Top seeded women start with victories

CHULA VISTA, USA, September 28, 2012 - The top-seeded women’s teams from Mexico and Canada came out winners on Friday, the first day of pool play at the 2012 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit event at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Two U.S. women’s teams also went undefeated to open the tournament.

Thirteen women’s teams from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States are playing in four pools.

The top-seeded Mexican team of Martha Revuelta and Bibi Candelas defeated Trinidad & Tobago’s Elki Phillip and Ayana Dyette, 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) in Pool A. Revuelta and Candelas will complete pool play on Saturday against Gifta Francois and Dana Hamilton of Saint Lucia.

Canada’s Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas, the second-seeds, beat the USA 4 team of Sara Hughes and Kirby Burnham, 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) in Pool B and will complete pool play on Saturday against Guatemala’s Maria Jose Orellana and Maria Andrea Orellana.

April Ross and Morgan Beck, who make up USA3, secured the Pool C victory by upsetting Puerto Rico’s third-seeded Yarleen Santiago and Yamileska Yantin, 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) and then beating Costa Rica’s Ivette Alas and Marianela Alfaro, 2-0 (21-8, 21-13).

The USA1 team of Emily Day and Heather Hughes went undefeated against their U.S. compatriots, beating the USA 2 team of Michelle Moriarty and Kaitlin Sather, 2-0 (21-8, 21-14) and the USA 5 team of Stevi Robinson and Eve Ettinger, 2-0 (21-8, 21-11) in Pool D.

Pool play will continue on Saturday (Sept. 29) with the matches starting at 9 a.m. Playoff matches will begin at 1 p.m. with the final matches scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Semifinals and finals are scheduled for Sunday (Sept. 30).

Friday’s Results

Pool A: MEX d TRI 2-0 (21-13, 21-15); TRI d LCA, 2-0 (21-12, 21-10); Pool B: CAN d USA4 2-0 (21-12, 21-18), USA4 d GUA, 2-0 (21-12, 21-15); Pool C: USA3 d PUR 2-0 (21-18, 21-15), USA3 d CRC 2-0 (21-8, 21-13); Pool D: USA1 d USA2 2-0 (21-8, 21-14), USA5 d DOM 2-0 (21-19, 21-17), USA2  d DOM 2-0 (21-8, 21-8), USA1 d USA5 2-0 (21-8, 21-11).