CAIRO, Egypt, February 8, 2010- The African volleyball Confederation (CAVB) lost one of the great pillars of volleyball all over the world after the CAVB Vice- President Mr. Baba Sy passed away in the capital of Senegal in Dakar on Monday after a long illness.

 
Baba Sy, who is also a member of the FIVB coaching commission, was one of the major anchors of the development of the sport not only in Africa but also in most of the world continents through his participation in worldwide courses. He sincerely cared about the the development of the game and never ceased to offer the best of his expertise, effort and time towards its growth. He has generously given his heart and mind during his many years of fruitful service at CAVB. More

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 8, 2010 – The NORCECA Press Commission has been expanded with the valuable addition of three new members. The commission held its annual meeting on Sunday.

Mexican Juan Jose Martinez, Guatemalan Rodolfo Andreu and Winston Duncan of Anguilla are the new members. Besides, Cuban Lissette Ricardo was voted as interim President. During the meeting, it was discussed the coverage of the 2010 Beach Volleyball Circuit, the Volleyball competitions. More Spanish

Paramaribo, Suriname, February 8, 2010 – “There are no concerns. Suriname can host the Caribbean Cup 2010.”

That is what president Mushtaque Mohammed from the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association said after a meeting with the Minister of Education Mr. Edwin Wolf, Sport Director Mr. Michael Watson, President Gerard van Dijk of the Suriname Olympic Committee, and Winston Cairo. More

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, February 7, 2010 – Corozal claimed their second consecutive title and ninth overall in the Puerto Rican Men’s Superior League by defeating Guaynabo in a five-setter by score of 21-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 15-9 played in front of more than 5,000 spectators at Mario Morales Gymnasium.

Losers of the first two matches of the best-of-seven final series, the eventual champions went on to win the next four. Three of the six matches were extended to the five-set limit. Casey Patterson, selected the Most Valuable Player of the series, led Corozal with 23 points. Robert Nielsen and Matthew McKinney. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 6, 2010 – The VIS and Statistics Commission of NORCECA held its inaugural meeting chaired by Mrs. Judith Sandino of Nicaragua.

The purpose of this commission is to promote the development of the info system around the countries of the Confederation and to establish a data base of facts and figures of teams and players during their participation in the different competitions. The members discussed the use of the two liberos format in some competitions. More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, February 5, 2010 – Corozal is one victory away from revalidating the title in the Puerto Rico Men’s Superior League following a 15-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-13 win over Guaynabo to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Final Series.

Robert Nielsen topped the winners with 18 points and Casey Patterson and Matthew McKinney added 15 and 10 respectively. Lucas Chavez led losers with 14 points and Thomas Hoff and Eric Vance charted 8 apiece. The sixth match of the series will be played in Guayanabo on Saturday. More Spanish

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, February 4, 2010 – Defending champions Corozal edged Guaynabo in five sets (21-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12) tying the best-of-seven Puerto Rico Men’s Final Series at two victories apiece.

Losers of two consecutive matches for the first time of the year, the Plataneros have caught momentum when it matters most. The action moves to Corozal on Friday.

“Let’s see how they react now,” said Fernando Morales, captain of the winners. “That’s the way the Finals should be.” More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, February 2, 2010 – Brenda Castillo, the much heralded Dominican libero, has been named the 2009 Athlete of the Year by her country National Olympic Committee.

The announcement was made Monday night by Luis Mejia, President of the DR Olympic Committee, during the annual Gala Dinner of the institution held at Renaissance Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo.

Among her last year’s many awards Castillo was selected as Most Valuable Player of the FIVB Junior Women’s World Championship. More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, February 2, 2010 – Defending champions Corozal recorded its first victory in the Puerto Rico Men’s Final Series by sweeping Guaynabo 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 on Monday relying on a balanced attack and strong defense at the net .

Losers of the first two matches of the best-of-seven playoffs, Corozal dominated this time with an overwhelming advantage in the blocking category outscoring its rivals 16-4. The fourth match of the series will be played on Tuesday in Guaynabo. “It is a very important victory for us,” More Spanish

Guatemala, February 1, 2010 – Maria Jose Orellana and Ana Ramirez continue on a smooth path towards the women’s title of the Guatemala Beach Volleyball Tournament after winning their third consecutive leg of the five-stop competition completed at Campo Marte in downtown Guatemala on Sunday.

Orellana and Ramirez have accumulated 600 points by defeating the pair of Blanca Recinos and Susana Alvarado (540) in the gold medal contest in each opportunity. The unbeaten leaders downed Recinos and Alvarado 2-0 (21-11, 21-18).  More Spanish

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, January 30, 2010 – Guaynabo took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Final Series of Puerto Rican Men’s Superior League following a dramatic five-set victory over defending champions Corozal in the second match of the playoffs. The score was 25-21, 21-25, 26-24, 21-25, 15-13.

Lucas Chavez and Eric Vance with 27 and 23 points respectively were the main offensive weapons of the winners. Alexis Matias added eight and Thomas Hoff contributed 6, including three blocks. More Spanish

COROZAL, Puerto Rico, January 30, 2010 – Guaynabo defeated defending champions Corozal 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 in the first match of the best-of-seven Final Series of the Puerto Rico Men’s Professional League on Friday.

