Misha Panasiouk and Bryce Kim of Canada proudly secured the silver medal in the men`s competition at the recent NORCECA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships, held in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. This impressive achievement was made possible with substantial support from the Volleyball Empowerment program. The men`s gold medal was claimed by the USA`s Matix Williams and Colten Mortensen, while Mexico`s Eduardo Escoto and Jose Luis Bojorquez took home the bronze. In the women`s tournament, the American duo of Jordyn Scribner and Ella Grimes were crowned champions. They were joined on the podium by Mexico`s Angela Perez and Melina Roman, who earned silver, and Canada`s Ruby Cochrane and Sophie Hancock, who secured the bronze.
Volleyball Canada`s beach volleyball department has received a total of USD 168,000 in coaching assistance, directly benefiting their men`s national duos, including Panasiouk and Kim, who train under the guidance of coach Josh Nichol. Panasiouk and Kim demonstrated exceptional performance, reaching the men`s NORCECA U18 Beach Volleyball Championship final undefeated across their first four matches. In the semifinals, they faced a tough challenge, dropping their only set of the tournament, but ultimately celebrated a hard-fought 2-1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-12) victory over Mexico`s Eduardo Escoto and Jose Luis Bojorquez, thereby cementing their spot on the podium.
The eventual American champions, Matix Williams and Colten Mortensen, recovered from an opening pool play defeat to Escoto and Bojorquez, then embarked on an unblemished run of five consecutive straight-set wins to secure the continental title. In their semifinal match, the Americans delivered a decisive 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) shutout against Nicaragua’s Justin Barrios and Edgar Holmann. They then went on to master a commanding 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) sweep in the gold medal showdown against Canada`s Panasiouk and Kim.
Escoto and Bojorquez claimed the bronze medal by defeating Barrios and Holmann 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) in the third-place playoff.
In the women`s competition, Jordyn Scribner and Ella Grimes of the USA sailed through the tournament undefeated across six games. They conceded only one set on their path to the title, which occurred during their 2-1 (23-25, 21-12, 15-11) semifinal victory over Canada’s Ruby Cochrane and Sophie Hancock. In the championship match, Scribner and Grimes secured a 2-0 (22-20, 21-16) win against Mexico’s Angela Perez and Melina Roman. Perez and Roman had previously advanced to the final by delivering a 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) sweep in their semifinal against Puerto Rico’s Itzamar Arana and Yamila Gonzalez.
Cochrane and Hancock resiliently bounced back to secure the bronze medal, defeating Arana and Gonzalez 2-1 (21-10, 15-21, 15-10) in the third-place match.
The NORCECA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Juan Dolio saw robust participation, featuring 13 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams from 17 different national federations.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood