USA sweeps Dominican Republic, earns No. 1 seed

by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications

Marcie Hampton scored a match-high 12 points and Cynthia Barboza added 10 as the United States swept the Dominican Republic in match number six of the NORCECA Youth Girls' Volleyball Championship at the Lifetime Activities Center on the Salt Lake Community College campus Saturday night.

Hampton had nine kills, five digs and a match-high-tying three blocks to lead the United States to the 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 win. Barboza had eight kills, four digs, one block and one ace as Team USA finished pool play with a record of 3-0. The Americans did not lose a set in the three matches.

Rosa Medrano Perez and Sidarka de los Milagros Nunez scored eight points apiece for the Dominicans, who finished pool play with a record of 1-2. Perez had six kills and two blocks, while Nunez added four kills, three blocks and one ace.

With the win, the United States earned the top seed following round-robin play and will now play fourth-seeded Canada in Sunday night's second semifinal at 7 p.m. Puerto Rico, which earned the No. 2 seed with a 3-1 win over Canada earlier Saturday night, will play the Dominican Republic (No. 3) at 5 p.m.

The final round of the tournament is Monday, Aug. 5, with the bronze medal match at 5 p.m. and the championship match at 7 p.m.

Youth teams are comprised of players born on or after Jan. 1, 1986 (16-years-old-and-under). The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the 2003 Girls' Youth World Championships in Malaysia.

The tournament is being hosted by the Intermountain Volleyball Association in conjunction with USA Volleyball, the National Governing Body of the sport, and NORCECA, the continental volleyball federation North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Standings

USA (3-0) Puerto Rico (2-1) Dominican Republic (1-2) Canada (0-3)

Saturday's Results

Puerto Rico def. Canada 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-19) USA def. Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-19)

Sundays Schedule

Semifinals (2) Puerto Rico vs. (3) Dominican Republic, 5 p.m. (1) USA vs. (4) Canada, 7 p.m.

(Time Listed is Mountain Time)

For complete tournament statistics, standings, rosters, pictures and more, please visit the USA Volleyball web site.