“We read very well the actions of their setter and neutralized the opponent’s attack,” said Ramon Hernández, the winners’ coach. “Our reception was did the job because Corozal is a team that depends heavily in the strength of its services.” David Aleman, the coach of Corozal, gave credit to the opponents saying “they played very well, almost perfect.” More Spanish

Mexico City, January 28, 2010 – Saul Castro Verdugo, First Executive Vice President of NORCECA, has been unanimously voted as new permanent member of the Mexican Olympic Committee. He was elected during the General Assembly of the institution held at the Sport Olympic Mexican Centre and chaired by its President Felipe Muñoz.

“I am very proud and honored,” said Castro Verdugo after taking the oath as new member. “Being elected to the Mexican Olympic Committee was one of my dreams when I started my career.  More Spanish

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, January 28, 2010 – The USA women’s national team will play an exhibition match against Chinese professional women’s league team Evergrande on February 2 as part of their intensive build up to the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix.
 

Star players Tracy Stalls, Heather Hughes and Jane Collymore - all members of USA’s 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix squad, which finished ninth - will be travelling with the team. Evergrande is coached by former USA women’s coach “Jenny” Lang Ping, who helped lead USA to silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. More Spanish

Lausanne, Switzerland, January 27, 2010 – The FIVB Development Department has announced that despite the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Volleyball Cooperation Programme (VCP) due to place on April 5 will not be called off.

Given the severity of the disaster, it was initially unclear as to whether the VCP would take place, however it has now be postponed to the end of the year on a date yet to be decided. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, January 27, 2010 – The tandems of Alberto Ozuna-Julio Recinos and Rodrigo González-Andy Blanco are tied for first place after the completion of two of five legs in the Beach Volleyball League of Guatemala. 

Both pairs have totaled 360 points and are followed by the duet of Erick Garrido and Jorge Bolaños, winners of the second stop of the national circuit, who have 320 points. Garrido-Bolaños defeated Ozuna-Recinos 21-19, 21-15 in the match for first place last Sunday at Campo Marte while Gonzalez-Blanco. More Spanish

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, January 26, 2010 – Defending champions Plataneros de Corozal and Guaynabo Mets have advanced to the best-of-seven final series of the Men’s Puerto Rican Professional League that kicks off next Friday.

Both sides prevailed 4-1 in the semi final phase with Corozal defeating Carolina Giants by score of 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 for its fourth and decisive victory and Guaynabo recording a 25-23, 25-20, 25-20 against Ponce Lions. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, January 24, 2010 – The NORCECA Volleyball Confederation made a donation of 20,000 bottles of water as emergency help to assist the victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti last January 12.

The sport institution based in Dominican Republic, which shares with Haiti the island of Hispaniola, delivered the aid through the Civil Defence, a Dominican government organization participating in the distribution of the donations in the impoverished country. More Spanish

HAMILTON, Bermuda, January 22, 2010 - Puerto Rican top volleyball coach Juan Cartagena will share his vast knowledge with Bermuda's future players at the Island's first ever Bermuda Volleyball Association Youth Camp.

The camp will be held at Cedar Bridge Academy, running from February 8 to 12 and will give students aged 12 and over the opportunity to learn basic volleyball skills. No prior experience is necessary. Cartagena, a Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) level three coach, has previously worked with the Puerto Rico. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, January 20, 2010 – Ana Ramirez and María Orellana won the first leg of the Guatemala Beach Volleyball League with a 21-15, 21-15 victory over Blanca Recinos and Susana Alvarado.

Ramirez and Orellana, who have been playing together for five years, reached the final by defeating Stefany Bolaños and Diana Arias 21-16, 21-18.

In the men’s bracket, Rodrigo Gonzales and Andy Blanco prevailed in a three-set battle against Alberto Ozuna and Julio Recinos. The score was 21-17, 12-21, 15-9. More Spanish

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, January 19, 2010 – The FIVB and the Norceca Confederation will join efforts in a campaign to raise funds, food and medicines destined to alleviate in the short term the suffering of millions of Haitians and to help the rebuilding of the Volleyball infrastructure of the country devastated by the occurrence of a huge earthquake on January 12.

Reports from the FIVB headquarters in Lausanne indicate that Mr. Jizhong Wei, President of the organization. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 18, 2010 – Hosts Curacao defeated defending champions Barbados 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-17) winning the gold medal of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament.

The win earned Curacao the ticket to represent CAZOVA at the NORCECA Continental Championship next April in Guadalajara, Mexico, a qualifier to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore later this year. MVP Stephan Ellis. More...P-2_for_match_6__BAR-CUR

HAVANA, Cuba, January 18, 2010 – The Cuban Volleyball National League Tournament with four teams in both genders will be played from January 29 to March 20 covering six provinces of Cuba.

Pinar del Rio, in the western part of the island, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila, in the central zone, and Camaguey in the eastern, will host the eliminatory rounds while Havana will host the final stage starting on March 15. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 16, 2010 – Curacao crushed Trinidad & Tobago 25-11, 25-6, 25-10 in the second day of action of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Championship at Errol Rooi SDK of Curacao.

The boys from Curacao were superior in blocking and serving outmatching their opponents 12-6 at the net and 6-1 from the service line. The match lasted only 57 minutes.

 More ...P-2_for_match_4__CUR-TRI

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 15, 2010 - The defending champion Barbados enjoyed a successful start in the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Championship by scoring a 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 victory against Trinidad & Tobago.

It was a very nervous Trinidad and Tobago Team which took the court and was unable to give a good pass in the beginning. More ...P-2_for_match_1__BAR-TRI

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 15, 2010 - The General Technical Meeting of the CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament was held on Friday at Hotel Savannah in Willemstad before the start of the four-team competition.

President of CAZOVA, Mushtaque Mohammed explained the Martinique team had some difficulties and would not be able to attend the tournament.  More

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, January 14, 2010 - The NORCECA Confederation is in mourning after the tragic events developed in Haiti and the death of Mrs. Philomene Durant Joachim, the wife of Mr. Jacques Joachim of Haiti, one of the founders of the institution and honorary member of its Executive Committee. More Spanish

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, January 13, 2010- The CAZOVA Youth Boys’ Tournament is set to start on Friday 15, in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.  This is the first time Curacao will be hosting any international volleyball event and the organizing committee is very excited about its efforts to host this competition.  This Youth tournament is of great importance since it signals the start of the Youth Olympic Qualification.  More

KINGSTON, Jamaica, December 23, 2009 - Major Warrenton Dixon, recently elected president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA), says he is looking forward to working with Arlene Morgan and Tamika Pennicott, who were both elected to the posts of general secretary and treasurer, respectively, of the association's executive at a special general meeting last Saturday.

The elections, which took place at the Jamaica Defence Force Conference Room, saw Morgan, who is from UWI Volleyball Club, getting the better of MOSA's Hyper Nelson and Vikings Volleyball Club's Mark Lewis; while Pennicott was the only nominee for her post.  More Spanish

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, December 19, 2009 - U.S. boys’ volleyball players will get the chance to call themselves Olympians in 2010 at the first Youth Olympics, which will be held Aug. 14-26 in Singapore.

The first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010 will bring together approximately 3,600 athletes, ages 14-18, and 1,450 officials. The Youth Games will feature all 26 sports on the program of the 2012 Olympic Games, with a smaller number of disciplines and events.

USA Volleyball's 2010 Boys' Youth National Team (with a modified age group) is scheduled to participate, contingent upon successful qualification through the NORCECA Continental Championship. Because the Youth Olympic Games are being held in the same year as the zonal qualification tournament for world championships. More Spanish

ANAHEIM, California.- Baja California's Boys Team won the Youth Category in the last edition of the 2009 Holiday Classic, held  in Anaheim.

The tournament gathered more than 190 teams from Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Southern California, competing in many categories and the Mexican team was one of three who participated on the Classic, all of them from the Baja California region. The team coached by Oscar Licea, defeated HBC 14 from Huntington Beach, California 3-0.  More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 15, 2009 – The Pan American Cups in both genders, the top annual events of the NORCECA Confederation will take place in Puerto Rico and Mexico next year.

The sites of the competitions were decided during the Sport Organizing Commission during its two-day meetings held in Santo Domingo last week. The V Men’s Pan American Cup will be played in Puerto Rico in Mayaguez or Bayamon on May 20-31, while the IX Women’s Pan American Cup. More

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, December 14, 2009 – The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, founded in 1958, was recognized as a role model by the North, Central American Confederation (NORCECA) according to the requirements established by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

Puerto Rico has been recognized for the success of its federation and its personnel in the organization of local and international events, national tournaments of high quality and also for having a solid program in the lower categories and national teams, big success with the National Teams in recent years, a Beach Volleyball program and media coverage, public relations and marketing. “It is motive of huge pride that our Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation was selected as an example to follow by the federations of NORCECA .  More Spanish

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, December 13, 2009 – The Mexican Sport Confederation inducted the late Alejandro Salinas de la Garza, former President of the Mexican Volleyball Federation, to its Hall of Fame during a special ceremony last Friday.

The ceremony, chaired by Colonel Alfonso Perez Gonzalez as President of the Mexican institution, was attended by Salinas’ wife Mrs. Guillermina Lopez and his eldest son Mr. Cesar Salinas. Both were in the company of Mr. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA Confederation. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Jeyson Nery recorded 21 points leading hosts Guatemala to the gold medal at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-13) victory over El Salvador on Saturday. The winners finished with a 5-0 record and the losers took the bronze medal finishing at 3-2.

Alfredo Cabrera and Luis Garcia contributed with 13 and 10 points to the Guatemalan victory while Erick Gonzalez topped El Salvador with 8 tallies. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_13__NCA-HON  P-2_for_match_15__GUA-ESA

GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Costa Rica crushed Belize 25-6, 25-9, 25-6 to win the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament with a 5-0 perfect record. The losers ended winless with 0-5.

Meanwhile, El Salvador (4-1) took the silver medal with a 25-20, 26-28, 25-20, 25-21 victory over Nicaragua (2-3) and hosts Guatemala (3-2) finished with the bronze medal by defeating Honduras (1-4) by score of 25-10, 25-13, 25-23. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_13__CRC-BIZ    P-2_for_match_14__NCA-ESA

GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – In a battle of unbeaten teams on Friday, Costa Rica recorded a 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 victory over El Salvador improving its win-loss record to 4-0 at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.

In other matches Nicaragua (2-2) defeated Honduras (1-3) by score of 25-17, 25-18, 28-26 and Guatemala (2-2) scored a straight set victory 25-13, 25-9, 25-22 over Belize (0-4). Olga Solano and Evelyn Sibaja were the best Costa Ricans with 14 and 10 points respectively. More

P-2_for_match_10__HON-NCA  P-2_for_match_11__ESA-CRC

GUATEMALA, December 12, 2009 – Guatemala defeated Belize 25-9, 25-9, 25-6 improving its win-loss record to 4-0 at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

In other matches of Friday, El Salvador (3-1) beat Nicaragua (1-3) by score of 15-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 and Honduras (3-1) scored a five-set victory against Costa Rica (1-3) by score of 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 16-14.

