Historic NORCECA Beach Tournament in Canada

NORTH BAY, Canada, July 10, 2014 – The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit will be making history on Friday as the sixth leg of the 2014 event visits Canada for the first time in the history of the annual competition.

The double gender tournament to be played from July 11-13 on three courts set up on Marathon Beach on the shores of Lake Nipissing is also serving as a test event for the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.

Canada will be represented by four teams on each gender while the United States have two each male and female duos.

The preliminary enquiry of the teams and the general technical meeting took place on Thursday presided over by Nelson Ramirez, NORCECA delegate, and Hugh Wong who represented Volleyball Canada.

Eleven female teams have been divided into two pools (one of five and the other of six teams) for the preliminary phase of the competition. In the men’s segment, the fourteen teams registered have been distributed into three groups.

The top eight teams of each gender will advance to the single elimination bracket to be contested on Saturday and Sunday.

The USA team of Tealle Hunkus and Kimberly McGiven-Dicello is one of the favorites after winning in Cayman Islands and Antigua Guatemala and taking home the bronze medal in Guatemala City and Huixquilucán, Mexico.

Canada’s women team of Melissa Humana and Taylor Pischke claimed the gold medal in Manzanillo, Mexico and were runner ups at the first event of the year in Cayman Islands. Also the Canadian pair of Kacie MacTavish and Caleigh Whitaker finished with a silver medal at the event held in Huixquilucan.

In the men’s division, Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Erick Haddock have finished among the top-three in four of five tournaments of the year, including a victory in Manzanillo and a second place in Antigua Guatemala.

Canadians Josh Binstock and Sam Schachter were second in Huixquilucan and their countrymen Cameron Wheelan and Michael Plantinga claimed a bronze medal in Antigua Guatemala.

Women’s winners in 2014

Men’s winners in 2014