USA women are sure bet in NORCECA Pool O

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, May 13, 2014 – The United States will host Guatemala, Honduras and Panama in the FIVB Women’s World Championship NORCECA third-round Pool O qualification tournament May 15-18 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Host United States, ranked second in the world by the FIVB and No 1 in NORCECA received a bye directly into the third-round qualification tournament based on their ranking.

One of the top teams in the world, American women are considered a cinch to book their place among the 24 sides to compete later in the year at the final stage of the competition in several cities of Italy.

The USA side has won the last two editions of the annual Women’s Pan American Cup and won also the last two biennial championships of NORCECA.

The Americans have been continental champions seven times and have won five of the last seven editions and reached the podium in 21 of the 23 editions since the tournament began in 1969.

The NORCECA 11^th ranked Panama captured Pool N with a 25-18, 25-20, 25-16 victory over Haiti in the finals last summer to advance to the third round. The Panamanians had won Pool G in 2012 with a 25-18, 25-15, 25-11 victory over El Salvador.

Guatemala, No. 15 at the continental level, won its second-round Pool L with a 25-20, 24-26, 25-18, 25-21 victory over Guadeloupe in the finals at Guatemala City last June to advance to the third round. In the first round, the Guatemalans lost a decisive five-setter (25-15, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11) against Nicaragua in Pool H.

Honduras, ranked 19th in NORCECA, finished third in the second-round Pool I last May in Trinidad & Tobago, but were the highest ranked third-place team to move on to the next stage.

The Pool O winner earns a berth into the 24-team FIVB Women’s World Championship that will be held Sept. 23 to Oct. 12 in six Italian cities. The second-place team in Pool O, along with the other four second place teams in third-round pools, will compete in a final playoff June 2-9 at Trinidad & Tobago to determine NORCECA’s sixth and final spot into the World Championship.

The Women’s World Championship, in its 17^th edition, is held every four years and is the premier event for the FIVB. A total of 141 national federations, including 36 from NORCECA, have taken part in the FIVB Women’s World Championship qualification process.

FIVB World Championship NORCECA Women’s Qualification Tournament Pool O Schedule (all times MT)

May 15 

13:00 Panama v Honduras

15:00 USA v Guatemala

May 16 

13:00 Honduras vs. Guatemala

15:00 USA v Panama

May 17

13:00 Panama v Guatemala

15:00 USA v Honduras

May 18

13:00: Third Place v Fourth Place

15:00  First Place v Second Place