At the recent NORCECA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships held last week in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic, Miabella Musignac and Alanis Nieves from Puerto Rico secured the silver medal in the women`s competition. Their participation was supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. The women`s gold medal was won by the USA pair, Zoey Henson and Sarah Wood, while Canada`s Ofure Odigie and Ruby Sorra took the bronze. In the men`s tournament, gold went to the American duo Malachi Brewington and Titus Lance. They were joined on the podium by Julian Araya and Esteban Gonzalez of Costa Rica with silver, and Melvin de Jesus and Ramon de Jesus of the Dominican Republic with bronze.
The beach volleyball department of the Federacion Puertorriquena de Voleibol has received significant backing from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. This support includes a total of USD 168,000 designated for coach support for their national teams, alongside USD 17,500 for beach volleyball equipment. Coach Angel Pena is currently in charge of overseeing the Puerto Rican teams. Musignac & Nieves, who were seeded 13th in the women`s main draw, demonstrated strong performance throughout the championship. They lost only two matches – both to the eventual champions, Henson & Wood. All four of their other games were won in straight sets, including a key 2-0 (21-13, 21-19) victory in the semifinal against the second-seeded Costa Rican pair, Laura Molina and Sofia Vega. This crucial win guaranteed them a spot on the podium.
In the other women`s semifinal match, Henson & Wood narrowly defeated Canada`s Ofure Odigie and Ruby Sorra, the ninth seeds, with a tight 2-0 (22-20, 25-23) score. The American duo then capped off a perfect tournament run of six straight-set wins by defeating Musignac & Nieves 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) in the final to claim the NORCECA U21 title. Odigie & Sorra secured the bronze medal after a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) victory over Molina & Vega in the third-place playoff.
In the men`s competition, Malachi Brewington and Titus Lance from the USA also went undefeated to clinch the title. Their path included one dropped set during their 2-1 (20-22, 21-10, 15-11) semifinal match against the ninth-seeded Canadian pair, Louis Charbonneau and Henry Heider. In the gold medal showdown, the American duo delivered a dominant 2-0 (21-11, 21-14) victory over Julian Araya and Esteban Gonzalez of Costa Rica.
The 14th-seeded Costa Ricans, Araya & Gonzalez, earned their place in the final by achieving a 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) upset win in their semifinal match against the top-seeded home favorites, Melvin de Jesus and Ramon de Jesus from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican pair rebounded from their semifinal loss to secure the bronze medal, defeating Charbonneau & Heider 2-0 (21-17, 21-12).
The NORCECA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships in Juan Dolio saw participation from 15 women`s teams and 15 men`s teams, representing a total of 18 different national federations.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood