Good start for Mexicans Miramontes and Virgen

CHULA VISTA, California, August 27, 2010 – The Mexican men’s team of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen went 3-0 on Friday in the first day of pool play at the NORECA Beach Volleyball Circuit event at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

Three U.S. teams are also undefeated in their pools at 2-0. On the men’s side, the USA-4 team of Avery Drost and Mike Maghy went 2-0. For the women, the USA-2 team of Emily Day and Kaitlin Sather went 2-0 as did the USA-5 team of Tealle Hunkus and Heather Lowe.

Hunkus and Lowe, who won the Manhattan Open last weekend, opened the day with a hard-fought Pool 1 victory over Puerto Rico’s Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo, 21-15, 21-19. Hunkus and Lowe also defeated Costa Rica’s Ingrid Morales and Natalia Alfaro, 21-17, 21-17.

“We’re just happy to be playing this weekend,” Hunkus said. “Manhattan gave us a lot of confidence. But this is another tournament, another weekend and another chance to play the game we love.”

Miramontes and Virgen lead men’s Pool 2 after victories over Guatemala’s Rodrigo Gonzalez Flores and Erick Rolando Garrido Ruiz, 21-6, 21-14; Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Orlando Irizarry, 2-1 (21-19, 21-23, 15-11) and the USA-2 team of Andy McGuire and Seth Burnham, 21-15, 21-15.

Drost and Maghy went 2-0 in Pool 1 with victories over Costa Rica’s Jonathan Guevara and Esteban Escobar, 19-21, 21-17, 10-15 and Costa Rica’s Luis Raul Sandoval and Julio Cesar Alvarez, 21-13, 21-13.

The U.S. women’s team of Day and Sather went 2-0 in Pool 2, defeating Kelly Brunning and Lynne Galli, 23-21, 10-21, 23-21 and Guatemala’s Maria Jose Orellana and Anna Lourdes Ramirez 21-13, 23-21.

Pool play will finish on Saturday followed by single elimination play. The semifinals and medal matches will be played on Sunday.

Women’s Friday results: USA-5 d PUR (21-15, 21-19), CRC d USA-3 (22-20, 21-13), PUR d USA-3 (19-21, 21-14, 15-9), USA-5 d CRC (21-17, 21-17), USA-2 d USA-1 (23-21, 10-21, 23-21), USA-4 d GUA (21-11, 21-12), USA-1 d USA-4 (21-14, 21-16), USA-2 d GUA (21-13, 23-21)

 Men’s Friday results: USA-1 d ESA (21-19, 21-19), USA-4 d CRC-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-10), USA-4 d CRC-2 (21-13, 21-13), USA-1 d CRC-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-11), CRC-1 d ESA (19-21, 21-19, 15-11), CRC-2 d USA-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-13), MEX d GUA (21-6, 21-4), PUR d USA-3 (21-14, 21-19), USA-2 d USA-3 (19-21, 21-19, 16-14), USA-2 def. USA-3 (19-21, 21-19, 16-14), MEX d PUR (21-19, 21-23, 15-11), PUR d GUA (21-11, 21-15), MEX d USA-2 (21-15, 21-15)