USA Men Hit the Road for World League

ANAHEIM, California, July 20, 2006.-  More Spanish

Cuba and Dominican Republic will play for the gold medal 

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 20, 2006.-  More Spanish

Cubans, Dominicans and Venezuelans unbeaten in Beach Volley

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 20, 2006.- More Spanish

Top-seeded pairs start with easy victories in Beach Volleyball

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 19, 2006.-  More Spanish 

Mexico and Puerto Rico complete the final four in Colombia

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 19, 2006.- More Spanish

Dominican Republic and Cuba to semi finals in Colombia

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 18, 2006.- More Spanish

Cuba and Dominican Republic are unbeaten in Colombia

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 17, 2006.- More Spanish

Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia  start with victories
CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 16, 2006.-  More Spanish

Brazil won the Pan American Cup with sensational blocking

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 7, 2006.-  More  Spanish 

Dominicans conquered the bronze with balanced attack

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 7, 2006.-More Spanish

Cuba will play Brazil for the gold medal

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- More Spanish 

Brazil dominated USA and advanced to the finals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- More Spanish

Puerto Rico blanked Peru and finished fifth

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- More  Spanish

Canada won a five-setter and finished in seventh place

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.-.More Spanish

USA sensational comeback to beat Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- More Spanish

Dominican Republic moved to semi finals and Grand Prix 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- More Spanish

Mexico beat Argentina and finished in 9th place

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.-More Spanish

Costa Rica qualified in 11th position

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- More Spanish

Dominican Republic stopped Puerto Rican streak

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.-More Spanish 

Cuba qualified for 2007 World Grand Prix

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- More Spanish

Americans finished second in Pool B

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- More Spanish

Brazil defeated Costa Rica

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- More Spanish

Gordon carried Canada to second triumph

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- More Spanish

Argentina got first victory in Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- More Spanish

Puerto Rico is unbeaten in four outings

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Puerto Rico improved its record to 4-0 in Pool A of the Pan American Cup with a triumph in straight sets over Costa Rica by score of 25-14, 25-20, 25-11. The taller Puerto Ricans used their size to establish a high wall at the net and also showed more experience than their Central Americans opponents. The Costa Ricans presented a good fight in the second set but the host team recovered from some serving problems and made an impressive comeback in the late stage. Karina Ocasio, Aury Cruz and Alexandra Oquendo had 14, 13 and 12 points respectively for Puerto Rico, and Verania Willis led Costa Rica with 11 points. Spanish

Cuba beat USA in duel of giants

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- The strong serves helped Cuba to win the battle between the two giants of NORCECA Confederation in defeating USA 3-1 to maintain the perfect record in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The score was 27-25, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24. Yaima Ortiz and Yumilka Ruiz, with 20 and 19 points, led five Cuban players in double figures. Nancy Carrillo had 12 and Zoila Barros and Daimi Ramirez each had 10.“We are almost in the Grand Prix but we had to battle against a very strong team like USA,” said Luis Felipe Calderon, the Cuban coach. Heather Bown and Nancy Metcalf each had 16 points and Katherine Wilkins and Tayyeba Haneef added 12 and 10 respectively. Spanish

Brazil had no signs of fatigue

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 206.- Less than 20 hours alter losing to Puerto Rico in five sets, Brazil played text book volleyball in their victory over Canada in straight sets by score of 25-22, 25-21, 25-12. The Brazilians came back fully recovered and established their game pattern. The Canadians battled during the first two sets but could not keep the rhythm in the last one. “The serves and the relation blocks, defense and counterattacks was pretty good today,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. Mari Steinbrecher was the top Brazilian scorer with 15 points, Fabiana Claudino followed with 12 and Valeska Menezes had 10. Stacey Gordon was the only Canadian in double digits and led all the scorers of the match with 16 points. Spanish

Dominicans relied on serves and blocks to beat México

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Dominican Republic relied on good blocking and serves to defeat Mexico 3-0 and improve to a 3-1 record in Pool A. One day after beating Canada in four sets, the Dominicans came back strong and dominated the first two sets but needed to work hard to prevail in the third. The score was 25-17, 25-16, 27-25. Cosiris Rodriguez, who had four serving aces, was the top scorer for Dominican Republic with 16 points. Milagros Cabral added 13 and Cindy Rondon scored 11, including four blocks. Claudia Rodriguez and Migdalel Ruiz each had 10 points for Mexico and Bibi Candelas added 9. “I feel good with the way the team performed today and I hope to have a good match tomorrow against Puerto Rico,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. Spanish

Peru finished Barbados in just 59 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Peru dominated Barbados in every phase of the game and had an easy win in the match of Pool B that lasted 59 minutes. The Peruvians blocked and played better defense than the Caribbean opponents and won by score of 25-18, 25-17, 25-21. The Bajans improved in the third set and showed their physical talent but could not match the experience of Peru. Natalia Romanova and Sara Joya led Peru with 13 and 10 points respectively and Yulissa Zamudio contributed with 9. For Barbados, Julia Lewis made 16 points and Shari Matthews added 12. Spanish

Venezuela prevailed in long match against Argentina

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- In a long battle of two young South Americans squads, Venezuela edged Argentina in five sets by score of 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 15-10. The stronger attack of the Venezuelans allowed them to prevail against the taller Argentineans. It was the second win for Venezuela against the same amount of losses and Argentina is still looking to taste the flavor of a victory. Desiree Glod and Jayce Andrade had 20 and 19 points respectively for Venezuela. Others in double figures were: Veronica Gomez (12), Jessica Paz (11) and Aleoscar Blanco (10). Yamila Nizetich led Argentina with 17 points and Antonela Bertolozzi, Marcela Re and Mirna Ansaldi had 12, 11 and 10. Spanish

Historic victory for Puerto Rico over Brazil

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Puerto Rico scored a historic victory over Brazil in a seesaw five-setter to maintain an unbeaten record in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. It was the first time ever that Puerto Rico defeated the Brazilian’s first team. The score was 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13. Karina Ocasio and Aury Cruz carried out the load of the Puerto Rican attack with 23 and 21 points and Alexandra Ocasio and Sheila Ocasio each scored 9. Mari Steinbrecher was the top Brazilian scorer with 22 points, followed by Fabiana Claudino with 16 and Valeska Menezes and Joyce Silva each with 12. “It was match of great intensity and I am very happy with the win, but the goal is to qualify for the World Grand Prix, and we still have two matches to play,” said Juan Carlos Nunez, the Puerto Rican coach. Jose Roberto Guimaraes, coach of Brazil, said: “It is the first time I have the chance to see Puerto Rico playing and is a good team. They blocked well at the key moments and we couldn’t execute our serves.” Spanish

Dominicans netted emotional triumph over Canada 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- The solid blocking carried out Dominican Republic to a emotional win over Canada in four sets of battle between these two sides competing in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Dominicans, backed by fellow countrymen living here, won by score of 26-24, 18-25, 25-13, 25-22 with veteran Cosiris Rodriguez leading the way with 19 points followed by 15 of Prisilla Rivera and 13 of Cindy Rondon. Rondon had 4 blocks and Bethania de la Cruz blocked for the last point of the tough contested match. Stacey Gordon led three Canadians in double figures with 17 points and Emily Cordonier and Lies Reimer scored 12 and 10 respectively. “The key was that we executed the blocks at the crucial moments and some of my players responded very well,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. “The match was won at the net with great defense.” More Spanish

Serve and block was the trademark of Cuba

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Cuba improved its record in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup to 3-0 with a victory in straight sets over Venezuela by score of  25-16, 25-17, 25-21. The blocking and serves of Cuba were the key ingredients for the win. The Cubans had 11 points in blocks and 8 aces. Venezuela showed flashes of brilliance but could not be consistent and the experience and athleticism of the Cubans marked the difference. Dulce Tellez and Zoila Barros had 13 and 11 points, and Yumilka Ruiz and Daimi Ramirez each had 7.  Tellez went 8-for-14 in killings attempts. For Venezuela Veronica Gomez scored 10 points and Jessica Paz followed with 9. Spanish

Mexico won for the first time

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Mexico recovered from losing the first set and defeated Costa Rica 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16) for its first victory in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Three veterans contributed to the success of Mexico who overcame a spectacular performance of Costa Rican’s captain Verania Willis. Claudia Rodriguez, Bibi Candelas and Yendy Cortinas scored 19, 18 and 10 points respectively while Willis was the only Costa Rican in double figures with 25 points. The Costa Ricans started very strong but could not keep the pace and the experience of the Mexicans was the factor to win the key points. Rodriguez was positive in 17 of 24 killing attempts and Candelas was 14-for-24. Willis had 23 spikes in 35 tries. Mexico now has a 1-2 record and Costa Rica fell to 0-3. Spanish

Peru is 2-1 after defeating Argentina

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- The spikes of Mirtha Uribe sent Peru to a victory over Argentina in four sets (25-20, 25-18, 29-31, 25-21). It was the second victory against one loss for the Peruvians –both against South Americans Teams- in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. They had beaten Venezuela the day before also in four sets. Uribe had 18 points and was helped in the attack by Patricia Soto and Natalia Romanova who had 14 and 12. Argentinean Mirna Ansaldi led all the scorers of the match with 20 points and Antonela Berttolozzi (17) and Marcela Re (11) also scored in double digits. Despite the win, Coach Carlos Aparicio was not completely satisfied with the performance of the Peruvians saying “they committed too many errors” but also gave credit to Argentina (0-3) which he considered a good rival. Spanish

USA beat Barbados in 54 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- USA needed just 54 minutes to score its third victory without losses in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup overwhelming Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11. Nancy Metcalf and Jane Collymore scored 12 and 11 points to lead the Americans. Coach Lang Ping used the match to test some new young players and rest some of the veterans in the team. Setter Samantha Tortorello, just out the college ranks, made her debut in the tournament replacing Robyn Ah Mow-Santos during the third set. Collymore landed 9 of her 13 spike attempts and Katherine Wilkins serves for 4 aces. Spanish

Brazilian towers blocked Mexican way

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The blocking of Brazil proved to be too strong for Mexico and the South Americans won for second time in as many days in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. In getting their victory, the Brazilians consumed only 62 minutes and Mexico suffered its second loss of the tournament. The score was 25-8, 25-12, 25-19. Fabiana Claudino and Thaisea Menezes, the two Brazilian towers, had five and three blocks respectively and Mari Steinbrecher led the offense with 14 points. Claudino finished with 13 points of her own and veteran Valeska Menezes ended with 12, including a couple by blocks. Spanish

Cindy Rondon led easy Dominican triumph

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The Dominican Republic had an easy victory over Costa Rica in straight sets (25-12, 25-11, 25-19) and evened its record in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Coach Miguel Beato Cruz rotated his players in the lopsided match and everyone saw action in the contest of only 66 minutes.Cindy Rondon and Annerys Vargas, the only who played in the three sets, led the scoring with 15 and 11 points. Rondon had a 70 percent of effectiveness in the attack with 12 kills in 17 tries and she also served for two aces. Nurys Arias, Milagros Cabral and Cosiris Rodriguez had 8, 7 and 6 respectively for the Dominicans and  Angela Willis was the best scorer of Costa Rica with 10 points. Spanish

Finesse of Peru bested Venezuelan power

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The power of Venezuela was not enough to prevail in a close battle, and a more controlled Peru at the key moments won the duel between South American rivals by score of 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21 in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Peruvians took advantage of the opponents’ mistakes but also showed offensive poise with Patricia Soto and Luren Baylon leading their side with 18 and 17 points respectively and Natalia Romanova chipping in 13. Five Venezuelan scored in double figures with Desiree Glod and Jayce Andrade with 17 and 16 points and Veronica Gomez, Jessica Paz and Aleoscar Blanco with 12, 11 and 10. Spanish

Cuba beat Barbados in just 52 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- Cuba once again was very effective in the attack landing 41 of 68 attempts needing only 52 minutes to beat Barbados. Rosir Calderon and Daimi Ramirez each had 13 points and Kenia Carcaces added 10 for Cuba, while Shari Matthews scored 8 for Barbados. Ramirez was positive in 9 of 14 killing attempts and Carcaces scored in 8 out of 14 times.Cuba also showed its blocking and service talent with 8 and 7 points in those scoring categories, with Nancy Carrillo serving for 3 aces Spanish Pic: Rosir Calderón (CUB)

Puerto Rico and Cuba won in first day of action

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- Host team Puerto Rico recovered from losing the first set and defeated Mexico 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19) in Pool A, with the big help from two pairs of siblings. Aury and Eva Cruz totaled 41 points with Aury leading all the scorers with 22 and Eva coming from the bench to add 19. Other two sisters in the Puerto Rican team, Sheila and Karina Ocasio had 12 and 11 respectively. Claudia Rodriguez had 13 points for Mexico and Bibi Candelas added 9. In the final match of Pool B, Cuba blanked Argentina in only 59 minutes by score of 25-19, 25-12, 25-16. Zoila Barros and Daimí Ramirez had 14 and 12 points respectively to lead the powerful Cuban offense. Barros was effective in 9 out of eleven spike attempts and Ramirez landed 8 out of 11. Melisa Callo and Antonela Bertolozzi each had 8 points for Argentina. Spanish

Brazil beat Dominican Republic with effective blocking

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- Brazil beat Dominican Republic 3-1 using good blocking and taking advantage of the mistakes committed by its rival, especially in reception and serves. The score was 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19.Fabiana Claudino was effective in 11 of 22 attacks and added six blocks to lead the Brazilians with 17 points. Three other teammates had double figures with Marianne Steinbrecher, Renata Colombo and Caroline Gattaz adding 16, 14 and 10 respectively. Milagros Cabral was the top scorer for the Dominicans with 17 points, Cosiris Rodriguez had 11, Annerys Vargas 10 and Prisilla Rivera 8 points. “I knew the match was going to be tough,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. “I am very happy with our reception and blocking but not with our counterattacks. More Spanish

USA defeated Peru 3-0 in the first match of Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- USA defeated Peru 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20) in the first match of Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix. Heather Bown scored 13 points and Nancy Metcalf and Tayyiba Haneef each added 12 to lead the American attack. Captain Patricia Soto had 10 points and was the only Peruvian in double figures. “We had a slow start but our offense improved with the match,” said Lang Ping, the American coach. “We still need to keep working in our defensive game.” “We made our debut this year and while I am not satisfied with the result, I feel good because we are going to reach our goal of getting the team together,” said Carlos Aparicio, the coach of Peru. In the first match of Pool A, Venezuela crushed Barbados 3-0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-7) with captain Jayce Andrade leading the scorers with 10 points and Veronica Gomez and Suyika Oropeza cooperating to the offense with 9 points each. In the second match of the same pool, Canada defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-6) with the North Americans dominating their rivals both in technique and size. Spanish

Women’s Pan Am Cup begin today in Puerto Rico 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- The Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup starts today in the capital of Puerto Rico and eight of the twelve teams participating are already qualified for the next World Championships in Japan. “That says a lot about the high level of this competition where twelve squads are beginning the battle to qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix, but also shaping up their teams for the Worlds in Japan,” said Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA during his welcome words to the participants of the General Technical Meeting prior to the event. “What we are having in Puerto Rico is like a preview of the Teams from the Americas in route to the World Championships,” said Marte. “So, all the people in love with our sport have the chance to watch the action here before it takes place in Japan next November.”“Never, during the past four editions, we had such quality players and teams,” said Marte. “It guarantees a spectacular show of volleyball for the next ten days and the fans of Puerto Rico deserve it.” More Spanish

USA is playing in Puerto Rico but focusing in Japan 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- USA will test new setter and libero during the Pan American Women’s Cup that begin here on Thursday, announced coach Lang Ping. In her second year coaching the American Team, the former Chinese star announced that a new group of players from the college ranks will receive here the opportunity to learn how to deal with the pressure of the international competitions. On the eve of the start of the tournament, most of the coaches adopted the position of “wait and see” and “playing one game at a time.” However, the general feeling of those attending the meeting with the media was that the coaches of the big teams are focusing on the later part of the year and using the present as a laboratory to test new formulas. More Spanish...Click Picture to enlarge

They are good looking girls seeking for a medal

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 28, 2006.- Their goal is to step up one notch higher than last year and qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix. Only that yesterday, they appeared more ready to enter a beauty pageant. The Puerto Rican Women’s National Team was introduced to the media on Tuesday during a press conference organized by its National Federation two days before the start of the competition at the Fifth Pan American Cup. And dressed with casual and somehow attractive attire, the slender members of the team looked more like models preparing for a fashion show than the good athletes they actually are. But even with all the necklaces, earpieces, rings and suggestive skirts, they pronounced themselves ready for the ultimate gem. Aury Cruz, the captain of the team, talked about their objectives of finishing among the top three teams of NORCECA Confederation and thus qualifying for the next year’s World Grand Prix, the premier annual women’s competition of FIVB. More Spanish

Puerto Rico trained in Spain and Mexico for Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 27, 2006.- Following two weeks of intensive training in Spain, the Puerto Rican National Team went to Monterrey, Mexico for its final phase of preparation for the Fifth Pan American Cup. In their last match against the Mexican Team, the Puerto Ricans won 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 25-17) with Shannon Torregrosa as the top scorer with 15 points, followed by Alexandra Oquendo and Aury Cruz with 13 and 12 points respectively. Claudia Rodriguez was the best Mexican with 12. In other news, Graciela Marquez, well known in Puerto Rico where she studies and plays, will be part of the team of Venezuela for the first time since the 2003 Pan American Games.It was also announced that Stacey Gordon, who plays in the Puerto Rican League, will play for the first time with the Canadian Team. Other members of Team Canada are Melissa Raymond, Anne Marie Lemieux and Annie Levesque. The new coach is Japanese Naoki Miyashita. Spanish

Yumilka and Zoila lead Cuban Team to Pan Am Cup

HAVANA, Cuba June 27, 2006.- Led by Olympian Champions Yumilka Ruiz and Zoila Barros, Cuba will take part in the Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico starting Friday, looking for the qualification for the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Cuban side, which is scheduled to travel to San Juan today, is in Pool A with Argentina, Barbados, Estados Unidos, Peru and Venezuela. The Pool B is formed by Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Ruiz and Barros, stellar attackers of Cuba, are the only veterans of the triumph during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The rest of the team is completed by attackers Rosir Calderon, Yaima Ortiz and Kenia Carcases, midle blockers Nancy Carrillo, Rachel Sanchez and Dulce María Téllez, setters  Daimi Ramirez, Anniara Munoz and Gisselle Cabrera, and the libero Lisbet Arredondo. Eugenio George, the Cuban coach, explained to the media on Monday that “the group followed a preparation that will take us in good shape to Puerto Rico and Cartagena (Central American and Caribbean Games).” George, who coached the team to three Olympic titles in 1992, 1996 and 2000, along a bronze medal in 2004, considered “beneficial” the friendly matches placed last week with Dominican Republic. Spanish

Cosiris Rodriguez optimistic for Pan American Cup

HAVANA, Cuba, June 26, 2006.- The team work and the winning  attitude will be key factors for the Dominican Republic Women’s Team during the Fifth Pan American Cup starting in San Juan, Puerto Rico next Thursday 29 and the Central American and Caribbean Games next July in Colombia, said the team’s captain. Cosiris Rodriguez said that her team has just completed a week of preparation in Cuba prior to the Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Dominicans play in Pool B with Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Pool A consists of Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, USA, Peru and Venezuela. “We played seven friendly matches against the Cubans which are our main opponents in our area. That was very beneficial, it helps us to improve and attain good cohesion,” said the 28 years-old attacker. “The strength of the team is the attitude, the disposition, the unity and the desire to obtain a title,” added Rodriguez. More Spanish

Canada giving assistance to Costa Rica

WINNIPEG, Canada, June 26, 2006.- The Manitoba Therapists Association is donating medical equipment to be used by the Women’s Costa Rican National Team, that will participate in the Fifth Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico and also in the World Championships in Japan. Dr. Lorne Sawula, who is coaching the Costa Ricans under an agreement between the NORCECA’s Confederation and the FIVB, said this assistance will continue until the big event in Japan. The veteran coach also informed that Team Canada is donating 12 pair of ankle braces to the Central American squad and also mini-volleyball posters and videos for the promotion of the sport in Costa Rica. Dr. Sawula also informed that contacts have been made with manufacturer Asics, who will help the entire team with new shoes and equipment when they arrive to Tokyo for prior to the Worlds. Spanish

U.S. Men return to action against Argentina

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 21, 2006.- The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, fresh off its victory at the Pan American Cup, will return to action this week in Tucuman, Argentina, for a five-game exhibition series against the host country. Leading the American squad are 10 players who helped win the inaugural Pan American Cup in Mexicali, Mexico, earlier this month including Brook Billings, Phil Eatherton, Rich Lambourne y David Lee. Pan Am Cup gold medalists Ryan Millar, James Polster, Reid Priddy, Riley Salmon y Donald Suxho are also on the team. Other players making the trip include Gabe Gardner, Kevin Hansen and Christopher Tamas. The Americans, who swept the series last summer, departed on June 20 for Argentina. The action starts June 22 with a match in Tucuman, Argentina. The teams face-off again in Santiago Del Estero (June 23), in La Rioja (June 24), and in Buenos Aries (June 26) before wrapping-up the series in Bolivar (June 27). Spanish

USA Women’s National Team Prepares for Pan American Cup COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 16, 2006.- Entering into the second year of the Olympic Quadrennial, USA Women’s National Team Head Coach “Jenny” Lang Ping will be looking to expand on the late-season successes of 2005, her first year with the team. The next competition step will be the V Pan American Cup, to be held June 27-July 8 at Puerto Rico. Lang Ping and her staff are still working on the final roster for the Pan American Cup, but she said many of the younger players will be given an opportunity to play. “It will be a hard decision to set the roster,” Lang Ping said. “We need to give the young players a chance to play, and for many of the players just out of the university system, it will be their first international experience.” Potentially, the American roster for the Pan American Cup at Puerto Rico could have as many as five players who competed in the 2004 Olympics. Outside hitter Tayyiba Haneef , opposite Nancy Metcalf , setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, middle blocker Heather Bown and middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman all competed in the last Olympics. More Spanish

Dominicans and Cubans training and playing in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba, June 19, 2006.- The Dominican Republic Women’s National Team is training and playing here along with their Cuban counterparts in preparation for the next Fifth Pan American Cup and the Twentieth Central American and Caribbean Games. Dominicans and Cubans are qualified for the 2006 World Championships, so these tournaments are also part of their camp toward the quadrennial event. Both sides are formed by well known international players and young athletes with ample projections. The teams are carrying out training sessions in the morning and playing during the afternoons. Last Friday, the Cubans prevailed in three of four sets and on Saturday the sides split two sets apiece. During the past five years Cuba and Dominican Republic have sustained a big rivalry in women’s volleyball. Spanish

Dominican Elvis Contreras was elected as MVP

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 11, 2006.- Dominican Elvis Contreras, whose lightning spikes contributed to a total of 117 points, was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup won by USA. Besides the MVP trophy, Contreras received a plaque as the top scorer of the competition. He was joined in the All-Star Team by teammates Cristian Cruz as best setter and Carlos Velazquez as best libero. Mexican Jose Martell was the best spiker and American Richard Lambourne made the team as best defender. Canadian Murray Grapentine was the best blocker and Cuban Rolando Junquin was the awarded as the best server. During the closing ceremony, the Organizing Committee and the Mexican Volleyball Federation presented a plaque to Mexican referee Fernando Nava for his long and successful international career. Spanish

USA defeated Dominican Republic and won the gold medal

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 11, 2006.- USA recovered from losing the first set and won the gold medal of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball up defeating the Dominican Republic by score of 17-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-23. Both teams qualified to the Americas Cup to be held in Venezuela next September. Bronze medallist Canada also won a ticket to compete in that event. David McKienzie led the Americans with 16 points followed by Riley Salmon with 10. Phillip Eatherton, Ryan Miller and William Priddy cooperated with 9, 8 and 7 respectively. Dominican Jose Caceres was the top scorer of the match with 24 points, Elvis Contreras had 12 and Eury Almonte 9. “The Dominican Republic is a very improved team and we had to battle for this win,” said the American coach, Hugh McCutcheon. “We had the fortune of having some experienced players who were vital in the late part of the sets. I am very happy being the champions and this is a good start of our season.” Julio Frias, the Dominican coach said: “We are satisfied with the second place. USA is a great team and we gave 100 percent to battle against them. We changed our attack pattern and they still could block very well. Congratulations to them and to my players.” More Spanish  

Canada won the bronze medal in Pan Am Cup

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 11, 2006.- Canada won the bronze medal of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup with a victory over Mexico in straight sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-22). The win gave the Canadians a ticket to the next America’s Cup to be held in Venezuela in September. Louis-Pierre Mainville and Pascal Cardinal each had 13 points for Canada and Fred Winters added 10. Mexican Jose Martell led all the scorers of the match with 18 points. “Today the blocking was the key for us and I am satisfied with the third place,” said Glenn Hoag, the Canadian coach. “But my goal here as new coach was to know more about my players and now with this experience we can go back home and correct our mistakes in game situations.” The solid spikes of Louis-Pierre Mainville, who scored eight points, cleared the road to Canada in the first set. Mario Becerra maintained the Mexicans alive in a set where the Canadians led 8-4 and 16-12 during the pauses. Fred Winters broke a 12-12 tie with a spike and Scott Koskie followed with a couple of blocks and Canada took the second set establishing a high wall. Chris Meehan finished out with a big block. Mexico led 8-7 at the first pause of the third set, but Canada quickly took command of the score behind the spikes of Chris Meehan and the rest was history. Spanish

Dominican Republic to meet USA for the gold in Pan Am Cup

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 10, 2006.- The Dominican Republic will meet USA in the finals of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup as a result of its victory over  Mexico in the semi final round by score of 26-24, 25-20, 25-23. Jose Caceres led the Dominican attack with 22 points (18 spikes, two blocks and two aces) and Elvis Contreras and Eury Almonte had 13 and 11 respectively. Jose Martell (21) and Mario Becerra (10) were the Mexicans in double figures. “The close matches of Dominican Republic and Mexico are a tradition and the score 3-0 does not say the true about the game,” said Julio Frias, the Dominican coach. “I am very satisfied with the result and on Sunday we will give 110 percent against USA.” “We are playing better now that we have left behind us some matches,” said Caceres. “We are very pleased with the qualification for the America’s Cup.” Spikes by Martell and Irving Bricio gave Mexico the lead 8-7 and 16-15 at the technical time-outs of the first set, while Caceres kept the Dominican team close. At 20-all, the Dominicans took a two-point lead after two Mexican errors and were ahead 24-22 when Mexico saved two set points with a spike by Martell and a block by Araujo. A touch by Caceres and a spike off the antenna by Mexican Araujo defined the set. The spikes and serves of  Caceres paved the way to the Dominicans who led 8-7 and 16-11 in the second set. Eury Almonte was also a big contributor to the Dominican attack. Caceres continued pounding spikes in the third set, but Mexico responded hit by hit against the wall with Martell as its biggest contributor. At the end, Caceres won the duel. Pic: Jose Caceres (DOM) Spanish

USA moves to the gold medal match

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 10, 2006.- USA advanced to the gold medal match of the First Men’s Pan American  Volleyball Cup in defeating Canada in straight sets by score of 25-23, 26-24, 25-19. James Polster and Brook Billings, with 17 and 13 points respectively, were the top scorers of USA while Dallas Soonias and Fred Winters had 13 and 12 for Canada. “We are starting our season and the teams were not able to play their best volleyball,” said Hugh McCutcheon, the USA coach. “We were fortunate to make a couple of plays at the end of the first two sets.” “Now we are n the finals of this event and we are going to play as hard as we can to take the title,” he added. Glenn Hoag, the Canadian coach said: “At a global level we are not able to compete against a team like USA. We need to go back home and focus on building our confidence.” USA led 8-6 and 16-9 in the first set relying on the attack of veteran William Priddy, but several unforced errors mixed with a good reaction by Canada led by Fred Winters conduced to a tie-up at 22. But after 23-all, American Polster attacked and served for the set. The second set was a battle from start to finish and neither of the teams had a lead of more than one point until USA went ahead 20-18. Canada came back to even the score at 24 but a spike by Billings followed by a big block by David Lee gave the triumph to USA. The combination of Polster and Billings worked very smooth in the third set when the Americans also played great defence at the net and won relatively easy. Spanish

Cuba defeated Panama and finished in fifth place

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 10, 2006.-  Cuba finished in the fifth position at the First Men’s Pan American Cup with an easy win over Panama in straight sets by score of 25-17, 25-11, 25-17. Raidel Delgado was the top Cuban scorer with 13 points, Pedro Ruiz and Yadier Sanchez each had 10 and Rolando Junquin added 9. Edward Diaz had 10 for Panama. The spikes and blocking of Pedro Ruiz sent Cuba to the victory in the first set. As expected, the Cubans dominated their less experienced opponents in every aspect of the game. It was a repeated story in the second set, this time with Rolando Junquin leading the Cuban side with solid hitting and blocking. Yadier Sanchez led the Cuban strong offence in the third set and finished the match with a subtle winner touch that landed in the Panamanian side.Spanish

Trinidad & Tobago beat Panama and qualified in sixth place

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 10, 2006.- Trinidad & Tobago defeated Panama in four sets and qualified in sixth place at the First Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup. With the victory (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17), the Trinidadians avenged a loss to Panama during the NORCECA Second Round of the 2006 World Championships suffered in Havana, Cuba last year. Captain Nolan Tash scored 27 points –the most by a player in a single game so far- leading four Trinidadians in double figures. Tash had 22 spikes and five serving aces. Sean Morrison followed with 15 and Jessel Davis and Marc Honore each had 11. Domingo Avila was the best scorer for Panama with 13 points. Spanish

Historic victory for Dominican Republic over Cuba

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 9, 2006.- The Dominican Republic achieved a historic triumph by defeating Cuba in four sets (25-23, 28-26, 21-25, 25-20) during the quarterfinals of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. It was the first victory of a Dominican men’s team over Cuba in the last 44 years, with the previous one attained at the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Jamaica in 1962. Elvis Contreras and Jose Caceres scored 26 and 23 points respectively leading the Dominican attack with Eury Almonte adding 9. Raidel Gonzalez was the top Cuban scorer with 18 points and Yadier Sanchez added 14. “I know this triumph is going to make happy a lot of people in our country,” said Julio Frias, the Dominican coach. “We have defeated a very powerful team.” “Our reception was good and it allowed us to set the attack, and we also served better tonight,” he added. “The team had an extra motivation playing against Cuba and we entered the court with a lot of determination,” said Contreras. “They are a young team but with great quality and very talented.” More Spanish

Canada advanced to a semis match against USA

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 9, 2006.- Canada advanced to a semi final match against United States at the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup with an easy victory over Panama in straight sets by score of 25-14, 25-15, 25-19.  Canadian coach Glenn Hoag rotated his players and got a balanced attack with Brett Youngberg as the only scorer in double figures with 10. Christian Bernier, Dallas Soonias and Fred Winters each had 7 points, and Louis-Pierre Mainville, Pascal Cardinal, Murray Grapentine and Chris Meehan each scoring 6 points. Panamanian Jose Cunningham led his team with 8. “They (USA) are a very stable team and I think for us is a matter of getting more fluid,” said Hoag in anticipation of the Saturday’s match. “I am looking forward to have a good competition but we still need to work in our rhythm and combinations.” Canada took the lead 8-2 in the first set, but Panama reacted and won the next eight points with the spikes of Jose Cunningham. However, the Canadians grabbed the lead back behind the offence and blocking of Murray Grapentine and Brett Youngberg and were ahead 16-10 at the second pause. The services by Fred Winters did the rest of the damage. In the second set, the Canadians led 8-6 and 16-11 at the technical time-outs with big production from Winters. Then Louis-Pierre Mainville came from the bench providing solid blocks. The third set was not different than the previous two with Canada using mostly bench players but getting more or less the same results Spanish

USA moves to semi finals with victory over Cuba in five sets 

TIJUANA, Baja California, June 7, 2006.- USA defeated Cuba in five sets advancing to the semi finals of the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. The score was 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 15-9. The Americans joined Mexico in the semi finals while Cuba will meet Dominican Republic and Panama will play Canada in the next round. David McKienzie was the top scorer of USA with 16 points, William Priddy had 15, Phillip Eatherton 11 and Riley Salmon chipped in 9 points. Cuban Rolando Junquin was the best scorer of the match with 19 points, Yohan Llanes added 15, Yadier Sanchez and Darien Garcia each had 12 and Jesus Cruz produced 9 points. Thursday will be a rest day and the action resumes on Friday with the quarterfinals in Mexicali. Spanish

Mexico triumphed again in a five-setter

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 7, 2006.- Jose Martell scored five points in the tie-breaker and Mexico won a second five-setter in as many days by defeating Dominican Republic 23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-21, 15-12, in the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. With the victory the host Mexicans advanced to the semi final phase as winners of Pool A with a 3-0 record. Ivan Contreras was the top scorer of Mexico with 24 points and Martell and Gustavo Meyer contributed with 18 and 12 respectively. Dominicans Elvis Contreras and Jose Caceres had 27 and 26 points and Eury Almonte added 12. “The matches against Dominican Republic are always a battle and this was not the exception,” said Jorge Azair, the Mexican coach. More Spanish

Canada displayed high attack and block 

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 7, 2006.- Canada came back strong after playing five sets the night before and blanked Trinidad & Tobago 25-17, 25-9, 25-19 displaying its power game. Fred Winters and Christian Bernier each scored 10 points as leaders of the Canadian attack and Pascal Cardinal added 9. Trinidadian Nolan Tash led all the scorers with 15 points. “We are still working on many things but we came focused to execute,” said Glenn Hoag, the Canadian coach. “We respect every team and Trinidad has many good individual players who need to gain consistency.” “Canada gave us a lot of problems with the blocking in the second set,” said Gideon Dickson, the coach of Trinidad & Tobago. “Definitely it is very important for us to compete at this level against teams like Canada.” The spikes of Cardinal and Bernier gave Canada leads of 8-5 and 16-9 during the technical time-outs of the first set and the high attack of the Canadians was too much for the Trinidadians. In the second set, it was the high wall of Canada’s blocking that caused problems to their opponents. After a 8-2 start, the Canadians kept the pressure until the end Despite an early resistance that saw the Trinidadians evened at 11 in the third set, the Canadians maintained the consistency of their attack and blocking and eventually won the match. Spanish

Dominican Republic evens its record 

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 6, 2006.- The Dominican Republic overcame a slow start and defeated Trinidad & Tobago in straight sets evening its record in the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. After losing to Canada on the opening day, the Dominicans came back and beat the Trinidadians 26-24, 25-16, 25-20 with Elvis Contreras, Jose Caceres and Eury Almonte contributing with 13, 12 and 8 points respectively. Nolan Tash had 11 points for Trinidad & Tobago (1-2). “We had problems with our reception in the first set,” said Julio Frias, the Dominican coach, “but from the second set on, we definitely improved that part of our game and made some key adjustments.” Gideon Dickson, the coach of Trinidad & Tobago: “This is a new beginning for our team. We are a team under development and we are learning with each match. More Spanish

Mexico edged Canada in sensational match

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 6, 2006.- Mexico edged Canada in a five-set thriller with captain Ivan Contreras spiking for the last point of the sensational match in the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. The final score was 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 14-25, 21-19 and Mexico improved its record to 2-0 in Pool A. Canada is tied with Dominican Republic in second place with 1-1. Contreras led four Mexican in double figures with 21 points. Jose Martell and Carlos Guerra each added 15 and Gustavo Meyer had 11. Pascal Cardinal was the best Canadian with 21 points, Steve Brinkman scored 16 and Dallas Soonias added 15. “We had not beaten Canada in a long time, so it is a great triumph,” said Jorge Azair, the Mexican coach, “We have a group of players with experience from the European Leagues, like Ivan, Guerra and Meyer with a winning mentality. What we need is more support and to have them more time together.” “Ivan is a great player and he provides leadership to his younger teammates,” said Glenn Hoag, the Canadian coach. “He is very consistent and Mexico played well and deserved the victory.” More Spanish

Cuba beat Panama in one hour

TIJUANA, Baja California, June 6, 2006.- Cuba made an impressive debut in the First Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup needing just one hour to defeat Panama in straight sets (25-10, 25-16, 25-16), preparing the stage for the match against USA on Wednesday. Rolando Junquin, Yohan Llanes and Osmany Camejo were the top scorers for the Cuban side with 13, 10 and 9 points respectively. Llanes was positive in 8 of 10 killing attempts while Camejo landed 7 out of 9. Junquin was particularly effective with his serves totalling six aces. Jose Cunningham was the best for Panama with 7 points. Camejo and libero Gustavo Alvarez were the only Cuban players who saw action during the three sets while coach Ramon Lawrence utilized all his personnel. Spanish

Mexico started with the right foot

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 5, 2006.- Mexico started the Men’s Pan American Cup with the right foot blanking Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-14) relying on the experience and better technique. Ivan Contreras and Jose Martell, with 14 and 10 points respectively, led Mexico and Carlos Guerra and Victor Porras each added 9. Sean Morrison was the best for Trinidad with 9 points. “It was a real surprise to see Trinidad to play at the level they showed tonight,” said Jorge Azair, the Mexican coach. “They played a great first set and deserve my congratulations.” “We need to make some adjustments in our team with the players like Contreras, Meyer and Guerra who just reported to the squad, but I am confident we will improve as the tournament progresses,” he added. More Spanish

Baja California to host U-18 and U-19 World Championships next year

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 5, 2006.- The 2007 Youth Volleyball World Championships, in both genders, will be held in Baja California, Mexico. The announcement was made by Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of the NORCECA Confederation, during the opening ceremony of the First Men’s Pan American Cup. “On behalf of Doctor Ruben Acosta Hernandez, president of the FIVB, I am honoured to announce the decision to grant Baja California the rights to host those events as a recognition to the excellence of Baja California, and its authorities, as sports events organizers,” said Marte. “Thirty two teams from the five continents will be here next year to compete in the U-18 and U-19 World Championships,” Marte added. “You have demonstrated with your hard work the capability to stage those great championships.” Marte stated that the Women’s Pan American Cup is the biggest volleyball continental event and was born in Baja California. “Here we are starting this men’s cup that will be held in Baja California for its three first editions and I am sure it is going to follow the steps of the women’s cup,” said Marte. The Governor of Baja California, Mr. Eugenio Elorduy Walther, pronounced the event formally inaugurated in the presence of Mr. Samuel Ramos, Municipal President of BC and Professor Alejandro Salinas, president of the Mexican Volleyball Federation. Spanish

Canadians’s blocking was the key in their first win

MEXICALI, Baja California, June 5, 2006.- Canada recovered from a slow start and defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-18) during the first match of the inaugural Men’s Pan American Cup. The bigger Canadians dominated the game at the net, building up a high wall that created a lot of problems to the Dominicans. Fred Winters led Canada with 20 points followed by Pascal Cardinal and Steve Brinkman with 14 and 11 respectively. Elvis Contreras led all the scorers with 26 points but he was the only Dominican in double figures. “We improved our serves after the first set and that contributed to our better blocking,” said Murray Grapentine, the captain of Canada.  More Spanish

USA needed 54 minutes to beat Panama

TIJUANA, Baja California, June 5, 2006.- USA only needed 54 minutes to defeat Panama 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-8) in the first match of Pool B of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup. The Americans, currently number five on the FIVB World Rankings, overmatched their opponents in size, experience and playing techniques. The NORCECA’s continental champions are considered the favourite to win the tournament with Canada and Cuba rated as their biggest opponents. Brook Billings was the top scorer for USA with 9 points followed by James Polster with 9. During the third set of the lopsided match, American coach Hugh McCutcheon used his reserve players with the same or even better results. USA rest on Tuesday and the Panamanians face Cuba in Pool B. Meanwhile, in Mexicali, the Dominican Republic (0-1) meet Trinidad & Tobago (0-1) while Canada and Mexico, both winners on Monday, play in Pool A. Spanish

Seven Teams begin the battle in Men’s Volleyball Pan American Cup

MEXICALI, México, June 5, 2006.- Seven teams begin today the battle in the inaugural Men’s Volleyball Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the America’s Cup to be held in Venezuela next September. USA, Canada and Cuba, teams in preparation for the next World Championships in Japan, will be facing the competition of sides from Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago. “This is the start of great things for the men in Norceca,” said Mr. Cristobal Marte during his words of welcome at the general technical meeting. “As it has been the case with the women’s Pan American Cup, we hope to achieve the same success with this event.” Canada will meet Dominican Republic and Mexico will face Trinidad & Tobago in Mexicali in Pool A, while USA will play against Panama in Tijuana. More Spanish

Coaches of Canada and USA are optimistic in Pan Am Cup

MEXICALI, Mexico, June 5, 2006.- USA and Canada are considered the favourite teams in the First Men’s Pan American Cup starting today in Mexicali and Tijuana, the two main cities in the State of Baja California. Both teams are using this competition as part of their platform toward the World Championships next November in Japan and their coaches sounded very optimistic while talking to the media on the eve of the start of the action. “This is the start of our international season and a good competition to begin our preparation for the next World Championships,” said Glenn Hoag, the recently hired Canadian coach. “We hope to have good matches and to perform.” Hugh McCutcheon, the American coach born in New Zealand, said this will be a very busy summer season for the USA squad. “We are very happy to be here competing against good teams and I hope this tournament will be of good help for our preparation for the World League and the World Championships. It is also our goal to qualify for the America’s Cup.” Cuba will be represented in the event by a young squad which includes a couple of players that are also in their roster for the World League. More Spanish

Marte condemns violations by former employee

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 2, 2006.- The President of NORCECA Confederation, Mr. Cristobal Marte, condemned today the violations committed by a former staff member of FIVB as well as his lack of loyalty and honesty toward the organization. “The conduct of Mr. Jean-Pierre Seppey during his tenure as General Manager of FIVB, clearly shows an unforgivable typical case of betrayal of trust, and his erratic actions, after his abusive mismanagement was discovered, are both unacceptable and repulsive.” The statement was made on Friday by Mr. Marte, President of the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation, following a press release made public by FIVB related with the numerous financial dealings made by Mr. Seppey for his personal benefits.“The way Mr. Seppey conducted himself while managing the operations of FIVB was in contrast with the obligations and moral principles as General Manager,” said Mr. Marte from the NORCECA’s headquarters in Santo Domingo. At the same time, the President of NORCECA fully supports the decision adopted by the Board of Administration regarding the absurd aspiration of its former employee to preside the FIVB. Spanish

The  FIVB  Board  of  Administration  (representing  31 countries) rejects all challenges by its former General Manager

Lausanne,  1  June  2006  -  The  Board  of  Administration  of  the  International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has rejected a series of challenges by its former General Manager, Jean- Pierre  Seppey,  including  claims  for damages  for  unfair dismissal.    Following  the  recent meetings  of  its  Executive  Committee  and Board  of Administration,  the  FIVB  has  also declared  inadmissible  Mr  Seppey’s personal  candidature  for  the  FIVB Presidency  and rejected Mr Seppey’s claims for commissions on the sale of TV and marketing rights. The FIVB has also demanded reimbursement by Mr Seppey of FIVB funds that he had spent without any justification or benefit to the sports of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.  The FIVB notes that it has since tightened its financial controls to prevent such abuses arising in future and to ensure the necessary transparency to facilitate earlier detection of any questionable payments. The  FIVB  confirms  that  Mr  Seppey’s  name  will  not  be  among the 47  candidates  going forward for elections at this year’s World Congress, as his personal candidature for the post of  President  was not  supported  by  an  affiliated  National  Federation. More Spanish

Canadian Teams to host Japan and Poland in June and July

WINNIPEG, Canada, June 1, 2006.- The Team Canada Volleyball Centre has recently confirmed its next series of international volleyball matches being hosted in Manitoba this June and July. The Team Canada Women are up next as they host Japan's 'Takefuji Bamboo' Professional Team for a series of exhibition matches June 10-13. These matches will be the final competitive preparation for the women prior to their participation in the 2006 Pan American Cup in San Juan Puerto Rico, June 27 - July 7. The Team Canada Men will then be hosting Poland for a two game series on July 10 and 11. Both games are scheduled at the Investors Group Athletic Centre at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. For the Canadian Men, these matches will complete the first competitive phase of the 2006 season after competing at the inaugural Men's Pan Am Cup in Mexico, June 3-10, the Hubert Wagner Tournament in Poland June 25-29 and an exhibition tour of Spain from July 3-8. Spanish

Ruiz and Barros lead Cuban roster

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 2, 2006.- Yumilka Ruiz and Zoila Barros head the list of the Cuban National Team that will be defending the crown at the Fifth Pan American Cup to be held in San Juan from June 29 to July 7. Ruiz has taken part in 25 World Championships’ matches and 23 Olympic Games’ contests, while Barros has the experience of 20 and 15 respectively. Cuba has won three of the previous four editions of the Pan American Cup (2002, 2004 and 2005) and USA took the title in 2003 and finished second in ’02 and ’04. The Dominican Republic lost the finals to USA in 2003 and also finished second last year in Santo Domingo. The rest of the Cuban squad is completed by Ana Yilian Cleger, Nancy Carrillo, Yenisei Diaz, Liannes Catañeda, Daimí Ramírez, Lisbet Arredondo, Yahima Ortiz, Rachel Sánchez, Yusleidy Herrera, Liana Mesa, Rosir Calderón, Anniara Munoz, Kenia Carcaces, Yusidey Silie, Nataly Grillan and Dulce Maria Tellez. The Cubans are expected to be the first team to arrive on June 25 to play several exhibition matches against the Puerto Rican team.Spanish 

Puerto Rico continues preparation for Women’s Pan American Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 31, 2006.- Five players with playing experience in the European Leagues will be part of the Puerto Rican National Team that will compete as host team during the Women’s Pan American Cup to be held here on June 29-July 7. The siblings Eva and Aury Cruz and Sheila and Karina Ocasio are the leaders of the National Team joined by Yarleen Santiago. Shannon Torregrosa, Jetzabel del Valle, Tatiana Encarnacion, Vilmarie Mojica, Glorimar Ortega, Alexandra Oquendo, Sarai Alvarez and Vanessa Velez are back with the team. Setter Dolly Melendez is making a comeback after several years of absence. She was part of the Puerto Rican Team that finished in tenth place during the 2002 World Championships. The team is training daily under the supervision of coaches Juan Carlos Nunez and Jorge Perez Vento. Puerto Rico finished in the fifth position during the 2005 edition of the Pan American Cup, the best result ever for the team in the young history of the Pan American Cup. On June 7, the team will depart to Azerbaijan where they will playing an invitational tournament and will be back in the island on June 21 ready to battle for a qualification to the 2007 World Grand Prix during the Pan American Cup. Spanish

Cuba finished second to China in Beilun Cup

NINGBO, China, May 31, 2006.- Cuba finished second in the Beilun Cup, a women’s tournament won by China last weekend. The Netherlands and Russia ended in third and fourth place respectively. The Cubans blanked Russia 3-0 and then defeated the Netherlands 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 26-24, 25-21), before losing to the host team 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-16). Veteran spiker Yang Hao led the Chinese attack with 14 points while Wang Yimei and Zhou Suhong added 10 and nine respectively. Yaima Ortiz, Nancy Carrillo and Dulce Tellez were the best Cuban players during the tournament. The four teams are going to Beijing to compete in the second leg of the International Women’s Volleyball Tournament from June 1 to 3. Spanish

Dominican Men have medal aspirations in regional games

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 30, 2006.- Julio Frias, the head coach of the Dominican Men’s National Team has an ambitious goal for the next Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena: At least the bronze medal. Frias made the statement during the press conference held today to introduce the Dominican National Teams in both genders. “The next Pan American Cup in Mexicali will be the anteroom of our main competition this year,”said Frias. “That competition is going to serve as a preparation to obtain one of the medals in Cartagena.” “In Mexicali we will be facing a strong competition from USa, Cuba, Canada and Mexico,” said Frias. “So it will be an excellent chance to test our team.” Frias pointed out the attack as the best weapon of his side counting on players as Elvis Contreras, Jose Caceres and Eury Almonte as his best attackers. He also said that the biggest weakness will be the lack of a proven middle blocker. “Victor Batista, our main man for the position is finishing up his college career in USA and won’t be able to make this trip, but he is going to be available for the Colombia’s Games,” he said. Last year, in a comeback to the international competition, the Dominican Team finished fourth at the Men’s Continental Tournament in Winnipeg, Canada. They split matches against Canada, battled with Cuba during five sets and defeated Mexico. Pic: Dominican Men´s Team...Click Picture to enlarge Spanish

Dominican Cruz optimistic with his team

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 30, 2006.- Miguel Beato Cruz, the head coach of the Dominican Women’s Team is very optimistic about the projection of his team for 2006 and the years to come. “I think we have the human resources to build a very successful team,” said Cruz during the press conference held today to introduce the Dominican National Teams in both genders. “I have in my hands a good blend of veterans and young players, but the most important thing is the young generation of players we are preparing at the lower levels.” Cruz, who is in his first year coaching the women team, is satisfied with the results obtained at the Third Olympiad of Cuban Sport, where they finished in second place behind Cuba. “We are still in the process of making some adjustments but I am confident that we are going to be in good shape,” he said. “There are a lot of competitions and training camps this year before the World Championships.” Cruz said that making the second round of the World Championships is a reasonable goal for his team. “We will be facing giants China and Russia in our pool and the other teams will be Germany, Azerbaijan and Mexico,” said Cruz. “I think we have a good chance to beat those three and move to the next round.” Their main continental competition will be the Fifth Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico at the end of June. The Dominicans also will be defending champions at the XX Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia. Pic: Dominican Women´s Team...Click Picture to enlarge Spanish

Cuba announces team for Men’s Pan American Cup

HAVANA, Cuba, May 29, 2006.- Four players of the Cuban roster for the World League and other international compromises lead the side that will represent Cuba in the First Men’s Pan American Cup in Baja California, Mexico on June 5-11. Attacker Dariel Garcia and middle blocker Osmany Camejo are joined by national team rookies Maikel Bastida, a setter, and opposite Raidel Delgado. Other players in the squad are attackers Johan Llanes and Yadier Sanchez, middle blockers Jesus Cruz and Pedro Ruiz, outside hitters Rolando Jurquin and Raidel Gonzalez, setter Pedro Lopez and libero Gustavo Alvarez. Ramon Lawrence, the third assistant of the senior team, will be the head coach, with Manuel Espinosa as his assistant. Ariel Sainz will be the chief of the Cuban delegation. he Cubans will depart to Mexico next Saturday and will debut against Guatemala on Monday, next day they face Panama and close against USA in Pool B at Tijuana. In Pool A will compete Canada, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico. The winners of each pool will advance directly to the semi finals and second and third place teams will meet in crossed matches in the quarterfinals phase. Spanish

Cuba’s Men after medals in World League and Cartagena

HAVANA, Cuba, May 29, 2006.- The Cuban National Men’s Team is ready to go to Russia in order to conclude its preparation for their three principal challenges of 2006: The World League, the Central American and Caribbean Games and the World Championships. “We have eight very capable players, injury-free, with great technical and tactical level, some of them already with 35 matches of preparation,” said head coach Roberto Garcia, who does not hesitate to predict the bronze medal in the World League, like last year, and the gold in Colombia during the Games. “In the next five weeks we will emphasize the physical preparation. Different of the thinking of a few ones who say that we are in an easy pool, that is no the true,” said Garcia. “You have to play against Korea, Egypt has grown in the last few years and to beat Bulgaria you must play at a high level of effectiveness.” The Cubans will need a big effort from veterans like Pavel Pimienta and Tomas Aldazabal as also from the younger players like Osmany Juantorena, Yasser Portuondo, Raidel Poey, setter Odelvis Dominico and the less experienced libero Jorge Luis Sanchez. Garcia said these are also the men that will battle for the title during the Cartagena Games. “Winning the title is not an easy task,”said Garcia. “Puerto Rico has three men in the European Leagues, Venezuela is a respected rival and Dominican Republic has improved with five players competing in foreign circuits.” Spanish

Cristobal Marte announces 2006 Dominican Women’s Program

SANTO DOMINGO, May 26, 2006.- No one will be better prepared for the FIVB World Championships in Japan this year than the women's team from the Dominican Republic. After taking part of the Third Olympiad  of Cuban Sport, the Dominican Republic will play competitions or hold training camps in Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia, France, Netherlands, Poland, Macau, Japan, Mexico and China. Finally, the Dominicans will hold a training base in Tokyo, Japan on October 23-29, playing against the Japan National Team and different teams from the Japanese Women’s League. The announcement was made today by Mr. Cristobal Marte, President of the Women’s National Program of the Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation, during a press conference at the headquarters of the organization. He also presented the financial report of the program for the years 2004 and 2005. More Spanish

Skinner to coach USA Women's Junior National Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, May 23, 2006.- Craig Skinner, head coach of the University of Kentucky women’s volleyball team, will take over as head coach of the 2006 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team, USA Volleyball has announced. He will replace Toshi Yoshida, 2004 women’s Olympic head coach, who has taken a position with the Pioneer Volleyball Club in Japan. “We were very pleased to get Craig Skinner to coach the women’s junior national team,” said Tom Pingel, USA Volleyball’s director of high performance indoor national programs. “He has found success throughout his career both as a player and a coach.”  Skinner, the 2005 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, will lead the Junior National Team into the 2006 Under-20 NORCECA Championships. The team will assemble in Colorado Springs, and train at The Olympic Training Center from July 13-29. The NORCECA Championships will be conducted from July 31-Aug. 5 in Monterrey, Mexico. Spanish

Dominican coach facing a pleasant problem

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 24, 2006.- Miguel Beato Cruz has a problem….and that is a pleasant one. The head coach of the Dominican Republic’s women national team has his hands full of players and only twelve seats to be occupied for the next Pan American Cup and the World Championships. “This is one special situation never experienced before in the case of our team,” said Cruz during a training session of his squad. “It is a headache for the coach, but one you accept happily.” All the Dominicans playing in foreign leagues are back in the country and have reported to the busy training camp where they work out in morning and night sessions the seven days of the week. “At the moment we have a lot of candidates and only a few spots to be defined,” he said. “But we have to deal with that situation and select what we considered are the top qualified.” The physical preparation of the players that are back from Europe is another issue, Cruz is handling now. “Some of the athletes playing in the foreign leagues need to get in top physical shape,” said Cruz. “They improved their tactical and technical part but now we need to take them to the top of their game and that include the conditioning of their bodies.” Spanish

Cuban Team bound to Russia for training camp

HAVANA, Cuba, May 24, 2006.- The elite group of 18 men Cuban players will leave bound to Russia next Saturday to participate in a training camp until July 11 –with a Poland Tournament in between at the end of June- to select the 12 finalist that will debut against South Korea in the World League starting in several countries of the planet on July 14. Cuba has the goal of qualifying among the medallists of the event, a feat achieved last year when they finished in third place, the best ranking accomplished in the last six years since the renovation of the squad in 2002. Veterans Pavel Pimienta and Tomas Aldazabal head the team joined by talented and experienced Osmany Juantorena, Yasser Portuondo, Henry Bell, Raidel Poey and Odelvis Dominico. While taking part of the World League, the Cuban side also will compete at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia and another group will participate in the First Pan American Cup in Mexicali and Tijuana on June 3-12. Spanish

Cuba’s women are in China and Venezuela

HAVANA, Cuba, May 23, 2006.- The National Cuban Women’s Team, led by Olympians Rosir Calderon, Nancy Carrillo, Yaima Ortiz and setter Daimi Ramirez, arrived in China to dispute the two traditional spring tournaments starting on May 24, and the Montreux Volley Masters on June 6-12 in Switzerland. Kenia Carcaces, Rachel Sanchez, Dulce Maria Tellez, Yusleidis Herrera and setters Anniara Munoz and Gisell Cabrera and libero Lisbet Arredondo are also members of the team coached by Luis Felipe Calderon and Eider George. The group is scheduled to be back in Cuba and join the rest of the national team that include star players as Zoila Barros and Yumilka Ruiz who is training under the supervision of veteran coach Eugenio George, and determine the members of the squad that will participate in the Fifth Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico and the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia. Meanwhile, a team composed by members of the National Junior Team and some veterans like Indira Mestre, Maibelis Martinez and Natali Grinan left to Venezuela last Saturday to participate in a training camp and celebrate some friendly matches until June 10. Spanish

FIVB Board of Administration drives Volleyball and Beach Volleyball forward

Lausanne, 23 May 2006 – At the end of its three-day session in Lausanne, the FIVB Board of Administration confirmed the Executive Committee’s positive conclusions from earlier this week with its approval of numerous proposals designed to develop Volleyball and Beach Volleyball globally. Furthermore, the FIVB Board also unanimously confirmed the candidature of incumbent President Dr Rubén Acosta for re-election for a further four years.  The candidature was presented by the Mexican National Federation, in accordance with the FIVB Constitution, and will be voted at the FIVB Congress, the sport’s highest decision-making body, in Tokyo in October, prior to the FIVB World Championships. The FIVB Board - comprising Members from 31 countries – unanimously approved the Executive Committee’s conclusion that this was the only candidature presented in accordance with the FIVB Constitution. The Executive Committee and Board had also considered, but dismissed, the personal candidature of the FIVB’s former General Manager presented by himself but which was not supported by an affiliated National Federation. More Spanish

Team Canada Loses to China in decisive match

WINNIPEG, Canada, May 19, 2006– The Team Canada Senior Men’s team lost to China at the Investors Group Athletic Centre tonight by a score of 3-0; an unexpected turn of events after this week’s seesaw battle that saw the teams split the first two games in close, five set matches.  Set scores tonight were 20-25, 29-31, 24-26. Canada won the first encounter by scores of 20-25, 33-31, 26-28, 25-21, 15-13 and China tied up the series winning the second match by scores of 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13. Around 2,000 Canadian and Chinese fans were given a treat, as the 12th-ranked Canadians and 15th-ranked Chinese teams battled it out to claim victory of the first exhibition series of the international volleyball season. In the end it was China who came out on top thanks in part to their experience. Coming up big for Canada despite the loss, were Dallas Soonias with 15 points (12 kills, 3 blocks), and veteran Steve Brinkman who had 11 points including 4 kills and 7 blocks. The team will now re-group and prepare for the first-ever Men’s Pan American Cup, where they will face the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago in Pool A, before crossing over to face powerhouse Cuba and rivals USA. Spanish

Cuba announces 18 players for World League and Cartagena  

HAVANA, Cuba, May 18, 2006.- The 18 Cuban players registered for the World League, that starts on July 14, have been announced and in that group are also those who will defend the national colours at the Central American and Caribbean Games during the second half of that month in Cartagena, Colombia. Veterans like middle blocker Pavel Pimienta and opposite Tomas Aldazabal head the list in terms of experience participating in the most World Leagues editions as Pimienta has 10 and Aldazabal 7. Others with less experience, but with intense participation in the last few years, join this duo. They are outside hitters Osmany Juantorena, Yasser Portuondo and Henry Bell, opposite Raidel Poey and middle blocker Odelvis Dominico, all with four participations. Completing the Cuban Team are: Roberlandy Simon, Osmany Camejo, Ariel Garcia, Miguel Sanchez and Raidel Delgado. Also setters Yoandri Diaz, Oreol Camejo and Maikel Batista and liberos Jorge Sanchez and Kerbis Gutierrez. Coach Roberto Garcia stated that on the shoulders of these men we have all our hope for these two compromises during the mid part of the year. Also they are the base of the Cuban Team for the World Championships next November. Spanish

FIVB Executive Committee upbeat in the World Championship year 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 18, 2006 – After three full days of meetings, the annual session of the FIVB’s Executive Committee ended on an upbeat note, with all the delegates showing a desire to go the extra mile to develop and promote the sport in its World Championship year. Having reviewed numerous recommendations covering all aspects of the sport, from refereeing to coaching, from technical considerations to development, in addition to a detailed look at the sport’s numerous international competitions, the FIVB Executive Committee approved some important proposals to be put forward to the FIVB Board of Administration. The general conclusion of the meeting was that the sports of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball are in excellent shape. Whereas Beach Volleyball enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2005, with prize money topping 7.5 million US dollars for the first time, the FIVB’s premier men’s Volleyball competition, the World League, writes its own new chapter in Volleyball history in 2006 with a total of 16 teams competing for a record 20 million US dollars in prize money. More Spanish

Three Puerto Rican pairs in SWATCH-FIVB Tour

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 18, 2006.- For the first time in history of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, three national pairs of beach volleyball will be participating at the same time in the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour. The pairs of Raul Papaleo-Joseph Gil in the men division and Lyann Puig-Yamileska Yantin in the women field, will be joined by the junior duo of Christopher Underwood-Robert Rodriguez and will travel on Thursday to China to start their participation in the tour. Papaleo-Gil and Puig-Yantin are preparing to represent Puerto Rico at the XX Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia this summer. Meanwhile, Underwood-Rodriguez will defend the national colours at the Men’s U-21 to be held in Poland on August 23-27. The two men pairs will take part in the tournaments of China, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway, France and Canada. The women pair will play in the stops of China and Greece and then will train and play in Brazil before going to France and Canada in preparation for the compromise in Colombia. Spanish

Four Cuban Pairs in SWATCH-FIVB Tour 

HAVANA, Cuba, May 17, 2006.- Four Cuban pairs will depart to Shanghai, China next Friday to participate in the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour that started last weekend in Modena, Italy and incluye 15 stops, with tour with category of Grand Slams. In the women’s side, Olympians Tamara Larrea-Dalixia Fernandez will be back at the most important annual beach tournament along with Imada Estevez-Milagros Crespo, also with experience on the foreign sands, ranked 13 and 15 at world level. In the men’s side will compete Francis Alvarez Cutino-Wilfredo Villar and Adrian Calderon-Liam Sem Estrada. Cutino-Villar have the mission of obtaining good results in the early stops, blending the experience of one and the impetuosity of the younger, and then playing in China, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway and France and battling for the crown at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia, next July. Similar duty will be facing Tamara-Dalixia, the pupils of Osvaldo Abreu, in that regional meeting after participating in China, Greece, Switzerland, Norway and France, while Calderon-Estrada and Estevez-Crespo compete in St. Petersburg. Spanish

FIVB President Rubén Acosta definitively acquitted by Swiss court

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 15, 2006 – The former president of the Argentinean Volleyball Federation, Mario Goijman, had accused FIVB President Rubén Acosta of manipulation of accounts and corruption. These accusations were declared null and without foundation by the Tribunal de Police in Lausanne in a ruling made public on 15 March 2006. Mario Goijman immediately announced his intention to appeal against this ruling acquitting President Acosta, who had been the target of his attacks for three and a half years. The fact is that after having made his appeal Mario Goijman failed to substantiate it. The appeals court therefore declared the appeal inadmissible and rejected it in a ruling of 4 May 2006. This ruling is enforceable. President Acosta is consequently definitively cleared of all charges. This therefore confirms what the President of the FIVB had always claimed when confronted with the accusations brought against him by Mario Goijman. Mr Acosta is happy that this legal ruling puts an end to an affair that has for too long been used as in attempts to tarnish his reputation and, through him, the reputation of the International Volleyball Federation. Spanish

Trinidad & Tobago won the ticket to Colombia

HAVANA, Cuba, May 15, 2006.- Trinidad & Tobago twice defeated Guatemala and won the eighth and final ticket for the Men’s Tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games next July in Cartagena, Colombia. At the National Volleyball Center in Havana, the Trinidadians consecutively prevailed by scores of 3-1 (27-25, 25-22, 30-32, 25-20) and 3-2 (30-28, 25-21, 24-26, 21-25,17-15).The winners showed an excellent physical shape although the Guatemalans mounted a strong resistance, mainly in the second match when they reacted to tie it up and force a fifth and decisive set.Both matches were very close, with up and downs, but a lot of competitiveness by both sides led by Trinidadian John Davis and attacker Hugo Garcia, captain of Guatemala. Spanish

Canadian Beach Players Prepare to Take on World

WINNIPEG, Canada, May 10, 2006.- The summer has officially begun for Canada’s top beach volleyball players with the 2006 FIVB World Beach Volley Tour season opener slated to start this Wednesday in Modena, Italy for the women, and next week in Shanghai, China for the men. Canadian Champions Marie-Andrée Lessard and Sara Maxwell will be looking to continue their run on the tour. The highest Canadian ranked team last year; the pair has opted out of the first event and will join the tour in China next week. Olympian Annie Martin and her new partner Kara Zakrewski along with Marie-Christine Pruneau & Caroline Fiset will have their first taste of international play together. The men will join the tour in China with 3-time Olympian Mark Heese teaming up for the first few events with big man Richard Van Huizen while Conrad Leinemann and Ahren Cadieux will start the season together. Young Guns Mark Ellington and Wes Montgomery along with Darren Goss and Domingo Miguel will be looking to earn their rightful spot with the top teams on tour. Spanish..Pic: Marie-Andrée Lessard and Sara Maxwell

Canada announces 2006 Senior Men’s Roster

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 10, 2006.- The Team Canada Volleyball Centre is happy to announce the Senior Men’s roster for the 2006 International Volleyball season. This year’s team is made up of 19 veteran and up-and-coming athletes, and was selected after an intense four-day Selection Camp held this past weekend in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Athletes selected to Team Canada’s Senior Men’s team are: Setters: Scott Koskie, Mike Munday, Josh Howatson. Right Side: Paul Duerden, Dallas Soonias, Kris Brand. Left Side: Fred Winters, Pascal Cardinal, Christian Bernier, Dan Lewis, Nicholas Cundy, Alexandre Gaumont-Casias, Louis-Pierre Mainville, Jean-Francois Grondin. Middle Blockers: Murray Grapentine, Steve Brinkman, Brett Youngberg, Chris Meehan. Libero: Chris Wolfenden. Veteran player Terry Martin is also expected to join the team later this year. The team will now train for a week before taking on 2008 Summer Olympic Games host, China, for matches on May 16th and 18th. More Spanish

Anaheim will be the new home of USA Men Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, May 9, 2006.- Members of the USA Men’s National Volleyball Team will be welcomed to their new home in Anaheim, California, and introduced to the local media and city dignitaries at a press conference today. Mayor Curt Pringle, the Anaheim City Council, USA Men's Volleyball Coach Hugh McCutcheon and the team will be joined by the Southern California Volleyball Association's Shannon Rios and several team sponsors. Volleyball gold medalists Karch Kiraly and Troy Tanner and other present and former players will also attend the conference, which will take place at the American Sports Center. The following members of the current USA Men’s Volleyball Team are scheduled to attend the conference: Brook Billings, Kevin Hansen, Dave Lee , Dave McKienzie, Paul Munoz, Nils Nielsen, Peiter Olree, Jimmy Pelzel, James Polster, Reid Priddy,  Donald Suxho,  Brandon Taliaferro,  Chris Tamas, Delano Thomas and Curt Toppel. Spanish

Schedule of First Men’s Pan American Cup announced

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 8, 2006.- The competition schedule of the First Men’s Pan American Cup with the participation of eight teams, was announced today. The event will be held in the Mexican cities of Mexicali and Tijuana, Baja California and is a qualifier for the America’s Cup in Brazil later this year. Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago will play in Pool A in Mexicali, while USA, Cuba, Guatemala and Panama will compete in Pool B in Tijuana. The winner of each pool in the round robin competition automatically will advance to the semi finals, with the teams qualified in second and third place of each pool meeting in crossed matches during the quarter finals. The competition schedule is as follows: Pool A June 5: Canada vs. Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico; June 6: Dominican Republic vs. Trinidad & Tobago and Canada vs. Mexico; June 7: Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago and Dominican Republic vs. Mexico. Pool B June 5: USA vs. Panama and Cuba vs. Guatemala; June 6: Guatemala vs. USA and Panama vs. Cuba; June 7: Panama vs. Guatemala and USA vs. Cuba. Spanish

Brazil will go to Pan American Cup with powerful squad

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 7, 2006.- The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation announced the list of 18 players nominated to participate at the Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup to be held here from June 29 to July 7. Five of those players took part at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and nine were part of the Brazilian Team during the World Grand Champions Cup won by the South American squad in Japan last year. Captain Valeska Menezes, and talented Fabiana Claudino lead the Brazilian side that will be under the coaching of Jose Guimaraes who has been at the helm of the team since the World Grand Prix of 2003. Other players on the team currently ranked 2 in the world, include Fernanda Rodrigues, Ana Takagui, Marianne Steinbrecher, Danielle Lins, Carolina Gattaz, Thaisa Menezes, Fernanda Alves, Welissa Gonzaga, Marcelle Moraes, Jacqueline Carvalho, Sonia Benedito, Fabiana Oliveira, Arlene Xavier, Natalia Pereira, Renata Colombo and Joyce Silva. The Fifth Pan American Cup is a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix. The best three ranked teams of the event plus the top ranked South American advance to the Grand Prix. Pic: Valeska Menezes...Spanish

Occidentals won the gold in a battle against Dominican Republic

SANTIAGO, Cuba, May 7, 2006.- Occidentals edged Dominican Republic in a strong battle by score of 33-31, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 taking the gold medal of women’s volleyball at the Third Olympiad of Cuban Sport. Orientals won the bronze by defeating Venezuela. Veteran Yaima Ortiz and young prospect Rachel Sanchez, both of the National Cuban Team, were among the best for the winners. Former Cuban Star Mireya Luis, member of the three-time Cuban Olympic gold medal teams, praised the quality of the match saying that “even they were not the complete national teams, it was a good chance to see their development level.” In the semi finals, Occidentals had defeated Venezuela 25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 25-11 and Dominican Republic had swept Orientals 25-16, 25-22, 25-13. “I am satisfied with what I have seen,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. “Young players like Bethania de la Cruz, Cindy Rondon and Karla Echenique have had an outstanding improvement and I think this is going to be an important year in our international competitions.” In the men’s tournament, Orientals won the gold medal with an unbeaten record defeating Occidentals 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 26-24. Universitarios won the bronze beating Venezuela. Pic: Yaima Ortiz...Spanish

Canada Volleyball Senior Men’s Selection Camp Starts Today

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 4, 2006.- The international volleyball season is officially underway for the Team Canada Volleyball Centre, as athletes arrive for the annual Senior Men’s Selection Camp, scheduled for May 4th - 8th, 2006 at St. John’s Ravenscourt High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The purpose of the Selection Camp is to identify and select the group of athletes that will have immediate and long-term impact on the Senior Men’s National Team. Athletes at this camp, who include both athletes identified at the Prospects Camp held in March and members of last year’s Senior A & A2 team, will be vying for the chance to be selected to compete and train with the Senior Men’s Team.  More Spanish

Local pairs dominated Beach Volleyball at the Cuban Olympiad

HAVANA, Cuba, May 4, 2006.- The best Cuban pairs, Tamara Larrea-Dalixia Fernandez in women and Francisco Alvarez-Oney Ramirez in men, took the gold medals of Beach Volleyball in the Third Olympiad of Cuban Sport. Larrea-Fernandez, representing Orientales A, defeated Milagros Crespo-Imara Estevez of Centrales A, by score of 21-17, 19-21, 17-15, while Cutino-Ramirez (Orientales A) also needed three sets to prevail over Wilfredo Villar-Liam Sem Estrada (Centrales A) by score of 19-21, 21-10, 15-6. The bronze medal in the women division went to Amarelis Marcella-Lirmeth Sanchez of Venezuela and the men’s third place was taken by Cubans Adrian Calderon-Yusnaikel Argilago of Occidentales A. Larrea and Calderon were elected as the most outstanding players of the competition. The event was held at the National Center of Beach Volleyball in Ciego de Avila with the participation of 21 teams -13 men and 8 women. Spanish

Dominicans advance to semi finals in Cuban Olympiad

HAVANA, Cuba, May 3, 2006.- Dominican Republic and Russia qualified to the semi finals of the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the Third Olympiad of Cuban Sport while the team representing Venezuela was eliminated from contention. After losing to Orientales 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 16-25, 25-22) in their first outing in Pool B, the Dominicans came back and won their next two matches against Centrales and Universitarias. They beat Centrales 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-12) and then defeated Universitarias 3-1 (25-20, 25-11, 17-25, 25-11). Orientales finished with 3-0 record winning the pool. In the Pool A of only three sides, Occidentales beat Venezuela 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-16) and Russia 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-16) while the Russians edged Venezuela 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11). In the semi finals,Dominican Republic will meet Occidentales and Russia will play against Orientales. Spanish

Bajans’s pairs qualified to Cartagena

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, May 3, 2006.- The pairings of Mona Crawford-Shirnelle McPherson in the women and Winston Gittens-Sean Codrington in the men have qualified to represent Barbados in the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Cartagena, Colombia in July. Playing at Brandons beach on National Hero's Day in the first event for 2006 of  The Sizzlin Sand Beach Volleyball Barbados National Tour Series, Gittens-Codrington dominated the men’s category playing undefeated in the preliminary rounds before disposing of the team of St. Almon Burt-Hudson Griffith in the finals 22-20, 21-17 to book their spot for Columbia. The event organised in conjuction with the Barbados Volleyball Association also saw in the women’s category the team of Crawford-McPherson coming from behind to register an upset win over Lauren Whitehall-Shakira Bridgeman 14-21, 21-19, 15-12. Spanish

The Jim Coleman Award created in NORCECA

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 2, 2006.- The Jim Coleman Award, a honor to the most outstanding coach of the NORCECA’s Men Continental Championships, has been created. The Executive Committee and Board of Administration of NORCECA unanimously approved the proposal made by Mr. Doug Beal, CEO of USA Volleyball and member of both bodies of the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation of which Mr. Coleman was a co-founder. The award, in a form of a trophy, will be presented every two years at the conclusion of the men’s most important continental tournament within NORCECA. Mr. Coleman was a symbol of American Volleyball particularly at the international level. He took part in seven Olympic Games, eight Pan American Games, five World Cups, six World Championships and eleven NORCECA Championships. more Spanish

President of DR Olympic Committee praises development of Volleyball

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 29, 2006.- The President of the Dominican Olympic Committee praised this Saturday the evolution of the sport of volleyball at a world level which he rated as one of the top five in the planet.Mr. Luis Mejia Oviedo paid a visit to the meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Administration of NORCECA being held here. “Volleyball is an example of creativity and professionalism,” said Mejía. “From a boring sport has gone to one attractive to television and sponsors.” “We have to celebrate that the changes implemented by the International Federation under the leadership of Dr. Ruben Acosta can also be achieved by NORCECA with Dominican Cristobal Marte,” said Mejia. Spanish

Montserrat National Federation is reinstated

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 29, 2006.- The National Federation of Montserrat has been reinstated and Mr. Denfield Morris is its new president. The announcement was made on Friday by Mr. Mushtaque Mohammed, president of CAZOVA zonal association during the first day of the NORCECA’s Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings. Mohammed also informed that the process of electing new authorities of Grenada National Federation is in the final stages. Both NF will be attending the next FIVB Congress in Japan completing the 35 volleyball associations affiliated to NORCECA Confederation. It was also announced that educational medical seminars about the dangerous consequences of performance enhancing substances will be addressed to the participating teams in NORCECA’s events. The proposal was presented by Dr. Andres Pina del Rosario, president of the Medical Commission, and received unanimous support. Spanish

The increase of Beach Volleyball in NORCECA is the main goal

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 28, 2006.- The increase of Beach Volleyball activities within the NORCECA Confederation during the next four years was considered by Mr. Cristobal Marte as the main goal of the organization. The president of NORCECA made his statement during the opening day of the Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings in Santo Domingo. “The National Federations must get involved in the organization of the Beach Volleyball events,” said Mr. Marte. “From a financial and logistic point of view is a lot easier to stage competitions of Beach Volleyball and the sport is very attractive to potential sponsors.” Mr. Marte also welcomed the new members of the Executive Board, Mr. Doug Beal of USA, Mr. Glenn Quinlan of St. Kitts, Mr. Carlos Beltran of Puerto Rico, Mr. Rupert Sorhaindo of Dominica and Ms. Marta Centeno de SAJCHÉ of Guatemala. He praised the capabilities of the new members and the contributions that they will be able to give to NORCECA for the new term of 2005-2009. Spanish

Angel O. Berrios passed away in Puerto Rico

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 28, 2006.- Puerto Rican Angel O. Berrios, a long time member of the volleyball family, passed away on Friday of consequences of a stroke suffered last November.  Mr. Berrios was the owner of the Criollas of Caguas, a franchise of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League. “The death of Mr. Berrios is a big loss for the Puerto Rican Volleyball,” said Mr. Carlos Beltran, president of the National Federation of Puerto Rico. “He will be missed and his contributions to the development of our sport will never be forgotten.” Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, said: “We receive the news with great sorrow and from the depth of our hearts, on behalf of NORCECA’s Confederation, I want to express our sympathy to the volleyball family of Puerto Rico.” Spanish

Executive Committee and Board of Administration to meet in Santo Domingo

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 27, 2006.- The Executive Committee and Board of Administration will celebrate its annual meetings on April 28-30 at the NORCECA’s headquarters in Santo Domingo. The three-day meetings include reports of president’s activities and from the presidents of AFECAVOL and CAZOVA as also the presidents of the different commissions of the organization. The agenda also include the report on the next Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia, the participation of men and women teams from NORCECA at the World Championships in Japan and the participation of the National Federations in the FIVB Congress in Tokyo, Japan in October. During the meetings will also be discussed the financial situation of the institution and the state of organization of the different continental tournament of 2006 and the Fifth Pan American Women’s Cup in Puerto Rico and the First Men’s Pan American Cup in Mexico. Spanish

Canada Women to Host Poland and Japan Teams in June

WINNIPEG, Canada, April 25, 2006.- The Team Canada Volleyball Centre, in partnership with Panorama Travel and Tours, is happy to announce that the Senior Women’s National Team will be hosting the Polish Women’s National Team for training and matches this May 30th – June 4th, in Hamilton and Mississauga, Ontario. Presented by Panorama Travel and Tours, the first of the two-game series will take place on June 2nd at 7:30 pm at McMaster University. Game two will be played on June 4th at 2:00 pm in Mississauga, Ontario at the Hershey Centre. Poland, who has hosted Canada several times in recent years, is currently ranked 9th in the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) world-rankings, and are the reigning European Champions. The series is the first of the 2006 international women’s volleyball season, and is the first time in many years that Canada’s National Women’s volleyball team has played in Ontario. Team Canada will then play host to Takefuji Volleyball Club, a professional club team from Japan, in Manitoba in mid-June prior to departing for the 2006 Pan American Cup, scheduled for June 27th – July 28th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Spanish

USA Women Will Host Poland on May 26

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 26, 2006.- The USA Women’s National Volleyball Team will officially kick off its 2006 season next month with an exhibition match against Poland, USA Volleyball announced Monday. Team USA, ranked No. 5 in the world, will play No. 9 Poland on Friday, May 26, at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The United States and Poland split a pair of matches last season. Poland defeated the USA, 3-1 in the preliminary round of the World Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand. The Americans returned the favor by posting a 3-1 victory over the Poles en route to winning the silver medal at the World Grand Champions Cup in Nagoya, Japan. Team USA (26-15) finished the 2005 season by winning 15 of its last 17 matches, including a stunning 3-0 win over 2004 Olympic gold medalist China in November at the Grand Champions Cup. In 2006, the USA Team will compete at the Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico in June, the World Grand Prix in Asia and Italy in August and September and the World Championships in Japan in October and November. Spanish

Mexico is planning a training camp in China

MEXICO CITY, Mexico.- The Mexican Women’s National Team is planning to have a training camp in China before taking part at the World Championship in Japan, announced Professor Alejandro Salinas, president of the Mexican National Federation. The Mexican side obtained the right to participate of the world event by finishing in third place during The Norceca-D qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico last year. The preparation of the Mexican squad also include the participation in the Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico, the Twentieth Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia and the Copa TV Azteca in Mexico with the top teams from the Norceca region and also teams from Brazil and Peru. Some of the best Mexican players are participating in foreign leagues as Bibi Candelas and Ana Mercado (USA), Yendi Cortinas (Italy) and Claudia Rodriguez (Spain). Other key players in the team include setter Selena Barajas, and Blanca Chan, Migdalel Ruiz, Mariela Garcia, Martha Revuelta and Mariana Lopez. Spanish

Bameso wins men’s title in Santo Domingo

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 24, 2006.- Bameso swept Los Prados in the best-of-seven final playoffs and won its fourth consecutive men’s title in the Distrito Nacional Tournament with a sensational performance by Jose Caceres, elected as the Most Valuable Player of the series. Bameso, winner of 22 men’s crowns in the history of the capital’s league, defeated Los Prados 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18. Caceres surpassed the 40 points plateau for the second time during the series, with 44. He had 47 during the first match of the event and his final average was 37.75 per match. “I came more prepared and now I have a lot more confidence,” said Caceres, who had just reported to his team after playing in the Spaniard League. “But I have to give also credit to my teammates, especially the setter Cristian Cruz.”  More Spanish

Puerto Rican’s women will train in Europe

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 24, 2006.- The Puerto Rican Women’s Nacional Team will start a series of training matches in Europe next June finishing with its participation in the Azerbaijan Invitational Tournament on June 14-20. For the first phase of the tour is still to be defined which country will host the team until June 12. The Puerto Rican Federation has made contact with the National Federations of Spain, Romania, France, Greece and Turkey. “We have been working toward confirming one of these countries to train and play for one week prior to the Azerbaijan Tournament,” said Mr. Carlos Beltran, President of the Puerto Rican Federation. “We have made contact with all of them and hope to have a decision next week.” The participating countries at the Azerbaijan tournament will be Peru, Belarus, Puerto Rico and Azerbaijan. More Spanish

Miyashita is the new coach of Women’s Canada

WINNIPEG, Canada, April 24, 2006-Volleyball Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Naoki Miyashita (Miya) as the new Women’s National Team Head Coach. Miya has been the Assistant Coach with the team since 2001, working under Lorne Sawula, who stepped down from the position in December. "We are happy to have Miya for this position," commented Caroline Sharp, Director General of Volleyball Canada. "His appointment will provide the team with continuity from the past several years, while providing a new face and technical leader in charge of on-court performance for the women’s team.” Prior to arriving in Canada in 2001, Miya coached in Japan with the Asahi Life professional team for 15 years. Spanish

Mirador won its 24^th crown

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 22, 2006.- Mirador added another gem to its vast collection of jewels winning the women’s crown of the Distrito Nacional Tournament last night while defeating Bameso in five sets by score of 22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 15-10.  It is the 24^th championship won by the Mirador Club which has taken home 15 of the last 17 editions of the event. Bethania de la Cruz led Mirador with 14 points, Nurys Arias added 13, Ana Fabián had 12 and Laritza Reyes chipped in 11 points. Annerys Vargas led Bameso with 25 points and Rosa Medrano added 15. On the men’s side, Bameso defeated Los Prados 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-20) and moved one victory away of winning the title. Jose Caceres was the top scorer for Bameso with 24 points. Elvis Danodin Contreras led Los Prados with 11 points. Spanish

Carolina wins the crown in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 22, 2006.- The Carolina Giants won their third title of the last tour years while defeating the Corozal Pinkin 3-0 completing the sweep of the best-of-seven series of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League. For third consecutive match, Carolina won by score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-17) and setter Glorimar Ortega was elected the Most Valuable Player of the series. Juan Carlos Nunez, the Carolina’s coach, gave credit to all the players for their hard work during the whole season. After battling to win the first match in five sets, the Giants took the next three by score of 3-0. Yasary Castrodad led Carolina with 14 points, including three blocks, and Kristee Porter and Lilly Denoon each added 13 points. Ortega had 18 assists. Ogonna Nnamani and Laura Jones had 23 and 9 points respectively for Corozal. Spanish

Caceres enjoys splendid night

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 21, 2006.- The Men’s final series of Distrito Nacional Tournament began with Jose Caceres enjoying a phenomenal night with 47 points, including 10 in the tie-breaker, leading Bameso to a five-set win over Los Prados by score of 25-27, 25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 15-11. Amaury Martinez had 11 points for Bameso while Elvin Contreras led Los Prados with 21 points and Warner de Leon, Eury Almonte and Alfredo Baez had 19, 16 y 14 respectively. On the Women´s side, Mirador defeated Bameso in four sets and is now one victory away from winning the women’s crown. Once again it was Bethania de la Cruz leading the attack of Mirador with 22 points in the triumph by score of 25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-22. The best-of-five final series continues tonight. Ana Fabian contributed with 20 points to the victory and Larissa Reyes and Nurys Arias added 15 and 11 points respectively. Annerys Vargas was the top scorer for Bameso with 16 points and Rosa Medrano and Rosalyn Angeles added 13 and 10. Spanish

Carolina needs one more victory

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 21, 2006.- The Carolina Giants defeated Corozal in straight sets improving to a 3-0 record in the final series of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League. The Giants can take the title with one more triumph tonight. After winning the first match in five sets, the Giants have swept Corozal 3-0 in the next two matches with the third one finishing by score of 25-15, 25-22, 25-20. Yasary Castrodad led Carolina with 15 points and Kristee Porter, Yarleen Santiago and Lilly Denoon each contributed with 10 points. Glorimar Ortega had 20 assists. American Ogonna Nnamani was the only player of Corozal in double figures with 17 points. Tonight is the fourth match of the best-of-seven series starting at 8:30 in Corozal. Spanish

Mirador takes the lead in Santo Domingo

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 20, 2006.- Mirador won the first match of the women’s final series of the Distrito Nacional Tournament over Bameso, but it was not an easy task. The team of coach Wilson Sanchez needed to stretch to a fifth set to prevail over the squad coached by Jorge Garbey and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five playoffs. The score was 20-25, 27-25, 25-14, 17-25, 15-9. Promising Bethania de la Cruz joined forces with veteran Nurys Arias leading Mirador to the triumph. De la Cruz slammed 23 points with powerful kills and Arias, making a comeback after a two-year suspension, added 18 points. “We did not play at our highest level, but the series is going to be very close,” said Sanchez, who was assistant coach to Garbey with the National Team in 2004. “There is a traditional rivalry between these two sides.” The series continues tonight when also starts the men’s final between Bameso and Los Prados. Spanish

Los Prados and Bameso to the finals in DR

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 19, 2006.- Alfredo Baez led tour players in double-digits and Los Prados moved to the final of the men’s finals of the Distrito Nacional Tournament with a four-set win over Jose Marti. The victory by score of 25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24 gave Los Prados a sweep of the best-of-five semi final series. Baez scored 19 points and was joined in the attack by Warner de Leon (15), Elvis Contreras (13) and Eury Almonte (11). For Jose Marti, Alex Meran had 19 points, Edward Rojas, 17 and Guillermo Hernandez, 11. The best-of-five final series starts on Thursday. Meanwhile, on the women’s bracket, Bameso swept Cristo Rey with a victory in four sets by 27-29, 25-16, 25-21, 25-23. The final series starts on Wednesday against Mirador, winner of the regular series with a 9-0 record. Spanish

Carolina takes 2-0 lead in final series in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 19, 2006.- The Carolina Giants took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven final series of the Women’s Puerto Rico Superior League after a 3-0 victory over the Corozal Pinkin Tuesday night. Carolina’s Kristee Porter scored 18 points and Yarleen Santiago added 10 in the triumph 25-16, 25-13, 25-23. Ogonna Nnamani and Laura Jones had 12 and 10 points respectively for Corozal. In the first match of the final series, Carolina needed five players in double figures and five sets to take the win 25-18, 18-25, 26-28, 25-14, 15-12. Porter had 22 points and Santiago 17 while Lilly Denoon, Rachel Van Meter and Yasary Castrodad added 16, 15 and 10 points respectively. Nnamani had a great night with 33 points but could not avoid the loss. Jones added 22. Spanish

Strickland and Roberts won the gold at NORCECA

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 17, 2006.- Americans William Strickland and Adam Roberts  took the gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s Continental Beach Volleyball Tournament. Strickland-Roberts defeated Dominican Juan Pozo-Francisco Abreu 21-9, 21-14 in the semi final match and then won by default against Puerto Ricans Raul Papaleo and Joseph Gil. Gil aggravated his physical condition during the Puerto Rican triumph over Costa Ricans Gilberto and Alexander Villegas 21-13, 21-19 in the semi finals. He was favoring his injured left calf and ended experiencing problems with his right hip. In the match for the bronze medal, the Villegas brothers edged Pozo-Abreu in an exciting match by score of 19-21, 21-14, 17-15. More Spanish

Strickland-Roberts heavily favourites in NORCECA Beach Volley Event

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 16, 2006.- Americans William Strickland and Adam Roberts qualified in first place in the double elimination round of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Beach Volleyball Tournament by winning their two matches on Saturday. The pair from California will meet Dominicans Juan Pozo and Francisco Abreu during the semi finals on Sunday. In the other semi final match, Puerto Ricans Raul Papaleo and Joseph Gil will play against Costa Ricans Gilberto and Alexander Villegas. On Saturday, Strickland-Roberts, winners of Pool B, first defeated Carlos Leiva and Jeovanny Medrano of El Salvador 21-15, 21-11 and then won by default against Papaleo-Gil due to a calf injury of Gil. In early matches, Papaleo-Gil defeated Pozo-Abreu 21-13, 21-11 and Villegas brothers 21-17, 21-19. The Costa Ricans beat Dominicans Ezequiel Castillo-Roberto de Jesus 21-14, 21-11 and Pozo-Abreu 21-14, 21-5. Pozo-Abreu entered the semi final round by defeating Salvadorians Leiva-Medrano by score of 29-27, 21-19. Spanish

Americans and Costa Ricans dominate first day in Boca Chica Beach

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 15, 2006.- Costa Ricans brothers Alexander and Gilberto Villegas and Americans William Strickland and Adam Roberts led their respective pools with unbeaten record (3-0) during the first day of action of the NORCECA’s Men Continental Beach Volleyball Tournament. Playing in Pool A, Villegas siblings first defeated Jeovanny Medrano and Carlos Leiva of El Salvador 23-21, 21-17, then beat Dominican Republic II (Jewddys Perez-Charly Vargas) 21-12, 21-18 and Dominican Republic I (Juan Pozo-Francisco Abreu) 21-12, 21-17. In Pool B, Strickland-Roberts crushed Dominican Republic III (Ezequiel Castillo-Roberto de Jesus) 21-8, 21-13 and Dominican Republic IV (Charles Hodge-Alex Soriano) 21-10, 21-10, before bettering Puerto Ricans Raul Papaleo-Joseph Gil 25-23, 22-20 in a match between the two favourites. More Spanish

Corozal crushed Ponce and moved to the finals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 13, 2006.- American Ogonna Nnamani scored 20 points sending the Pinkin of  Corozal to the final series of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League with a 3-0 triumph over the Lionesses of Ponce. The best-of-seven playoff is set to start on Saturday against the Giants at Carolina. The victory of Corozal (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) capped an impressive comeback. The Pinkin forced a sudden-death playoff against Ponce after prevailing in five sets against Bayamon in their last match of the semi final series. Ponce suffered a loss in five sets to Carolina before their elimination on Wednesday night. “This is beautiful. We have a great organization, great fans and a great team,” said Nnamani. “That is the reason we are here. We worked real hard and this is a reward.” Dominican Milagros Cabral was the top scorer for Ponce with 14 points. Spanish

Los Prados and Bameso take the lead in DR Semis

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 12, 2006.- Eury Almonte scored 24 points and Felipe Henriquez added 22 and Los Prados’ Men  took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semi final series of the Distrito Nacional Tournament with a five-set triumph over Jose Marti. Alfredo Baez and Warner Leon chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively in the victory by score of 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 15-6. Alex Colon of Jose Marti led all the scorers with 26 points followed by Edward Rojas with 14. Francisco Abreu and Palomino Hernis each had 10 points. In the women’s side, Bameso defeated Cristo Rey 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-19). The event continues tonight and then resumes on Tuesday after Good Friday and Easter festivities. Spanish

Semis in Santo Domingo begin tonight

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 11, 2006.- The semi final phase of the Distrito Nacional Tournament in both genders begin on Tueday tonight with Mirador (Women) and Bameso (men),  qualified to the final series after finishing first in the regular season. Bameso defeated Jose Marti in four sets (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-20) in the first match of a triple-header last Sunday with Amaury Martinez and Jose Perez leading the scoring with 15 and 12 points respectively. In another men’s match, Los Prados beat Varias Luces 25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 with Wagner de Leon scoring 19 points and Eury Almonte and Danodin Contreras 13 and 12. In a women’s match, Los Prados defeated Cristo Rey by score of 25-17, 25-20, 25-22. The final positions of the regular series were as follows: Men: Bameso (6-3), Los Prados (5-4), Jose Marti (4-5) and Varias Luces (3-6). Women: Mirador (9-0), Bameso (5-4), Cristo Rey (3-6) and Los Prados (1-8). Spanish

Ponce and Corozal in a do-or-die situation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 11, 2006.- Ponce and Corozal will meet in a sudden-death match on Wednesday to dispute the second berth in the final series of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League.Last night, Ponce lost to the already final qualified Carolina in five sets (25-23, 25-27, 25-21, 21-25 y 16-14) on Monday night with a block from Lilly Denoon and a kill by Kristee Porter for the last two points in the tie-breaker.Meanwhile, Corozal forced the deciding match of Wednesday with a five-set victory over the already eliminated Bayamon.The best-of-seven final series is scheduled to start on Saturday with Carolina hosting the winner of Ponce and Corozal. Spanish

Continental Men’s Beach Volleyball in Boca Chica

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 10, 2006.- The NORCECA Men’s Continental Beach Volleyball Championship will be held in Boca Chica on April 14-16 with the participation of pairs six countries. The event is sponsored by Presidente Beer.The announcement was made today during a Press Conference at the Main Meeting Room of the FIVB Regional Development Centre in the Dominican Republic. Raul Papaleo-Joseph Gil (Puerto Rico), William Strickland-Adam Roberts (USA), Gilberto Villegas-Alexander Villegas (Costa Rica), Jorge Bolaños-Tirso Pineda (Guatemala) and Jeovanny Medrano-Caros Leiva (El Salvador) will join Dominicans Francisco Abreu-Juan Pozo and Yewddys Perez-Charlyn Vargas in the competition to be played under the format of double-elimination.Mr. Carlos Beltran, vice president of NORCECA for Beach Volleyball, is the President of the Control Committee and Beato Miguel Cruz is the technical director with the assistance of Mr. Juvenal Collado, and Mr. Arnaldo Sánchez is the Director of Competition. Spanish

Dominican Republic Federation held its annual congress

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 10, 2006.- The Dominican Republic National Volleyball Federation held its annual congress on April 7-9 at Dominican Bay Hotel. During the event, it was decided to grant the Executive Committee the authority to convene the general assembly for a statutory reform in order to adopt a new geographical structure of the National Federation. The Provincial Associations of Salcedo, Distrito Nacional and La Romana were distinguished as the most outstanding of 2005 as also were recognized Mr. Angel Acosta, Mr. Luis Mejia, Mr. Felipe Payano and the Armed Forces Sports Circle for their contributions to the sport in the Dominican Republic and especially to volleyball. The Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation also distributed equipment for the practice of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball to all its 32 associations. Spanish

Caribbean Power shows in Murcia

MURCIA, Spain, April 10, 2006.- The threesome is called as the Caribbean Power. And that is the way they played for Grupo 2002 Murcia in the regional derby against University of Murcia of the Women’s Spaniard Super League. Dominican Priscila Rivera and veteran Cubans Ana Ibis Fernandez and Regla Bell combined their efforts to lead their side to an easy victory in straight sets 25-21, 25-18, 25-9. Rivera and Fernandez each scored 17 points and Bell added 10 points for the squad coached by Pascual Saurin. Cuban Mayvelis Martinez had 10 points for the losing team. Grupo 2002 Murcia sits in second place with a 2-1 record in the second phase and Hotel Cantur is undefeated with a 3-0 mark. Spanish

Hoag is the new coach for Canada’s Men

OTTAWA, April 10, 2006 – Volleyball Canada is pleased to announce that they have come to an agreement with Glenn Hoag as the new Men’s National Team Coach. Hoag, known for his play on the court during his time with the National Team, and more recently his success as a Professional Coach in France and at the Université de Sherbrooke, agreed to a 2-year contract earlier this week with an option to extend for an additional 4 years. “We are obviously very happy to have Glenn for this position,” commented Caroline Sharp, Director General of Volleyball Canada. “Glenn’s professionalism, his track record as a coach and the support of the athletes that will play for him is bound to provide a great working atmosphere, one that we hope will produce some great results for Canada.” Hoag, a former member of Canada’s National Team (1981-86), was an integral part of the program when they produced Canada’s best ever result finishing 4th at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Spanish

Carolina is unbeaten in PR Semis

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 6, 2006.- Carolina remained as the only unbeaten team in the semi final phase of the Women’s Puerto Rico League after defeating Ponce 3-1 on Wednesday night. The Giants (3-0) overcame a 0-1 deficit and won by score of 23-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-9 with Kristee Porter leading five players in double digits with 24 points. Yasary Castrodad and Yarleen Santiago had 16 and 14 points respectively while Lilliana Denoon and Rachel van Meter each had 10 tallies. Sarai Alvarez led Ponce with 18 points and Milagros Cabral and April Ross had 16 and 14 respectively for Ponce (1-2). On Tuesday, Corozal kept alive its hopes of advancing to the finals with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21) victory over Bayamon. American Ogona Nnamani led Corozal with 21 points and Dominican Annerys Vargas was the top scorer for Bayamon with 15 points. Spanish

Bethania de la Cruz leads Mirador

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 4, 2006.- Bethania de la Cruz is one of the most promising from the new breed of Dominican players. And she is leaving no doubt about her talent and ability during the regular series of the National District Tournament. De la Cruz led her Club Mirador to its seventh victory without losses and consequently a direct berth in the final series with a 3-0 victory over Bameso (25-22, 25-14, 25-18). The powerful spiker topped all the scorers with 20 points and cemented her quest for the MVP award of the event. She was followed by Ana Ligia Fabián and Ginette Selmo with 13 and 12 points respectively and Laritza Reyes chipped in 8. Mirador (7-0) will meet in the final with the winner of the semi final series between Club Cachorros (3-3) and Bameso (3-4). Los Prados is 0-6.On the men’s side, Los Prados upset Bameso 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-16) with Alfredo Báez and Eury Almonte scoring 14 and 12 points respetively. Bameso and Jose Marti share the lead with a 4-2 record and Los Prados and Varias Luces have a 2-4 mark. Spanish

Ponce and Carolina lead semi final in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 4, 2006.- Ponce and Carolina share the top position in the round robin semi final series of the Women’s Puerto Rico League after two days of action. Both teams have a 2-0 record while Bayamon and Corozal are 0-2. Ponce and Carolina dispatched their opponents by scores of 3-0. April Ross (34), Sarai Alvarez (28) and Milagros Cabral (20) have been the top scorers for Ponce in the first two matches while Lilliana Denoon (25), Kristee Porter (24) and Yarleen Santiago led the scoring for Carolina. Annerys Vargas with 31 points tops the Bayamon scorers.The semi final continues tonight with a crucial match between Bayamon and Corozal. The loser will have its chances of qualifying almost evaporated. Spanish

China will play against Canada’s Men

WINNIPEG, Canada, April 4, 2006.- The Team Canada Volleyball Centre has confirmed that the Chinese National Men’s Volleyball Team will be coming to Winnipeg for a series of exhibition matches this May 15th - 18th, at the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre. The series is the first of the 2006 international men’s volleyball season; the first in a season that promises to be a busy one for the 2006 Senior Men’s team, with close to 40 matches scheduled so far. China, host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, are currently ranked 15th in the world and will be excellent preparation for the 13th-ranked Canadians prior to the inaugural Men’s Pan American Cup in Mexico, scheduled for June 3rd – 12th. The China-Canada series will kick off on May 15th at 12:00. Two additional official matches have been scheduled for Tuesday, May 16th and Thursday, May 18th at 7:00 pm. All matches will be played at the Investors Group Athletic Centre at the University of Manitoba. Spanish

USA Women Cap Italy Tour with Win over Conegliano

CONEGLIANO, Italy, April 3, 2006.- Elisabeth Bachman scored a match-high18 points and Katie Wilkins added 17 points to lead the USA Women’s National Volleyball Training Team to a 3-1 win Sunday night over Zoppas Conegliano. Bachman blasted 14 kills with two blocks and two service aces in the 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 25-21 victory for the United States, which finished its seven-match tour against four European club teams with a record of 4-3. An eighth match, against Scavolini Pesaro, was cancelled. Wilkins registered 13 kills with a match-high four aces for Team USA, which posted three of the wins against Conegliano, a Serie A2 division team in the Italian League. Katie Olsovsky scored 14 points, Jamie DeKiewiet added 12 points and Jennifer Joines chipped in with 11 points for the United States in the win. Spanish

Dominican Rondon displayed her tools in Padova win over USA

SACILE, Italy, April 3, 2006.- Dominican Cindy Rondon blasted five service aces and was one of the most outstanding players in the victory of Megius Volley Padova 3-0 over the USA Women's National Volleyball Training Team. Rondon, who last year participated with the Dominican National Team in the U-20 World Championships in Turkey, was the second best scorer of her side with 12 points that included five kills and two blocks. Padova, a Serie A-1 team of the Italian League, won by score of 25-18, 25-17, 25-23. Rondon is having her first experience playing professionally overseas and after finishing her commitment with the Padova Team, she will report to the training camp of the Dominican Republic National Team. Mirela Corjeutanu led Padova with 14 points and Olessia Kulakova tallied 10 points. Spanish

USA Women with 3-3 record in European Tour

PORDENONE, Italy, April 1, 2006.- Ivana Djerisilo and Stefania Paccagnella scored 19 points apiece to pace Minetti Infoplus Vicenza to a 3-1 win Wednesday night over the USA Women’s National Volleyball Training Team. Paccagnella ripped 14 kills with four blocks and one service ace in the 25-11, 25-22, 25-27, 25-19 victory for Vicenza, an Italian League Serie A1 team. Djerisilo added 19 kills. Elisabeth Bachman scored 15 points and Katie Olsovsky added 11 points for the United States, which dropped to 3-3 on its seven-match tour against four European club teams. An eighth match, against Scavolini Pesaro, was cancelled. Bachman, a 2004 Olympian, blasted 10 kills with a match-high five blocks and a hitting percentage of .714 (10 kills, zero errors, 14 attempts). Olsovsky, a member of two national championship teams at USC (2002 and 2003), posted 11 kills in the loss. The tour concludes with Team USA’s fourth match against Conegliano on Sunday, April 2. Spanish

Puerto Rico’s Women to begin training for Japan

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 31, 2006.- The Puerto Rican Women’s National Team will begin its 2006 Working Plan next Monday April 3, in preparation for the different international tournaments of the year and concluding with the World Championships in Japan. The two pair of siblings of Sheila and Karina Ocasio and Eva and Aury Cruz will be the first reporting to the training camp at the Volleyball Center of Cupey where they will be working out under the supervision of Jorge Perez Vento, who is the advisor of the Puerto Rican Federation for National Teams. “As teams are being eliminated from the national tournament, more players will be joining the squad. We are expecting Shannon Torregrosa on April 16,” said Carlos Beltran, president of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation. “On May 1, we hope to have all the players in full training.” Prior to the World Championships, the Puerto Rican team has an agenda that includes the participation as host team at the Fifth Pan American Cup on June 29-July 7, also the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia in July, and the TV Azteca Cup in Mexico in September. Spanish

2006 NORCECA Girls Youth Championships Awarded to Gainesville, Fla.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, March 31, 2006.- Gainesville, Florida, will host the 2006 NORCECA Girls Youth Volleyball Championships on July 25-30, USA Volleyball announced Thursday. The Championships will take place at the O’Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida. The bi-annual event will qualify teams for the 2007 FIVB Girls Youth World Championships. The site for the World Championships has not been announced. USA Volleyball officials are hoping that as many as eight teams will participate in the NORCECA Youth Championships. Among the countries expected to send teams, besides the United States, are Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago. "This is the first time we’ve hosted this event since 2002 in Salt Lake City," said Tom Pingel, USA Volleyball’s Director of High Performance National Programs. "The University of Florida and the city of Gainesville showed great interest in the event and submitted a very strong bid. We were targeting the south eastern part of the United States to host in order to make travel easier for the Caribbean and Central American countries." Spanish

Venezuelan Graciela Marquez won the MVP Award

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 30, 2006.- Venezuelan Graciela Marquez of  Toa Baja was the winner of the  2006 MVP award of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League. The all-around veteran player won by a landslide obtaining 26 of 34 possible votes. It is the second time Marquez wins the coveted recognition with the previous one coming in 2003. “I think the first one was better, at least we advanced a little more, but physically now I was in better shape,” said Marquez to El Nuevo Dia newspaper. His coach David Aleman is quoted by the paper saying that the season “could have been even better for Marquez if she has not suffered a left knee injury toward the latter quarter of the season.” In her fourth season in the league, and despite the injury, the captain of Toa Baja and student of Interamerican University, led the league in scoring and attacks from start to finish. Her biggest match was a 46 points performance against Carolina on January 8. Dominican Annerys Vargas of Bayamon, finished a distant second with 5 votes and April Ross of Ponce and Vilmarie Mojica of Corozal, each received one vote. One card was submitted in blank. Spanish

Vargas came alive in key victory of Bayamon

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 30, 2006.- Annerys Vargas broke a recent slump and scored 23 points to lead the Bayamon Cowgirls to the semi final phase of the Women’s Puerto Rican Superior League in a 3-0 victory over Caguas. Bayamon ended the quarterfinals round with a 5-5 record tied with Ponce. Carolina and Corozal complete the four teams advancing to the next stage. With the triumph, Bayamon ended a five game losing streak after prevailing in its first four outings, and the Dominican Vargas was a key player with a performance that included seven blocks. The score was 27-25, 25-23, 25-19. Vargas, who finished second to Venezuelan Graciela Marquez in the voting for the Most Valuable Player of the regular season, closed the match pounding two strong kills. Sanja Tomjasevic added 17 points for Bayamon and Kim Willoughby and Jetzabel del Valle, with 17 and 13 respectively, were the best scorers for Caguas. Spanish

League of Nations in Puerto Rico All-Stars

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico.- Three Puerto Ricans, two Dominicans, and one placer from each Venezuela and USA were included in the All-Star Team of the Women’s Volleyball Superior Tournament, was announced today. The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation announced that the corners were occupied by American April Ross of Ponce, who received 30 votes and Venezuelan Graciela Marquez of Toa Baja, who got 29. For the middle-blocker position were selected Dominican Annerys Vargas of Bayamon, with 30 points, and Puerto Rican Jetzabel del Valle of Caguas, with 26 votes. Puerto Rican Karina Ocasio was mentioned in 27 cards as she was elected as the opposite player of the All-Star. Puerto Rican Vilmarie Mojica of Corozal was the choice of the voters as the best setter and Dominican Evelyn Carrera of Ponce joined the ideal team as the best libero. Spanish

Course for Coaches Level I in Santo Domingo

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.- The FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic lectured an International Course for Coaches Level I with the participation of more than 20 technicians from different countries of the Norceca Confederation. The director of the course was Argentinean Carlos Maria Diaz Bancalari with the assistance of Cuban Nelson Poyato Narvaez. Professor Nelson Ramirez, director of the center, spoke about the importance of the event as a tool to impulse the development of volleyball in the world. “We once again are honoured and satisfied that this center hosted another course of in the benefit of our discipline in the Norceca’s region,” said Ramirez. He recalled that more than 200 coaches have participated in courses lectured in the center and 33 of them have reached the position of National Coaches of their countries in different categories. Spanish

Annerys Vargas leading all the scorers

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, February 14, 2006.- Dominican Annerys Vargas of the Bayamon Cowgirls is the leading scorer in the round robin phase of the Women’s Puerto Rican Superior League. Vargas has 84 points in three matches (11 sets) all won by her side and is followed by Americans Ogonna Nnamani of Corozal and April Ross of Ponce with 76 and 66 respectively. Cuban Yasary Castrodad tops the blocking list with 14 followed by Puerto Rican Jetzabel del Valle with 13 and Vargas with 11. The action of the round robin continues tonight when Bayamon (3-0) meets Ponce (2-1). During the regular series, the Cowgirls beat the Lionesses in their two encounters but needed to play nine sets. Ponce is without the services of Evelyn Carrera who will miss the rest of the season with a small fracture in her left foot. She has been replaced by Tatiana Justino. Spanish

Carrera was the best libero for second consecutive year

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 4, 2006.-For second consecutive year Evelyn Carrera of Ponce Lioneses, took home the title as the Libero of the Year of the Puerto Rican Women’s Superior League after dominating the stats of the position during the 2006 season. Carrera finished first in the libero sheet with 398 defenses and 312 receptions for a total of 710 and average of 8.77. The libero of the Lioneses was also first in defenses winning the prize with 399 in 84 sets played for an average of 4.75 while finishing third in receptions with 312 for and average of 4.27. In receptions, Alida Otero, libero of Aguadilla Divas, obtained the trophy for the Best Receiver after closing the regular series with 333 in 78 sets for an average of 4.27.  More Spanish

Havana City double champions in Cuba

SANTIAGO DE CUBA.- The Havana City team conquered the title of the First Class Cuban Men’s National Championship, but not without a strong resistance from opponents of Villa Clara. The victory was in five close sets by score of 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 21-25 and 15-11. The champions had difficulties with the reception and the serves but finally established their class as a team. Middle blocker Osmany Camejo was one of the main fixtures of the winners and was elected as the Most Valuable Player. Also Joan Llanes, Maikel Sanchez, Roberlandi Simon, Yoandry Diaz and Jesus Cruz standed out. Raidel Corrales, excelled for the Villa Clara side during the match played at Alejandro Urgelles Hall and nationally televised. In the match for the bronze medal, Camaguey defeated Santiago de Cuba in four sets by score of 28-26, 23-25, 25-20 and 25-22. On the women’s side, Havana City won the title with a perfect record, followed by Cienfuegos and Villa Clara. Lisbet Arredondo was the MVP and Yusleidys Herrera the top scorer. Yusidey Silie was the best in attacks and blocks; Arrendondo in receptions; Yanelis Santos, defense; Ojeidis Rojas, serves and Liana Mesa in settings. Spanish

FIVB announces opening of new development centre in the Caribbean, hosted by Barbados 

Lausanne, 2 March 2006 - The FIVB Regional Development Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados, heralds a new and historic chapter in Volleyball both on the island itself and for the Caribbean region as a whole. FIVB President Dr Rubén Acosta Hernandez welcomed the news, commenting that “the FIVB Regional Development Centre in Barbados is perfectly located in the Caribbean region, which counts seventeen national Volleyball federations and a population of around 10 million. Barbados has excellent links with neighbouring countries and will offer a stable environment for promoting the development of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in this region of great potential”.  More Spanish

AFECAVOL Beach Volleyball on May 20-22

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, February 28, 2006.- The Sixth Central American Championship of Beach Volleyball will be held in Belize on May 20-22 with the participation of eight pairs of each gender. Mr. Edgar Alvarado, president of AFECAVOL, informed of the confirmation of two pairs from Belize and one each from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua in the women’s side and pairs from Costa Rica and Panama in the men’s section. The deadline for inscription of teams is April 21 with the names of the players. It was also announced the prize-money for the medallists winners on each gender. The top finishers will receive US$500 and the silver and bronze medallists will get US$300 and US$200 respectively. The inspection of the playing courts will be on May 19 followed by the preliminary inquiry and the general technical meeting under the supervision of the technical and refereeing delegates. Spanish

A Beach Volleyball Tour scheduled for 2007

Santo Domingo, February 22, 2006. A Beach Volleyball Tour is programmed for next year with stops in 7 countries around the NORCECA Confederation. The decision was adopted during the annual meeting of the Beach Volleyball Commission now under the Presidency of Mr. Carlos Beltran, who is also President of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation. 16 pairs of each gender will be participating in the tournament programmed for Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico and Honduras. Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of the NORCECA Confederation expressed his optimism about the future of Beach Volleyball with the enthusiasm and dedication of Mr. Beltran. Also the offices of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Department will be operated in Puerto Rico. It was also decided to continue hosting the Zonal events in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as, to promote the tournaments of the Junior category of Beach Volleyball. Spanish

The goal is one international referee by country

SANTO DOMINGO, February 21, 2006.- The Refereeing Commission of NORCECA self imposed the goal of having at least one international referee from every country within the Confederation for 2008. Cuban Jose Ramon Perez Vento, president of the commission gave the news shortly after the conclusion of a long meeting yesterday. It was also discussed the necessity of completing between 2006 and 2007 of the remaining matches for the current continental referees and the candidates to international referees. NORCECA also adopted one standard procedure to conduct the clinics before each competition and also the FIVB system for the control of the referees. Mr. Perez Vento made also a complete report of the work executed by the referees during all the international events celebrated by NORCECA last year. Spanish

Marketing Department created in NORCECA

SANTO DOMINGO, February 21, 2006.- A NORCECA marketing department will be created in order to make the events of the confederation more appealing to the public and to potential sponsors. The decision was taken today during the annual meeting of the financial and marketing commission. Dominican Mara Fernandez will be in charge of the new office, announced Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, who praised the qualities of the new member of the staff. “It is very important to generate more interest towards our competitions both from the fans and from the sponsors,” said Marte. “We have achieved some advance, but there is still long ways to go.” In other news, Mrs. Miguelina Martinez, accountant of NORCECA, presented a complete financial statement of the Confederation which was satisfactory and received the approval of the commission. Spanish

A Press Seminar planned for 2007

SANTO DOMINGO, February 20, 2006.- A plan to conduct a press seminar in 2007 was presented today during the annual Media Commission meeting. The seminar would be lectured at the Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic with the support from FIVB and the NORCECA Confederation. The curriculum of the press seminar includes the organization of press conferences, the set up of the working press room, functions of the press delegate, volleyball information system, the importance of statistics, the report of the matches, strategy of volleyball, rules of the game, among other topics. During the meeting, Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, introduced Mr. Renaldo Bodden as the new president of the press commission. Bodden is the Press Officer of the Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation. It was also discussed the necessity of the designation of Press Officers by all the 35 National Federations affiliated to NORCECA. At present time, only 13 National Federations have appointed a press officer. Mr. Roosevelt Comarazamy, the FIVB Press Officer for NORCECA, presented a complete report of the working conditions during all the rounds of the World Championships and also of the continental events and the Women’s Pan American Cup. Spanish

World Vision 2012 Plan presented within NORCECA 

SANTO DOMINGO, February 19, 2006.- The World Vision 2012 Program for the NORCECA Confederation was presented today by Mr. Nelson Ramirez during the meeting of the Technical and Coaches Commission. Mr. Ramirez, who is the director of the FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic, informed the members about all the courses and seminars projected to be conducted by the institution under his direction for the next seven years. It includes objectives of short, medium and long terms. He also presented a report of the activities during the year 2005 that included a Seminar of Sport Medicine directed by Dr. Annie Peytavin, president of the Medical Commission of FIVB. Also, a course for candidates to international referees conducted by Alexander Muhle of  Germany and Sergei Titov of Russia, and a Level III Coaches Course under the direction of Max Meier of Switzerland, Gilberto Herrera of Cuba and Carlos Diaz Bancalari of Argentina. More Spanish

Clinic for Phys Ed Teachers was a big success

SANTO DOMINGO, February 19, 2006.- It was a big success the clinic for Dominican Physical Education Teachers lectured by the members of the NORCECA’s Coaches Commission. About 50 teachers attended the clinic and received participation certificates from the FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic, directed by Mr. Nelson Ramirez. The instructors of the workshop included Cubans Eugenio George and Francisco Cruz, American John Kessel, Canadians Mark Tennant and Lorne Sawula, Israel Garcia for Puerto Rico Costa Rican Braulio Godinez, Nicaraguan Rene Quintana and Dominican Miguel Beato Cruz.The lessons included techniques of volleying, serve and reception, attack and blocking and specialization of players. The opening ceremony of the clinic was attended by Mr.Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, Mr. Ramón A. Garcia, president of the Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation and Mr. Daniel Lara, the Dominican Republic Physical Education Institute Director. Spanish

House of Volleyball in Puerto Rico: A dream coming true

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico, February 18, 2006.- The Mayor of Toa Baja, Anibal Vega Borges, and the president of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, Carlos J. Beltran, signed an agreement on Thursday to start the construction of the always dreamed “House of Volleyball.” Vega Borges donated the FPV the land in the sixth section of the Levittown Urbanization in Toa Baja, to construct the building. Besides, the Municipality of the town will make a donation of US$1.5 million to start the works. “We are going to make a financial contribution of $1.5 million to start the construction of the building where the Volleyball National Teams can train,” said Vega Borges during the press conference for the All-Star Game of the Women Superior Volleyball League. “The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation will arrange along with the Municipality of Toa Baja in order to get the other funds and complete the structure. Then, the Toa Baja City Hall will pass the usufruct of the facilities to the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation,” explained Vega Borges. More Spanish

First Men’s Pan American Cup in Tijuana and Mexicali 

SANTO DOMINGO, February 18, 2006.- The First Men’s Pan American Cup to be held in  Mexicali and Tijuana on June 3-13, was announced today here by Mr. Saul Castro Verdugo, director of the Sports Institute and Physical Culture of Baja California, Mexico. Mr. Castro Verdugo made a presentation of the event during the meeting of the Sports Organization Commission of the NORCECA Confederation. He was accompanied by journalist Teodoro Guerrero. Eight countries from the NORCECA Confederation will take part in the competition including USA (5), Cuba (10) and Canada (13) who are ranked among the top teams in the world. The top three teams ranked in the event will be automatically qualified for the America’s Cup in Brazil later this year. Two pools of four teams will play the preliminary round in Tijuana and Mexicali, with the winner of each pool advancing directly to the semi final phase. The teams placed in second and third will play the quarterfinals. More Spanish Pic:Mr. M.C. Saul Castro Verdugo

Women’s Pan American Cup will be at Clemente Coliseum

SANTO DOMINGO, February 18, 2006.- The Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix, will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from June 29 to July 7. Mr. Carlos Beltran, president of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, presented a complete report on the event during the meeting of the NORCECA’s Sport Organization Commission. Beltran informed the event will be staged at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, the main indoor facility of the island with a seating capacity of 12,000. Some matches will be at Pedrin Zorrilla Coliseum, an adjacent building. Four training courts will be available and teams are going to be lodged at the Marriott Hotel in the area of Isla Verde next to San Juan Airport. The twelve participating countries are: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela. All Puerto Rico matches will be on national TV and radio. Spanish Pic: Roberto Clemente Coliseum

Volleyball is coming back to Montserrat

SANTO DOMINGO, February 17, 2006.- The re-establishment of the Montserrat Volleyball Federation is one of the top priorities for the NORCECA Confederation, announced Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of the continental institution. “We have been working very hard along with Mr. Mushtaque Mohammed, president of CAZOVA, in order to completely restore volleyball and beach volleyball in Montserrat,” said Mr. Marte. “I am very proud to announce that the normality is coming back in Montserrat after the volcano tragedy of several years ago,” said Marte. “And volleyball and athletics are the only two sports being practiced over there as of today.” “Our plan is to go there with volleyball equipment and to have a well organized federation before the next FIVB World Congress,” Mr. Marte added. Spanish

Tournaments in Cartagena will be well organized

SANTO DOMINGO, February 17, 2006.- The Central American and Caribbean Games Tournaments of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, are going to be a complete success both ion terms of facilities and organization, predicted Mr. Nelson Ramirez, technical delegate of NORCECA. Ramirez presented a report of the venues construction process during the first day of the Sport Organization Commission meetings held at NORCECA’s headquarters. Mr. Ramirez informed about the quality of the indoor venue and the two warm-up courts and also of the site for the Beach Volleyball competition. A second inspection visit is scheduled for next May and a training course for the VIS personnel will be lectured as also a clinic for the supporting personnel as ball retrievers and, lines referees and mop-boys. Spanish

2006-2009 Competition Calendars are confirmed

SANTO DOMINGO, February 17, 2006.- The competition calendars of NORCECA from 2006 to 2009, were discussed, confirmed and adjusted during the first day of meetings of the Sport Organization Commission here today. Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, considered it as a major step that will be beneficial for the hosting national federations. “One of our goals during the past few years has been to establish certain dates for our competitions,” said Marte. “That will permit a better organization work for the hosting country and a good preparation process for the participating teams.” Tomorrow is expected the visit of Mexican Mr. Saul Castro Verdugo, who will be presenting a complete report of the First Men’s Pan American Cup to be held next June in Baja California, Mexico. The event will be a qualifier for the America’s Cup, an event organized by the South American Confederation. Spanish

McCutcheon Named USA Coach of the Year 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, February 16, 2006.- Hugh McCutcheon was named National Coach of the Year after guiding the USA Men’s National Team to 27 wins and five tournament medals. Under the guidance of first-year head coach McCutcheon, the USA Men’s National Volleyball Team flourished during the 2005 season by going 27-6 and winning five medals in five tournaments. The team earned a silver medal at the USOC International Sports Invitational in San Diego, California, gold medals at the America's Cup in Brazil, the FIVB World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and the NORCECA Continental Championship in Canada and another silver medal at the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup in Japan. The Americans finished the year ranked fifth in the world, registered the highest winning percentage of any men’s national team since 1988 (.818) and recorded the most wins by a men’s team since 2000. Spanish

Beltran was recipient of the Aces Award

Carlos Beltran, president of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, was the recipient of the “Aces” award as the Executive of the Year of Puerto Rican Sport. The election of Mr. Beltran “is more than justified due to the success reached for years by the Volleyball and Beach Volleyball of his country putting the Puerto Rican volleyball in a place of privilege,” wrote Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA in a letter of congratulation to Mr. Beltran. “The Superior League is an example of success which serves as a model to be implemented for the development of the different professional leagues in all the Americas,” said Marte. Spanish

Carrera maintains as the best libero in PR

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, February 15, 2006.- Evelyn Carrera, the libero of Ponce Lionesses in the Puerto Rican Superior Women’s League, maintains as the leader in defences and passing of the 2006 tourmanent. Carrera is tops in the stats as of February 14 in the defences department with 327 in 68 sets played for a 4.81 average. At the same time, the libero of the Lionesses is the best in passing with 270 for an average of 3.97 by set. Carrera also is the leader among the liberos with an average of 8.78 after making 327 defences and 270 passes for a total of 597. Venezuelan Graciela Marquez, of Toa Baja, is the top scorer with 376 points followed by American April Ross of Ponce with 347 and Dominican Annerys Vargas of Bayamon with 341. Vargas is the top blocker of the tournament with 77 followed by Puerto Ricans Jetzabel del Valle of Caguas and Jessica Candelario of Corozal, with 63 and 52 respectively. There is three-way tie in the serves department between Puerto Ricans Karina Ocasio of Juncos and Rayma Robles of Corozal and American Kristee Porter of Juncos each with 27 aces. The Bayamon Cowgirls are leading the standings with a 12-5 record, half game over Caguas (11-5) and one game ahead of Ponce (11-6). The rest of the positions is as follows: Toa Baja (10-6), Carolina (9-6), Corozal (10-7). Mayaguez (9-7), Juncos (8-8), Guaynabo (2-15) and Aguadilla (0-17). Spanish

New Development Centre starts functioning

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, February 14, 2006.- Exactly one day after officially launching the newest FIVB Regional Development Centre, Barbados staged an FIVB Referees’ Refresher Course in the new Centre under the tutelage of FIVB Instructor Jose Sanler Diaz. Twenty-five national referees signed up to take the Course which ran from February 6 to 12.  Fifteen referees took the final theoretical and practical exam after seven days of intense work. The Barbados FIVB Regional Development Centre is presently based at the ultra modern Wildey Gymnasium.  Meanwhile, work continues at a brisk pace on the nearby Barbados Olympic Association’s building which will house the Centre’s Secretariat when the new building is opened in April. Spanish

Vargas sent Bayamon to first place

PONCE, Puerto Rico, February 14, 2006.- Dominican Annerys Vargas scored 26 points on 20 attacks and 6 blocks, sending the Bayamon Cowgirls to the sole possession of the first place of the Puerto Rican Superior League after a 3-1 triumph over Ponce. Vargas scored the last two points of the match with a kill and a block in the victory 21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 26-24. She was backed by American Sanja Tomjasevic and Puerto Rican Sheila Lopez who each contributed with 12 points. It was the third consecutive win for Bayamon (12-5) and snapped the streak of 3 victories of Ponce (11-6). Bayamon has beaten Ponce twice this season with the first one coming in five sets in the homecourt of the Cowgirls. American April Ross and Dominican Milagros Cabral had 20 and 19 points respectively for Ponce. Spanish

Commissions of NORCECA to meet on February 17-22

SANTO DOMINGO, February 13, 2006.- The NORCECA Confederation annual commission’s meetings are going to be held on February 17-22 at its headquarters in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. All the commission will be meeting for one day with the exception of the Sports Organization which will have a two-day session. The Sports Organization Commission, presided over by Mexican Alejandro Salinas, will meet on February 17-18.The rest of the Commissions with their meeting dates and the name of their presidents in parenthesis are the following: Medical (Dr. Andres Piña –DOM), February 18; Coaches and Technical (Eugenio George Laffita –CUB), February 19; Referees (Jose R. Pérez Vento –CUB), February 20; Press (Renaldo Bodden –DOM), February 20; Marketing (Patricia Garel –JAM), February 21; Finance (John Griffith –BAR), February 21; Beach Volleyball (Carlos Beltran –PUR), February 22. Spanish

Bayamon returns to the victorious route

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, February 6, 2006.- The Bayamon Cowgirls returned to the victorious path last night with an easy win in three sets over the slumping Mets of Guaynabo, snapping their streak of two losses. Previously, the Cowgirls had put together a streak of six victories. The sets finished 25-20, 25-18 and 25-22. With their triumph, Bayamon improved to 9-5 and elevated to third place in the standings. The imported Annerys Vargas and Sanja Tomasevic each had 16 points for the winners. For Guaynabo, who fell to 1-13, Lindsay Phillips made 15 points. Meanwhile, the Pinkin of Corozal caused a three-way tie in the fifth position of the women superior volleyball, by defeating the Ponce Lions in three sets. With their win, the Pinkin improved their record to 7-6, tying up with the Mayaguez Indians and the Valencianas of Juncos. Imported Laura Jones totalled 17 points to lead the Pinkin and Yamileska Yantin added 11 for the winners. For Ponce, the imported Milagros Cabral and April Ross finished with 15 and 12 points respectively. The Lions left their record in 8-5 tied in fourth place with the Carolina Giants. Spanish  Primera Hora

