Four U.S. Teams in Boca Chica Tournament Quarters

Bill Kauffman
Associate Director, Communication
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 23, 2011) – USA Volleyball will have all four of its beach pairs – two men and two women – competing in the NORCECA Beach Tour’s Boca Chica Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday in the Dominican Republic.

In Saturday Round of 16 results, Ashley Ivy (Arlington, Texas) and Lisa Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) of USA-1 beat El Salvador’s Diana Romero and Marcela Avalos 21-12, 21-8 to advance to the quarterfinals. Earlier in the day, the tandem topped the Dominican Republic’s Gina and Ginette Del Rosario 21-17, 21-9 to finish undefeated in Pool A. Americans Whitney Pavlik Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.) scored a 21-6, 21-11 win off Curacao’s Samira Luis and Christine Anthony in the Round of 16. Earlier in the day, the pair downed El Salvador’s Diana Romero and Marcela Avalos 21-14, 21-14 in a Pool B match to finish second behind Cuba.

Ivy and Rutledge will have a quarterfinal round match against Canada’s top team of Jamie Broder and Eve Danserau. Pavlik and Kropp will take on Cuba’s Kirenia Reyna and Imara Estevez in their quarterfinal match.

USA-1’s Bill Strickland (Malibu, Calif.) and Aaron Wachtfogel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) battled past Trinidad & Tobago’s Fabien Whitfield and Daneil Williams 21-16, 21-18 in the Round of 16 to book a ticket into the quarterfinals. Strickland and Wachfogel won Pool D with a 21-12, 21-17 victory over Costa Rican brothers Gilberto and Alexander Villegas.

Stevo VanderWerp (Grand Haven, Mich.) and Mark Van Zwieten (Pompano Beach, Fla.), competing as USA-2, advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 21-10, 21-13 victory over Cayman Islands’ Sherving Ranking and Olney Thompson in the Round of 16. Earlier in the day the American duo trounced a team from Virgin Islands’ 21-4, 21-7 to finish second in Pool E behind Cuba.

Strickland and Wachtfogel challenge Cuba’s Karel Pina and Javier Jimenez in the quarterfinals, while VanderWerp and Van Zwieten will face the Villegas brothers.

Saturday’s Women Results

Pool A
USA-1 d. DOM (21-17, 21-9)
CUR d. TRI (18-21, 22-20, 15-9)

Pool B
CUB d. CAN-1 (24-22, 21-15)
USA-2 d. ESA (21-14, 21-14)

Pool C
MEX d. GUA (21-10, 21-18)
CAN-2 d. HON (21-6, 21-7)

Pool D
CRC d. PUR (21-14, 21-5)
JAM d. CAY (21-11, 20-22, 16-14)

Pool positions: Pool A: 1. USA-1, 2. DOM, 3. CUR, 4. TRI. Pool B: 1. CUB, 2. USA-2, 3. CAN-1, 4. ESA. Pool C: 1. MEX, 2. CAN-2, 3. GUA, 4. HON. Pool D: 1. CRC, 2. PUR, 3. JAM, 4. CAY.

Round of 16: PUR d. GUA (21-17, 21-17), CAN-1 d. DOM (21-19, 21-15), CRC d. HON (21-6, 21-8), MEX d. CAY (21-12, 21-11), CAN-2 d. JAM (21-18, 21-14), USA-2 d. CUR (21-6, 21-11), USA-1 d. ESA (21-12, 21-8), CUB d. TRI (21-0, 21-5).

Sunday’s Quarterfinals
USA-1 v CAN-1, PUR v CRC, MEX v CAN-2, USA-2 v CUB

Saturday’s Men Results

Pool A
CAN-1 d. ESA (21-11, 21-11)
CAY d. CUR (25-23, 14-21, 15-10)

Pool B
MEX-1 d. GUA (27-25, 21-18)
PUR-2 d. HON (21-11, 21-16)

Pool C
CAN-2 d. TRI (21-15, 21-10
PUR-1 d. NCA (21-13, 21-12)

Pool D
USA-1 d. CRC (21-12, 21-17)
MEX-2 d. SKN (21-7, 21-6)

Pool E
CUB d. DOM (21-18, 21-18)
USA-2 d. ISV (21-4, 21-7)

Final pools positions: Pool A: 1. CAN-1, 2. ESA, 3. CAY, 4. CUR. Pool B: 1. MEX-1, 2. PUR-2, 3. GUA, 4. HON. Pool C: 1. CAN-2, 2. PUR-1, 3. TRI, 4. NCA. Pool D: 1. USA-1, 2. MEX-2, 3. CRC, 4. SKN. Pool E: 1. CUB, 2. USA-2, 3. DOM, 4. ISV.

Round of 16: CUB d. GUA (21-16, 21-10), PUR-1 d. PUR-2 (21-19, 21-17), USA-1 d. TRI (21-16, 21-18), CRC d. CAN-2 (21-16, 21-17), USA-2 d. CAY (21-10, 21-13), MEX-2 d. ESA (21-19, 21-9), MEX-1 d. DOM (21-11, 21-9), CAN-1 d. CUR (21-14, 21-9).

Sunday’s Quarterfinals
CAN-1 v PUR-1, CUB v USA-1, CRC v USA-2, MEX-1 v MEX-2

Tags: Ashley Ivy, Beach Volleyball, NORCECA, NORCECA Beach Circuit