Dyette, Joseph miss out on quarters spot

T&T’s Nancy Joseph and Ayana Dyette missed a spot in the women’s quarterfinals at the Gatorade-sponsored second-leg of the 2014 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, after losing their final Pool C round-robin match against Mexicans Diana Valdez and Stephanie Burnside at Campo Marte, Guatemala City, on Saturday.

Joseph and Dyette entered Saturday’s clash in a winner-take-all situation. However the Central Americans prevailed 21-17, 21-14 to grab second spot behind group winners, USA-B duo, Heather Hughes and Christal Engle.

On Friday, Joseph and Dyette were beaten by Hughes and Engle, bronze medal winners in Cayman Islands, but rebounded to beat Barbadians, Shari Matthew and Anicia Wood 21-16, 21-19.

In the quarterfinal round, Hughes and Engle ousted Guatemala-B pairing, the Orellana sisters, Maria J and Maria A, 21-9, 21-9; Costa Ricans, Karen Cope and Natalia Alfaro brushed aside Valdez and Burnside 21-14, 21-12; USA-A’s Tealle Hunkus, and Kimberly Dicello overcame Canada-A’a Victoria Altomare and Julie Gordon 17-21, 21-19, 15-9 and Cubans, Lianna Flores and Leila Martinez stopped Guatemala-A duo Blanca Recinos and Anna Ramirez 21-9, 21-14.

In the semifinals yesterday, Cuba faced USA-B and USA-A came up against Costa Rica.

Last weekend, when the tour served off at Seven Miles Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Joseph and Dyette won their opening match before losing the next two.

They beat Hondurans Gina Flores and Martha Euceda but then fell to USA-A’s Hunkus and Kimberly Mc Given, in the round-of-16, and then in the losers draw round-of-16 they were ousted by host duo, Cristin Alexander and Jessica Wolfenden. 

Hunkus and McGiven eventually won the title, 21-23, 21-10, 15-9 over Canada-A duo, Melissa Humana and Taylor Piscke and will be going for a repeat on the dark sands of Campo Marte.

In the men’s competition, Tevin Joseph and Tarandath Deonath who are preparing for the FIVB World Under-23 Championships were beaten in their Pool A opener against Guatemala-A, Andy Blanco and Erick Garrido 10-21,10-21 before they forfeited against last week’s silver medal winners in Cayman, USA-A’s William Montgomery and Stafford Slick due to a shoulder injury to Joseph.

The men’s tournament also reached the last four on Saturday afternoon, with USA-A’s WIlliams Montgomery, second in Cayman Islands last week beating Canada-B’s Cameron Wheelan, 21-16, 24-22 to set up a clash with USA-B, Derek Olson and Kevin Mc Colloch who dispatched Guatemala-B’s Julio Recinos and Luis Garcia 21-7, 21-19.

On the other side of the draw, Puerto Ricans, Roberto Rodriguez and Erick Haddock, bronze winners in Cayman Islands scolded Blanco and Garrido 21-9, 21-12 and faced Cubans, Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez, after the latter whipped Arubans, Eargenel De Cuba and Alexander Mitchell 21-14, 21-14.When the tour served off in Cayman a week ago, the T&T boys had a miserable outing and ended winless (0-4) in their five-team Pool C round-robin series.

Joseph and Deonath first went under to Canada-B duo, Andrew Hinchey and Ryan Vanderbug 15-21, 7-21 and Arubans De Cuba and Mitchell, 11-21, 8-21 on Friday before losing twice again yesterday to two-time defending Cayman Islands-leg winners, Rodriguez and Haddock 6-21, 10-21, and Olney Thompson/Phillippe Des Landes (Cayman Islands-A), in their best outing of the tour, 21-16, 19-21, 12-15 for 14th out of 15 participants.