Canada overcomes Costa Rica in Pool A

TIJUANA, Mexico, July 5, 2010 - Canada defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-21) in a Pool A match of the Norceca Women’s U-20 Continental Championship.

The North American team coached by Derek Richels had some trouble by the end of the first set, after the “ticas” came from behind and tied 24-24. Anyway the Maple Leaves recovered to convert in their second set-point chance.

Lisa Barclay finished as the top scorer with 14 points, while Jennifer Dixon ended with 11 tallies and Erika Buchanan with 10. Costa Rica’s Captain Mijal Hines, who also plays for the senior national team, registered 8 points.

Costa Rica showed some fierce on the third, but the Canadians made the right adjustments for an eventual 21-21 tie and secured the victory.

“They had an outstanding defense and we had to keep on swinging, and the girls looked stronger in this match that gave us a lot of confidence in our first international flavor experience”, said coach Richels.

“I think this is question of experience, because when you have a four-point difference and you are leading on a set, you must close by winning it, and we couldn’t”, said Costa Rica’s Coach Alejandro Carvajal.