Panama heads to gold medal match unbeaten

ST GEORGE , Grenada, June 23- Panama confirmed their status as the lone team to finish the preliminary round of the Group N of the Second Round of the NORCECA Women’s 2014 World Championships Qualification, here at the Laborie Indoor Facility, easily  taking out Grenada 3-0( 25- 19, 25- 10, 25- 11.)

It was Grenada’s third successive loss, all by 3-0 margins.

Panama finished with a 3-0 win/ loss record and faces Haiti in the title match, in tonight’s capper.

When both finalists met in the preliminary phase, Panama gained a 3-1 toppling of the Haitians. 

Looking forward to the gold medal match, Captain of the Panama team, Joanna Arroyo said they just want to continue on their winning trend.

“We have not lost a game and that is a plus…  We have worked hard , four months of practice just for  this, not to come third or second, but to come first ….We are going to go hard tonight to win that gold medal”, Arroyo said.

Her team’s leading scorer again for the third successive occasion with 12 points, Arroyo projected that Panama will be more expressive and determined when they face Haiti for the second time in two days.

Panama and Haiti join group winners- Curacao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago, who are already through to round three.

Runners- up- Barbados, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St Lucia and U.S. Virgin Islands have also gained berth to the next round.

The next entrant will be the best third place from the six groups of qualification, according to the rankings in January 2014.

They will be entered along with top ranked NORCECA teams theUnited States of America, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica, as they seek to be among six places destined for Italy in 2014.