Jeyson Nery led Guatemala with 16 points and Luis Garcia tallied 11 points. More

P-2_for_match_10__ESA-NCA  P-2_for_match_12__BIZ-GUA

GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Guatemala kept its unbeaten record at the U-2 Men’s U-21 Central American Tournament after defeating Costa Rica 3-1 in a hard fought match. The score was 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24.

Jeyson Nery led the winners with 28 points and Jorge Garcia and Aldo Barrios contributed 16 and 11 respectively. Alberto Blanco (17), Jose Murillo (15) and Javier Alvarez (12) finished in double figures for the Costa Rica (1-2).nHonduras improved to 2-1 record by defeating El Salvador (2-1). More Spanish

P-2_for_match_7__ESA-HON    P-2_for_match_9__GUA-CRC

GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – El Salvador and Costa Rica are still unbeaten with 3-0 win-loss record at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.
 

In Thursday’s action, El Salvador edged hosts Guatemala in a five-set battle by score of 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 15-11 and Costa Rica defeated Nicaragua 25-13, 25-14, 25-10. Both losing teams dropped to 1-2 mark. Adriana Flores led El Salvador with 18 points and Madeline Gonzalez and Andrea Manzur added 16 and 12 respectively. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_8__CRC-NCA    P-2_for_match_9__GUA-ESA 

GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Costa Rica and El Salvador kept unbeaten records after two days at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament.

In Wednesday’s action Costa Rica defeated Honduras 25-19, 25-8, 25-14 and El Salvador trounced Belize 25-8, 25-14, 25-10. The losers dropped to 0-2. In the other match of the day, Guatemala recorded a 25-15, 25-14, 25-16 victory against Nicaragua. Both teams have 1-1 record. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_4__HON-CRC     P-2_for_match_6__NCA-GUA

GUATEMALA, December 10, 2009 – Guatemala and El Salvador improved their win-loss record to 2-0 after two days of action at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

Hosts Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21) while El Salvador beat Belize in straight sets by score of 25-11, 25-21, 28-26. Honduras has a 1-1 record and Belize dropped to 0-2. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_5__ESA-BIZ   P-2_for_match_6__HON-GUA_

GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – Costa Rica beat host Guatemala in straight sets during the first day at the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament. The score was 25-11, 25-20, 25-14.

Olga Solano and Francini Morales were the best scorers for Costa Rica with 13 and 12 points respectively and Marie Hadar and Mijal Hines added 9 and 8. Guatemala had Maria Estrada with 13 tallies. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_1__ESA-HON    P-2_for_match_2__BIZ-NCA

GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 - Rodrigo Chavez recorded a match-high 30 points leading El Salvador to a five-set victory over Costa Rica in day one at the U-21 Men’s Central American Tournament.

The score was 25-27, 18-25, 27-25, 27-29, 15-8 in the duel that lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes. Erick Gonzalez and Carlos Serrano added 13 and 11 points to the winning effort and Luis Chavez contributed 8 points. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_1__BIZ-HON   P-2_for_match_3__NCA-GUA_

GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – The coaches of the teams participating in the U-20 Women’s Central American Tournament praised Guatemala for hosting the event and most of them are aiming toward qualifying to the NORCECA 2010 Continental Tournament.

Rene Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, was grateful to the National Volleyball Federation of Guatemala for the organization of the event and predicted that at the end the winner will be the Central American Volleyball. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 8, 2009 – The coaches of the six teams participating in the U-21 Central American Men’s Championship expressed their goals and ideas during a press conference held on Monday night.

Osman Hernandez, the coach of Nicaragua, was grateful to the event’s Organizing Committee for the re-edition of it, and said that his team is coming willing to battle against the sides of Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Carlos Funez, the coach of Honduras, also praised Guatemala for organizing the tournament and expressed. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 8, 2009 – The Fourth International Clinic of Beach Volleyball concluded successfully after two-day sessions with the participation of coaches and players from 16 countries.

The Clinic was conducted by Americans Christopher St. John Smith and Allison Wood Lamberson, two of the most worldwide renowned instructors. The event was organized by the FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic.During the closing ceremony, St. John Smith praised the desire and willingness to learn showed by the participants. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 7, 2009 – Costa Rica defeated El Salvador 25-12, 25-19, 25-11 to win the gold medal at the U-18 Girls’ Central American Championship. The Costa Ricans finished with a perfect 3-0 mark.

Tracy Fernandez, elected the MVP of the competition, led the winners with 17 points and Gabriela Arias added 11 tallies. Andrea Mazur had 9 points for El Salvador. In the other match of the day, Guatemala beat Nicaragua 25-14, 25-20, 25-13 to finish in second place. El Salvador ended with 1-2 record and Nicaragua was winless at 0-3. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_5__CRC-ESA    P-2_for_match_6__NCA-GUA

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 6, 2009 – The North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) has selected Connor Sport Court International as the official playing surface for the organization. 

The joint announcement was made by Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA, and Andrew Gettig, International Sales Vice President of Connor Sport Court International, who represented Ron Cerny, President of the Salt Lake City-based manufacturer. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 6, 2009 – Representatives of Connor Sport Court International and the top executives of the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation met on yesterday to delineate an agreement between the two institutions to be signed later on Sunday.

Andrew Gettig, International Sales Vice President of CSCI, and John Massman, International Business Manager, joined with Cristobal Marte Hoffiz. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 6, 2009 – Costa Rica improved its record to 2-0 at the U-18 Girls’ Central American Championship following its four-set victory over hosts Guatemala on Saturday night.

The teams battled for 1 hour and 38 minutes and at the end the Costa Ricans came out winners by score of 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19. Guatemala dropped its record to 1-1.

Tracy Fernandez led Costa Rica with 25 points including three blocks and three aces and Gabriela Arias. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_3__ESA-NCA  P-2_for_match_4__GUA-CRC

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 5, 2009 – The FIVB Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic organized a two-day International Beach Volleyball Clinic with the participation of coaches from 16 countries.

The Clinic was conducted by Christopher St. John Smith and Allison Wood Lamberson of United States of America. It is the fourth time this type of clinic takes place in the Dominican Republic. The participants in the clinic are from Belize, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique. More Spanish

GUATEMALA, December 5, 2009 – Costa Rica and Guatemala secured victories during the opening day of the U-18 Girls’ Central American Tournament at Alfonso Gordillo Gymnasium in Guatemala City on Friday.

In the first match, Costa Rica defeated Nicaragua 25-12, 25-9, 25-10 and then Guatemala downed El Salvador 27-25, 25-10, 25-12. Gabriela Arias and Tracy Fernandez topped the scoring of Costa Rica with 17 and 15 points respectively and Karen Vallejo charted 10 points for Nicaragua. More Spanish

P-2_for_match_1__CRC-NCA   P-2_for_match_2__GUA-ESA

GUATEMALA, December 4, 2009 – The coaches of the four teams participating in the U-18 Girls Central American Tournament expressed their comments before the start of the competition to be held at Alfonso Gordillo Gymnasium of Guatemala City.

Here we have excerpts of their statements following the General Technical Meeting held on Thursday night: Julio Dominguez (GUA): “We hope this will be.  More Spanish

Fourteen stops confirmed for 2010 Beach Volleyball Circuit 

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 3, 2009 – The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit will have at least 14 stops in 2010 as it was agreed during the first day of the Beach Volley Commission annual meeting at the headquarters of the continental confederation. Tournaments are confirmed to be held in Cayman Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Canada, Cuba United States of America and Chiapas, Colima, Puerto Vallarta, Tijuana, Campeche in México. More Spanish

JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic, December 2, 2009 – Starting next year the Dominican Volleyball National Federation will operate as Dominican Volleyball Confederation as it was decided during its annual ordinary congress held at Capella Hotel last weekend.

The structural changes convert into federations the current provincial associations and concede the condition of associations to new bodies already created and to be created in the different municipalities. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 1, 2009 – The National Volleyball Mexican Federation has submitted a formal bid to host the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship in the cities of Mexicali and Tijuana, Baja California.

The official request signed by Mr. Ismael Acosta, President of the Mexican Federation, has the full support of the Governor of the State of Baja California, Mr. Guadalupe Osuna Millán, and the State Director of the Sport Institute, Mr. Saul Castro Verdugo. In a letter to Mr. Jizhong Wei, President of FIVB, Mr. Acosta makes reference to the success. More Spanish

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, November 30, 2009 – The FIVB Executive Committee unanimously approved a proposal to introduce a new FIVB development funding project where national federations can propose through Confederations development projects to be funded by the governing body of Volleyball, during a one-day meeting in Tokyo’s Akasaka Grand Prince Hotel on Wednesday. The FIVB Development Fund proposal, which will now be put forward to the FIVB Board of Administration for approval when it sits in April, 2010, aims to provide increased and improved support to national federations through the FIVB Confederations. More Spanish

EL SALVADOR, November 30, 2009 – Gilberto and Alexander Villegas gave Costa Rica its sixth consecutive gold medal at the Central American Beach Volleyball Championship.

The Costa Rican pair, runner ups in the 2008 edition defeated Geovanny Medrano and David Vargas of El Salvador claiming their second crown in the regional competition.

In the women’s event, Costa Ricans Natalia Alfaro and Ingrid Morales won the gold medal for third time by defeating Salvadorians Ivonne Soler and Laura Alfaro. More Spanish

HERRERA, Panama, November 29, 2009 – Costa Rica defeated host Panama in straight sets 25-14, 25-18, 25-17 to win the U-19 Men’s Central American crown with an unbeaten 3-0 record.

The victory earned Costa Rica a berth in the 2010 NORCECA U-19 Continental Championship. Javier Alvarez and Richy Vargas topped Costa Rica with 11 and 10 points respectively while Alberto Blanco added eight tallies. More Spanish

HERRERA, Panama, November 28, 2009 – Costa Rica scored an overwhelming victory over Nicaragua 25-7, 25-5, 25-20 in the second day of action of the U-19 Men’s Central American Tournament.

The Costa Ricans now are waiting to meet host Panama in the third and last day and win the Central American crown and book a ticket for the NORCECA U-19 Tournament in 2010.

Richi Vargas again was the best Costa Rican scorer with 15 points and Raul Lorio compiled 8 points for the losers. More Spanish

HERRERA, Panama, November 27, 2009 – Teams of Costa Rica and Panama came up winners during day of the U-19 Men’s Central American Tournament that started on Friday.

Costa Rica defeated Guatemala by score of 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 25-14) and Panama beat Nicaragua also 3-1 (12-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-20).