Development Center announce workshop for Phys Ed Teachers 

SANTO DOMINGO, February 2, 2006.- The FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic, announced a one-day workshop for Physical Education Teachers on February 18. The participants will be teachers from public and private schools of the Dominican Republic under the coordination of the Physical Education Institute directed by Professor Daniel Lara. The instructors of the workshop include Cuban Eugenio George, Americans John Kessel and Doug Beal, Canadians Mark Tennant and Lorne Sawula, Israel Garcia for Puerto Rico and Costa Ricans Rene Quintana and Braulio Godinez. The lessons will include techniques of volleying, serve and reception, attack and blocking and specialization of players. This is the second year of the workshop taking advantage of the presence of the instructors who will be participating of the annual meetings of the NORCECA Confederation. Mr.Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, Mr. Ramón A. Garcia, president of the Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation, Mr. Lara and Mr. Nelson Ramirez, director of the Center, pronounced speeches during the ceremony attended by the local media. Spanish

Cabral will go back to her game of high level

AGUADILLA.- After eight months of inactivity, Milagros Cabral returned to the volleyball courts with the Ponce Lions to recapture the game level that converted her in one of the main weapons of the Dominican Republic National Team.The universal player suffered the tear of the right Achilles tendon, an injury that required a surgery performed in Russia and maintained her out of action for the lapse of eight months.“I was out of the Dominican Team for one year during the recovering and rehabilitation process after the surgery. Eight months later I am in Puerto Rico playing for the Lions. The league has gained a lot this year, because most of the teams are competitive and that creates the growing of the tournament,” said Cabral to Primera Hora after the match last Monday against the Aguadilla Divas. In fact, Cabral will use her participation in the national women tournament as additional preparation ahead of her reintegration to the Dominican side after finishing her compromise with the Lions. More Spanish  Primera Hora

Eva Cruz reaches the 3,000-points plateau

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, February 1, 2006.- Eva Cruz of Juncos and member of the Puerto Rican National Team, became the first player to reach the 3,000 points plateau in the history of the Superior Women’s League of Puerto Rico. The veteran Cruz is also one of three players –the others are Michelle Maltes and Jetzabel del Valle- with more than 400 blocks lifetime. Lily Denoon is 22 bocks away from joining the club. Venezuelan Graciela Marquez of Toa Baja continues as the scoring leader of the circuit with 277 points followed by Dominican Annerys Vargas of Bayamon with 241 and American Kristee Porter of Carolina with 220. Vargas is the leader in blocks with 52 positives and she is escorted by Del Valle of Caguas with 44 and Melissa Elmer of Guaynabo with 34. Porter is the best server with 23 aces followed by Marquez and Karina Ocasio of Juncos with 20 apiece and Evelyn Carrera of Ponce is the leader in defences with 208 and Alida Otero of Aguadilla is tops among the liberos with 8.39 average of defences and receptions followed by Carrera with 8.24. Toa Baja leads the standings with 8 wins and 3 losses and Bayamon is in a close second with 8-4 mark. The rest of the standing is as follows: Carolina (7-4), Mayaguez (7-4), Ponce (7-4), Caguas (7-4), Juncos (6-5), Corozal (4-6), Guaynabo (1-10) and Aguadilla (0-11). Spanish

AFECAVOL takes important decisions

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, January 29, 2006.- The Association of Central American Volleyball Federations (AFECAVOL) held its Annual General Assembly of 2005, on January 28, with the presence of the seven members of the zone association and with the appropriate and guiding suggestions of Mr, Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, president of NORCECA. It is important to point out that among the main decisions taken was the approval of the competition calendar for the period 2006-2010 with the assignment of the national federations that will be hosting the major cups and the junior and youth championships, and thus allowing the countries the chance for a better planning of those events. It was agree to convoke for the first Central American mini-volleyball camp with the objective of promoting in each one of the countries the sport initiation in volleyball at an early age and the exchange of social, cultural and sports experiences between the children under 12 years-old.  More Spanish

AFECAVOL comply with FIVB and receive good news

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, January 29, 2006.- The Association of Central American Volleyball Federations (AFECAVOL), through the intervention of Mr. Marte Hoffiz, have submitted to FIVB its Certified Financial Statements corresponding to the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 a requirement needed in order to apply for the economic support destined to the zone associations and thus to resolve and collaborate with the administrative organization of AFECAVOL and the events scheduled for the year 2006. It is very deserving to emphasize that the Panamanian Federation will receive from its government the economical contribution for the construction of a gymnasium exclusively for the Panamanian Volleyball, located in the centre of the capital. It will be used this year for the Central American Students Games and the Men’s Senior Cup, and thus a big enhancing to both events. At the same time, and as a deserved homage to his forty years of continued work in favour of the Panamanian and Central American Volleyball, the Government of Panama decided to name the new Volleyball Gymnasium as Jose A. Remon. With that motive, the authorities AFECAVOL congratulate Mr. Jose A. Remon for that deserving honour. Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA, also has expressed his pleasure for this recognition. Spanish

AFECAVOL to have a website this year

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, January 29, 2006.- Among the new projects that AFECAVOL has decided to implement starting in 2006 is the creation of a website that will allow to introduce itself around the world of sports and volleyball. In order to put in march that initiative it counts with the technical support from NORCECA for its construction and functioning. Another working tool is constituted by the formulation of the Central American Ranking which will permit and will facilitate in the future the follow-up and designation of the representatives to the different annual NORCECA Championships with sufficient time in advance. It was also agree a total and integral revision of the Statutes in order to have them in concord with those of FIVB and NORCECA, and by these the legal and administrative procedures will go in concord with the established by the superior bodies. Spanish

Brazil is near the title, USA is 3-1

TOKYO, Japan, November 26, 2005 -- USA produced a business-like performance to beat Egypt 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-15) in the opening match of the fourth day of action at the Men’s World Grand Champions Cup improving its win-loss record to 3-1. Clayton Stanley, who is in his fifth year playing professionally in Greece, led the American charge with 22 points, comprised of 16 spikes, three blocks and three service winners. He said it had been very important to follow up the previous day's crushing 3-0 victory over Italy with a solid display against the African champions. "We played an excellent game yesterday (Friday), and when you get a win like that you do not want to let it go to your head," said Stanley. "We made a decision to come out here and take care of business." Meanwhile, Brazil took a giant stride toward a second World Grand Champions Cup by beating Italy in a five-set epic at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.  The score was 32-30, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 15-13 and the Brazilians improved to 4-0 with one game to play, against African champions Egypt, on Sunday.In the all-Asia evening affair, Japan won a thriller over China 3-2 (25-14, 24-26, 25-20, 35-37, 15-8) Spanish

USA swept Italy

TOKYO, Japan, November 25, 2005.- USA swept Italy 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) to put both teams at 2-1 after three days of action of the Men’s World Grand Champions Cup at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. USA's Hugh McCutcheon described it as an important win for his team. "Italy has such a great heritage for the last 15 years, maybe even longer, so for us to be able to beat them today is big for us," he said. Earlier in the third day of the tournament, Egypt defeated China 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12). It was the first victory by an African team in the FIVB's inter-continental championship. In the evening match, Brazil held off a determined challenge by Japan to finish the third day as the only team with a 3-0 win-loss record. The reigning world and Olympic champions beat the 16th-ranked Japan 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18), lifting their game at the crucial moments to stay in charge. Spanish

USA evened its record

NAGANO, Japan, November 23, 2005.-  USA recorded a tense 3-1 victory over Japan to leave both teams with a 1-1 win-loss record on the second day of the World Grand Champions Cup at Nagano Arena on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Brazil and Italy moved ahead of the pack. Japan were looking to build on the previous night's 3-2 win over Egypt, but the Americans were too experienced and ran out winners 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23. No. 1 Brazil survived a mighty scare to beat China in five sets, while second-ranked Italy had no such problems against Egypt, winning 3-0 for the second successive day. Earlier in the day, Brazil overcame a sluggish start to beat China 3-2. The Chinese won the first two sets 25-23, 28-26 but the Olympic champions finally found some momentum and took the next three sets 25-11, 25-18, 15-10. Italy made no such mistake against Egypt in the second match, winning in straight sets 25-20, 25-18, 25-19 in 62 minutes. Thursday is a travel/training day, before the action resumes on Friday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Spanish

USA Men lost to Brazil at World Grand Champions Cup

NAGANO, Japan, November 22, 2005.- Brazil, Italy and Japan began their  Men’s World Grand Champions Cup campaigns on a winning note at Nagano Arena on Tuesday. World and Olympic champions Brazil downed Norceca champions USA 3-1, European champions and World No. 2 Italy outclassed wild card entry China 3-0, and Asian champs Japan held off African champions Egypt 3-2 in a thriller. Brazil, who won this title in 1997, lost the first set 27-25 to USA, but took the next three 25-22, 25-19, 26-24. The second game of the day passed by in a blur of Azzurri blue as Italy demolished 18th-ranked China 25-15, 25-15, 25-17 in just 58 minutes. In the evening game, 16th-ranked Japan, the recently-crowned Asian champions, beat Africa's first entry into the WGCC, Egypt, ranked 21st in the world, 15-5 in the tiebreaker after trailing 2-1 in sets. Japan won 25-16, 23-25, 14-25, 25-23, 15-5 when all looked lost at the end of the third set. Spanish

Brazil won the gold and USA took the silver

NAGOYA, Japan, November 20, 2005.- South American champions Brazil clinched their first inter-continental crown defeating Korea 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) finishing the Women’s Grand Champions Cup with a perfect 5-0 record. USA, representing NORCECA, was the runner-up with a 4-1 record after beating Japan 28-26, 25-23, 25-16. China defeated Poland 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-20) taking the third place. Third in 1997 and fourth in 2001, Brazil made no mistake this time, and went home with the first prize of US$300,000 and even more Japanese admirers, following their World Grand Prix success at Sendai in July. Sheilla Castro won the honour as the Most Valuable Player. The other players awarded were the following: Best scorer, Sheilla Castro (Brazil); best attacker, Zhou Suhong (China); best blocker, Fabiana Claudino (Brazil); best server, Welissa "Sassa" Gonzaga (Brazil); best setter, Feng Kun (China); best libero, Yuka Sakurai (Japan). The final placing was: Brazil, USA, China, Poland, Japan and Korea. Spanish

USA lost to Brazil in straight sets

NAGOYA, Japan, November 19, 2005.- In a high-profile battle of the Americas, Brazil showed who was boss by defeating USA in straight sets at the women's World Grand Champions Cup on Saturday. The two teams went into the fourth day's play at Nagoya Rainbow Hall with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record. Something had to give - and it was the South American champions who emerged victorious, beating the NORCECA champions in emphatic style, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19. Even though the Brazilians had played the late match Friday and were on first Saturday, they showed no signs of mental or physical fatigue as they blitzed the Americans with an intense, energetic display. Enjoying her best match of the tournament, Jaqueline Carvalho led the Brazilian assault with 16 points, and received solid support from Brazil's best two players here, Sheilla Castro and Welissa "Sassa" Gonzaga, who both scored 14. Korea then produced a major surprise by beating European champions Poland 3-2 (26-24, 17-25, 25-18, 15-25, 15-11) in a one-hour, 48-minute marathon. It was the first victory for Korea after three defeats and Poland slipped to 1-3. In the last match of the day, China beat Japan 3-1 in a fast-paced encounter to move to 2-2, while dropping the host to 1-3. The Olympic champions won 25-15, 21-25, 25-15, 25-19 for their second straight victory over Asian opposition. Spanish 

USA and Brazil remain unbeaten at Grand Champions Cup

NAGOYA, Japan, November 18, 2005.- United States and Brazil face a "High Noon Shootout" on Saturday after both teams improved their win-loss record to 3-0 at the World Grand Champions Cup on Friday.  The Americans downed European champions Poland 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19) to stay perfect, and Brazil followed up with a crushing 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-19, 25-15) over Japan in the evening's main course. Brazil and USA, neither of whom have won this title in the three previous editions, will meet in the fourth round of games on Saturday, starting at noon. The winner of this will then be the favourite to clinch the US$300,000 first prize on Sunday, the fifth and final day of the women's inter-continental championship. Tayyiba Haneef led the USA scoring against Poland with 21 points, including 20 searing spikes -- and promised there was more to come. "Overall we are very happy with our condition, and have a pretty healthy team," she said. "We are mentally strong and came here to fight, and will continue to have a lot of energy and spirit out on the court." In the first game of the day, China overwhelmed Asian rival Korea 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) in 64 minutes. Spanish

USA and Brazil share the lead at Women’s Grand Champions Cup

NAGOYA, Japan, November 17, 2005.- The United States are top of the standings after two rounds of games, but the furthest thing from their minds is actually winning the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup. “We came here with a goal, and that was to improve our level and play more consistently,” said the Americans’ Chinese head coach, Jenny Lang Ping, at a news conference on Thursday. We want to take this opportunity to give more experience to the team, and right now we have still not changed our goal. We have three hard matches to play and I will focus on each one and try to play as consistently as possible, and learn as much as possible from all the teams.” The six teams are now in Nagoya, preparing to resume play on Friday at the Rainbow Hall after playing the first two rounds at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.  More..Spanish

Marte to preside Control Committee of Grand Champions Cup

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, November 10, 2005.- Dominican Cristóbal Marte will preside the Control Committee of the Grand Champions Volleyball Cup s to be held in Tokyo, Japan on November 15-27. The designation of Marte, president of Norceca, as head of the competition’s supervising body was requested by the Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) and ratified by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), of which he is executive vice president. Marte was indeed this year president of the Control Committee of the U-21 Men’s World Championships held in Vizakhapatnam, India in August, and has presided over the same body in different editions of the World League. Besides, he was member of the organization during the Olympic Games at Athens, Greece. The Grand Champions Cup will be held on November 15-20 for the women and on 22-27 on the men’s side. The participating women’s teams will be China, Poland, USA and Brazil as champions for Asia, Europe, Norceca and South America respectively, besides Korea, as wild card guest, and the organizer Japan. The men’s teams will be Egypt, Italy, Brazil and USA as continental champions for Africa, Europe, South America and Norceca with China as wild card and Japan as host country. Spanish

Puerto Rico is the first option for the 2007 U-18 Girls World Championships

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, November 10, 2005- Puerto Rico is the first option to stage the 2007 U-18 Girls’ World Championships as it was notified by the International Volleyball Federation. Mr. Bob Clark, director of events for the FIVB informed the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation that they still need to complete some official documents before November 30. “We already have made contacts with the Mayaguez authorities because we want to complete all needed information as soon as possible,” said Carlos Beltran, president of the Puerto Rican Federation. Beltran stated that once the FIVB gathers all the documents at its offices in Switzerland, an inspection visit shall be programmed between January and March of next year. Only once, in 1995, Puerto Rico hosted a Volleyball World Championship and it was a U-19 Boys event The last time a country of the American Continent organized a World Volleyball Championship was in 2001 with the U-18 Girls event successfully held in Santo Domingo and Santiago, Dominican Republic. Spanish

Meier praised the conditions of Regional Development Center

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, November 7, 2005.- Swiss Max Meier, director of the Level III Coaches Course held in Santo Domingo on October 24-November 6, praised the conditions under which professors and students worked at the FIVB Regional Development Center located here. “We met the perfect conditions to work for a level III course,” said Meier before departing. “The conditions at this center, with teams always available for the different type of instructions, made things easier for everybody.” “The most important thing was the high level of competence of the people working here,” he added. Meier also had encouraging words for the students during his speech at the closing ceremony. “The results of the exams were very good and the participants worked really hard,” said Meier. “This also speaks loudly about the level reached by the coaches of the region.” The course was lectured also by Carlos Diaz Bancalari of Argentina and Gilberto Herrera of Cuba. Coaches from 19 countries took part. Spanish

Cuban Jorge Garbey achieved the highest grades at Level III Coaches Course

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, November 6, 2005.- Cuban Jorge Garbey achieved the highest grades during the International Course for Coaches Level III dictated at the FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic located in Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte of Santo Domingo. Puerto Ricans David Quinones and Juan Cartagena were tied as the second most outstanding participants in the course directed by Swiss professor Max Meier with the assistance of professors Carlos Diaz Bancalari of Argentina and Gilberto Herrera of Cuba. A total of 35 coaches of 45 participants, from 19 countries approved the final exams of the course that covered 112 hours.  More..Spanish

Spikedown Beach Volleyball continues to grow

MARACAS BAY, Trinidad, November 7, 2005.- With the continued sponsorship from STAG “A Man’s Beer” the 2005 STAG Spikedown Beach Volleyball tournament continued to grow. The partnership between the TTVF and STAG Beer allowed the Spikedown Competition to be taken to four (4) community venues concluding with a Caribbean Beach Volleyball Tournament held on the most popular beach on the island, Maracas Bay. The Caribbean Beach Volleyball tournament featured teams from Barbados, Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago. Total prize money was $ 4000.00 USD. It was held on our Republic Day weekend which ensured large beach crowds and media coverage. While pairs from Trinidad & Tobago filled the top three positions of the women’s side, Barbados was the meat of the sandwich with Trinidadians taking first and third places of the men’s competition. Spanish

Pairs from Guadeloupe and Barbados winners at Antigua Beach Bash

CASTAWAYS BEACH, Antigua, November 5, 2005.- .- Guadeloupean pair of Philippe Pignol and Robin Darchicourt won the Antigua Beach Bash in the men’s division while Lauren Whitehall and Sharon Bovell of Barbados took the title in the women’s side. The event was part of the Sizzlin Sand Beach Volleyball Caribbean Series whose final competition is scheduled for this weekend in Barbados. Pignol and Darchicourt prevailed over Andrew Culpepper and Elwyn Oxley of Barbados in a thrilling match by score of 21-23, 21-15, 15-13 while the duo of Whitehall and Bovell defeated Guadeloupeans Beatrice Aucan and Veronique Berthelot by 21-16, 24-22. Nineteen teams representing five countries took part in the event hosted by Leisure Entertainment and the Antigua and Barbuda Volleyball Association. More..Spanish

Beach Volleyball Circuit with four stops

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, November 3, 2005.- The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, an event planned to start with four stops in 2006, was announced during the recent Congress held in Punta Cana. A total prize of US$30,000 will be up for grabs at each tournament equally divided by genders. Also a bonus prize of US$5,000 will be available for the pairs with more total points at the end of the tour. The competition is scheduled to start in Cancun, Mexico (March 23-26) then moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida (April 6-9), Boqueron, Puerto Rico (April 13-17) and Feria Ganadera, Santo Domingo (April 27-May 1). Spanish

Andres Hevia passed away in Cuba

SANTO DOMINGO, October 26, 2005.- It is with great sadness that we inform of the death of Andres “Machito” Hevia of Cuba, one of the most respected referees of all-time whose contributions to the development of volleyball went beyond the frontiers of the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation. The death of Mr. Hevia, also a fomer player and coach, was announced here by Mr. Omelio Castillo, president of the Cuban Volleyball Federation. On this year celebration of the Centennial of Volleyball in Cuba, Hevia was considered among the top ten most influential persons for the current prestige of Cuban volleyball. Despite his advanced age and recent illness, Mr. Hevia was able to attend the IV Women’s Pan American Cup here in June as member of the refereeing committee in what was his last official assignment in the Confederation. “Andres Hevia is part of the history of the Norceca Confederation and we all will remember him as a great contributor to the improvement of the volleyball in our region,” said Cristobal Marte, president of Norceca. “He will be sadly missed by the entire volleyball family.” Spanish

Dominican Republic the site of Course for Coaches Level III

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, October 25, 2005.- .The Dominican Republic is the site since yesterday of an event that because of its complexity had not been celebrated in fourteen years: The Internacional Course for Coaches Level III. “And our country has been selected, after three years of evaluation, because of the excellence of the Development Center located here,” said Cristóbal Marte, vice president of FIVB and president of Norceca, during the opening of the event. The course is supervised by the Swiss technician Max Meier, who is assisted by Argentinean Carlos Diaz Bancalari and Cuban Gilberto Herrera. “They are 112 hours of hard work, is a course of the highest level, and those who approved it will be ready to coach at any level,” said Meier, who remarked the attendance of coaches from 19 countries and three continents. More..Spanish

NORCECA supports unanimously the re-election of Acosta 

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, October 22, 2005.- The Executive Committee and Board of Administration of the Norceca Confederation and all its 34 National Federations voted unanimously to support the re-election of Doctor Ruben Acosta Hernandez for a new term as president of the FIVB during the period 2006-2010. The decision was adopted during the XVIII Congress of Norceca held for two days in this touristic resort in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. "I am very pleased with this kind of support in favor of Doctor Acosta," said Cristobal Marte, president of Norceca. "Volleyball as sport has developed into one of the most important discipline under the leadership of him and we are very proud of that because he was the founder of our Confederation." The representatives of the National Federations and the members of the Executive signed the following statement to support the president of the FIVB: The Executive Committee and Board of Administration of the Volleyball North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation and its affiliated National Federations, gathered on the occasion of the XVIII Congress of the institution...More Spanish

Marte re-elected as President of NORCECA

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, October 22, 2005.- Cristobal Marte Hoffiz of Dominican Republic was re-elected as president of the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation during the second and final day of the XVIII Congress of the organization. Along with Marte, also were elected Alejandro Salinas of Mexico as Executive Vice President and Marta Centeno of Guatemala as General Secretary. Alan Ahac of Canada, Mushtaque Mohammed and Edgar Alvarado, of Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Costa Rica respectively were chosen as Zonal Vice Presidents and Carlos Beltran of Puerto Rico as Vice President of Beach Volleyball. John Griffith of Barbados, will be the treasurer. Elected as members of the Board of Administration were Angel Iglesias of Cuba, Doug Beal of United States, Bertha Cuadra of Nicaragua, Rupert Sorahindo of Dominica and Glenn Quinlan of St. Kitts. Spanish

Four National Federations awarded during the XVIII Congress

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, October 21, 2005.- Four National Federations of the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation were recognized for their excellent work in the past two years during the first day of the XVIII Congress Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez. The Federations awarded with plaques were those of Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico for their contributions with Norceca hosting international events and developing volleyball in their respective countries. Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA, especially praised the Puerto Rican Federation pointing out the success achieved in the field of marketing the Superior League in both genders. Marte also announced the inauguration of the Men’s Pan American Cup next year, an event where teams will qualify for the America’s Cup. He informed that during the first three years the tournament will be held in Mexico, as it happened with the Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the World Grand Prix. The morning session was attended by the Minister of Sports of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Felipe Payano, the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Mr. Luis Mejia Oviedo, and by Dr. Jose Joaquin Puello, President Ad Vitam of the Dominican Olympic Committee and past president of the Central American and Caribbean Sport Organization (ODECABE). Spanish

Acosta praises Marte and National Federations of NORCECA

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, October 21, 2005.- The President of the FIVB, Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez is very proud of the achievements reached by the NORCECA Confederation in the recent years under the presidency of Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz. In a message read by Mr. Jacques Joachim of Haiti, member of the Board of Administration of the FIVB; during the first session of the XVIII Norceca Congress, Dr. Acosta Hernandez described Marte Hoffiz as not only a driving force of the Norceca volleyball family but also of the world family. The president of FIVB also praised the National Federations who overcame geographical, economical and political obstacles to make possible the holding of a series of successful Continental Rounds leading to the 2006 World Championship. Acosta Hernandez wished all the Federations here present or represented “that all your dreams come true in a short time and that this General Assembly constitute a Congress full of decisions leading toward new achievements in the world of Volleyball.” Spanish  (Complete message pdf)

Sixteen candidates proposed for the Board of Administration

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, October 18, 2005.- Sixteen candidates for the Board of Administration of the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA) have been submitted by their respective National Federations. The elections for a new governing body of the NORCECA will take place during the XVIII Congress Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernández to be held at Punta Cana Beach Resort on October 21-23. The ten most voted candidates will win their election to the Board of 13 members. Two members have been already selected as presidents of zone association besides the president of the institution who is chosen in a separate election. The presidents of zones associations are Mr. Edgar Alvarado for Central America (AFECAVOL) and Mr. Mushtaque Mohammed for the Caribbean islands (CAZOVA). The proposed candidates are in the alphabetical order of their National Federations are the following: More Spanish

Beltran has big aspirations in NORCECA

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, October 11, 2005.- Even thought the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation is supporting one-hundred percent Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz as President of the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation, it does not rule out the possibility of Carlos J. Beltran for the Vice Presidency. Beltran will be one of the federations’ leaders and directors of Norceca who will be attending the XVIII Norceca Congress to be held on October 21-23 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Elections of new authorities of Norceca for the period 2005-2009 will take place during the Congress. Beltran is one of the candidates presented by the FPV for several positions in Norceca. “What we want is Puerto Rico to be represented in all the groups,” said the President of the FPV. “And what about the Presidency?” he was questioned. “I don’t think so. Cristobal Marte must remain there, but I don’t know if they have any plan with me for the vice presidency. If that is the case, I would be willing to,” he said. More..Spanish

Farewell of Evelyn Carrera to the international competitions 

San Juan, Puerto Rico,October 10, 2005.-Defense specialist Evelyn Carrera said her farewell to the international competition but no so to the Women’s Volleyball Superior League. The Dominican-Puerto Rican player was the most missed during the recently concluded North Central American and Caribbean Women’s Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. Her absence also will be notable during the V Pan American Cup, the World Grand Prix and the World Championships in Japan, events all to be held in 2006. “It has been many years with the National Team,” said Carrera in a telephone interview with Primera Hora from the Dominican Republic. “I spent 21 years with the National Team. I have been playing this sport since I was 10 years-old and finally I am tired,” said the 33 years-old player.  More ...Spanish

Marte Hoffiz will propose unanimous support for the re-election of Dr. Acosta Hernandez as President of FIVB

The President of Norceca Confederation, Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, will propose to the XVIII Congress of the institution the unanimous support of all its 35 National Federations to the re-election of Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez as President of the Federation Internazionale de Volleyball (FIVB) for the period 2006-2010. Marte Hoffiz stated the the presence of Dr. Acosta Hernandez, as the top leader of the world’s largest sport institution, is a guarantee of excellence and success. With 218 National Federations affiliated and more than 35 million registered players, the FIVB marks the difference among all international sports organizations while achieving an unprecedented growth, both financially and the sport itself, since Dr. Acosta Hernandez was first elected as President of FIVB in 1984 in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Acosta Hernandez decided to launch his re-election for a new term during the Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece in August 2004, receiving the unanimous approval from all members of the Executive Committee and Board of Administration. More..Spanish

Agenda of the Congress is announced

The agenda for the XVIII Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez Norceca Congress was announced today by the President of the organization, Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz and include the election of new authorities to a four-year term. The event will be held at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on October 21-23. The opening ceremony will have the presence of Mr. Felipe Payano, Minister of Sports of the Dominican Republic and Mr. Luis Mejia Oviedo, President of the Dominican Olympic Committee. Also, Mr. Ramon Alexis Garcia, President of the Dominican Republic Volleyball Federation, as host country. During the first day, the Norceca Confederation will paid a homage in honor of Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez, President of the FIVB and founder of Norceca, for his great contributions in favor of the development of volleyball around the North, Central American and Caribbean Continent. Each Zonal Association and Commissions within Norceca will present its reports as also will do the representatives from the 2005 Central American Sports Games and the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Sports Games. The agenda also include, among numerous topics, the participation of teams from the Norceca region in the World League, World Grand Prix, Olympic Games and the 2006 World Championships. Also, will be discussed the report on the XXX FIVB World Congress 2006, the Constitution, Code of Conduct, and the General, Financial and Sports Regulations. At the end of the two-day meetings, the General Elections will take place for the Presidential position and the Board of Administration. Spanish

XVII Norceca Congress 2005 in its final stage

The XVIII NORCECA Congress 2005, programmed to be held on October 21-22, 2005 in the beautiful Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort Convention Centre in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with a special dedication in honour of Dr. Ruben Acosta Hernandez, President and Founder of NORCECA Volleyball Confederation and President of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball, FIVB, is now in its final stage of organization. NORCECA’s Staff led by its President Lic. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, are working around the clock to ensure that all details are foreseen. A special section in NORCECA’s website, has been posted with all necessary information for participating delegates from 35 countries of the North, Central American and Caribbean Region. The official invitation to the Congress has been circulated to all National Federations affiliated to NORCECA, as well as, the procedures for the accreditation of participating delegates. Accommodation forms have been received from a total of 33 National Federations who have confirmed their active participation. All Candidature presentation for NORCECA’s President, Board of Administration and Commission Members have been received in due time. Also, the Central American Region, AFECAVOL, and the Caribbean Region, CAZOVA, have presented the nomination of their candidatures to be elected for NORCECA’s Board of Administration. NORCECA Congress 2005 handbook/working documents and agenda have been already circulated to all participating National Federations. The Agenda is also available in NORCECA’s website special section for the Congress. Spanish

Caguas won the crown in Puerto Rico Women’s League

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 21, 2005.- Caguas surprised everyone by sweeping Mayagüez in the best-of-seven  final playoffs of the Women’s Puerto Rican League. The score in the fourth match was 13-25, 25-22, 25-17 and 25-23. Caguas was the runner-up in last year tournament and took its first title since 2002 and seventh overall. American Kim Willoughby was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the final series. Canadian Stacey Gordon led the Caguas attack with 24 points followed by Willoughby with 21. Puerto Rican Jetzabel del Valle scored 17, including five blocks. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, coach of the new  champions, was elected as Coach of the Year with a total of 101 points. He received 18 first place votes of 28 electors. During the regular series, Caguas finished with an unbeaten record of 18-0. Rodriguez made his debut this year at the helm of Caguas Team. Spanish

Bameso takes a 2-0 lead in Santo Domingo

SANTO DOMINGO, April 21, 2005. - Bameso Team took a 2-0 lead in the final series of the Men’s side of the Metropolitan League of Santo Domingo after a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19 and 25-21) win over Jose Marti. Once again Jose Caceres was the offensive leader of Bameso and he has now 64 points in the first two victories of his side. The best-of-seven series continues on Friday also with the beginning of the Women’s final playoff between Los Prados and Juan Guzman. Los Prados is the favourite of the female side against a Juan Guzman team that is participating for the first time in a final series. Spanish

Mayaguez and Caguas to the finals in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 13, 2005.- Nancy Metcalf hammered 41 points and Shannon Torregrosa and Devon Foster each one added 11 and the Mayaguez Indians advanced to the final series of the Women’s Puerto Rican League with a five-set victory over the Bayamon Cowgirls. The tie-breaker was equaled eight times, the last at 13-all when two spikes of Annerys Vargas and Sheila Lopez were too wide and sealed the triumph for the Indians.  Vargas led Bayamon with 30 points and Barb Bellini had 17. The final score was 16-25, 25-22, 25-14, 23-25, 15-13. Mayaguez will meet Caguas in the final series starting next Thursday. Caguas finished the semifinal phase with a win in four sets over Corozal by score of 25-27, 25-11, 25-18, 25-18. Kim Willoughby led four Caguas players in double figures with 24 points. Jetzabel del Valle scored 16 and Vanesa Velez and Stacey Gordon 14 and 10 respectively. Spanish

Indians secured a tie at first place in semifinals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 10, 2005.- The Mayagüez Indians secured a tie in the first position of the round robin semifinal series of the Puerto Rican Women’s League with a victory over Caguas 25-23, 25-20, 25-19. The Indians are now 4-1 and Caguas slipped to a 3-2 mark and a tie with the Bayamon Cowgirls in the second place of the standings. Nancy Metcalf led the Indians with 20 points followed by Shannon Torregrosa and Devon Foster with 16 and 10 respectively. For Caguas, Kim Willoughby had 18 points. In the other match on Saturday, Bayamon beat Corozal in three sets by score of 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 with Annerys Vargas leading all the scorers with 16 points seconded by Barb Bellini with 11. For Corozal Brittany Hochevar scored 10. Teams rest on Sunday and on Monday, Mayaguez visits Bayamon in a crucial match for the Cowgirls, while Caguas plays against Corozal which is winless at 0-5.Spanish

Bayamon is still alive in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 9, 2005.- The Bayamon Cowgirls kept alive their chances of advancing to the final playoffs with a victory in straight sets over the Criollas of Caguas by score of 25-22, 26-24, 25-23. With their win, the Cowgirls evened their record at 2-2 while Caguas is now 3-1 and tied at the top of the semifinals with the Mayaguez Indians. Corozal is already eliminated of possibilities with a 0-4 record.  Dominican Annerys Vargas was the top scorer of Bayamon with 22 points and Canadian Barb Bellini followed her with 12. For Caguas, Canadian Stacey Gordon scored 21 points and American Kim Willoughby cooperated with 15. Spanish

Indians took an easy win over Corozal

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 8, 2005.- The Mayagüez Indians took their third victory in the semifinal series defeating the Corozal Pinkin in consecutive sets by score of 25-15, 25-15, 25-16 in just 66 minutes. After losing their first semifinal match against Caguas, the Indians are 3-1 and look a as solid candidates for a berth in the final playoffs. Corozal is out of possibilities. American Nancy Metcalf was the top scorer of Mayaguez with 17 points, Shannon Torregrosa had 16 and Jessica Lopez 11. For Corozal (0-4), Jessenia Resto scored 10 and Brittany Hochevar 9. Spanish

Mayaguez defeated Bayamon in five sets

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 7, 2005.- The Mayaguez Indians had to battle for five sets with the Bayamon Cowgirls to get their second triumph in the semifinal series of the Women’s Puerto Rican League. Nancy Metcalf led a comeback by the Indians scoring 11 of her 40 points in the fourth set and sending the match to the tie-breaker. The score was 25-16, 24-26, 22-25, 25-16, 15-9.Mayaguez is now 2-1 and Bayamon fell to 1-2. Caguas is leading with 3-0 mark while Corozal is winless at 0-3. Shannon Torregrosa scored 13 points for Mayaguez and Devon Foster added 11. For the Cowgirls, Annerys Vargas had 27 points, Barb Bellini 15 and Sheila Lopez 10. Spanish

Burgos topped the scorers in the Dominican-Chinese exchange

SANTO DOMINGO, April 7, 2005.- Dominican Dahiana Burgos was the top scorer of the women’s friendly series of six matches between the Dominican Republic U-20 and the Chinese Team of Tainjin Province. The Chinese showed their superiority winning all but one of matches by score of 3-0. The second one went to five sets also a victory for the Tainjin side. Burgos totaled 87 points followed by Chinese Yang Jie with 64 and Li Shan and Li Juan both with 59. Priscila Rivera had 57. Burgos was also the best server of the competition with 14 aces with an average of 0.70 by sets and Yang topped all the spikers with 46.30 percentage of success. Yang Yanan led the blockers with 0.80 and Ding Hongying was the best setter with 5.65 by sets while Alexandra Casso ended as the top digger (1.45), receiver (73.86) and libero. Spanish

Caguas came from behind and is 3-0

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 6, 2005.- Caguas had to come from behind to grab its third victory without losses in the semifinal series and are halfway to the final playoff of the Women’s Puerto Rican League. The Criollas erased a 0-2 deficit to defeat the Corozal Pinkin by score of 26-28, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 17-15. Corozal is now 0-3 and on the edge of elimination. The defense of Yanira Santiago, digging for balls and blocking at the net, was a key ingredient in the comeback of Caguas. Kim Willoughby had 28 points and Stacey Gordon added 22 for the Criollas while Brittany Hochevar scored 24 and Jennifer Jones 18 for Corozal. Today, the Bayamon Cowgirls meet Mayaguez at the home of the Indians. Spanish

Caguas is 2-0 in the semifinal series

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 4, 2005.- Caguas defeated Bayamon 3-1 for its second victory without losses in the semifinal series of the Puerto Rican Women’s League. After losing a huge battle in the first set by score of 26-28, Caguas won easily the next three by 25-21, 25-20, 25-17. American Kim Willoughby led Caguas with 20 points followed by Stacey Gordon with 19 and Jetzabel del Valle with 16. Dominican Annerys Vargas was the best scorer for Bayamon with 17 and Barb Bellini added 14. In the other match on Sunday, Mayaguez evened its record at 1-1 good for a second place tie with Bayamon, with a straight sets triumph over Corozal (0-2). The score was 25-17, 25-21, 26-24. Nancy Metcalf was the top scorer for Mayaguez with 18 points followed by Shannon Torregrosa and Devon Foster with 11 and 10 respectively. For Corozal, Jennifer Jones had 13 and Brittany Hochevar added 11. Spanish

Good Start for Bayamon Cowgirls

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 3, 2005.- The Bayamon Cowgirls had everything under control in their first match of the Women’s Puerto Rico League semifinal series defeating the Corozal Pink n in straight sets by score of 25-19, 25-23, 25-18.“Thanks to the Lord this is a very positive start,” said Michelle Cardona, the setter for the Cowgirls who play Caguas on Sunday. Since the start of the match, the Cowgirls played more consistent volleyball than their rivals showing solid blocking and serving. Besides the solid blocking, Bayamon was also superior in the variety of its offense. Dominican Annerys Vargas was joined in the attack by Canadian Barb Bellini and Puerto Rican Leslie de Jesus. Vargas finished with 14 points and Bellini with 10. Darangelis Yantin had 9, including three blocks and de Jesus added 8. Spanish

Caguas defeated Mayagüez starting semifinal series

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 2, 2005.- Caguas erased a three point deficit in the fifth set and opened the semifinal series of the Women’s Puerto Rican League with a victory over Mayagüez by score of 25-22, 22-25, 29-27, 20-25, 16-14 before more than 4,000 spectators at the Hector Sola Bezares Gymnasium in Caguas. Kim Willoughby led Caguas with 38 points while Stacey Gordon and Jetzabel del Valle each added 19. Nancy Metcalf hammered 44 points but could not avoid the loss of Mayaguez. The semifinal series continues today with a match between Bayamon and Corozal. Each team will play six games in this phase of the tournament with the top two ranked teams advancing to the final series. Spanish

Puerto Rico will have new champions in 2005

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 1, 2005.- The Puerto Rican Women’s League will have a new champion in 2005. The Corozal Pinkin beat the Carolina Giants last night for the fourth time this season - and third in the quarterfinals- by score of 25-18, 25-20, 18-25, 25-23, finishing the two-year reign of the Giants. Despite the 19 points of Lilly Denoon and the 18 by Kristee Porter, Carolina once again appeared out of sync for the first two sets as it was last Wednesday against Caguas. The Giants reacted to take the third set and battled in the fourth but ran out of gas. Jennifer Jones had 22 points for Corozal, followed by Brittany Hochevar and Jesenia Resto with 15 and 11 respectively. The semifinal series starts tonight with a big game between Mayaguez and Caguas, the two teams favored by the experts to take the title. On Saturday, Corozal meets Bayamon. Each team will play six matches in this phase of the post season with the top two advancing to the final playoffs. Spanish

Bayamon enters the semifinals in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 31, 2005.- The Bayamon Cowgirls are in the semifinals of the Women’s Puerto Rican League with a victory over Corozal in straight sets last night. Dominican Annerys Vargas scored 19 points, including three blocks, leading the Cowgirls to their ticket for the next round. Bittany Hochevar was the best scorer for Corozal with 18 points. The score was 25-22, 25-23,25-15. In the other match of the day, Caguas defeated Carolina 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-22) with Kim Willoughby leading the attack with 22 points including 5 aces. Stacey Gordon and Jetzabel del Valle had 14 and 10 points respectively for Caguas and Kristee Porter and Linnette Moster scored 14 and 12 for Carolina.Bayamon, Carolina and Corozal finished in a three-way tie at 4-6, but the Cowgirls advanced via a better “goal-average”. The other two teams meet tonight in a sudden-death playoff to decide the fourth side in the semifinals. Mayaguez and Caguas were already qualified. Spanish

Mayagüez finished with 8-2 in PR Quarterfinals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 30, 2005.- The Mayagüez Indians closed their participation in the quarterfinals series of Puerto Rican Women’s League with an easy victory over the already eliminated Toa Baja. The score was 25-21, 25-23, 25-19. American Nancy Metcalf led the Indians with 22 points while Venezuelan Graciela Marquez was the best scorer for Toa Baja with 17. Mayaguez finished in first place of this phase with 8-2 record. Caguas can tie with the Indians with a victory tonight against Carolina (4-5), but anyway will finish second after losing its two matches against Mayaguez. The Bayamon Cowgirls (3-6) play against Corozal (4-5) needing a victory to keep alive their chances of a berth in a playoff game. Spanish

Griffith announces new era for Volleyball in Barbados

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 30, 2005.- The Barbados Volleyball Association has appointed local expert Kenmore Bynoe to the position of Manager of Volleyball Operations with a view of carrying the sport to the next level of excellence.In 2004 Barbados hosted another successful Caribbean Volleyball Championship winning the men's title for the ninth time and the women's crown for the fifth time.  The BVA also won the National Sports Council's Association of the Year Award for the fourth time. President of the BVA John Griffith in disclosing Mr. Bynoe's appointment highlighted that 2005 will be a critical year for Barbados' volleyball with this country hosting first round World Championships Qualifiers for men and women in June. Barbados men will compete later at Norceca in Canada while the women will battle in Trinidad & Tobago. Barbados women will also make their debut at the Pan Am Cup in the Dominican Republic in June while July will see the Junior boys and girls competing at the Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Aruba. More Spanish

The Cowgirls with their backs against the wall

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 29, 2005.- Caguas sent the Bayamon with their backs against the wall dealing the Cowgirls a big loss in four sets on Monday night. With the victory by score of 26-24, 15-25, 25-22, 25-20, Caguas tied with Mayaguez at the top of the quarterfinals round-robin with a 7-2 record. Bayamon fell to 3-6 needing a victory over Corozal next Wednesday to keep alive its chances for a berth in the semi final phase. Dominican Annerys Vargas was the leading scorer of the match but her performance could not avoid the loss of Bayamon. She had 34 points, with 23 kills, 9 blocks and 2 aces.American Kim Willoughby led Caguas with 24 points, Puerto Rican Jetzabel del Valle had 18 and Canadian Stacey Gordon returned to action and chipped in 15 points. For Bayamon, Canadian Barb Bellini had 13 points and Sheila Lopez added 11. Spanish

Chinese once again dominated Dominicans

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 29, 2005.- The Chinese Team of Tainjin Province once again dominated the U-20 National Team of Dominican Republic continuing with the friendly series between the two sides. In three of the four official contests played thus far, the Chinese have won by score of 3-0. The other match stretched to five sets with the visitors prevailing over the host young squad.Yang Jie and Yang Yanan each had 10 points leading the triumph decided by score of 25-23, 25-22, 25-10 in 71 minutes. Dahiana Burgos and Sidarka Nunez had 15 and 13 for the Dominican Republic. These teams have two remaining official matches to be played on Thursday and Monday at the Gymnasium of University of Santo Domingo where good crowds have watched the action. Spanish