At the recent NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour event in Manzanillo, Mexico, teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada secured four of the six available medals. These achievements were significantly boosted by the coaching support provided through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Mexico`s Jose Angel Cardenas and Jorman Osuna claimed the men`s gold, thrilling the local fans, while their compatriots Susana Torres and Atenas Gutierrez earned the women`s bronze. Puerto Rico`s Maria Gonzalez and Allanis Navas took home the women`s gold, and Canada`s Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick secured the men`s silver. Completing the men`s podium, Julian Araya and Jhostin Varela from Costa Rica won bronze, and Canada`s Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese earned the women`s silver.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has been a crucial catalyst for national teams. Mexico, for instance, has received a substantial total of USD 1,328,000 for coaching support in both beach volleyball and indoor volleyball, alongside USD 23,000 for beach volleyball equipment. Mexican men`s beach volleyball teams train under the guidance of Argentinean coach Ruben Barrera, while the women`s teams are expertly coached by Brazilian instructor Reis Castro. Puerto Rico`s national beach volleyball duos have also benefited from USD 168,000 in coaching support and USD 17,500 in equipment, with Coach Angel Pena overseeing their development. Similarly, Volleyball Canada`s men`s beach volleyball program has been allocated USD 168,000 in coaching funds from FIVB Empowerment, with NextGen coach Josh Nichol leading their training.
Men`s Tournament Overview
Despite an initial loss during pool play, the 10th-seeded Mexican duo of Cardenas and Osuna mounted an impressive comeback to secure the men`s gold medal. Their path to victory included upsetting top-seeded Mexican compatriots Antonio Lares and Carlos Andres Ayala in a challenging three-set quarterfinal. They then advanced with a close 2-0 (26-24, 21-19) semifinal win against Costa Rica’s Araya and Varela, ultimately triumphing in the final with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) victory over Canada’s Kemp and Chadwick.
The third-seeded Canadian team of Kemp and Chadwick experienced their sole tournament loss in the final. After dominating their pool with a flawless record and not dropping a single set, they navigated the playoffs with two crucial tie-breaker victories. Their journey to the final included a remarkable 2-1 (13-21, 21-16, 15-10) comeback in the semifinals against the USA’s second-seeded Timothy Brewster and Ryan Ierna, ensuring their place on the podium.
Costa Rica’s Araya and Varela, seeded fifth, secured the bronze medal by defeating the American team in a decisive 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) match for third place.
Women`s Tournament Overview
Puerto Rico’s fourth-seeded duo, Gonzalez and Navas, persevered through three tie-breakers across five matches to claim the women’s gold in Manzanillo. Their challenging route included a thrilling 2-1 (20-22, 21-19, 15-13) semifinal comeback against the top-seeded Mexicans Torres and Gutierrez. They then sealed their victory in the gold medal showdown with a 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-12) win over Canada’s third-seeded Dunn and Law-Heese.
Torres and Gutierrez of Mexico bounced back from their only defeat in the tournament to win the bronze medal, securing a dominant 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) victory in the third-place match against Canada’s eighth-seeded Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic.
Earlier, in an all-Canadian semifinal, Dunn and Law-Heese delivered a decisive 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) shutout against Grewal and Pantovic, securing their spot in the final and ultimately the silver medal.
The Manzanillo event featured a total of 13 men`s teams and nine women`s teams, representing nations including Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA.
The 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour will continue its season with its seventh stop remaining in Mexico, moving to Guadalajara for matches scheduled from September 5th to 7th.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood