U.S. Beach Teams Win Gold, Silver in El Salvador

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 28, 2010) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Claire D'Amore (Torrance, Calif.) and Jen Snyder (Glendale, Ariz.) won the gold medal while the U.S. men’s team of Ty Loomis (Warner Robins, Ga.) and Matt Prosser (Ventura, Calif.) took silver at the NORCECA Circuit event in San Salvador, El Salvador on Sunday.

In the women’s gold medal match, D’Amore and Snyder defeated Cubans Niriam Sinal and Kirenia Ballar, 21-19, 21-17.The first set of the final match was battled point by point, but in the second D’Amore and Snyder built an early three-point lead they never relinquished.

The women’s bronze medal went to Puerto Ricans Yarleen Santiago and Dariam Acevedo who beat Guatemalans Maria Jose Orellana and Lourdes Ramirez, 21-14, 21-17.

In Sunday’s women’s semifinal, D’Amore and Snyder recorded an 18-21, 21-16, 15-11 victory over Orellana and Ramírez while Sinal and Ballar had beaten Santiago and Acevedo, 21-17, 21-16.

In the men’s gold medal match, the Mexican team of Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen defeated Loomis and Prosser, 21-13, 21-9.

In the bronze medal match, Cubans Karell Peña and Sergio Gonzalez prevailed in a tough battle against Canadians Martin Reader and Ray Sewell, 21-13, 17-21, 22-20.

Loomis and Prosser reached the final by defeating Reader and Sewell in Sunday’s semifinal, 21-19, 21-18. In the other semifinal, Miramontes and Virgen beat Pena and Gonzalez, 21-12, 21-19.

Loomis and Prosser had to fight their way through consolation to the semifinals after losing to Miramontes and Virgen on Friday, 19-21, 21-17, 9-15. On Saturday, Loomis and Prosser defeated teams from Honduras, Trinidad & Tobago and the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. women won one match on Friday and one on Saturday to reach Sunday’s semifinal.

The 2010 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit continues next weekend in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. D'Amore and Emily Day (Torrance, Calif.) are schedule to compete in the women's bracket. Lucas Wisniakowski (Houston, Texas) and Seth Burnham (Santa Cruz, Calif.) will be the No. 1 U.S. men's team while Marcin Jagoda (Tarzana, Calif.) and Stafford Slick (Andover, Minn.) will be No. 2.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, NORCECA, NORCECA Beach Circuit