MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Taylor and Trevor Crabb won the first NORCECA Playoff event on Tuesday, Feb. 16, to start U.S. participation in Continental Tour action for 2016. Kelly Reeves and Allison McColloch finished tops for the women.
Winners of the playoff will get first choice of upcoming NORCECA events in Guatemala City (March 10-14), Sonora, Mexico (March 31-April 4) and La Paz, Mexico (April 7-11). The 2016 Continental Tour consists of 17 events, two of which will come to the U.S. later this year.
As the seventh seed, Reeves and McColloch posted wins against the one, two and three seeds to take first place. In the opening round, they swept 10-seed Cecilia Agraz/Caroline Allen 21-8, 21-11. A three-set victory against No. 2 Geena Urango/Angela Bensend (21-17, 16-21, 15-11) pitted them against three-seed Amanda Dowdy/Emily Stockman. Taking the match in two (27-25, 22-20) they met top seed Kendra Vanzwieten and Kimberly DiCello in the final.
Vanzwieten and DiCello reached the finale with a second-round win against Megan Dawson/Jessica Sykora (21-13, 21-17) and against eventual third-place finishers Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen (21-18, 18-21, 15-13). The final was the second third-setter of the day for both teams and the seven-seed Reeves/McColloch pulled out the upset in the end, 21-18, 19-21, 15-13.
Flint and Larsen beat Dowdy/Stockman 21-12, 21-9 in the third-place match.
For the men, the Crabb brothers entered the playoff as the top seed and moved through the bracket accordingly. The duo swept each of their opponents and took the crown in three match victories. In the final they faced No. 2 Billy Allen and Stafford Slick who got there via wins against Tom Kohler/Michael Boag (21-15, 21-18) and Avery Drost/Billy Kolinske (21-16, 17-21, 15-12). The Crabb’s bested Slick and Allen 21-19, 21-17 in the final.
For third, Drost and Kolinske edged Mark Burik/Robart Page 21-17, 21-13.
RESULTS
Women | Playoff #1, Feb. 16
1. Kelly Reeves/Allison McColloch
2. Kendra Vanzwieten/Kimberly DiCello
3. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen
Men | Playoff #1, Feb. 16
1. Taylor Crabb/Trevor Crabb
2. Billy Allen/Stafford Slick
3. Avery Drost/Billy Kolinske
NORCECA Continental Tour – Dates and locations subject to change
March 10-14 Guatemala City, Guatemala
March 31-April 4 Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico
April 7-11 La Paz, Mexico
April 13-18 Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
April 21-25 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
April 28-May 2 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
June 9-13 Ensenada, Mexico
June 30-July 4 North Bay, Canada
July 13-17 Varadero, Cuba
July 27-Aug. 1 San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Aug. 3-8 Boqueron, Puerto Rico
Aug. 25-29 Long Beach, Calif.
Sept. 29-Oct. 3 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Oct. 6-10 Chula Vista, Calif.
Nov. 17-21 San Salvador, El Salvador
Nov. 24-28 Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago