|
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico, October 17, 2009 – Enrique
Escalante led hosts Puerto Rico to a thrilling
five-set victory (25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25,
15-9) against Canada in the bronze medal match
of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship on
Saturday.
Escalante topped five Puerto Ricans scoring in
double figures with a match-high 21 points
including four aces and two blocks. Luis
Rodriguez and Victor Rivera each contributed 19
points while Hector Soto and Jose Rivera charted
18 and 11 points respectively.
Stephen Gotch and Louis-Pierre Mainville led
Canada with 18 points apiece and Joel Schmuland
tallied 17.
“Enrique (Escalante) was colossal in the fifth
set with his strong serves and he led us to the
victory,” said Rodriguez, the captain of Puerto
Rico. “Our expectations were higher coming into
the tournament but we are happy with the bronze
medal.”
“This is our second consecutive medal in the
NORCECA Continental but we are one step behind
USA and Cuba,” said Carlos Cardona, the coach of
Puerto Rico. “We need to have more international
competitions in order to over come the anxiety
we show in the big matches.”
“It took a while before we got our rhythm,” said
Gotch, the captain of Canada. “In the fifth set
Escalante was very difficult to control the way
he was serving. The atmosphere was excellent and
the Puerto Ricans are awesome fans.”
Canadian coach Vincent Pichette added: “The
difference was the experience. They controlled
their emotions in the crucial moments while we
were a little anxious every time we gave a point
in the key situations.”
|
