Rodriguez and Haddock go for a triple in Cayman Islands
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, April 22, 2014 – The sixth edition
of the double-gender Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament
marks the start of the 2014 NORCECA Circuit at Seven Mile Beach
of Grand Cayman on Friday.
Puerto Ricans Roberto Rodriguez and Erik Haddock will be going
after their third crown in a row in the men’s segment of the
competition, traditionally the first of the year since its
inaugural event in 2009.
Last year, the Rodriguez/Haddock tandem won the crown with a
21-16, 21-18 victory over the USA’s combo of Todd Rogers and
Ryan Doherty. The previous year, the Puerto Ricans defeated
Canadians Samuel Schachter and Maverick Hatch 21-19, 21-15 to
take the title.
Rodriguez also won a silver medal here in 2011 playing alongside
Christopher Underwood.
Rogers, the gold medal winner of the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing along with Phil Dalhausser, will take part again in the
Cayman Islands this year with Theo Brunner as his partner.
The team of Rogers and Brunner is one of the two USA entries in
the men’s tournament with the other consisting of Will
Montgomery and Stafford Slick.
While the men’s field has seen multiple winners in the short
history of the competition, in the women’s segment the Cayman
Islands has had a different winning pair in each of the five
previous occasions.
Veteran Heather Hughes, a three-time gold medalist in NORCECA
events, will play together with Christal Engle as one of two
American women’s teams. Tealle Hunkus, who won in Aruba in 2013,
will team up with Kim Dicello.
Last year, the Canadian duo of Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas
crushed Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik of United States 21-15,
21-13 to claim the gold medal.
Fifteen men’s teams and sixteen women’s teams have been
registered to participate in the opening event of the year.
Teams will be divided into four pools with the top two teams
from each pool advancing to the single elimination bracket.
Past winners at Cayman Islands:
Year Men
Women
2009 Jason Wight/Michael Bruning USA Kirenia Ballar/Nirian
Sinal CUB
2010 Martin Reader/Ray Sewell CAN
Yarleen Santiago/Dariam Acevedo PUR
2011 Richard van Huizen/Josh Binstock CAN Brooke
Hanson/Lauren Fendick, USA
2012 Roberto Rodriguez/Erik Haddock PUR Bibi Candelas/Mayra
García MEX
2013 Roberto Rodríguez/Erik Haddock PUR Jamie Broder/Kristina
Valjas CAN
Registered Men’s Teams:
Renaldo Knowles/Muller Petit (Bahamas), Andrew
Hinchey/Ryan Vandeburg (Canada-A), Cameron Wheelan/Michael
Plantinga (Canada-B), Shervin Rankin/Richard Campbell
(Cayman Islands-A), Olney Thompson/Phillippe Deslandes
(Cayman Islands-B), Julio Alvarez/Rooper Espinoza (Costa
Rica), Carlos Escobar/David Vargas (El Salvador),
Daron Ofxord/Akim Andrews (Grenada), Erick Garrido/Andy
Blanco (Guatemala), Roberto Rodriguez/Erik Haddock
(Puerto Rico), St Calire Hodge/Shawn Seabrookes (St Kitts
& Nevis), Julian Bissette/Joseph Clercent (St Lucia),
Colin Bernard/Fabien Whitfield (Trinidad & Tobago),
William Montgomery/Stafford Slick (United States-A), Todd
Rogers/Theodore Brunner (United States-B).
Registered Women’s Teams:
Claudia Seguin/Brandie Wilkerson (Canada-A), Melissa
Humana/Taylor Pischke (Canada-B), Cristin
Alexander/Jessica Wolfenden (Cayman Islands-A), Chante
Smith/Ileann Powery (Cayman Islands-B), Natalia
Alfaro/Karen Cope (Costa Rica), Diana Romero/Marcela
Avalos (El Salvador), Lourdes Ramirez/Natalia Galan
(Guatemala), Stephanie Burnside/Gloria Iztel (Mexico-A),
Paulette Cruz/Vanessa Virgen (Mexico-B), Jackeline Toruño/Elia
Torres (Nicaragua), Lina Bernier/Valeria Cajigas
(Puerto Rico), Shanicia Dyer/Brenda Allen (St Kitts &
Nevis), Diana Hamilton/Jamilla Lansiquot (St Lucia),
Ayana Dyette/Nancy Joseph (Trinidad & Tobago), Heather
Hughes/Christal Engle (United States-A), Tealle Hunkus/Kimberly
McGiven (United States-B). |