Mexico, Puerto Rico and USA teams to semis in Chula Vista

CHULA VISTA, California, August 28, 2010 – Teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States advanced to Sunday’s men’s and women’s semifinals of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit event at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. The medal matches will also be played on Sunday.

The Mexican men’s team of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen improved to 5-0 on Saturday. First, the team went undefeated in pool play, winning its final pool match over the USA-3 team of Will Montgomery and Evan Barry, 21-12, 21-19. In the first round of elimination, Miramontes and Virgen defeated the Costa Rica-2 team of Luis Raul Sandoval and Julio Cesar Alvarez, 21-15, 21-16.

In the semifinals, Miramontes and Virgen will play the USA-2 team of Seth Burnham and Andrew McGuire. Burnham and McGuire went 2-2 in pool play, finishing third. They defeated the USA-1 team of Kevin Beukema and Kevin Gregan in single elimination, 21-11, 21-12.

The other men’s semifinal will feature the USA-3 team of Will Montgomery and Evan Barry against the Puerto Rican team of Roberto Rodriguez and Orlando Irizarry.

Montgomery and Barry, who will be competing for the United States at the FIVB Junior (Under-21) World Championships in September in Alanya, Turkey, finished in fourth place in Pool 2 with a 1-3 record. But in single elimination, they upset the undefeated USA-4 team of Avery Drost and Mike Maghy, 13-21, 23-21, 15-12.

Rodriguez and Irizarry advanced to the semifinals by finishing second in Pool 2 at 3-1, then defeating the Costa Rica-2 team of Jonathan Guevara and Esteban Escobar, 21-18, 21-15.

On the women’s side, the USA-5 team of Tealle Hunkus and Heather Lowe improved to 4-0 by winning its final pool play match over Michelle Moriarty and Heather Hughes, 21-13, 21-17. In single elimination, Hunkus and Lowe beat Guatemala’s Maria Jose Orellana Aragon and Anna Lourdes Ramirez Sarti, 21-19, 21-16.

 Hunkus and Lowe will play the USA-1 team of Lynne Galli and Kelly Brunning in Sunday’s semifinals. Galli and Brunning finished second in Pool 2 at 2-1. They defeated Costa Rica’s Ingrid Morales and Natalia Alfaro, 21-19, 21-16 in single elimination.

The USA-3 team of Moriarty and Hughes finished last in Pool 1 at 0-3, but made it to the semifinals by upsetting Pool-2 winners Emily Day and Kaitlin Sather, 21-15, 21-13.

Moriarty and Hughes will face Puerto Rico’s Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo on Sunday. Santiago and Acevedo finished second in Pool 1 then beat the USA-4 team of Tara Roenicke and Summer Ross in the first round of elimination, 21-17, 21-17.

Women’s Saturday Results: Pool Play: PUR d. CRC (21-15, 21-17), USA-5 d USA-3 (21-13, 21-17), USA-1 d GUA (21-9, 21-13), USA-2 d USA-4 (21-14, 18-21, 15-13). Single Elimination: USA-5 d GUA (21-19, 21-16), USA-1 d CRC (21-19, 21-16), PUR d USA-4 (21-17, 21-17), USA-3 d USA-2 (21-15, 21-13).

Men’s Saturday Results: Pool Play: USA-4 d USA-1 (29-27, 21-13), CRC-2 d ESA (21-17, 19-21, 15-12), CRC-1 d CRC-2 (21-18, 23-21), USA-4 d ESA (21-12, 21-12), MEX d USA-3 (21-12, 21-19), USA-2 d GUA (21-12, 21-19), PUR d USA-2 (21-18, 21-14), USA-3 d GUA (21-11, 21-18). Single Elimination: USA-3 d USA-4 (13-21, 23-21, 15-12), PUR d CRC-1 (21-18, 21-15), USA-2 d USA-1 (21-11, 21-12), MEX d CRC-2 (21-15, 21-16).