Richi Vargas topped Costa Rica with 22 points and Alberto Blanco and Javier Alvarez added 12 and 10 respectively.  More Spanish

PANAMA, 24 de noviembre, 2009 - Los entrenadores de los selecciones nacionales infantiles masculinas de Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica y Panamá manifestaron su pretensiones en el VIII Campeonato Centroamericano Sub-19. El evento es clasificatorio al NORCECA Sub-19 del año 2010, del cual a su vez, el equipo campeón tendrá el derecho de asistir a los Primeros Juegos Olímpicos Infantiles en Singapur.  Spanish

TOKIO, Japan, November 24, 2009 – The Drawing of Lots ceremony for the Final Round of the FIVB Women’s World Championships Japan 2010 was held at the Grand Prince Akasaka Hotel of Tokyo on Tuesday.

The top two world-ranked NORCECA teams, USA and Cuba, were seeded in Pool C. Dominican Republic and Canada were drawn to compete in Pool D, while Costa Rica and Puerto Rico will play in Pool A and B respectively. More Spanish

Nagoya, Japan, November 23, 2009 - Call it consistency or money in the bank but the bottom line is that Roberlandy Simon was the most reliable player of the 2009 FIVB Men’s Grand Champions Cup and the big Cuban fellow had the numbers to prove it.

Awarded as the top blocker (1.00 per set) and best server (16 aces) of the competition besides being best scorer of his team with 74 points (14.8), Simon also received the trophy as Most Valuable Player during the closing ceremony held at Nippongaishi Hall in Nagoya on Monday. The 22-year-old native of Havana, considered the glue that holds the pieces together in the Cuban team, assumes his role as captain of the squad with serious responsibility despite his young age. More Spanish

NAGOYA, Japan, November 23, 2009 – Cuban Roberlandy Simon was the most decorated player during the award ceremony of the 2009 FIVB Men’s World Grand Champions Cup taking home the titles as best blocker, best server and Most Valuable Player.

The Cuban middle blocker was the third best scorer of the competition behind Japanese Kunihiro Shimizu and Tatsuya Fukuzawa who won the plaques as best scorer and best attacker respectively. More Spanish

NAGOYA, Japan, November 23, 2009 – Brazil clinched their third FIVB World Grand Champions Cup on Monday by sweeping Japan 3-0 in the last match to finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. 

The South American champions, winners of this inter-continental title in 1997 and 2005, showed Japan who was boss in a comprehensive 25-12, 26-24, 25-22 victory. Japan finished the week at 3-2, good enough to take the bronze medal behind Cuba (4-1) – Japan’s first podium finish in an FIVB event for 32 years. More Spanish

NAGOYA, Japan, November 23, 2009 - Cuba kept their 2009 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup gold medal hopes alive with an impressive 3-1 win over Iran in the first match of the final day of competition on Monday.

The NORCECA champions came home 25-14, 25-22, 15-25, 25-15 but had to work hard to hold off a determined Iran side to end the six-team inter-continental championship with a 4-1 record. Joandry Leal topped Cuba with 18 points including three aces and two blocks and Michael Sanchez. More Spanish

NAGOYA, Japan, November 22, 2009 – Roberlandy Simon led Cuba to an overwhelming victory over Japan by score of 25-19, 25-20, 25-22 to keep alive its chances of winning the 2009 FIVB Men’s Grand Champions Cup.

Cuba improved to 3-1, the same record of Japan while Brazil shows a 4-0 record. On Monday Cuba plays Iran while Brazil meets Japan. In case of a tie, the positions will be determined by points-ratio. Simon compiled 16 points including five blocks and four aces and Michael Sanchez added 12 tallies. More Spanish

NAGOYA, Japan, November 21, 2009 - Cuba held off Egypt 3-2 in a magnificent match on the third day of the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup 2009 with the NORCECA champions claiming the victory 25-17, 23-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-7.

The Cubans improved their win-loss record to 2-1. Egypt, who played superbly but lost their way in the tiebreaker, slipped to 0-3.

Roberlandy Simon and Michael Sanchez topped Cuba with 18 points apiece. Wilfredo Leon followed with 17 and Osmany Camejo tallied 10. Ahmed Aldehay and Mohamed Badawy led Egypt with 16 and 15 points. More Spanish

Osaka, Japan, November 20, 2009 – Who is the Cuban top volleyball prospect standing up apart sensational teen-ager Wilfredo Leon? Who is that other guy willing to take the second seat and stay under the shadows of the highly touted 16-years-old marvel?

When these questions are aired inside the Cuban dressing room, almost all the eyes turn toward a wiry statuesque young man they simply call “The Russian”. His name is Michael Sanchez Bozlueva, born in Kiev, Ukraine of a Cuban father and a Russian mother native of Saint Petersburg. More Spanish

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, November 20, 2009 - Today is a sad day in the lives of all volleyballers, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but in the Caribbean. The Trinidad and Tobago volleyball fraternity joins the family of Mark Anthony Daly in mourning his passing. He died today in a vehicular accident on the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Mark began his volleyball career at an early age at school then on to club level with UTC Rockets which was based in Skinner Park. Moving up in skill and wanting to broaden his playing horizons, Mark left Rockets and joined Glamorgan Volleyball Club and from there his playing career rocketed taking him on the National team. More

OSAKA, Japan, November 19, 2009 - NORCECA champions Cuba collected their first victory of the FIVB Men’s World Grand Champions Cup by coming from behind to defeat Poland 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22) on Thursday.

