Canada advance to the quarterfinals in Tijuana

TIJUANA, Mexico, May 1, 2012 – Canada secured third place in Pool A of the NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup following a 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-8) victory against winless Honduras at Tijuana Multi Sports Gymnasium on Tuesday.

The North American side composed mostly by bench players outscored their young Central American opponents both in serving aces 13-1 and in blockings 11-2.

Kyla Richey was the best Canadian scorer with 16 points including two blocks and two aces while Tonya Mokelki served 7 aces among her 15 points and Marisa Field had 6 blocks and totaled 14 points.

“We accomplish our goal of finishing among the top three in our pool and now we have to focus in our next opponent in the quarterfinals,” Canada’s Captain Tammy Mahon said.

“We were able to pass better today and we improved from our first two matches, so I am satisfied about it,” Honduras’ Captain Catarine Leiva said.

“As Tammy said, we are in the quarterfinals and our goal now is to prepare to play against our next opponent that I assume could be Mexico,” Canada’s Coach Arnd Ludwig added.

“We were capable of competing better today against a big powerhouse like Canada and It has been a great experience for our young girls,” Honduras’ Coach Matt Winkley said.