ST JOHN’S, Antigua, May 2, 2010 – St. Vincent out pointed French St. Martin in five sets (22-25, 25-9, 30-28, 22-25, 16-14) in the first semifinal match of Sunday at the ECVA U-20 Men’s Championship.

“A- boom, vincy, vincy” and “Phoenix to your feet” were the chants of the two opposing teams French St. Vincent and St. Martin as they tangled in match number nine. 

Both teams realized the value of the match as the winner would play for the championship while the loser would play for third place. More

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 2, 2010 – Costa Rica defeated Guatemala and won the duel between Central American rivals and the fifth place at NORCECA Girls’ Youth Volleyball Championship.

The scores were 25-18, 25-16, 25-11 and the winners played with better coordination and effectiveness.

Gabriela Arias and Tracy Fernandez led Costa Rica with 16 and 12 points respectively. The best for the home team were Evelin Sanchez and Ada Villalobos with 6 points apiece. More Spanish P-2 _ CRC-GUA

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 1, 2010 – Defending champions USA will be looking for a fifth consecutive title in NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship when they play against Mexico on Sunday for the continental gold medal and the competition’s single ticket at stake to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

The Americans, who have won five of the six previous editions of the event for players under 18 years-old, made it into the finals by defeating Puerto Rico in straight sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-18) in their semi final contest on Saturday.  More Spanish P-2_ USA-PUR

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 1, 2010 – Mexico advanced to the gold medal match of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship following a victory over Dominican Republic 21-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-20 on Saturday.

The win secures the Mexicans of a berth in the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship in Turkey while they are still in contention for the one ticket at stake to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore next August.

The Mexican side recovered from a shaky first set and established. More Spanish P-2 _ MEX-DOM

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 1, 2010 – Canada finished in seventh place in the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Tournament after scoring a 25-16, 25-12, 25-22 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday.

The Canadian tandem of Megan Festival and Alexa Gray recorded 10 points apiece while Kacey Otto tallied 8. Trinidadian Channon Thompson, the tournament scoring champion, had a match-high 14 points.

“We were not lucky being seeded in Pool C where we had to play the strongest teams,”  More Spanish P-2 _ TRI-CAN

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, May 1, 2010 – Antigua A prevailed against Antigua B in four sets (25-12, 22-25, 25-11, 25-10) as the two home squads collided in a cosmic explosion to determine the superior force in the ECVA U-20 Men’s Junior Championship.

Both teams started the game with high intensity.  Both setters were pulling all the tricks out the bag as they searched for an advantage.  Having the better chemistry Antigua A emerged victorious in set one but lost set two as they felt their opponents would have crumpled. More

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 1, 2010 – El Salvador defeated Jamaica 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-10) in the match for ninth place of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship. The action lasted 57 minutes.

The Salvadorans, smaller than their opponents but with better execution, totaled 10 service winners against only 3 from the Jamaica side.

Andrea Manzur, captain of the winning side, was the top scorer. More Spanish P-2_ JAM-ESA

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, May 1, 2010 – St. Lucia held off a resilient St. Martin and came out victors by score of 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22 in Friday’s action of the ECVA U-20 Men’s Junior Volleyball Championship.

In the prime time game, St. Vincent relied on the shoulders of captain Akins Questelles to prevail against hosts Antigua A in four sets by score of 25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 25-20.  More

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 30, 2010 – Dominican Republic completed the four finalists of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship following a 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-13) victory over Guatemala on Friday. In the semi final phase, they will play against first ranked team Mexico.

The taller Dominicans dominated in blocks (12-0) and in serving aces (7-2). Elizabeth Martinez was the best of the winning side with 15 points, including four blocks while Pamela Soriano and Nairobi Agramonte charted 14 and 10 points respectively. More Spanish P-2 _ GUA-DOM

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 30, 2010 – Puerto Rico outlasted Costa Rica in four sets (23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16) in the first quarterfinal match of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Volleyball Championship. In the semi final round, the Puerto Ricans will meet defending champions USA.

Daly Santana compiled 27 points, including three blocks and three aces, to lead the winners while Pilar Victoria added 14 points. Tracy Fernandez topped Costa Rica with 13 tallies. Puerto Rico had the advantage in blocks (15-3) and aces (9-4).  More Spanish P-2 _ PUR-CRC

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, April 29, 2010 –Region’s superpower St. Lucia took advantage of opponent’s unforced errors to defeat Antigua B 25-16, 25-16, 25-13 in the opening match of the inaugural 2010 ECVA Junior Men’s Volleyball Championship before a raucous crowd packing the YMCA Indoor Complex. 

The spiking and blocking of Bassette proved to be key ingredients for the victory of St. Lucia. In the second game of the evening the good blocking of Alkris Warren (7) coupled with overall team work. More

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 30, 2010 – Canada defeated El Salvador 25-11, 25-15, 25-18 in a match for the 7-10 positions of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship.

Canadians Alexa Gray and Kacey Otto contributed to the win by recording 14 and 13 points respectively.

“We played well and everyone contributed but Emmalyn Copping and Kacey Otto really locked it down for us,” said Canadian Coach Jesse Knight. “Canada plays much faster than the other teams. More Spanish  P-2 _ ESA-CAN

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 30, 2010 – Channon Thompson continued to pile up points in NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship as she scored 33 in the straight sets victory of Trinidad & Tobago over Jamaica 25-16, 25-12, 25-10.

Thompson, who scored 46 against Costa Rica and 14 against Mexico, has now 93 points in three matches for an average of 31.0.

“Channon was excellent again but I also gave opportunity to play to some of the non-starters. More Spanish

P-2 _ TRI-JAM

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 29, 2010 – Defending champions USA advanced to the semi final round of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship after recording a 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-12) victory over Canada. The Americans won Pool C with a points-ratio of 2.250.

USA blanked Canada 11-0 in the blocking category and had a 5-2 gap in service winners.

Mallory McCage led the Americans with 11 points, including four blocks, and Brittany Howard compiled three more blocks among her 8 tallies.  More Spanish P-2 _ USA-CAN

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 29, 2010 – Puerto Rico overcame Guatemala in straight sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-11) to win Pool B of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship. The Puerto Ricans concluded with a points-ratio of 1.984.

After a slow start, the Puerto Ricans made the adjustments and dictated the pace of the game with their offense and advantage at the net. The winners had a 10-4 margin in the blocking category.Daly Santana and Pilar Victoria were the best Puerto Ricans with 11 and 10 points. More Spanish P-2 _ GUA-PUR

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 29, 2010 – Mexico finished atop of Pool A in NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship following an easy ride against Costa Rica in straight sets by score of 25-9, 25-10, 25-11. The Mexicans points-ratio was 2.344.

The Mexicans dominated their opponents with potent spikes, good floor defense and the performance and leadership of setter Alicia Castro.

Samantha Bricio was the only Mexican in double figures with 22 points.  More Spanish P-2 _ CRC-MEX

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 29, 2010 – Dominican Republic downed Jamaica in straight sets (25-4, 25-4, 25-2) finishing with a 2-1 mark in Pool C of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship. The Jamaicans ended winless in three outings during the preliminary round.

The strong serves and spikes of the powerful Dominican side were keys for the victory. The winners scored 19 points via aces. Elizabeth Martinez topped the winners with 15 points and Rosario de Paula and Pamela Soriano added 12 and 8. More Spanish P-2_ DOM-JAM

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, April 29, 2010 - The inaugural Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under 20 Men’s Volleyball Championships will begin later today, April 29 2010, in the island of Antigua. This long awaited event will feature teams from Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, St. Eustatius, French St. Martin and St. Vincent & The Grenadines.

The tournament is a response to the zone’s desire to improve the quality of volleyball by developing young talent. More

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 28, 2010 – Dominican Republic recovered from losing the first set and went on to defeat Canada 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19 in Pool C of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship.

Both teams have 1-1 win-loss record and on Thursday the Dominicans play against weak Jamaica while the Canadians face the task of meeting favorites USA.

The tandem of Pamela Soriano and Elizabeth Martinez led the winners with 27 and 26 points respectively. Alexa Gray (18) and.  More Spanish  P-2  CAN-DOM

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 28, 2010 – Hosts Guatemala scored a straight set victory over El Salvador (25-21, 25-18, 25-19) in a Pool B battle between Central American rivals in the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship.

The home team outscored their opponents in the service category 10-3 and that was a key for the victory on Wednesday.

Leticia Alarcon topped the winners with 10 points and Maria Andreu. More Spanish  P-2 _ ESA-GUA

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 28, 2010 – Defending champions USA crushed Jamaica in straight sets (25-4, 25-7, 25-4) improving its mark to 2-0 in Pool C of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship. Jamaica dropped to 0-2.

The skills and coordination of USA Team highly contrasted with the inexperience and raw talent of Jamaican players. Mallory McCage led USA with 9 points and Mylan Eugene and Angela Lowak provided 7 points apiece as each player. More Spanish  P-2  USA-JAM

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 28, 2010 – Channon Thompson fired 46 points but could not prevent Trinidad & Tobago from losing a five-setter to Costa Rica (25-12, 22-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-11) in the opening match of Day Two in the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship on Wednesday.

In a Pool A match, the Costa Ricans (1-0) prevailed the powerful attack of the Trinidadians (0-2) with crafty offensive plays. Tracy Fernandez and Gabriela Arias contributed 18 and 11 points respectively to the victory. “We gave our best and played as a team but Trinidad & Tobago. More Spanish P-2 _ TRI-CRC

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 27, 2010 – Four-time defending champions USA got started on the right foot at NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship by claiming 25-12, 25-18, 25-15 victory over Dominican Republic on Tuesday night.

Mallory McCage led three American players in double figures with 13 points while Jordan Burgess and Bittany Howard charted 10 points apiece. Dominicans Elizabeth Martinez and Pamela Soriano finished with 10 and 9 respectively. “For a first match I am pleased with our effort,” P-2 _ DOM-USA  More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 27, 2010 – Mexico claimed a 25-16, 25-7, 25-11 victory against Trinidad & Tobago in action corresponding to Pool A of NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship.

The Mexicans, first ranked in NORCECA, relied on their strong and accurate serves to subdue the very athletic Trinidadians. The winners outscored their opponents 9-0 in serves and 10-5 in blocks. Samantha Bricio led Mexico with 15 points and Gabriela Zazueta and Gabriela Nieto contributed 10 and 9 points. P-2  MEX-TRI  More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 27, 2010 – Puerto Rico showed a lot of potential while defeating El Salvador in straight sets 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-12) in Pool B of NORCECA Continental Championship for girls under 18 years-old.

The taller Puerto Ricans dominated the match with their powerful attack despite the big effort of the Salvadorans who played with enthusiasm.

Daly Santana and Pilar Victoria each recorded 14 points for Puerto Rico and Lucia Castro charted 9 points. More Spanish P-2 PUR-ESA

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 27, 2010 – As expected Canada had a walk in the park during the opening day of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship by scoring an easy 25-10, 25-9, 25-15 victory against Jamaica.

The strong serves plus their better overall game were the keys of the victory for the North Americans in the match of Pool C. Megan Festival led Canada with 13 points and Carolyn O’Dwyer and Rachael Lynch added 9 and 6 points respectively. More Spanish P-2  JAM-CAN

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 27, 2010 – Jim Stone faces the big challenge of winning a fifth consecutive NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship title while coaching an under 18 years-old USA Team he barely knows.

The veteran Stone was appointed last month to coach the USA side in the 10-team tournament which acts as qualifier to the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore in August and to the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship in Turkey. Asked about his team’s chances of success. More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 26, 2010 – The NORCECA Girls’ Youth Championship will be dedicated in honor of Mr. Alvaro Arzu, Mayor of Guatemala City, it was announced during a press conference held at Clarion Hotel on Monday.

The Championship is dedicated to the Mayor of Guatemala City, Mr. Alvaro Arzu as recognition to the support he has given to Volleyball in the last national and international events held.  More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 25, 2010 – The Organizing Committee of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship held a joint meeting with the members of the event’s Control Committee on Sunday chaired by Ms. Marta Centeno de Sajche.

The organizers and the officials from NORCECA discussed the different aspects of the organization ahead of the General Technical Meeting to be held on Monday night with the presence of Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 21, 2010 - The NORCECA Confederation was profoundly saddened after learning the death of Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC Honorary Life President, who passed away today in Barcelona of heart troubles.

The Spaniard Samaranch, 89, was considered a giant of the Olympic movement as a leader of the organization for 21 years, the longest tenure after that of the institution's founding Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

“Mr. Samaranch was one of the most influential leaders in the history of the Olympic movement and, despite his failing health, he was still active promoting the sports until the last days of his life,” said Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA. “He was respected as a father figure around the international sport scene and he will be missed by everyone with ties with sports and that includes all the members of NORCECA” More Spanish

TIJUANA, Mexico, April 20, 2010 – The U-18 Girls Mexican National Team is training at full speed and playing scrimmage matches against Cuba in preparation for next week’s NORCECA Continental Tournament in Guatemala where one ticket to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and three spots for the 2011 FIVB Youth Championships are at stake.

Mexico is currently the No. 1 ranked team in NORCECA based on the points obtained in the previous regional event in 2008 in Puerto Rico. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 18, 2010 – The NORCECA Continental Girls’ Youth Championship for athletes under 18 years-old is scheduled from April 27-May 2 in Guatemala with teams from ten countries vying for one ticket to the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games and three spots in next year’s FIVB World Championship in Turkey.

The United States team has typically dominated the competition which began in 1998, winning five of six editions including the last four in a row. They also finished as runner-ups to Puerto Rico in 2000.

Teams from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and United States will compete in three preliminary round pools. More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 15, 2010 – The first day of the three-day FIVB Board of Administration meeting in the Dominican Republic resort town of Punta Cana was completed on Wednesday with the highlight seeing members receive key activity reports from each of the five FIVB Confederations.

Under the new direction of the FIVB, responsibility has been put on the individual confederations for Volleyball and Beach Volleyball development and general operations so each Confederation took. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 14, 2010 -  Costa Rica was crowned as women’s volleyball champions of the Central American Games Panama 2010 following their victory over hosts Panama by score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-12).

Karen Cope, elected as tournament’s most valuable player, had a match-high 16 points for the champions. Paola Ramirez and Angela Willis added 9 and 8 points respectively. Nicaragua claimed the silver medal with an easy victory over team of Belize 3-0 (25-10, 25-12 y 25-16). More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 14, 2010 – Panama claimed the men’s volleyball gold medal of the Central American Games Panama 2010 following its victory against Costa Rica  3-0 (25-20, 25-22 y 26-24).

Panama’s Ricardo Brown led four players in double figures with 16 points. Jose Cunningham, Domingo Avila and Edward Diaz charted 12, 11 and 10 respectively.

Honduras took the men’s bronze medal with a straight-set victory against. More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 14, 2010 - FIVB President Mr. Jizhong Wei presented the Dominican Republic Minister of Sports and Recreation Mr. Felipe Payano with a masterpiece painting to be delivered to Dr. Leonel Fernández Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic in gratitude for all the hospitality and warmth of local authorities and the people in Punta Cana during the FIVB Executive and Board of Administration annual meetings.

Mr. Wei made the presentation at the end of the opening ceremony of the joint meeting of FIVB. More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 14, 2010 – The President of Dominican Republic Olympic Committee had encouraging words for all the FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration members while commending the increase of volleyball popularity around the world and its current placement in the Olympic program.

Luis Mejia Oviedo took part in the official opening ceremony of the two FIVB bodies and had the chance to address the audience.

“Volleyball and Beach Volleyball were two of the most followed disciplines during the last two editions of the Olympics in Athens and Beijing,” said Mejia Oviedo. “Today I can say that volleyball has a place among the top three sports in the Olympics.”

“It has been a long way since the sport first was accepted as an Olympic sport in 1964 but you are the people responsible of that advance,” he said. “You have worked very hard to accomplish those achievements. More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 14, 2010 – The Minister of Sports & Recreation of Dominican Republic offered a welcome dinner in honor of FIVB President Mr, Jizhong Wei and all the members of FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration who have been holding their annual meetings in Punta Cana, a tourist resort in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic.

Mr. Felipe Payano had the chance to greet and exchange ideas and sport anecdotes with Mr. Wei and the rest of the renowned volleyball leaders. He shared a table with Mr. Wei. More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 14, 2010 – The FIVB Executive Committee concluded its meeting at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort and Convention Centre in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic on Tuesday with proposals now finalised for the FIVB Board of Administration which will meet from Wednesday until Friday.

Key proposals to the Board included a new Beach Volleyball development strategy with an aim of giving under priviliged federations the chance to organize and play Beach Volleyball. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 13, 2010 – Costa Rica men’s will play against Panama the gold medal match of the volleyball tournament of the Central American Games following its victory over Honduras 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-23 y 25-15).

The Costa Ricans had to come from behind in the key third set and dominated in the fourth set against a Honduran team with very little motivation.

Elsewhere, El Salvador claimed its first victory by defeating Nicaragua 3-0.  More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 13, 2010 – The Women’s Nacional Team of Costa Rica is one win away from the gold medal at the volleyball tournament of the Central American Games Panama 2010 thanks to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-6, 25-13) against Belice on Tuesday.

The Costa Ricans needed less than one hour to claim the victory and secure a place on the podium. The effort of the girls from Belize was overshadowed by the power and experience of the Costa Ricans. Meanwhile, the National Team of Nicaragua. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 13, 2010 – The Men’s National Team of Panama claimed its third straight victory by defeating Nicaragua 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-18) continuing with the action of the Volleyball Tournament of the Central American Games. The win leaves Panama one step closer to the gold medal.

In the other match Costa Rica defeated El Salvador in a well fought match by score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 27-25). Honduras had a rest day on Monday and in Tuesday’s action El Salvador meets Nicaragua and Costa Rica goes up against Honduras. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 13, 2010 – The Women’s National Team of Costa Rica is in first place of the Volleyball Tournament at the Central American Games thanks to a lopsided victory over Nicaragua 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-18).

The loss of Nicaragua benefited the home team Panama which took second place of the standings with a 3-0 (30-28, 25-21, 25-23) victory over El Salvador. The last match of the day was between the teams in the lower positions and Honduras defeated Belize 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-18). More Spanish

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 12, 2010 – The FIVB Executive Committee completed the first day of its two day meeting on Monday with a number of key decisions put forward to the FIVB Board of Administration for approval once it meets from April 14-16.

Key decisions included the review and approval of the 2010 budget, the approval of new financial regulations while the Executive Committee approved the Sports Events Council report.

More Spanish

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, April 11, 2010 – The FIVB Executive Group met in Punta Cana on Sunday ahead of the FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings which will take place from Monday to Friday.

Key items discussed included preparations for the FIVB World Congress, which will take place from September 9-10 in Rome, Italy as well as preparations for the FIVB World Championships 2010 in Italy and Japan, the 2011 World Championships for Junior and Youth, the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 11, 2010 – The men’s team of Panama claimed its second victory at the Volleyball Tournament of the IX Central American Games by defeating El Salvador in straight sets 25-16, 25-23 y 25-23. 

Honduras defeated Nicaragua in a Central American duel by score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-17 y 27-25). 

On Monday El Salvador goes up against Costa Rica, and Panamá faces off Nicaragua in the nightcap. Costa Rica has a rest day. More Spanish

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 11, 2010 – Nicaragua defeated Panama in the second day of the women’s volleyball tournament of the Central American Games. It was a spectacular match that finished by score of 3-2 (25-27, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 15-9).

Elsewhere, Costa Rica took sole possession of first place of the standings thanks to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-19) victory over Honduras. The Hondurans played a great match but at the end the experience of the Costa Ricans prevailed. More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 11, 2010 – Cubans Karell Peña and Sergio González claimed the gold medal at the fourth leg of NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Peña and González completely dominated the fourth stop claiming the crown with an unbeaten record. In the final, Jessie Lelliott and Benjamin Saxton of Canadá, the Cubans won by score of 2-0 (21-16, 21-14).

In the match for third place, Michael Bruning and Jason Wight of United States prevailed against Dany Wilson and Mark Lewis of Jamaica 2-0 (21-14, 21-17).  More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 11, 2010 – Canadian women’s pair of Katherine Zakrzewski and Julie Rodriguez defeated Nirian Sinal and Kirenia Ballar of Cuba to claim the gold medal at the fourth leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit. Zakrzewski/Rodriguez of CAN-1 needed three sets 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 17-15) to dominate Cubans Sinal/Ballar who have taken the silver medal in the last two stops of the circuit.  More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 11, 2010 – Wilfredo Leon was the Most Valuable Player and the most awarded athlete in the NORCECA Boys’ Youth Championship, which concluded today with Cuba’s gold victory over the United States.

The “Lion King”, as Leon is affectionately known in and out of his Caribbean homeland, was also honored as Best Scorer with 81 points and Best Attacker.

The young 16-year-old man, originally from the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, was accompanied in the awards podium by the best players from four other countries. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 11, 2010b- The Cuban team won today against USA 3-0 (25-16, 25-18 and 25-22) and conquered the gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Boys Sub 19 Volleyball Championship.

Being the only team to remain undefeated in this championship, Cuba secured their ticket for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and one of the two tickets for the 2011 World Championship in the discipline. The islanders dominated the match from start to end, even though they missed several times with their powerful serve. More Spanish P-2_CUB-USA

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 11, 2010 – The Puerto Rican selection dominated Mexico 3-0 today, taking the bronze medal in one of the fiercest and most exciting games in the NORCECA Continental Boys Youth Tournament, which concludes today in the city of Guadalajara.

At the Pan American Volleyball Stadium, with a seating capacity of 3,200 spectators, the PR team knew how to organize their serve and blockage to beat the host team with set scores of 29-27, 28-26 and 25-23, in this competition. More Spanish P-2 PUR-MEX

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 11, 2010 – the Guatemalan Selection defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 and placed fifth in the NORCECA Continental Boys Youth Tournament, which ends today.

The winners fought to overcome the opponents, taking the victory with a score of 25-17, 27-25, 16-25 and 25-23.  This was the second match in this tournament that was played in more than 3 sets. The highest scorers were precisely from the losing team, opposite player Julio Cesar Almonte with 32 points and corner player Javier Cerda with 14. More Spanish  P-2_GUA-DOM

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 10, 2010 – Mr. Jizhong Wei, President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), arrived in Punta Cana Airport accompanied by his wife and several executives of the organization.

Mr. Wei was received at the terminal by Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, FIVB First Executive Vice President and President of the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA). Mr. Wei is in Dominican Republic to preside the meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Administration. More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 10, 2010.- Canada and Cuba became the first two semi finalists of the fourth leg of NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Canadians Jessie Lelliott and Benjamin Saxton upset Michael Bruning and Jason Wight of United States by score of 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-10) while Cubans Karell Peña and Sergio Gonzalez defeated Alexander Villegas and Zlatko Piskulich of CRC 2-0 (21-14, 21-11). In the semi final round, Lelliott and Saxton will play against Jamaicans Dany Wilson and Mark Lewis. More Spanish  

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 10, 2010 – Top seeded Nirian Sinal and Kirenia Ballar of Cuba, advanced to the semi final round of the fourth leg of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit that concludes at the courts of Campo Marte on Sunday.

In the semifinal round, Sinal and Ballar will play against Guatemalans María José Orellana and Lourdes Ramírez, while Canadians Katherine Zakrzewski and Julie Rodríguez will go against Costa Ricans Ingrid Morales and Natalia Alfaro. More Spanish  

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 10, 2010 – The National Teams of Costa Rica and Panama won their respective matches in the opening day of the Men’s Volleyball Tournament of the IX Central American Games.

Costa Rica relied on good technique to defeat Nicaragua in straight sets by score of 25-22, 25-18, 25-18.

The best match of the day was reserved for the teams of Panama and Honduras won by the home team by score of 25-16, 25-19, 27-25. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 10, 2010 – The United States dominated Mexico in consecutive sets 25-21, 25-20 and 25-12, and will face Cuba once again tomorrow for the gold at the NORCECA Continental Boys Youth Tournament.

With this victory, the United States secured a ticket to the 2011 World Championship in this discipline and will compete against Cuba at this Sunday’s final for the single pass to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. More Spanish P-2 MEX-USA

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 10, 2010 – Cuba defeated Puerto Rico in consecutive sets by score of 25-21, 25-16, 25-12 advancing to the gold medal match of the NORCECA Boys’ Youth Continental Tournament where one ticket to the Singapore Youth Olympic Games is at stake.

As one of the top two teams in the competition, the win enables Cuba a berth in the 2011 FIVB Boys’ Youth World Championship. Led by the “Lion King”, the nickname given by the local press to Wilfredo Leon, the Cuban team displayed a powerful attack. More Spanish

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PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 10, 2010 – The national teams of Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all were victors during day one at the Women’s Volleyball Championship of the IX Central American Games.

Hosts Panama didn’t have compassion of their rivals from Belice claiming a lopsided win by score of 3-0 (25/8, 25/8 y 25/20).

The most attractive match of the day was the one between Costa Rica and El Salvador. The Costa Ricans had a potent start and the Salvadorans. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 10, 2010 – Canada finished in seventh place after defeating Costa Rica 3-2 (26-24, 16-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9) in the only match that so far, has lasted more than 3 sets on the next-to-last day of the NORCECA Continental Boys’ Youth Tournament.

On the winning side, the biggest point contributors were Taylor Lebo (15), Mathew Silver (14) and Scott Brunet (12), although the highest scorer of the game was Costa Rica’s Richy Vargas with 19 points. Donald Saxton, Technical Director for Canada, commented “it was fun to  More Spanish P-2_for_match_13__CRC-CAN

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 9, 2010.- Top seeded Cubans Nirian Sinal and Kirenia Ballar, claimed two victories during the first day of action at the fourth stop of NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Sinal and Ballar downed Shanique Green and  Cheryl Daley of Jamaica 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) in 37 minutes and in their second match won easily against Recinos/Lopez 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) of GUA-2.

The Cubans showed their superior talent and are confident of taking home the gold. More Spanish

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, April 9, 2010 – Top seeded Michael Bruning and Jason Wight of United States started with the right foot in the fourth stop of NORCECA Circuit.

Bruning and Wight dominated their rivals during the matches contested in the opening day of the tour. They first met Joseph Clercent and Dayne Williams of Saint Lucia winning in 28 minutes by score of 2-0 (21-11, 21-17). They followed with a victory against hosts Garrido/Recinos of GUA-1 by score of 21-9, 21-18 in 32 minutes. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 9, 2010 –USA defeated the Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-13, 25-18 and 25-15) in the quarterfinals round of the NORCECA Continental Boys’ Youth Tournament, which qualifies the winners to the Youth Olympic Games.

On Saturday’s semi finals, the Americans will play Mexico while Puerto Rico will meet Cuba, who beat Guatemala earlier today.

The Americans rotated all their players and John LaRusch topped the scoring for USA with 9 points and Dominican Julio César Almonte led all the scorers with 17 points. American coach Gary Sato, who is from a Chinese-Japanese background, was elated with his team’s commitment to defend well against the Dominicans.  The coach congratulated the Dominican team “because they put up a good fight, put some pressure. More Spanish  P-2_for_match_12__DOM-USA

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 9, 2010 – The Cuban selection dominated Guatemala 3-0 (25-18, 25-12 and 25-8) today and will face Puerto Rico in the semifinals for the NORCECA Continental Boy’s Tournament, which grants one ticket to the Singapore Youth Olympic Games  and two tickets to the 2011 FIVB World Championship.

The match gave some possibilities for the technical direction of the islander team as all players were cycled with an eye on the crucial encounter to be played this Saturday against Puerto Rico. More Spanish P-2_for_match_11__CUB-GUA

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 9, 2010 – The annual FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings are set to take place next week, with the two bodies meeting in the picturesque Caribbean setting of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic from April 12-16.

The FIVB Executive Committee will meet from April 12-13 to ratify proposals coming from the FIVB Commission meetings held earlier in the year to put forward for approval by the FIVB Board of Administration, which meets from April 14-16. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 9, 2010 – Curacao ended in ninth place after today’s defeat by Canada in consecutive sets with a score of 25-15, 25-18, 25-30 in the fourth day of the NORCECA Continental Boys’ Youth Tournament.

The Canadian team was always ahead in the score though the islanders, who definitely didn’t have anything to lose and a lot to win in an event of this nature, did everything they could to put pressure on the northern team.

William Bremmer was the game’s best scorer with 8 points and on the rival’s side, Quinten Anthony contributed seven points in a match that didn’t yield any surprises but just the possibility for Canada to improve the 8^th place. Donald Saxton, Canadian Technical Director, commented “these are good opportunities  More Spanish  P-2_for_match_10__CAN-CUR

GUADALAJARA, México, April 8, 2010.- Mexico scored a straigh-sets victory of 25-18, 25-10 y 25-10 over Costa Rica and claimed the Pool C of the NORCECA Continental Boys’s Tournament, a qualifier to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

In just one hour, the hosts’ squad outlasted the visitors’ team, which could not do too much in a game where the best players were Jesus Perales with 12 points and middle-blocker Rodríguez Colón with 10.

The best scorer for the visiting team was Segnini Blanco with 9 points.

Justo Arias, head coach of Mexico, although he is happy about qualifying to the next round, he admitted. More Spanish  P-2_for_match_9__MEX-CRC

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 8, 2010 – Cuba and the United States clashed today in a high-voltage confrontation that yielded a victory for the islanders in three close sets (27-25, 25-23, 25-20) on the last day of the preliminary round for the NORCECA Continental Boy’s Sub 19 Volleyball Championship.

The confrontation between two of the tallest teams (average height 1.95m) turned bitter from the very start and peppered by the cheer commanded by the performance of Wilfredo Leon, one of the world’s best players despite being just 16 years old.

In both the first and second sets, Cuba stayed ahead from beginning to end thanks to their spectacular attacks.  More Spanish P-2_for_match_8__CUB-USA

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 8, 2010 – Puerto Rico recorded an easy straight sets win against Dominican Republic by score of 25-16, 25-6. 25-15 claiming the top place of Pool B at NORCECA Boys’ Youth Continental Tournament, a qualifier to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

There was very little the Dominican selection could do against opponents of bigger size and a team that also plays harmoniously, especially with their effective blocking. The winning team was able to score 16 consecutive.  More Spanish P-2_for_match_7__DOM-PUR

CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA, Guatemala, April 7, 2010 – Delegates from NORCECA, the Volleyball National Federation of Guatemala and the Organizing Committee of the fourth stop of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit informed the media about the details of the competition during a press conference held here.

The meeting with the media was chaired by Mrs. Marta Centeno de Sajche, Vice President of NORCECA and President of AFECAVOL.  More Spanish 

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 7, 2010 – The Mexican selection needed less than one hour to claim victory over Guatemala with a consecutive set win of 25-12, 25-9 and 25-13 points at the second day closing of the NORCECA Continental Boy’s Sub 19 Volleyball Championship.

The home team, getting a boost from the partisan fans, was able to keep control of the game thus earning a triumph in the home soil during their first match in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games qualifying event.

More Spanish  P-2_for_match_6__GUA-MEX

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 7, 2010 – The Cuban team impressed with the strength of their attacks and the effectiveness of their blocking in their debut game against Canada on the second day of the NORCECA Continental Boy’s Sub 19 Volleyball Championship.

The game finished with 25-14, 25-10 and 25-13, demonstrating not only the superiority of the islanders but the team-work of one of the favorite sides to win the only ticket to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games at stake in the competition. More Spanish

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 7, 2010 – The Dominican Republic secured its first win against Curacao in three consecutive sets of 25-11, 25-20 and 25-14 points during today’s first match of the NORCECA Continental Sub-19 Boys Volleyball Championship.

The serves by the Dominican team was the most damaging weapon against their rivals, although in the second set and despite their lower average height, Curacao upped the pace as they did during the day before against Puerto Rico. More Spanish

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 6, 2010 – Relying on impressive blocking skills, the United States defeated their neighbors Canada in three straight sets by score of  25-14, 25-17 and 25-11.  The match was Tuesday´s last contest for the opening day at the NORCECA Continental Sub-19 Boys Volleyball Championship being disputed in Guadalajara´s Pan American Volleyball Stadium.

The winning team displayed its attack techniques, led by Matthew Tarantino, who scored 11 points.  More Spanish

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 6, 2010 - The Puerto Rican team recovered from an early stumbling, and managed to impose its level to Curacao, thus achieving their first win 3-0 (25-22, 25-11 and 25-13) in the opening day of the NORCECA Continental U-19 Championship.

The competition secures one ticket to the Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010 and two spots for the World Championship on the same category for 2011. After a slow start in the first set, the Puerto Ricans improved their game thanks to better blocking and taller players.

The Puerto Rican team, which has good service, failed today in that matter; nonetheless, dominated in 1 hour and 7 minutes, with the best players being Carlos Acosta, with 12 points. More Spanish     P-2_for_match_2__PUR-CUR

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 6, 2010 - The Guatemalan team was the first winner in the Continental Male NORCECA sub-19 Championship, which started today here, by defeating Costa Rica in continuing sets of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-18.

The winners, even though they had a shorter team in height, took advantage in the weak blocking by the Costa Rican team, who could just surpass their rival in the middle of the second set (9.8), but their joy didn’t last long, as the Guatemalan team managed to regain More Spanish        P-2_for_match_1__CRC-GUA

CAIRO, Egypt, April 6, 2010 – Legendary coach Doug Beal, member of NORCECA Board of Administration and currently CEO of USA Volleyball, was part of a team of instructors from United States lecturing in a High Performance Coaches Seminar organized by the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB).

More than 100 participants from 27 African countries, including 10 women, and from 10 European and Asian countries took part in the four-day seminar in Cairo, Egypt. The team was completed by renowned technicians Carl McGowan, Bill Neville, John Kessel and Robert Browning. More Spanish

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 5, 2010 – Nine teams will take part in the seventh edition of NORCECA Boys’ Youth Continental Tournament starts on Tuesday in Guadalajara, the Capital of the State of Jalisco in Mexico.

The sides will compete for a ticket to this year’s inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and two spots in the 2011 FIVB Boys’ Youth World Championship.

Grouped in Pool A are defending champions USA, Cuba and Canada. Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Curacao will compete in Pool B while hosts Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica will play in Pool C. The two best ranked pool winners, based on points-ratio, will advance to the semi final round, and the third one will join the three teams placed in second position for the quarterfinals eliminatory. More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 4, 2010 – Mexicans Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen have won the men’s gold medal at Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third stage of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Miramontes and Virgen, winners of the previous stop at El Salvador, defeated Cubans Karell Piña and Sergio Gonzalez by score of 2-1 (17-21, 21-15, 15-10).

Dominicans Yewddys Perez and German Recio won the bronze medal with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) victory over Daniel Erazo and Eric Hadock . More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 4, 2010 – Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago won the women’s gold medal at Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third stop of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Winners of first leg of the regional competition at Cayman Islands, Santiago and Acevedo edged Cubans Niriam Sinal and Kirenia Ballar in a sensational contest by score of 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 21-19). The Puerto Ricans have now finished on the podium in the first three tournaments of the year as. More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 3, 2010 – Cubans Karell Piña and Sergio Gonzalez and Mexicans Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen are the first semi finalists of the men’s Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Piña and Gonzalez topped Seth Burnhham and Lucas Wisniakowski of USA-1 by score of 2-0 (21-12, 21-16) and Miramontes and Virgen defeated Yewddys Perez and German Recio of Dominican Republic 2-0 (21-17, 21-16). Daniel Erazo and Eric Hadock  of PUR-2 also advanced to the semi final round with a 2-1. More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April  3, 2010 – Cubans Niriam Sinal and Kirenia Ballar and Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo claimed the first two spots in the semi finals of the women’s event of Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third leg of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

In the quarterfinals phase, Sinal and Ballar defeated Emily Day and Angela McHenry of USA-1 by score of 2-0 (21-13, 21-13), while Santiago and Acevedo beat Guatemalans Maria Orellana and. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 2, 2010 – The teams of Mexico, Cuba and Dominican Republic were the most successful during day one of the Boca men’s Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third stop of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.
 

Mexicans Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen, winners in the previous leg in El Salvador, defeated Daniel Erazo/Eric Haddock of Puerto Rico-2 (21-14, 31-9) and Jeovanny Medrano/David Vargas of El Salvador (21-16, 21-9). More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 2, 2010 – Cubans Niriam Sinal and Kirenia Ballar won their two matches on opening day of women’s Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third stop of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

The silver medalists in El Salvador’s stage first edged USA-2 (Cayley Thurlb/Tealle Hunkus) by score of 2-1 (21-18, 12-21, 15-4) and followed with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) over Ingrid Morales and Natalia Alfaro of Costa Rica.

Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo, winners of the first. More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 1, 2010 – Players of fourteen countries are taking part of the Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit. The two previous events successfully organized in Cayman Islands and El Salvador.

The General Technical Meeting took place Thursday night at Dominican Bay Hotel in the presence of Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA. Teams of USA and Canada share the lead in the 2010 men’s rankings and Puerto Rico sits atop of the women’s. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO,  Dominican Republic, March 31, 2010 – Molten America,  handed in sport equipment a donation valued of more than $430,000 pesos to the Dominican Volleyball Confederation to be distributed among the 16 teams participating in the National League that start on April 17.

Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA, complying with a request from Mr. Ramon García, President of CODOVOLI, processed it to Molten, the world famous sports manufacturer.  More Spanish

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, March 31, 2010 – The 2010 NORCECA Circuit continues next weekend with the Boca Chica Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third stop of the competition.

The event is part of the tradition of Boca Chica, the nearest beach to Santo Domingo, during the Easter weekend. It is located 20 miles to the east of the Dominican Republic capital and thousands of vacationers crowd its white sands and clear blue waters during this time of the season. More Spanish

MONFORTE DE LEMOS, Spain, March 29, 2010 – Dominican Prisilla Rivera was elected the MVP of the Queens’ Cup of the Spaniard League for second consecutive year after leading CAV Murcia 2005 to the title.

Rivera, the Captain of the champions and a mainstay in the Dominican Republic National Team, took home the same honors during last year NORCECA Continental Tournament in Puerto Rico. The heavy hitting Rivera led her side with 53 points in the three matches of the competition.  More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 29, 2010 – The Mexican team of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen claimed the crown of the second stop of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at El Salvador.

Miramontes/Virgen crushed the USA team of Ty Loomis/Matt Prosser in a lopsided final match by score of 21-13, 21-9.

The best match of the day was reserved for the bronze medal contest where Cubans Karell Peña and Sergio Gonzalez prevailed in a tough.  More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 29, 2010 – Americans Claire D’Amore and Jennifer Zinder won the women’s gold medal at El Salvador Beach Volleyball Tournament, the second stop of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

D’Amore and Zinder prevailed against Cubans Niriam Sinal and Kirenia Ballar in a tough battle by score of 21-19, 21-17.

The bronze medal went to Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo who beat Guatemalans Maria Jose Orellana and Lourdes Ramirez. More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, 28 de marzo, 2010 – The women teams of United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Guatemala are the semi finalists of El Salvador Beach Volleyball Tournament, the second stop of 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Puerto Rico goes against Cuba and United States faces Guatemala in Sunday’s semifinals starting at 11:30. The first pair to qualify was United States (Clair D’Amore/Jennifer Zinder) with a 21-13, 21-16 victory over Cubans Niriam Sinal/Kirenia Ballar. More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 28, 2010 – The men’s pairs of  Canada, Mexico, United States and Cuba advanced to the semifinals  of El Salvador Beach Volleyball Tournament, the second stop of 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Sunday’s semifinales feature Canada against United States and Mexico against Cuba.

The Canadian pair of Martin Reader and Ray Sewell was the first to qualify with a 2-1. More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 27, 2010 – The teams of Guatemala (María Jose Orellana-Lourdes Ramirez), Cuba (Niriam Sinal-Kirenia Ballar) and Puerto Rico (Yarleen Santiago-Dariam Acevedo), started with victories their participation in the second stop of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit in El Salvador.

Orellana and Ramírez first won against Dominican Republic (Ginnete Selmo/Gina Selmo) 2-0 (21-17 y 21-19), and then defeated the team of El Salvador -3 (Ana Aquino-Frida Larios) 2-0 (21-16, 21-16). More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 27, 2010 – The men’s teams of México (Aldo Miramontes-Juan Virgen), Canada (Martin Reader-Ray Sewell) and Dominican Republic won their two matches of the opening day at El Salvador Beach Volleyball Tournament, the second stop of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

The Mexicans Miramontes and Virgen first defeated Julio Recinos and Erick Garrido of  Guatemala, 21-9, 21-11 and then edged Americans Ty Loomis and  Matt Prosser in an exciting battle by score. More Spanish

EL SALVADOR, San Salvador, March 26, 2010 – Sixteen men’s pairs and thirteen women’s duos will take part in the El Salvador Beach Volleyball Tournament, the second stop of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit that kicks off on Friday.

The double elimination tournament will be played in a temporary facility built adjacent to the biggest shopping mall of El Salvador. Canadians Martin Reader and Ray Sewell and Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo, winners of the previous staged in Cayman Islands, are the top seeded teams. More Spanish

CIUDAD PANAMA, Panama, March 24, 2010 – Everything is ready to go with the organization of the Volleyball Tournament of the Central American Games which will be played at Jose Remon Burriel Pavilion of Panama City on April 8-15.

Nelson Ramirez, Executive Director of NORCECA made an inspection visit to the facilities and met with the authorities of the Panamanian National Volleyball Federation and members of the Technical Committee of the Games.  More Spanish

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, March 23, 2010 –Fresh from the successful opening stage in Cayman Islands, the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit now moves to El Salvador the smallest but the most densely populated country in Central America.

The action will take place next weekend on the sands of a temporary facility located next to the biggest shopping mall of San Salvador, the capital of the country bordering the Pacific Ocean. “After the exciting action in Grand Cayman we are hopeful of more emotions with the players of both genders competing. More Spanish

HAVANA, Cuba, March 23, 2010 – Relying on the shoulders of sensational Wilfredo Leon, the Cuban Men’s Youth National Team is aiming towards the gold medal in the next NORCECA Continental Championship and the automatic qualification to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

“We don’t have any other option and the boys have been working really hard with that in mind,” said head coach Rodolfo Sanchez about the U-19 Cuban squad. Leon, the highly touted 16-years old attacker, leads a pack of promising players of the Cuban. More Spanish

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 22, 2010 – Canadians Martin Reader and Ray Sewell defeated Puerto Ricans Orlando Irizarry and Joseph Gil 21-17, 18-21, 15-8 claiming the men’s gold medal of the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, the opening leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Both finalists had to battle to the limit in the semi final phase as the experienced Canadians prevailed against compatriots Maverick Match and Ben Saxton (11-21, 21-18, 15-10) while the Puerto Ricans edged Jeff Moran and Ivan Mercer of USA 14-21, 21-14, 15-10. More Spanish

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 22, 2010 – Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo started where they left off last year by winning the women’s gold medal of the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, the first leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Winners of the last year’s final stage in Nicaragua, Santiago-Acevedo defeated Brooke Langston and Heather Lowe of USA-1 by score of 21-14, 21-18 to take home the title. Earlier on Sunday, the Puerto Ricans had scored a 21-16, 21-18. More Spanish

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 21, 2010 – First ranked team of Orlando Irizarry and Joseph Gil of Puerto Rico and Canadian duo of Martin Reader and Ray Sewell continued their successful run advancing to the semi final round of the Cayman Islands Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Irizarry and Gil now play against the USA Team of Jeff Moran and Ivan Mercer who entered the semi final phase through the loser’s bracket in the double elimination event. More Spanish Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 21, 2010 – The women teams of Puerto Rico, United States, Mexico and Canada have advanced to the semi final round of the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, the first leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit.

Puerto Rico, represented by Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo, and the USA pair of Brooke Langston and Heather Lowe won Pools A and B respectively with perfect records. On Sunday, Puerto Rico will meet Canada (Jamie Broder-Kristina Valjas) and USA will play Mexico (Martha Revuelta-Vanessa Virgen). More Spanish

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 20, 2010 – Jamaicans Mark Lewis and Dany Wilson defeated Andrew Gordon and Duncan Hamann of Cayman Islands-2 and Erick Hadock and Daniel Erazo of Puerto Rico 2 beat Jeovanny Medrano and David Vargas of El Salvador during the opening action of Men’s Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Lewis-Wilson won by score of 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) before a good crowd at Seven Miles Beach while Hadock-Erazo prevailed 2-0 (21-17, 21-18). More Spanish Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 20, 2010 – Brooke Langston and Heather Lowe of USA and Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas of Canada won their three matchers in Pool B during the first day of action of the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, the first leg of the 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

The American pair defeated Cristin Alexander and Tarasa Barnett of Cayman Islands-2 by score of 2-0 (21-9, 21-8) in their first match and followed with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-6) victory over Nancy Joseph. More Spanish

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 19, 2010 – The first leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit kicks off on Friday with 22 matches in both genders at Seven Miles Beach.
 

The action starts at 9:00 a.m. with Brooke Langston and Heather Lowe of USA facing Cristin Alexander and Tarasa Barnett of Cayman Islands-2 in the women’s tournament and Seth Burhanm and Lucas Wisniakowski of USA-2 playing against Fabien Whhitfield and Daneil Williams of Trinidad & Tobago in the men’s. More Spanish Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation

GRAND CAYMAN, March 18, 2010 – The Primer Minister Honorable W. McKeeva Bush will offer an opening reception to all athletes, coaches and officials taking part in the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, the first leg of the 2010 NORCECA Circuit. The reception will be at Osetra Bay on Friday
 

“There is a lot of enthusiasm with the return of this event for second year in a row,” said Noel Williams, President of the National Federation. More Spanish

Havana, Cuba, March 18, 2010 – The teams from Havana City, won the Cuban National League in both genders by sweeping the best-of-three final series at Kid Chocolate Hall in the Cuban capital.

Capitalinos, led by Wilfredo Leon and Roberlandy Simon, defeated Occidentales 25-18, 33-31, 23-25, 25-14 in the first match of the playoffs, and came back stronger to take the second in straight sets 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 against the team of Michael Sanchez and Yoandy Leal. In the women’s action. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 15, 2010 – The first NORCECA course of Beach Volleyball Information System (BVIS) organized by the FIVB Regional Development Center in Dominican Republic concluded on Monday with the presentation of certificates to all the participants from eighteen countries.

The closing ceremony was attended by Guatemalan Mrs. Marta Centeno de Sajche. More Spanish Click here to see Photos of the Couse

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 11, 2010 – The first NORCECA course of Beach Volleyball Information System (BVIS) organized by the FIVB Development Center in Dominican Republic started on Thursday with participants from eighteen countries.

The course is directed by Brazilian Ms. Claudia Laciga, a renowned FIVB Technical Supervisor and includes theoretical and practical instructions to prepare the qualification tournaments, entry lists, seeds of players, drawing of lots, brackets. More Spanish

The FIVB, has appointed Mrs. Claudia Laciga from Brazil as instructor to the next Beach Volleyball Informatic System Course (BV-VIS), programmed to be held on March 11-15, in Dominican Republic.

Mrs. Claudia Laciga has extensive experience in the Volleyball Informatic System having worked in events of great importance.

Up to now 20 countries have confirmed their participation which demonstrates the great interest of the members of NORCECA to develop Beach Volleyball.  More Spanish Click here to see Photos of the Couse

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 9, 2010 – United States, Canada and Puerto Rico have registered two men’s teams to participate in the first leg of the Beach Volleyball NORCECA Circuit in Cayman Islands on March 18-21.

Players from 12 countries will take part in the opening competition of the calendar that includes a confederation’s record of thirteen stops.

Canada, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts & Nevis. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, March 9, 2010 – The representatives of the seven country members of the Central American Volleyball Federations Association held the General Assembly of the organization on March 5-6 under the presidency of Mrs. Marta Centeno de Sajché.

The main decision taken during the meetings was to prepare a Regional Development Plan to be submitted to the consideration of NORCECA and FIVB. More Spanish

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico, March 8, 2010 – Mexicans Bibi Candelas and Mayra Garcia scored an astonishing victory over SWATCH FIVB 2009 World Champions Jennifer Kessy and April Ross of USA to win the gold medal of four-team Beach Volleyball Tournament to celebrate the Bicentennial Mexican Independence.

The 26^th world-ranked Candelas-Garcia prevailed against the favourite team of Kessy-Ross in a three-set battle by score of  21-17, 20-22, 19-17 on Sunday.

“We are so happy with the result,” said Candelas. “We knew it was not an easy match but. More Spanish

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, March 3, 2010 - The St. Lucia Volleyball Association was awarded as the “2009 Association of the Year” during a ceremony held last weekend with the presence of the highest sports authorities of the island. The top athletes of the country were also honoured.

The annual National Sports Award Ceremony was presided over by Mr. Leonard “Spider” Montoute, the Minister of Sports of the country. More Spanish

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico, March 3, 2010 - The sport festivities of the Bicentennial of Mexico Independence to be held in the tourist region of Puerto Vallarta include a four-team Women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament featuring world class players from United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and hosts Mexico. The event runs through March 5-7.

Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, winners of last year’s World Championship in Stavanger, Norway and currently placed in third place of FIVB World Rankings are considered the favourites. More Spanish

LIMA, Peru, February 28, 2010 – Peru prevailed against Dominican Republic winning a five-setter in the gold medal match of the First Women’s International Tournament held at Miguel Grau del Callao Gymnasium of Lima.

Daniela Uribe scored with one ace for the final point of the match that finished 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 15-13. Uribe, Clarivett Yllescas and Karla Ortiz were the best players for Peru during the three-day competition. Both Peru and Dominican Republic arrived unbeaten to the final contest following. More Spanish pic:Carlos López, del Perú

LIMA, Peru, February 27, 2010 – Dominican Republic and hosts Peru will play for the gold medal in the First International Women’s Junior Tournament following their victories of Friday over Chile and Puerto Rico respectively.

The Dominicans won in straight sets by score of 25-12, 26-24, 25-13 and the Peruvians claimed a 25-23, 25-12, 25-8 victory.

The Chileans were in front 22-19 in the second set only to see the..More Spanish      pic: Carlos López, del Perú

LIMA, Perú, February 26, 2010 – Dominican Republic and hosts Peru claimed victories during the opening day of the First Women’s Junior International Tournament at Miguel Grau Coliseum.

The Dominicans, led by Estefanie Arias and Brenda Castillo, defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) and the Peruvians got an easy win against Chile by score of 25-10, 25-16, 25-12.

“We are here with the goal of winning the tournament and we had a good start”, said Castillo, the great Dominican libero. Alejandro Arconada, the coach of Puerto Rico. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 24, 2010 – Junior teams from Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will join the sides of Chile and hosts Peru in the First Women’s International Summer Tournament to be played at Miguel Grau Coliseum of Lima from February 25-27.

The Peruvian National Federation, presided by Juan Castro, announced the match-schedule on Wednesday which features a NORCECA duel between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic in the opening. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 22, 2010 – For second consecutive year the tournament of Cayman Islands will open the action of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit which will expand to a total of 14 stops this year.

The event will take place in Grand Cayman, the biggest of the islands, on March 17-22.

“We are excited about the start of the competition in Cayman Islands,” said Arnaldo Sanchez, Technical Director of the circuit. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 20, 2010 – An increased number of doping tests is foreseen for the 2010 competitions organized by the NORCECA Confederation.

The announcement was made by Dr. Andres Piña, President of the Medical Commission of NORCECA, which held its annual meeting on Saturday at the headquarters of the institution in Santo Domingo. Piña, who is also member of the FIVB Medical Commission, informed that during the one-day meeting. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 19, 2010 – The establishment of new development centers in the three zones of the NORCECA Confederation has been proposed by the Technical, Development and Coaches Commission during its annual meeting in Santo Domingo.

The new centers would operate under the supervision of the FIVB Regional Development Center in Dominican Republic. More Spanish

KINGSTON, Jamaica, February 16, 2010 - Jamaica Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange gave the government's commitment to local volleyball and encouraged beach volleyball players Mark Lewis and Danny Wilson to reach for greater heights and take Jamaica and the Caribbean to the world ranks.

Grange made her statements while taking a turn at the Talk of the Town meeting held at Jamaican Pegasus Hotel with the attendance of Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA. More Spanish

KINGSTON, Jamaica, February 16, 2010 – The President of NORCECA successfully concluded a visit to Jamaica kicking off a campaign to promote the practice of Volleyball Beach Volleyball in the island.

Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, accompanied by Mr. Mushtaque Mohammed, President of CAZOVA, met with Ms. Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister for Youth, Sport and Culture of Jamaica and Major Warrenton Dixon, President of Jamaica Volleyball Association. They also visited public schools and attended a match between scholar players. More Spanish

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, February 11, 2010 – The St Lucia Volleyball Federation held its sixth Reognition Ceremony at Glen Castle Hotel in Gros Islet Bay on Monday.

Jason Octave, who won MVP at the NORCECA FIVb World Championship qualifiers held in St Lucia, picked up Male Volleyball Player of the Year, whilst Dania Hamilton picked up the female award. “The association is doing a good job, I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” Donovan Williams. More

San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 11, 2010 – The forty-second edition of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League kicks off on Friday with the participation of ten teams and standout players from USA, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela joining the native talent for the tournament whose regular series runs through April 10.

Defending champions Toa Baja and runner-ups Corozal, the winningest team in the history of the league, are once again among the strongest sides in the traditional competition. More Spanish

CAIRO, Egypt, February 8, 2010- The African volleyball Confederation (CAVB) lost one of the great pillars of volleyball all over the world after the CAVB Vice- President Mr. Baba Sy passed away in the capital of Senegal in Dakar on Monday after a long illness.

 
Baba Sy, who is also a member of the FIVB coaching commission, was one of the major anchors of the development of the sport not only in Africa but also in most of the world continents through his participation in worldwide courses. More

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 8, 2010 – The NORCECA Press Commission has been expanded with the valuable addition of three new members. The commission held its annual meeting on Sunday.

Mexican Juan Jose Martinez, Guatemalan Rodolfo Andreu and Winston Duncan of Anguilla are the new members. Besides, Cuban Lissette Ricardo was voted as interim President. During the meeting, it was discussed the coverage of the 2010 Beach Volleyball Circuit, the Volleyball competitions. More Spanish

Paramaribo, Suriname, February 8, 2010 – “There are no concerns. Suriname can host the Caribbean Cup 2010.”

That is what president Mushtaque Mohammed from the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association said after a meeting with the Minister of Education Mr. Edwin Wolf, Sport Director Mr. Michael Watson, President Gerard van Dijk of the Suriname Olympic Committee, and Winston Cairo. More

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, February 7, 2010 – Corozal claimed their second consecutive title and ninth overall in the Puerto Rican Men’s Superior League by defeating Guaynabo in a five-setter by score of 21-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 15-9 played in front of more than 5,000 spectators at Mario Morales Gymnasium.

Losers of the first two matches of the best-of-seven final series, the eventual champions went on to win the next four. Three of the six matches were extended to the five-set limit. Casey Patterson, selected the Most Valuable Player of the series, led Corozal with 23 points. Robert Nielsen and Matthew McKinney. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 6, 2010 – The VIS and Statistics Commission of NORCECA held its inaugural meeting chaired by Mrs. Judith Sandino of Nicaragua.

The purpose of this commission is to promote the development of the info system around the countries of the Confederation and to establish a data base of facts and figures of teams and players during their participation in the different competitions. The members discussed the use of the two liberos format in some competitions. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 5, 2010 – The Refereeing Commission of NORCECA, presided by Jose Ramon Perez Vento, held its annual meeting in Santo Domingo and it was stressed the importance of promoting training courses destined to increase the number of referees within the Confederation.

Perez Vento said it was of satisfaction to see how new referees emerged last year in countries that did not have in the past and also the celebration of the first international course.  More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, February 5, 2010 – Corozal is one victory away from revalidating the title in the Puerto Rico Men’s Superior League following a 15-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-13 win over Guaynabo to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Final Series.

Robert Nielsen topped the winners with 18 points and Casey Patterson and Matthew McKinney added 15 and 10 respectively. Lucas Chavez led losers with 14 points and Thomas Hoff and Eric Vance charted 8 apiece. The sixth match of the series will be played in Guayanabo on Saturday. More Spanish

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, February 4, 2010 – Defending champions Corozal edged Guaynabo in five sets (21-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12) tying the best-of-seven Puerto Rico Men’s Final Series at two victories apiece.

Losers of two consecutive matches for the first time of the year, the Plataneros have caught momentum when it matters most. The action moves to Corozal on Friday.

“Let’s see how they react now,” said Fernando Morales, captain of the winners. “That’s the way the Finals should be.” More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 2, 2010 – Brenda Castillo, the much heralded Dominican libero, has been named the 2009 Athlete of the Year by her country National Olympic Committee.

The announcement was made Monday night by Luis Mejia, President of the DR Olympic Committee, during the annual Gala Dinner of the institution held at Renaissance Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo.

Among her last year’s many awards Castillo was selected as Most Valuable Player of the FIVB Junior Women’s World Championship. More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, February 2, 2010 – Defending champions Corozal recorded its first victory in the Puerto Rico Men’s Final Series by sweeping Guaynabo 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 on Monday relying on a balanced attack and strong defense at the net .

Losers of the first two matches of the best-of-seven playoffs, Corozal dominated this time with an overwhelming advantage in the blocking category outscoring its rivals 16-4. The fourth match of the series will be played on Tuesday in Guaynabo. “It is a very important victory for us,” More Spanish

Guatemala, February 1, 2010 – Maria Jose Orellana and Ana Ramirez continue on a smooth path towards the women’s title of the Guatemala Beach Volleyball Tournament after winning their third consecutive leg of the five-stop competition completed at Campo Marte in downtown Guatemala on Sunday.

Orellana and Ramirez have accumulated 600 points by defeating the pair of Blanca Recinos and Susana Alvarado (540) in the gold medal contest in each opportunity. The unbeaten leaders downed Recinos and Alvarado 2-0 (21-11, 21-18).  More Spanish

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, January 30, 2010 – Guaynabo took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Final Series of Puerto Rican Men’s Superior League following a dramatic five-set victory over defending champions Corozal in the second match of the playoffs. The score was 25-21, 21-25, 26-24, 21-25, 15-13.

Lucas Chavez and Eric Vance with 27 and 23 points respectively were the main offensive weapons of the winners. Alexis Matias added eight and Thomas Hoff contributed 6, including three blocks. More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, January 30, 2010 – Guaynabo defeated defending champions Corozal 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 in the first match of the best-of-seven Final Series of the Puerto Rico Men’s Professional League on Friday.

“We read very well the actions of their setter and neutralized the opponent’s attack,” said Ramon Hernández, the winners’ coach. “Our reception was did the job because Corozal is a team that depends heavily in the strength of its services.” David Aleman, the coach of Corozal, gave credit to the opponents saying “they played very well, almost perfect.” More Spanish

Mexico City, January 28, 2010 – Saul Castro Verdugo, First Executive Vice President of NORCECA, has been unanimously voted as new permanent member of the Mexican Olympic Committee. He was elected during the General Assembly of the institution held at the Sport Olympic Mexican Centre and chaired by its President Felipe Muñoz.

“I am very proud and honored,” said Castro Verdugo after taking the oath as new member. “Being elected to the Mexican Olympic Committee was one of my dreams when I started my career.  More Spanish

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, January 28, 2010 – The USA women’s national team will play an exhibition match against Chinese professional women’s league team Evergrande on February 2 as part of their intensive build up to the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix.
 

Star players Tracy Stalls, Heather Hughes and Jane Collymore - all members of USA’s 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix squad, which finished ninth - will be travelling with the team. Evergrande is coached by former USA women’s coach “Jenny” Lang Ping, who helped lead USA to silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. More Spanish

Lausanne, Switzerland, January 27, 2010 – The FIVB Development Department has announced that despite the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Volleyball Cooperation Programme (VCP) due to place on April 5 will not be called off.

Given the severity of the disaster, it was initially unclear as to whether the VCP would take place, however it has now be postponed to the end of the year on a date yet to be decided. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, January 27, 2010 – The tandems of Alberto Ozuna-Julio Recinos and Rodrigo González-Andy Blanco are tied for first place after the completion of two of five legs in the Beach Volleyball League of Guatemala. 

Both pairs have totaled 360 points and are followed by the duet of Erick Garrido and Jorge Bolaños, winners of the second stop of the national circuit, who have 320 points. Garrido-Bolaños defeated Ozuna-Recinos 21-19, 21-15 in the match for first place last Sunday at Campo Marte while Gonzalez-Blanco. More Spanish

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, January 26, 2010 – Defending champions Plataneros de Corozal and Guaynabo Mets have advanced to the best-of-seven final series of the Men’s Puerto Rican Professional League that kicks off next Friday.

Both sides prevailed 4-1 in the semi final phase with Corozal defeating Carolina Giants by score of 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 for its fourth and decisive victory and Guaynabo recording a 25-23, 25-20, 25-20 against Ponce Lions. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, January 24, 2010 – The NORCECA Volleyball Confederation made a donation of 20,000 bottles of water as emergency help to assist the victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti last January 12.

The sport institution based in Dominican Republic, which shares with Haiti the island of Hispaniola, delivered the aid through the Civil Defence, a Dominican government organization participating in the distribution of the donations in the impoverished country. More Spanish

HAMILTON, Bermuda, January 22, 2010 - Puerto Rican top volleyball coach Juan Cartagena will share his vast knowledge with Bermuda's future players at the Island's first ever Bermuda Volleyball Association Youth Camp.

The camp will be held at Cedar Bridge Academy, running from February 8 to 12 and will give students aged 12 and over the opportunity to learn basic volleyball skills. No prior experience is necessary. Cartagena, a Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) level three coach, has previously worked with the Puerto Rico. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, January 20, 2010 – Ana Ramirez and María Orellana won the first leg of the Guatemala Beach Volleyball League with a 21-15, 21-15 victory over Blanca Recinos and Susana Alvarado.

Ramirez and Orellana, who have been playing together for five years, reached the final by defeating Stefany Bolaños and Diana Arias 21-16, 21-18.

In the men’s bracket, Rodrigo Gonzales and Andy Blanco prevailed in a three-set battle against Alberto Ozuna and Julio Recinos. The score was 21-17, 12-21, 15-9. More Spanish

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, January 19, 2010 – The FIVB and the Norceca Confederation will join efforts in a campaign to raise funds, food and medicines destined to alleviate in the short term the suffering of millions of Haitians and to help the rebuilding of the Volleyball infrastructure of the country devastated by the occurrence of a huge earthquake on January 12.

Reports from the FIVB headquarters in Lausanne indicate that Mr. Jizhong Wei, President of the organization. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 18, 2010 – Hosts Curacao defeated defending champions Barbados 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-17) winning the gold medal of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament.

The win earned Curacao the ticket to represent CAZOVA at the NORCECA Continental Championship next April in Guadalajara, Mexico, a qualifier to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore later this year. MVP Stephan Ellis. More...P-2_for_match_6__BAR-CUR

HAVANA, Cuba, January 18, 2010 – The Cuban Volleyball National League Tournament with four teams in both genders will be played from January 29 to March 20 covering six provinces of Cuba.

Pinar del Rio, in the western part of the island, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila, in the central zone, and Camaguey in the eastern, will host the eliminatory rounds while Havana will host the final stage starting on March 15. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 16, 2010 – Curacao crushed Trinidad & Tobago 25-11, 25-6, 25-10 in the second day of action of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Championship at Errol Rooi SDK of Curacao.

The boys from Curacao were superior in blocking and serving outmatching their opponents 12-6 at the net and 6-1 from the service line. The match lasted only 57 minutes.

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 15, 2010 - The defending champion Barbados enjoyed a successful start in the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Championship by scoring a 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 victory against Trinidad & Tobago.

It was a very nervous Trinidad and Tobago Team which took the court and was unable to give a good pass in the beginning. More ...P-2_for_match_1__BAR-TRI

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 15, 2010 - The General Technical Meeting of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament was held on Friday at Hotel Savannah in Willemstad before the start of the four-team competition.

President of CAZOVA, Mushtaque Mohammed explained the Martinique team had some difficulties and would not be able to attend the tournament.  More

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, January 14, 2010 - The NORCECA Confederation is in mourning after the tragic events developed in Haiti and the death of Mrs. Philomene Durant Joachim, the wife of Mr. Jacques Joachim of Haiti, one of the founders of the institution and honorary member of its Executive Committee. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 13, 2010- The CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament is set to start on Friday 15, in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.  This is the first time Curacao will be hosting any international volleyball event and the organizing committee is very excited about its efforts to host this competition.  This Youth tournament is of great importance since it signals the start of the Youth Olympic Qualification.  More

KINGSTON, Jamaica, December 23, 2009 - Major Warrenton Dixon, recently elected president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA), says he is looking forward to working with Arlene Morgan and Tamika Pennicott, who were both elected to the posts of general secretary and treasurer, respectively, of the association's executive at a special general meeting last Saturday.

The elections, which took place at the Jamaica Defence Force Conference Room, saw Morgan, who is from UWI Volleyball Club, getting the better of MOSA's Hyper Nelson and Vikings Volleyball Club's Mark Lewis; while Pennicott was the only nominee for her post.  More Spanish

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, December 19, 2009 - U.S. boys’ volleyball players will get the chance to call themselves Olympians in 2010 at the first Youth Olympics, which will be held Aug. 14-26 in Singapore.

The first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010 will bring together approximately 3,600 athletes, ages 14-18, and 1,450 officials. The Youth Games will feature all 26 sports on the program of the 2012 Olympic Games, with a smaller number of disciplines and events.

USA Volleyball's 2010 Boys' Youth National Team (with a modified age group) is scheduled to participate, contingent upon successful qualification through the NORCECA Continental Championship. Because the Youth Olympic Games are being held in the same year as the zonal qualification tournament for world championships. More Spanish

ANAHEIM, California.- Baja California's Boys Team won the Youth Category in the last edition of the 2009 Holiday Classic, held  in Anaheim.

The tournament gathered more than 190 teams from Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Southern California, competing in many categories and the Mexican team was one of three who participated on the Classic, all of them from the Baja California region. The team coached by Oscar Licea, defeated HBC 14 from Huntington Beach, California 3-0.  More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 15, 2009 – The Pan American Cups in both genders, the top annual events of the NORCECA Confederation will take place in Puerto Rico and Mexico next year.

The sites of the competitions were decided during the Sport Organizing Commission during its two-day meetings held in Santo Domingo last week. The V Men’s Pan American Cup will be played in Puerto Rico in Mayaguez or Bayamon on May 20-31, while the IX Women’s Pan American Cup. More

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, December 14, 2009 – The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, founded in 1958, was recognized as a role model by the North, Central American Confederation (NORCECA) according to the requirements established by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

Puerto Rico has been recognized for the success of its federation and its personnel in the organization of local and international events, national tournaments of high quality and also for having a solid program in the lower categories and national teams, big success with the National Teams in recent years, a Beach Volleyball program and media coverage, public relations and marketing. “It is motive of huge pride that our Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation was selected as an example to follow by the federations of NORCECA .  More Spanish

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, December 13, 2009 – The Mexican Sport Confederation inducted the late Alejandro Salinas de la Garza, former President of the Mexican Volleyball Federation, to its Hall of Fame during a special ceremony last Friday.

The ceremony, chaired by Colonel Alfonso Perez Gonzalez as President of the Mexican institution, was attended by Salinas’ wife Mrs. Guillermina Lopez and his eldest son Mr. Cesar Salinas. Both were in the company of Mr. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA Confederation. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Jeyson Nery recorded 21 points leading hosts Guatemala to the gold medal at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-13) victory over El Salvador on Saturday. The winners finished with a 5-0 record and the losers took the bronze medal finishing at 3-2.

Alfredo Cabrera and Luis Garcia contributed with 13 and 10 points to the Guatemalan victory while Erick Gonzalez topped El Salvador with 8 tallies. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Costa Rica crushed Belize 25-6, 25-9, 25-6 to win the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament with a 5-0 perfect record. The losers ended winless with 0-5.

Meanwhile, El Salvador (4-1) took the silver medal with a 25-20, 26-28, 25-20, 25-21 victory over Nicaragua (2-3) and hosts Guatemala (3-2) finished with the bronze medal by defeating Honduras (1-4) by score of 25-10, 25-13, 25-23. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – In a battle of unbeaten teams on Friday, Costa Rica recorded a 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 victory over El Salvador improving its win-loss record to 4-0 at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.

In other matches Nicaragua (2-2) defeated Honduras (1-3) by score of 25-17, 25-18, 28-26 and Guatemala (2-2) scored a straight set victory 25-13, 25-9, 25-22 over Belize (0-4). Olga Solano and Evelyn Sibaja were the best Costa Ricans with 14 and 10 points respectively. More

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GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Guatemala defeated Belize 25-9, 25-9, 25-6 improving its win-loss record to 4-0 at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

In other matches of Friday, El Salvador (3-1) beat Nicaragua (1-3) by score of 15-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 and Honduras (3-1) scored a five-set victory against Costa Rica (1-3) by score of 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 16-14.

Jeyson Nery led Guatemala with 16 points and Luis Garcia tallied 11 points. More

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GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Guatemala kept its unbeaten record at the U-2 Men’s U-21 Central American Tournament after defeating Costa Rica 3-1 in a hard fought match. The score was 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24.

Jeyson Nery led the winners with 28 points and Jorge Garcia and Aldo Barrios contributed 16 and 11 respectively. Alberto Blanco (17), Jose Murillo (15) and Javier Alvarez (12) finished in double figures for the Costa Rica (1-2).nHonduras improved to 2-1 record by defeating El Salvador (2-1). More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – El Salvador and Costa Rica are still unbeaten with 3-0 win-loss record at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.
 

In Thursday’s action, El Salvador edged hosts Guatemala in a five-set battle by score of 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 15-11 and Costa Rica defeated Nicaragua 25-13, 25-14, 25-10. Both losing teams dropped to 1-2 mark. Adriana Flores led El Salvador with 18 points and Madeline Gonzalez and Andrea Manzur added 16 and 12 respectively. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Costa Rica and El Salvador kept unbeaten records after two days at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.

In Wednesday’s action Costa Rica defeated Honduras 25-19, 25-8, 25-14 and El Salvador trounced Belize 25-8, 25-14, 25-10. The losers dropped to 0-2. In the other match of the day, Guatemala recorded a 25-15, 25-14, 25-16 victory against Nicaragua. Both teams have 1-1 record. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Guatemala and El Salvador improved their win-loss record to 2-0 after two days of action at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

Hosts Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21) while El Salvador beat Belize in straight sets by score of 25-11, 25-21, 28-26. Honduras has a 1-1 record and Belize dropped to 0-2. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – Costa Rica beat host Guatemala in straight sets during the first day at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament. The score was 25-11, 25-20, 25-14.

Olga Solano and Francini Morales were the best scorers for Costa Rica with 13 and 12 points respectively and Marie Hadar and Mijal Hines added 9 and 8. Guatemala had Maria Estrada with 13 tallies. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 - Rodrigo Chavez recorded a match-high 30 points leading El Salvador to a five-set victory over Costa Rica in day one at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

The score was 25-27, 18-25, 27-25, 27-29, 15-8 in the duel that lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes. Erick Gonzalez and Carlos Serrano added 13 and 11 points to the winning effort and Luis Chavez contributed 8 points. More Spanish

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GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – The coaches of the teams participating in the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament praised Guatemala for hosting the event and most of them are aiming toward qualifying to the NORCECA 2010 Continental Tournament.

Rene Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, was grateful to the National Volleyball Federation of Guatemala for the organization of the event and predicted that at the end the winner will be the Central American Volleyball. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – The coaches of the six teams participating in the U-21 Central American Men’s Championship expressed their goals and ideas during a press conference held on Monday night.

Osman Hernandez, the coach of Nicaragua, was grateful to the event’s Organizing Committee for the re-edition of it, and said that his team is coming willing to battle against the sides of Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Carlos Funez, the coach of Honduras, also praised Guatemala for organizing the tournament and expressed. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 8, 2009 – The Fourth International Clinic of Beach Volleyball concluded successfully after two-day sessions with the participation of coaches and players from 16 countries.

The Clinic was conducted by Americans Christopher St. John Smith and Allison Wood Lamberson, two of the most worldwide renowned instructors. The event was organized by the FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic.During the closing ceremony, St. John Smith praised the desire and willingness to learn showed by the participants. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 7, 2009 – Costa Rica defeated El Salvador 25-12, 25-19, 25-11 to win the gold medal at the U-18 Girls’ Central American Championship. The Costa Ricans finished with a perfect 3-0 mark.

Tracy Fernandez, elected the MVP of the competition, led the winners with 17 points and Gabriela Arias added 11 tallies. Andrea Mazur had 9 points for El Salvador. In the other match of the day, Guatemala beat Nicaragua 25-14, 25-20, 25-13 to finish in second place. El Salvador ended with 1-2 record and Nicaragua was winless at 0-3. More Spanish

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