The Cubans, who had the advantage 16-9 in blocks and 12-7 in aces, improved their win-loss record to 1-1 after the previous day’s defeat to Brazil in five sets. Poland dropped to 0-2. Roberlandy Simon led four Cuban players in double figures in scoring with 21 points.  More Spanish

OSAKA, Japan, November 18, 2009 – Brazil prevailed against Cuba in a five-set battle during Day One of the 2009 FIVB Men’s Grand Champions Cup. The score was 25-22, 24-26, 25-18, 23-25, 15-10.

Leandro Visotto and Murilo Endres topped the winners with 18 and 17 points respectively, Giba Godoy added 15 and Lucas Saatkamp compiled 14. Cuban Wilfredo Leon had a match-high 22 points including four service aces and Michael Sanchez and Roberlandy Simon contributed 14 and 11 points. More Spanish

OSAKA, Japan, November 17, 2009 – Cuban Head Coach Orlando Samuels is aiming for a podium finish in the FIVB 2009 Men’s World Grand Champions Cup which kicks-off on Wednesday at the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium.

Cuba’s team has finished among the top three in its previous participation in this event, including a gold medal in the 2001 edition and two bronze medals in 1993 and 1997.

“In that era we were able to finish in the top three group of this tournament because we had very powerful teams which have not been the case recently,” said Samuels, a former member of the squad. More Spanish

FUKUOKA, Japan, November 15, 2009 – Milagros Cabral and Prisilla Rivera each recorded 15 points leading Dominican Republic to a straight sets victory over Korea and a bronze medal in the FIVB 2009 Women’s Grand Champions Cup held in Tokyo and Fukuoka.

The Dominicans dominated the match from start to finish and won by score of 25-17, 25-18, 25-22. Annerys Vargas and Lisvel Eve contributed 14 and 11 points to the win. Youn-Joo Hwang and Yeon-Koung Kim topped Korea with 13 and 12 respectively. More Spanish

FUKUOKA, Japan, November 14, 2009 – Dominican Republic claimed a four-set victory against host Japan by score of 24-26, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18 in the FIVB Women’s Grand Champions Cup at Marina Messe Pavillion in Fukuoka.

It was the second victory ever of Dominican Republic over the host team but the first in Japanese soil. The previous win took place in 2008 in Macau, China during the FIVB World Grand Prix. Both teams share the third position with 2-2 record. On Sunday, Dominican Republic meets Korea and Japan plays with unbeaten Italy. More Spanish

FUKUOKA, Japan, November 13, 2009 – The next two games are crucial for the aspirations of Dominican Republic of a spot on the podium in the 2009 FIVB Women’s Grand Champions Cup.

Brazilian Marcos Kwiek, the coach of the Dominican side, expressed his opinion during the press conference held today before the final two competition days. “Tomorrow we have a critical game against Japan. The two remaining matches are very important for us against Japan and Korea. We have to study Japan very well and we will be aiming for a good result and a position in the final podium.” More Spanish

TOKYO, Japan, November 12. 2009 – Italy scored a convincing straight-sets victory over Dominican Republic in the third day of action at the FIVB Women’s Grand Champions Cup. The score was 25-19, 25-18, 25-20.

The victory earned Italy a share of first place with Brazil both with 3-0 records. Earlier Brazil had defeated Korea 28-26, 25-17, 25-15. Dominican Republic dropped to 1-2 and Korea to 0-3.

Lucia Bosetti was the best Italian with 12 points including two blocks and two service aces. Other standouts for Italy were Jenny Barazza and Franceca Piccinini with 11 points apiece and Serena Ortolani with 10. Simona Gioli charted 9 tallies. Dominican Prisilla Rivera was the match top-scorer with 16 points including four blocks.  More Spanish

TOKYO, Japan, November 11, 2009 – Dominican Republic recovered from a disastrous first set to claim a 14-25, 25-20, 25-21, 28-26 victory over a resilient Thailand in the second day of the FIVB Women’s World Grand Champions Cup on Wednesday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The Dominicans relied on the power of their attacks and size advantage at the net to score their first victory ever in the quadrennial volleyball competition. Consecutive kills by Prisilla Rivera and Milagros Cabral. More Spanish

Tokyo, Japan, November 11, 2009 – Dominican Brenda Castillo is some kind of Lilliputian in a land of giants, a very common image of today’s volleyball dominated by the big players but also complemented with the presence of those defensive supporting actors named liberos.

Even though her size and limited role, the diminutive teen-ager is blossoming into one of the most outstanding components of the Dominican Republic Team participating in this year’s FIVB Women’s World Grand Champions Cup. More Spanish

TOKYO, Japan, November 10, 2009 – Olympic champions Brazil erased a seven-point deficit in the first set and went on to defeat Dominican Republic in straight sets 25-23, 25-16, 25-17 the opening day’s second match of the FIVB 2009 Women’s Grand Champions Cup at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym.

The blocking emerged as the key weapon for Brazil to overcome the 19-12 deficit against a Dominican Republic team who appeared to have concentration difficulties in adversity situations. More Spanish

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, November 10, 2009.- The NORCECA Confederation and the FIVB are deeply saddened after the death of Cuban Antonio Perdomo, who passed away on Monday in Havana after suffering a heart attack. He was 66.

Perdomo, known as “Ñico” around the world volleyball family, was one of the most renowned Cuban coaches alongside with the legendary Eugenio George. At the moment of his death he was preparing to travel to Guatemala to conduct a course as FIVB International Instructor.  More Spanish

Tokyo, Japan, November 10, 2009 – Jose Roberto Guimaraes deflected to Italy the condition of favorites to win the FIVB 2009 Women’s Grand Champions Cup considering the Italian as the current best team in the world.

The renowned Brazilian, who has coached Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian League since 2006, expressed his opinion during the press conference held on Monday night on the eve of the start of the six-team competition which runs through November 10-15. As winners of six titles in 2009 including the FIVB World Grand Prix. More Spanish

Tokyo, Japan, November 9, 2009 – Brazil will start as strong favourites to defend their 2005 title but five other contenders – Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Korea and Thailand – will all fancy their chances when the FIVB 2009 Women’s World Grand Champions Cup begins on Tuesday in the impressive Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

No team has won the FIVB Women’s World Grand Champions Cup, which traditionally features continental champions, hosts Japan and a wild card entry (Korea in 2009), more than once but world number one Brazil. More Spanish

TOKIO, Japan, November 6, 2009 – Crowned as NORCECA champions for the first time in history, the Dominican Republic Women’s National Team is now ready for a major challenge at the FIVB Grand Champions Cup to be played in Tokio and Fukuoka through November 10-15.

The squad has been training and playing in Japan one week before the start of the competition with most of the players converging here from their respective foregin leagues in Asia and Europe. More Spanish

DOHA, Qatar, November 5, 2009 – Trentino BetClic of Italy kept its perfect record by defeating Plataneros de Corozal of Puerto Rico in straight sets during the third day of action of the FIVB 2009 Men’s Club World Championship at the Aspire Zone Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar.

The Italians won by score of 25-18, 25-13, 25-19 finishing atop of Pool A with a 3-0 record while the Puerto Ricans finished winless with 0-3 mark. The winners built their victory on the advantage at the net by dominating the opponents 13-4 in the blocking category. Matey Kaziyski led Trentino BetClic with 16 points and Tsvetan Sokolov added 8 coming from the bench in the third set. Emanuele Birarelli compiled five points, all via blocks. Puerto Ricans Victor Rivera and Ezequiel Cruz both had 9 points and Matthew McKinney added eight. More Spanish

DOHA, Qatar, November 4, 2009 – Zamalek of Egypt and Corozal of Puerto Rico engaged in a tremendous battle with the African representative prevailing at the end of the five-set dramatic match at the 2009 Men’s Club World Championship at the Aspire Zone Indoor Hall of Doha. The score was 23-25, 25-13, 23-25, 25-14, 21-19.

The African champions are now 1-1 while the NORCECA representative dropped to 0-2 in Pool A. The Egyptian team took advantage of 46 opponent’s errors while committing only 18 during the battle of 1 hour and 54 minutes. The winners also dominated 14-8 and 6-3 in the blocking and service categories. More Spanish

DOHA, Qatar, November 3, 2009 – Zenit Kazan of Russia defeated Plataneros de Corozal of Puerto Rico in straight sets during the second match of Pool A of the 2009 Men’s Club World Championship at the Aspire Zone Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar. The score was 25-20, 25-14, 25-17.

The Russian team dominated its opponent 9-3 and 11-5 in the ace services and blocking categories respectively. The match lasted only 1 hour and 6 minutes. Maxim Panteleymonenko led the winners with 15 points (10 attacks, three blocks and two aces) and Sergey Tetyukhin added 12 points. More Spanish

DOHA, Qatar, November 2, 2009- Puerto Rican David Aleman is one of the eight coaches who expressed their optimism during the press conference held prior to the start of the competition in the 2009 Men’s Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

Aleman, the coach of Plataneros de Corozal, recalled he participated as a player in the previous edition of the event in 1992. The competition returns in Doha after a 17-year hiatus with the introduction of the new “Golden Formula” rule. More Spanish

DOHA, Qatar, November 1, 2009 – Plataneros de Corozal of Puerto Rico will represent NORCECA in the 2009 Men’s Club World Championship to take place at the Aspire Zone Hall in Doha through November 3-8.

The team is aiming to advance to at least the semifinal. It depends fully on local players, apart from the American Thomas Mckinney, and Jason Octave from Saint Lucia and will  face Zenit Kazan of Russia on the opening day. “We have three players in our squad playing for the national team of the country and have plenty of international. More Spanish

MONTELIMAR, Nicaragua, November 1, 2009 – Puerto Rico claimed its only title in the 2009 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit thanks to the victory of women’s pair of Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo in the last stop of the year, the Nicaragua tournament.

The Puerto Ricans had a perfect tournament and in the final match defeated Costa Rica (Alfaro-Morales) by score of 22-20, 21-19. The final was a seesaw battle with both pairs trading leads but in the late stages of every set the blocking of Santiago neutralized the attacks of Natalia Alfaro combined also with the accurate offense. More Spanish

MONTELIMAR, Nicaragua, November 1, 2009 – The Mexican pair of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen won their fourth men’s title of 2009 by dominating the last stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.

Mexico dominated a dramatic final match by edging Jamaica (Lewis-Wilson) by score of 21-15, 18-21, 15-10. It was the fourth crown for the Mexican in the last five events they took part. The duo of Dominican Republic (Perez-Recio) claimed a historical triumph by defeating Costa Rica 2 (Araya-Guevara) to take the third place for first time ever. The score was 21-13, 17-21, 15-11. More Spanish