Women’s NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifier

VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, November 6, 2026. – Navas/Sánchez (PUR), Torres/Flores (MEX), Kraft/Cheng (USA) and Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson (CAN) finished the opening day undefeated in the women’s NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifier, taking place November 6–8 at the Areia Sports Complex in Vega Baja.

All four teams recorded two straight-set victories. Pool play will conclude Saturday, with the pool winners advancing directly to the semifinals and the second- and third-place teams moving into crossover quarterfinals. The tournament champions will secure a direct berth to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

In Pool A, Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas and Keishlyann Sánchez opened with a convincing 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) victory over T’ara Austin and Taylor Buckner of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The hosts followed with another comfortable win, defeating Adriana Vargas and Daniela Vigil of El Salvador 2-0 (21-11, 21-13) to complete their unbeaten day in front of the home crowd.

Mexico’s Susana Torres and Abril Flores matched Puerto Rico’s 2-0 record. After taking the opening set against Vargas/Vigil 21-16, the Mexicans conceded just seven points in the second to seal a 2-0 (21-16, 21-7) victory. They then defeated Azmabeth Infante and Crismil Paniagua of the Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-9, 21-18), with the Dominican pair putting up greater resistance in the second set.

In Pool B, Americans Megan Kraft and Kelly Cheng delivered two commanding performances, allowing no more than ten points in any set. They defeated Nelissa Ramírez and Clara Sabal of Belize 2-0 (21-10, 21-6), then beat Paola Alvarado and Daphne Mendoza of Guatemala 2-0 (21-10, 21-3).

Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson were equally convincing. They opened with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-7) victory over Alvarado/Mendoza before holding Costa Rica’s Ashly Chavarría and Laura Molina to single digits in both sets of a 2-0 (21-6, 21-8) win.

In other Pool A results, Austin/Buckner bounced back from their earlier loss to Puerto Rico with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) victory over Infante/Paniagua. In Pool B, Ramírez/Sabal earned a closely contested 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) win over Chavarría/Molina, with just two points separating the teams in each set.

Saturday’s schedule includes direct clashes between the unbeaten teams in each pool, with semifinal berths at stake.

In Pool A, Navas/Sánchez (PUR) will face Torres/Flores (MEX) at 10:00 a.m. The hosts will return at 2:00 p.m. against Infante/Paniagua (DOM), while Austin/Buckner (ISV) meet Vargas/Vigil (ESA). At 5:00 p.m., Infante/Paniagua (DOM) will face Vargas/Vigil (ESA), and Torres/Flores (MEX) will close pool play against Austin/Buckner (ISV).

In Pool B, Kraft/Cheng (USA) will meet Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson (CAN) at 11:00 a.m. At 3:00 p.m., Kraft/Cheng (USA) will face Chavarría/Molina (CRC), while N. Ramírez/Sabal (BIZ) take on Alvarado/Mendoza (GUA). The final matches are scheduled for 6:00 p.m., with Chavarría/Molina (CRC) against Alvarado/Mendoza (GUA) and Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson (CAN) against N. Ramírez/Sabal (BIZ).