Supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, Mexico achieved significant success at last week`s NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour event held in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, claiming three out of six possible medals: gold and bronze in the men`s competition, and silver in the women`s. Puerto Rico, also benefiting from the program, secured the women`s gold medal. The remaining medals, men`s silver and women`s bronze, were won by the USA.
The Federacion Mexicana de Voleibol has received substantial funding totaling USD 1,466,000 from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. A large portion of this allocation supports coaching for their beach volleyball national teams, supplemented by USD 23,000 for beach volleyball equipment. Mexico`s men`s teams are coached by Argentinean Ruben Barrera, while the women`s teams train under Brazilian instructor Reis Castro. The Federacion Puertorriquena de Voleibol`s beach volleyball program has also been funded by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, receiving USD 168,000 for coach support and USD 17,500 for equipment. Angel Pena serves as the coach for the Puerto Rican teams.
In the women`s tournament, 23-year-old Allanis Navas & Maria Gonzalez of Puerto Rico earned their second consecutive NORCECA Tour gold, following their victory in Juan Dolio in May. Their extensive medal collection now includes six gold, six silver, and three bronze medals. The top-seeded Puerto Rican pair dominated the Puerto Cortes event with seven straight wins. They dropped only one set throughout the entire competition – the second set in their 2-1 (21-8, 18-21, 15-11) semifinal victory against fourth-seeded Americans Emma Donley & Portia Sherman. In the final, Navas & Gonzalez secured the gold medal with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) win over second-seeded Susana Torres & Atenas Gutierrez of Mexico.
Torres & Gutierrez reached the final without losing a single set in their five matches leading up to it. Their impressive run included a 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) semifinal win against fifth-seeded Maya McNabney & Emma Kunaus of Canada, guaranteeing the Mexican pair their eighth NORCECA medal. They currently have collected seven silver medals (including three in a row this season) and one bronze, and are still seeking their first gold on the continental podium. In the third-place playoff, Donley & Sherman of the USA defeated McNabney & Kunaus of Canada with a 2-1 score (21-18, 16-21, 15-9) to claim the bronze.
In the men`s main draw, Mexico`s Antonio Lares & Carlos Andres Ayala, seeded 14th, dropped only two sets on their path to winning the gold medals in Honduras. Their journey included a hard-fought 2-1 (29-27, 25-27, 15-7) upset victory in the semifinals over their top-seeded compatriots Miguel Sarabia & Jorman Osuna. Lares & Ayala then triumphed in the final, defeating 13th-seeded Troy Field & Ryan Wilcox of the United States 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) to earn their first NORCECA gold medal, adding to their previous bronze from Juan Dolio. In the other semifinal, Field & Wilcox secured their spot in the final by beating second-seeded Americans James Drost & Robert Harrison 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).
Sarabia & Osuna of Mexico recovered from their semifinal loss to win the bronze medal match against Drost & Harrison with a 2-1 turnaround victory (16-21, 21-18, 15-13). This marked their third continental medal together, adding to their two previous gold medals on the Tour.
The event in Puerto Cortes saw participation from a total of 17 women`s and 19 men`s teams, representing 13 different national federations.
Looking ahead, the fourth stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour is scheduled to take place in Madero, Mexico, from July 11 to 13.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood