Cuba secures top slot at the NORCECA Men's Championship – Volleyball news
Cuba’s Karrel Piña and Sergio Gonzalez pulled off success in final match of VI NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit and seized the title trophy.
They defeated Mexico’s Juan Virgen and Aldo Miramontes in a three-set match 2-1 (25-27, 21-15, 15-11). The VI NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit kicked off on May 16 and produced the final results on Sunday, May 20. The tournament held in Puerto Arista, Chiapas.
The final day of the tournament was opened with the semi-final matches. The first semi-final was an all-Mexican affair. Both sides of the court were captured by local duos. Mexico 1, which consisted of Juan Virgen and Aldo Miramontes clashed with Ricardo
Galindo/Juan Revuelta of Mexico 2.
The former dominated the latter and held them off for an amazing 2-0 victory. Galindo/Juan Revuelta of Mexico 2 did not give a good competition to their compatriots and suffered the damage. Mex-1 posted 21-7 on board and claimed the opening set with huge
margin. The second set of the match progressed in the similar fashion and ended with final score of 21-8. Juan-Miramontes pulled off success in the semi-final match and advanced to the final showdown of the tournament.
Later in the day, second semi-final match featured duos from Cuba and Dominican Republic. Piña and Gonzalez stood under the flag of Cuba, while Dominican Republic was represented by the pairing of Luis Adames and Germán Recio. Cuban duo showed its power
in the contest and launched full authority on the Dominicans. They edged out the rivals by posting 2-0 (21-10, 21-16) victory and clinched a spot in the final match.
Interestingly, the final match of the VI NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit brought two tandems together, who had a meeting in the final showdown of the last Pan American Games. Mexican pair had defeated Cubans at the Pan American Finals. Hence, it was a great
chance for Piña-Gonzalez to take sweet revenge of their last defeat.
The final match started out on a tight note as both teams enjoyed a great rhythm. The exchange of long rallies and tricky bump-passes created a great vibe in the competition. The audience moved back ‘n’ forth in their seats and waited impatiently to find
out the outcome. After a lot of ups and downs, Mexican pair claimed the opening set, 27-25.
That was what the home crowd wanted, a great start to the match. Nonetheless, Cubans showed their real power in the following two sets. They scored back-to-back victories by sending 21-15, 15-11 on board and silenced the uproar of rowdy home fans. Piña and
Gonzalez won the match and secured the top slot on the podium.
Piña shared his views after the match. He stated, “This was our revenge. Our loss at the Pan American Games hurt. It also was a sudden death match and now, I am pleased with the results.”
On the other hand, Gonzalez said, “Our defence was a key in order to put together our counterattack since my partner (Piña) and I understood each other very well through a system of signals that we have adopted. We were able to anticipate what they (the
Mexican players) wanted to do.”
In the third position match, Mexico 2 defeated visiting Dominican Republic and claimed the bronze-ware. The final score of the bronze medal match was 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-12).
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