COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes are on a role internationally, winning their second NORCECA title, this time from Boqueron, Puerto Rico.
The USC student-athletes went 6-0 on the week with three wins in pool play. They were joined on the podium by bronze-medal winners Amanda Dowdy and Emily Stockman; the U.S. men to hit the podium for bronze were Avery Drost and Billy Kolinske.
On the women’s side, Dowdy/Stockman also swept their pool, 3-0. In the quarterfinals, Claes and Hughes topped Nicaragua, 21-13, 21-5. Dowdy/Stockman won theirs in similar fashion, 21-13, 21-13 against Puerto Rico.
The semifinal matchup of USA teams saw Claes/Hughes advance victorious, 19-21, 21-15, 15-13. They went on to beat Canada’s Megan Nagy/Marie-Christine Lapointe 21-11, 21-15 for gold. In the bronze medal match, Dowdy/Stockman handily topped Puerto Rico’s 11th-seeded team 21-12, 21-8.
In two NORCECA tournaments in 2016, Claes and Hughes are 2-for-2 on gold medals. The bronze was the first appearance on the NORCECA Tour for Dowdy/Stockman.
U.S. men Drost/Kolinske won their pool, 3-0, and followed by topping the other American men’s team Mary Lorenz/Adam Roberts in the quarterfinals, 21-17, 24-22. From there, No. 10 Drost/Kolinske fell to Canada’s eventual winners in the semifinals in three, 16-21, 21-18, 15-13. Bronze was around the corner for the two, after beating Puerto Rico 21-18, 21-14. It marked the first career international medal for Kolinske.
Lorenz and Roberts placed sixth with a final win against Canada.
There are two events remaining on the 2016 NORCECA Continental Tour. The U.S. has one more Playoff, on Sept. 7<, for spots in the remaining events.
RESULTS
Women | Boqueron, Aug. 5-7
1. Sara Hughes/Kelly Claes
2. Marie-Christine Lapointe/Megan Nagy CAN
3. Amanda Dowdy/Emily Stockman
Men | Boqueron, Aug. 5-7
1. Felipe Humana-Paredes/Christian Redmann CAN
2. Arnel Cabrera/Kevin Rodriguez PUR
3. Avery Drost/Billy Kolinske