Cuban beach volleyball duo to tournament in Guatemala

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 8 (acn) Cubans Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez will try to keep the title won in the second phase of the North, Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) Beach Volleyball Circuit, based in Guaymas, Mexico, when competing this weekend in the third stage.

Diaz and Gonzalez appear among the favorites to the podium also in the Mexican city of La Paz, Baja California Sur, again with their main opponents in the Americans Stafford Slick and William Allen, and the brothers Taylor and Trevor Crabb.
Slick and Allen won last weekend the silver medal after losing in the final 1-2 (17-21, 21-19 and 10-15) to the Cuban duo, while the Crabbs finished third with a 2-0 victory (24-22 and 21-16) over Mexicans Jose Luis Rubio and Josue Gaxiola.
At the first stop, with a stage in Guatemala and the absence of Cubans, the winners were the Crabb brothers, followed by Rubio and Gaxiola, and Slick and Allen, respectively.
The Circuit, with 17 stages planned, grants points to NORCECA ranking and is part of the training for the Olympic qualifiers to be held next June in Guaymas, Mexico.