NORCECA Volleyball Championship 2009

Oct. 12-17 Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Pool A
Cuba
Dominican Rep.
Puerto Rico
Barbados

Pool B
USA
Mexico
Canada
Panama

USA, Canada, Cuba and Puerto Rico open with victories
Defending champions USA, perennial contender Cuba, Canada and hosts Puerto Rico got off to winning starts at NORCECA’s Men’s Continental Championship at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum on Monday. The four teams won their matches in straight sets.

USA defeated Mexico in the first match on opening day, which was followed by Canada’s victory over Panama. Cuba beat Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico downed Barbados.

The event will determine the last team to qualify for the Men’s FIVB World Grand Champions Cup this November in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan, where hosts Japan, South American champions Brazil, European titleholders Poland, Asian representatives Iran, and African champions and wild card Egypt have already booked tickets.

Pool A

Puerto Rico beat Barbados 25-9, 25-16, 25-18 in the last match on opening day. The home team dominated at the net with a 10-5 advantage in blocks and also from the service line, 6 aces to 1.

Josue Rivera landed 8 of 12 kill attempts and led the balanced scoring of Puerto Rico with 10 points. Hector Soto was effective in 7 of 12 and compiled 9 tallies.

Cuba made an impressive debut in Pool A by defeating Dominican Republic 25-17, 25-15, 25-14. The winners outscored their rivals 9-3 in the blocking category in a match that lasted just 64 minutes.

Teenager Wilfredo Leon tallied 11 points for Cuba and Michael Sanchez added 10 points. Captain Roberlandy Simon and Osmany Camejo each contributed 9 points to the winning effort. Jose Caceres and Victor Batista scored nine points apiece for Dominican Republic.

Pool B

Three-time defending champions USA recorded a 25-15, 28-26, 25-16 victory over Mexico in the first match of Pool B. The Americans outscored their opponents 11-5 in blocks and 12-4 in the ace services category.

Evan Patak led the winners with 16 points, including four aces, Sean Rooney compiled 11 points with four blocks and Paul Lotman scored six aces en route to 11 tallies. Thomas Hoff contributed 9 points, including three blocks. The only Mexican in double figures was Leonardo Manzo with 14 points.

Canada scored a 25-13, 25-23, 25-19 victory over Panama in the second match of Pool B that lasted 1 hour and 12 minutes.

Joel Small led the Canadians with 13 points, including five blocks and Louis-Pierre Mainville added 10 points, all but one via spikes. Domingo Avila scored a match-best 14 points.

Four teams remain unbeaten at NORCECA Men’s championship
Hosts Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada and USA remained unbeaten after two days of action at the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship being held at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon.

On Wednesday, Puerto Rico meets Cuba in a battle of Caribbean teams, while the United States clashes with Canada in a North American duel for supremacy in Pools A and B respectively and two direct tickets to the semifinals.

The winner of the 21st edition of the regional tournament will represent NORCECA in the FIVB Men’s World Grand Champions Cup to be held in Japan in November. In the history of the competition, Cuba has won 13 titles and United States 7, including the last three.

Pool A

Cuba booked an easy 25-10, 25-11, 25-16 victory against Barbados to improve to 2-0 in Pool A. Barbados fell to 0-2.

Leonardo Leyva led Cuba with 10 points and Michael Sanchez charted 9. Wilfredo Leon and Osmany Camejo recorded 7 apiece. Fabian Cox and Elwin Oxley each had 10 points for Barbados. Cuba built a 10-2 advantage in the blocking department.

Puerto Rico remained unbeaten in two outings in Pool A after defeating Dominican Republic 25-18, 25-20, 25-19.

The victory earned Puerto Rico a tie with Cuba atop Pool A with 2-0 records. The teams play on Wednesday for first place and a direct berth in the semifinals.

Hector Soto topped the winners with 15 points, landing 13 of 22 kill attempts. Jose Rivera and Victor Rivera added 11 and 10 respectively. Jose Caceres led the losers with 11 tallies and Victor Batista added 10.

Pool B

Canada recovered from losing the first set and went on to defeat Mexico 21-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-12 to improve to 2-0 in Pool B. The Mexicans dropped to 0-2.

Stephen Gotch topped Canada with 25 points, including four aces, and Louis-Pierre Mainville added 17. Justin Duff had 6 blocks among his 13 points and Joel Schmuland contributed 11 tallies. Leonardo Manzo paced Mexico with 21 points and Edgar Herrera compiled 16. The winners had a 15-9 advantage in blocks and a 6-2 advantage in the aces category.

USA beat Panama 25-13, 25-15, 25-8 to move into a tie with Canada at the top of the pool. The Americans dominated their rivals 13-1 in blocks and 9-0 in service aces.

USA and Canada, both with 2-0 records, clash on Wednesday for first place in the preliminary round and a direct ticket to the semifinals. Panama fell to 0-2.

Riley Salmon led four Americans in double figures with 12 points. Evan Patak and Reid Priddy each contributed 11 points with Patak recording six aces, while Andrew Hein compiled 10. For Panama Domingo Avila scored 10 points.

USA, Cuba book tickets to NORCECA Final Four
Three-time defending champions USA and Cuba booked spots in the semifinal round of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship as winners of their respective pools.

The Americans recovered to prevail in a tough battle with Canada in Pool B, while Cuba defeated Puerto Rico in front of more than 6,000 spectators for top place in Pool A.

In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Canada plays the Dominican Republic while Puerto Rico meets Mexico.

The winner of the competition will earn a berth at the FIVB World Men’s Grand Champions Cup in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan from November 18-23. Hosts Japan, Brazil, Poland, Iran and Egypt have already qualified.

Pool A

Cuba edged Puerto Rico 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 to top Pool A and earn a direct spot in the semifinals. More than 6,000 fans watched the match at Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum.

Cuban Roberlandy Simon recorded three blocks and completed 9 of 12 kill attempts to finish with 13 points. Wilfredo Leon and Michael Sanchez had 12 apiece and Yoendry Leal contributed 8 points. Puerto Rico’s Hector Soto and Jose Rivera each scored 12 points, while Victor Rivera charted 9.

Dominican Republic finished in third place in Pool A by defeating Barbados 25-18, 25-18, 25-15. The win secured the winners a spot in the quarterfinals with a 1-2 record, while the losers dropped to 0-3.

The Dominicans had an 11-5 advantage in the blocking category and blanked their opponents 4-0 in the aces department.

Dominicans Jose Caceres and Victor Batista led their side with 17 and 14 points. Caceres landed 13 spikes in 23 attempts and Batista went 12-for-20. Shawn Simpson and Fabian Cox each scored 13 points for Barbados.

Pool B

USA defeated Canada 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21) to advance to the semifinal round as winner of Pool B.

The Americans established an advantage at the net with 14 blocks against 7 from their rivals, and outscored them in serving aces 4-1.

Clayton Stanley and Sean Rooney led the U.S. with 22 and 19 points respectively. Reid Priddy (13), David Lee (12) and Andrew Hein (10) also finished in double digits. Stephen Gotch (20), Joel Schmuland (15) and Louis-Pierre Mainville (13) topped the scoring for Canada.

Stanley, who had four blocks, was effective with 17 of his 29 killing attempts while Rooney went 15-for-30 with three blocks.

Mexico finished in third place of Pool B by scoring a 25-19, 25-14, 25-21 victory against Panama. The win gave the winners a berth in the quarterfinals with a 1-2 record while the losers dropped to 0-3.

The Mexicans dominated the battle at the net with a 9-1 advantage in blocking during the match, which lasted just 64 minutes.

Leonardo Manzo paced the Mexican scoring with 15 tallies, Edgardo Herrera added 11 and Samuel Cordova contributed 8 points. Domingo Avila topped Panama with 10.

Canada, Puerto Rico complete final four at Norceca Men’s Championship
Canada and hosts Puerto Rico joined Cuba and the United States in the final four of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship following their victories over the Dominican Republic and Mexico, respectively, on Thursday night.

Canada survived a five-set, two-hour battle against the Dominican Republic and will play Cuba in the semifinals. Puerto Rico brushed aside Mexico in straight sets and will meet three-time defending champions USA on Friday.

In the round for the 5th-to-8th positions, Dominican Republic plays Panama and Mexico goes up against Barbados.

The winner of the competition will earn a berth at the FIVB World Men’s Grand Champions Cup in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan from November 18-23. Hosts Japan, Brazil, Poland, Iran and Egypt have already qualified.

Thursday’s Matches

Canada pulled off a five-set victory over the Dominican Republic by a score of 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13 while Puerto Rico scored a 25-15, 25-17, 25-20 victory over Mexico.

Louis-Pierre Mainville led four Canadians in double digits with 18 points. Tim Gourlay came off the bench to contribute 15 points and Joel Schmuland and Stephen Gotch added 12 and 11 respectively. Dominican Jose Caceres had a match-high 29 points and Victor Batista and Elnis Palomino charted 21 and 13 points respectively.

Ivan Perez came off the bench and topped Puerto Rico with 13 points and Hector Soto and Jose Rivera added 12 apiece. Leonardo Manzo was the best Mexican with 10 tallies.

“The Dominicans played really well and it wasn’t our best match,” said Gotch, the captain of Canada. “There are some areas in our game that we need to improve. It took a while to adjust against the offense of Caceres and Batista, and Palomino also played well. Now I am looking forward to our match against Cuba on Friday.”

“We were a little bit lucky,” said Vincent Pichette, the coach of Canada. “We need to be more consistent but our bench did a good job and Gourlay came in and did a great job and also our setter Olivier Faucher.”

“It was a good match and Mexico was a tough rival,” said Luis Rodriguez, the captain of Puerto Rico. “We are now prepared for the big match against the USA. We have to play very hard to keep fighting for the gold medal in this competition.”

“Puerto Rico served very well today and created many problems for our receivers,” said Victor Porras, the captain of Mexico. “That was the key of today’s match.”

USA to play Cuba for the gold at NORCECA Men’s Championship
USA and Cuba will play for the gold medal at the NORCECA Men's Continental Championship, with the eventual champions earning the last remaining ticket to the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup this November in Japan.

In Friday's semifinals, Cuba and USA recorded straight-sets victory over Canada and hosts Puerto Rico respectively. The losers will play for the bronze medal on Saturday.

Cuba has a collection of 13 crowns in the 20-year history of the competition, with USA taking home the other seven, including the last three editions. Hosts Japan, Brazil, Poland, Iran and Egypt have already qualified for the FIVB event in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan from November 18-23.

In Friday's matches, Cuba defeated Canada 25-22, 25-16, 25-21 and USA beat Puerto Rico 25-16, 25-23, 25-22.

The Cubans relied on their powerful serves led by Fernando Hernandez, who came off the bench to record three aces. Cuba had a 7-2 advantage in serving aces and both teams scored eight blocks.

Yoandy Leal and Wilfredo Leon paced Cuba with 15 and 14 points respectively. Osmany Camejo contributed 8 points and Michael Sanchez and Roberlandy Simon each had 7 tallies. Joel Schmuland led Canada with 11 points and Stephen Gotch added 8.

The Americans, who had a 9-2 advantage in the blocking category, were topped by David Lee with 15 points and William Priddy with 13. Lee scored 13 of 16 kill attempts and Priddy was effective in 11 of his 18 tries. Victor Rivera and Hector Soto compiled 14 and 12 for Puerto Rico.

Mexico defeated Barbados in four sets 21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 29-27 to advance to the match for fifth place.

Leonardo Manzo paced Mexico's offense with 28 points and Edgar Herrera and Samuel Córdova collected 14 and 13 respectively. Elwin Oxley topped Barbados with 20 points, while Fabian Cox added 18 and Shawn Simpson tallied 12 points.

Dominican Republic will play Mexico for fifth place after scoring a 25-19, 25-18, 25-22 victory over Panama on Friday at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum.

Jose Cáceres led Dominican Republic with 24 points and Domingo Avila charted 10 points for Panama. The Dominicans enjoyed an 8-2 advantage in the blocking department.

Panama and Barbados will meet on Saturday for seventh place in the first match on Saturday.

Cuba wins NORCECA gold and ticket to Japan
Cuba defeated the United States 25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22 claiming the gold medal of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship and the last remaining ticket to the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup in Japan next month.

The victory was Cuba's 14th NORCECA title in the 21-year history of the regional competition and they now join hosts Japan, Brazil, Poland, Iran and Egypt in the men’s international event to be held in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan from November 18-23.

NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship hosts Puerto Rico won the bronze medal in a five-set marathon with Canada that finished 25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9 in their favour.

Wilfredo Leon, elected the tournament's MVP, led Cuba with 24 points and Michael Sanchez added 19. Roberlandy Simon and Michael Sanchez contributed 11 and 10 respectively. Evan Patak was the best American scorer with 14 points. Reid Priddy and Sean Rooney charted 12 apiece and Andrew Hein compiled 10.

“The key for the victory was the consistency,” said Orlando Samuels. “It is very pleasing for us to claim a victory against a team like the United States which has a great tradition in Volleyball.”

“Brazil is considered the big favorite in the Grand Champions Cup but we will be prepared to give a battle,” said Simon, the Cuba captain. “We are going to give our best effort in Japan.”

Enrique Escalante topped five Puerto Ricans scoring in double figures with a match-high 21 points including four aces and two blocks. Luis Rodriguez and Victor Rivera each contributed 19 points while Hector Soto and Jose Rivera charted 18 and 11 points respectively. Stephen Gotch and Louis-Pierre Mainville led Canada with 18 points apiece and Joel Schmuland tallied 17.

In other matches:

Mexico erased a 2-1 deficit to edge Dominican Republic in the match for fifth position 25-19, 18-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13.

The Mexicans, who also prevailed in five sets against the Dominicans in Guadalajara last August in a match for the ticket to the FIVB World Championship, were helped by the 31 point haul of Leonardo Manzo. Richard Lazcano and Edgar Herrera added 16 and 15 respectively.

Jose Caceres, the leading scorer of the competition, had a match-high 37 points for the Dominican Republic. Victor Batista and Johan Lopez added 14 and 10 respectively.

Earlier, Barbados defeated Panama 20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-15 to claim seventh spot.

Elwyn Oxley led Barbados with 21 points including four blocks and Fabian Cox added 18 all on offence. Damien Danzell contributed 13 points to the winning effort including seven blocks and two aces. Domingo Avila and Donaldo Ureña recorded 14 points apiece for Panama and Ricardo Brown tallied 11.

Individual awards:
MVP: Wilfredo Leon (CUB)
Best Scorer: Jose Caceres (DOM)
Best Spiker: Wilfredo Leon (CUB)
Best Blocker: Roberlandy Simon (CUB)
Best Server: Evan Patak (USA)
Best Setter: Raydel Hierrezuelo (CUB)
Best Digger: Gregory Berrios (PUR)
Best Receiver: Gregory Berrios (PUR)
Best Libero: Gregory Berrios (PUR)
Rising Star: Wilfredo Leon (CUB)
Jim Coleman Award: Orlando Samuels (CUB)

Final positions:
1. Cuba
2. United States
3. Puerto Rico
4. Canada
5. Mexico
6. Dominican Republic
7. Barbados
8. Panama