GROS ISLET, St Lucia, May 29, 2016 – Costa Rica swept Guatemala 3-0 to claim first place at the NORCECA Inter Zonal Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament, the third round of the Continental Cup towards the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

 

Nicaragua, U.S. Virgin Islands, El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago completed the top six countries qualified to the final round to be held in Mexico from June 20 to 27.

 

En route to the victory, Costa Rica used a combination of power and guile against a resilient Guatemala that played like there was no tomorrow.  The entire game was a display of high quality beach volleyball skills.

 

Costa Ricans Richard Smith and Sebastian Valenciano got things started with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) victory over Julio Recinos and Luis Garcia and then finished with a 2-0 (25-23, 21-13) win against Erick Garrido and Erik Flores. Bryan Monge and Granier Escobar beat Garrido/Flores 2-0 (21-17, 21-14).

 

Nicaragua withstood the stern challenge from the U.S. Virgin Islands to win 3-2 (Golden Set Score 15-12) to claim third place.  Both teams were superb in their efforts to win with solid offense, defense.  The crowd was enthralled by the many diving saves the teams used to stall their opponents.

 

Hurting from an earlier defeat, El Salvador found some redemption when they defeated Trinidad and Tobago with a score line of 3-1 in the series for fifth place. As it was their custom during this tournament, Trinidad and Tobago won the first game but suddenly lost all momentum.

 

Sunday’s Results

Costa Rica 3 Guatemala 0

Bryan Monge / Esteban Grainer Escobar d Erik Flores/Erik Garrido 2-0 (21-17, 21-14), Richard Smith/Sebastian Valenciano  d Julio Recinos /Luis Garcia 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) Smith/Valenciano d Flores / Garrido 2-0 (25-23, 21-13).

Final positions: 1. Costa Rica, 2. Guatemala, 3. Nicaragua, 4. U.S. Virgin Islands, 5. El Salvador, 6. Trinidad & Tobago, 7. St. Lucia, 8. Suriname, 9. Barbados, 10. Curacao, 11. Jamaica, 12. St Kitts & Nevis.