USAV beach teams earn gold and silver in NORCECA Varadero

MEN’S RESULTS | WOMEN’S RESULTS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball’s beach teams won gold and silver at the fourth stop of the NORCECA Continental Tour over the weekend.

Jace Pardon and Lara Dykstra earned their first gold medal as a team at the NORCECA Varadero, Cuba, tournament, an improvement on their silver in the duo’s season opener. Jeremy Casebeer and John Mayer were the top U.S. men’s finishers with silver.

The U.S. now has two silver and a bronze medal from the men on the Tour this year, the women have produced one gold, one silver and two bronze.

In Cuba, Pardon/Dykstra went 2-1 in pool play to advance into the quarterfinals against local Cubans, where they won 21-19, 18-21, 26-24. Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler also went 2-1 in pool play, and notched a win of their own in the quarterfinals, 21-10, 21-11, against Mexico.

The two American women’s teams faced in the semifinals, with Pardon/Dykstra taking the edge, 21-19, 17-21, 15-6. From there, the pair earned gold after defeating Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martinez of Cuba, 21-19, 21-16. Cook/Spieler unfortunately lost the bronze medal match to Cuba’s Lianma Flores/Yanisleidis Sanchez, 21-19, 21-15.

USA’s men faced each other in pool play, Casebeer/Mayer winning the pool 3-0, while Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol finished 2-1, their lone loss to their compatriots. Casebeer/Mayer continued their winning ways through the quarterfinal and semifinal until falling in the gold medal match to Cuba’s Sergio Gonzalez/Nivaldo Diaz, 21-18, 24-22. It was the first NORCECA tournament for Casebeer and Mayer as a team this year.

For Mesko/Del Sol, the duo fell in the quarterfinals to Cuba and in the loser bracket semifinal to yet another Cuban team before ending the weekend on a victory, 21-14, 21-12 against the Dominican Republic’s Victor Castillo/William Sanchez. Mesko/Del Sol have played in four NORCECA stops this year, their best finish was fourth in La Paz, Mexico, in April.

RESULTS
Women | Varadero | July 14-16
1. Jace Pardon/Lara Dykstra
2. Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martinez, CUB
3. Lianma Flores/Yanisleidis Sanchez, CUB
4. Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler

Men | Varadero | July 14-16
1. Nivaldo Diaz/Sergio Gonzalez, CUB
2. Jeremy Casebeer/John Mayer
3. Chichi Aguilera/Luis Reyes, CUB
7. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol

Women | Ochos Rios | June 23-25
1. Jamie Broder/Sophie Bukovec, CAN
2. Lianma Flores/Yanisleidis Sanchez, CUB
3. Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler
5. Jace Pardon/Lara Dykstra

Men | Ochos Rios | June 23-25
1. Karell Pina/Daisel Quesada, CUB
2. Miles Evans/Bill Kolinske
3. Aaron Nusbaum/Josh Binstock, CAN
5. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol

Women | Playoff #2, May 16
1. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen
2. Katie Spieler/Karissa Cook
3. Lara Dykstra/Jace Pardon

Men | Playoff #2, May 16
1. Billy Allen/Stafford Slick
2. Bill Kolinske/Miles Evans
3. Mark Burik/Avery Drost

Women | Cayman Islands | April 21-23
1. Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martinez, CUB
2. Jace Pardon/Lara Dykstra
3. Jamie Broder/Caleigh Whitaker, CAN
4. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen

Men | Cayman Islands | April 21-23
1. Karell Pina/Daisel Quesada, CUB
2. Maverick Hatch/Garrett May, CAN
3. Mark Burik/Bill Kolinske
9. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol

Women | La Paz | April 7-9
1. Lidiannis Echeverria/Leila Martinez, CUB
2. Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson, CAN
3. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen
6. Brittany Hochevar/Emily Day

Men | La Paz | April 7-9
1. Karell Pina/Daisel Quesada, CUB
2. Juan Virgen/Lombardo Ontiveros, MEX
3. Josue Gaxiola/Jose Rubio, MEX
4. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol
9. Stafford Slick/Reid Priddy

Women | Playoff #1 | March 22
1. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen
2. Brittany Hochevar/Emily Day
3. Lara Dykstra/Jace Pardon

Men | Playoff #1 | March 22
1. Casey Patterson/Theo Brunner
2. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol
3. Stafford Slick/Reid Priddy