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

Carolina, Corozal and Bayamon battling for two spots

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 28, 2005.- Kristee Porter had 29 points and Lilly Denoon added 21 leading the Giants of Carolina to a 3-1 victory over the Indians of Mayagüez, leaders of the quarterfinals round-robin in the Women’s Puerto Rican League. Carolina now has a record of 4-5 and improved its chances of advancing to the semi finals while Mayaguez is 7-2 and already in the next phase of the competition. The score was 25-14, 22-25, 25-21 and 25-20. Carolina, Corozal and Bayamon will dispute the remaining two berths for the semi finals with Caguas also having joined Mayaguez for the next round. Carolina and Bayamon are tied at 4-5 and Bayamon has a 3-5 record. The Indians played without Devon Foster and Shannon Torregrosa, both battling with the flu, and once again had in Nancy Metcalf their biggest weapon with 26 points. In the other match, the Bayamon Cowgirls defeated Toa Baja 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-13 and 25-18) with Annerys Vargas scoring 30 points and Bar Bellini 12. For Toa Baja Graciela Marquez had 21 points and Ania Cruz 12. Spanish

Havana is the Men’s Cuban League Champion

HAVANA, Cuba, March 28, 2005.- Havana Team is the champion of the Men’s Cuban League with a sweeping of Santiago de Cuba in the best-of-five series played at Kid Chocolate Pavilion in the capital of the country. Havana took the title with a victory of 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, 25-18 with the duo of Tomas Aldazabal (21) and Yasser Portuondo (13) as the top two offensive weapons. In the first match, Havana won in straight sets by score of 25-22, 25-14, 27-25 with Aldazabal and Portuondo scoring 14 and 13 respectively, while in the second meeting the eventual champions won by 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20 with Raydel Poey totalizing 24 points and Portuondo adding 10. Aldazabal deserved the honor as Most Valuable Player and Portuondo was the top attacker. Jorge Luis Gonzalez was elected the most outstanding in defense, reception and as libero while Javier Gonzalez was the best server. Yoandri Diaz of Santiago was the top setter. Walter Aguiar of Pinar del Rio, the top scorer and leading attacker during the three preliminary rounds, received a special mention. Spanish

Tainjin wins for third time over Dominicans

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 23, 2005.- The Tainjin Team of China maintained its dominance over the rookies of Dominican Republic in the third official friendly match between the two squads. The Chinese, who won a five-setter in the second match, came back strong to win in straight sets by score of 25-15, 25-23, 25-23 in the game played at the University of Santo Domingo Gymnasium Li Juan scored 12 points for Tainjin, Li Shan and Yang Jie had 9 apiece and Yang Yanan added 8. For the Dominican Republic, Sidarka Nunez scored 12 and Dahiana Burgos and Cindy Rondon 11 and 10 respectively. The teams have been training together for the last 10 days under an agreement between the Tainjin Sports Administration and the Dominican Volleyball Federation. On May, the Dominican Team will travel to China to spend one month training and playing in preparation for the Pan American Cup and the World Grand Prix. Spanish

Mayagüez Indians have a 6-0 record in PR

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 22, 2005.- The Mayagüez Indians kept their unbeaten record in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Puerto Rican League with an easy victory in straight sets over the Bayamon Cowgirls. Mayaguez is 6-0 and Bayamon is 2-4. Nancy Metcalf (16), Shannon Torregrosa (15) and Devon Foster (12) combined their attack to carry Mayaguez to the triumph 25-16, 25-19 and 25-15. Annerys Vargas was the only Bayamon player in double figures with 15 points. In the other match of the day, Kristee Porter scored 42 points but her effort  was not enough for the Carolina Giants who lost to Corozal Pinkin in five sets by score of 21-25, 25-23, 15-25, 31-29 and 15-8. Brittany Hochevar and Jennifer Jones scored 26 and 25 respectively for Corozal who is now 2-4 and is tied with Bayamon in the fourth place. Spanish

Wilson and Green were MVP in Jamaica Tournament

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, March 22, 2005.- Daney Wilson, the 2004 Caribbean male most valuable player,  got his third MVP award in as much major tournaments, on the final day of the 16th Venus International Club Championship. Wilson who plays for local club Vikings was part of the winning team to whip Kyotics (Cayman Islands) in three straight sets, 29-27, 25-20, 26-24. The female MVP award was taken by Shanique Green of UWI who also helped her team to win over first timers, 2 Blocks Away (North Carolina), three sets to one, 25-20; 24-26; 25-19; 25-20.  Both UWI (female) and Vikings (male) are Jamaica's national club champions. Trinidad and Tobago All Stars took the third place title over defending Champions Creole (NY) while in the female third place play off, Mercy Flyers (NY) won over local-based MOSA in two straight sets.  All Star selections went to Males: Nolan Tash (T&T); Justin Schnor  (Cayman); Mike Salik, Christopher Hosley (Creole); Daney Wilson and Mark Lewis (Vikings) and for females Shanique Green, Ashareen Maxwell (UWI); Orita Stewart, Mariola St. Fleur (Mercy Flyers); Millicent Sylvan (2 Blocks Away) and Nardrake Hutchinson (MOSA). The tournament attracted six female and seven male teams over the three days. Spanish

Havana is the champion of Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, March 22, 2005.- Havana is the champion of the Women’s Cuban League after sweeping Camaguey in the best-of-five final series. Havana’s Nancy Carrillo, star member of the National Team, was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the playoff while also being the best blocker and the best server of the event. The third match went into five sets with Havana prevailing by score of 25-14, 23-25, 25-17, 22-25 and 15-3. The girls from the capital won the first two matches by 3-1 and 3-0. The power of Carrillo serves and kills and the spikes from the corners by Rosir Calderon were keys for the victory along with the job by setter Anniara Munoz and Maibelis Martinez. Calderon (HAV) was the best attacker, Maisbelis Martinez (HAV) the best receiver, Liana Mesa (CAM) the best defense and Lisbet Arredondo (CAM) the best libero. Spanish

Mayagüez remains unbeaten in Puerto Rican League

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 20, 2005.- Mayagüez remained as the only unbeaten team in the quarterfinals series of the Women’s Puerto Rico League after their triumph over Caguas last Saturday coming from behind in four sets. Mayaguez, who is now 5-0, defeated Caguas (4-1) by score of 17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 with Nancy Metcalf leading the attack with 27 points. Devon Foster added 11 and Shannon Torregrosa and Jessica Lopez added 10 each. For Caguas, Stacey Gordon scored 26 and Kim Willoughby and Jetzabel</