At the recent NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour event held in Manzanillo, Mexico, teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada demonstrated impressive performances, securing a majority of the medals. Their success was significantly bolstered by strategic coaching support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Local favorites Jose Angel Cardenas and Jorman Osuna delighted the home crowd by claiming the men`s gold medal, while their Mexican compatriots Susana Torres and Atenas Gutierrez earned the women`s bronze. Puerto Rico celebrated a gold medal win in the women`s category with the duo of Maria Gonzalez and Allanis Navas. Canada also had a strong showing, with Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick taking home men`s silver, and Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese securing silver in the women`s division. Costa Rica`s Julian Araya and Jhostin Varela completed the men`s podium by winning a bronze medal.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has been instrumental in providing substantial financial and material aid to these federations. Mexico`s national teams, across both beach volleyball and indoor volleyball, have collectively received over $1,328,000 in coaching assistance, supplemented by $23,000 worth of beach volleyball equipment. The Mexican men`s beach volleyball duos train under the guidance of Argentinean coach Ruben Barrera, while the women`s teams are expertly led by Brazilian instructor Reis Castro. Similarly, the Federacion Puertorriquena de Voleibol`s beach volleyball department has benefited from $168,000 in coaching support for their national duos, along with $17,500 in equipment, with Coach Angel Pena at the helm. Volleyball Canada`s men`s national beach volleyball duos have also been allocated $168,000 in coaching support, training under the experienced NextGen coach Josh Nichol.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
The 10th-seeded Mexican duo, Cardenas and Osuna, overcame an early pool play defeat to emerge as gold medalists. Their journey to victory included a significant upset of top-seeded Mexican pair Antonio Lares and Carlos Andres Ayala in a thrilling three-set quarterfinal. They then secured their spot in the final with a tight 2-0 (26-24, 21-19) semifinal win against Costa Rica`s Araya and Varela, ultimately triumphing in the final with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) victory over Canada`s Kemp and Chadwick.
For the third-seeded Canadian team of Kemp and Chadwick, their final match loss was their sole defeat of the entire tournament. They dominated their pool, advancing without dropping a single set, and navigated the playoffs with two crucial tie-breaker wins. A standout moment was their impressive 2-1 (13-21, 21-16, 15-10) comeback in the semifinals against the second-seeded American duo, Timothy Brewster and Ryan Ierna, which guaranteed them a coveted spot on the podium.
In the fiercely contested men`s bronze medal match, the fifth-seeded Costa Rican pair Araya and Varela delivered a strong performance, also defeating the Americans with a convincing 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) victory to secure their bronze medals.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
In the women`s competition, the fourth-seeded Puerto Rican team of Gonzalez and Navas showcased extraordinary resilience, winning three tie-breaker matches across five games to ultimately secure the women`s gold in Manzanillo. Their nail-biting semifinal saw them stage a remarkable comeback from a set down to claim a 2-1 (20-22, 21-19, 15-13) victory against the top-seeded Mexican pair Torres and Gutierrez. In the gold medal showdown, the Puerto Rican duo continued their exceptional form, securing a hard-fought 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-12) win against the third-seeded Canadians Dunn and Law-Heese to stand atop the podium.
Mexico`s Torres and Gutierrez effectively rebounded from their semifinal loss to clinch the women`s bronze medal. They achieved this with a decisive 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) sweep in the third-place game against Canada’s eighth-seeded duo, Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic.
Earlier in the tournament, an all-Canadian semifinal saw Dunn and Law-Heese secure a clear 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) victory over their compatriots Grewal and Pantovic, earning them a place in the gold medal match and ultimately the silver medals.
Tournament Overview
The Manzanillo event attracted a diverse range of talent, featuring a total of 13 men`s and nine women`s teams. Participants hailed from various nations, including Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA.
The 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour is set to continue its journey in Mexico for its seventh stop. The tour will move to Guadalajara for an exciting event scheduled from September 5 to 7.
