The Cuban couple formed by Noslén Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo undefeated won the first stop of the Norceca Circuit of Beach volleyball held in Aguascalientes, Mexico, by beating the American duo of William Kolinske and Evan Cory in the final duel.
The Cubans settled on the throne after prevailing in two hard-fought sets with scores of 21-18 and 21-19, according to the website of the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation of this sport.
Men’s Podium at Aguascalientes, the first stage of the 2022 Norceca Tour
?Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Diaz ??
?William Kolinske and Evan Cory ??
? Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia ??ℹ️ https://t.co/egSuprQX5V#norceca #beachvolleyball #norcecatour pic.twitter.com/OTYIaKTSq2
— NorcecaInfo (@Norceca_Info) April 25, 2022
Diaz and Alayo had begun their journey through the contest facing the northern cast, and they emerged victorious from that match after a tense battle that went to the limit and ended with scores of 25-23, 24-26, 15-12.
Before reaching the crucial clash, the representatives of the Island had dominated group A, beating the locals Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia 2-0, who they also submitted in the semifinal match. Between both duels there was another, in which they also won, in this case the Puerto Rican couple of Kevin Rodríguez and Juan Ribas with a similar score.
This new success confirms the good form of Díaz and Alayo, who before starting the actions of this fair had secured the ticket to the World Beach Volleyball Championship, which will be held in Rome between June 9 and 17 next.
That classification should have been defined a week ago in the capital of the Dominican Republicbut the weather conditions prevented the dispute of the semifinal phase, in which the Cubans had to face the Mexicans Virgen and Sarabia for the ticket to the universal event.
In this way, the Norceca authorities moved the celebration to Aguascaliente, and the Cubans came out successful in qualifying in two sets, with scores of 21-16 and 21-12.
The women’s contest held in the Mexican town did not have Cuban representation, and was won by Canadians Brandie Wilkeron and Sophie Bukovec, who outscored Alexandra Wheeler and Susannah Muno, from the United States, in two sets (21-17, 21-10).
Beach volleyball: Cuban female couple qualifies for the World Cup in Rome
The Cuban couple formed by Leila Martínez and Lidianny Echevarría had secured qualification for the World Cup in Rome, by dominating one of the regional qualifying keys, held in the Dominican resort of Punta Cana.
The next stop of the Norceca Circuit will be held between May 5 and 9 in the spa of Varaderolocated in the western Cuban province of Matanzas, according to the program unveiled by the body that governs volleyball in the region.
