2006 World Championships   More World Championship news       Tournament info: Puerto Rico

USA and Puerto Rico book Final Round spots

Caguas, Puerto Rico, August 18, 2005 – USA and Puerto Rico were both confirmed in the Final Round of the 2006 Women’s World Championship after they both won their semifinals at the NORCECA D second round tournament in Caguas on Thursday.

USA beat Mexico 3-0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-19) while Puerto Rico swept Canada also in straight sets, 26-24, 25-19, 25-22.

Nancy Metcalf scored a match-high 16 points to lead four players in double-figures for the United States, who will play Puerto Rico in Friday’s championship match.

The top three finishers at this week’s tournament in Puerto Rico earn trips to the 2006 World Championships in Japan as members of the NORCECA zone.

Canada and Mexico will square off for third place - and the third trip to the World Championships being determined this week - in Friday’s first match.

Metcalf, the tournament’s leading scorer with 79 points, ripped 14 kills with one block and one service ace for Team USA, who remained unbeaten in the tournament (5-0).

Tayyiba Haneef added 11 points while Elisabeth Bachman and Therese Crawford chipped in with 10 points apiece in the victory for the United States, which captured a silver medal at the last World Championships in 2002.

Haneef had eight kills, two blocks and one ace; Bachman posted six kills and a match-high four blocks; and Crawford tallied six kills, a match-high three aces and one block for the Americans, who improved to 16-13 overall this season.

Jennifer Joines scored six points on six kills for the United States while Lindsey Berg - the tournament’s leading setter - recorded 38 assists in the win.

Yendy Cortinas scored six points while Bibiana Candelas and Blanca Chan added five points apiece to lead Mexico (1-4).

Five other teams – Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Jamaica – will vie for three additional NORCECA slots for the final round at the “NORCECA E” World Championship second round tournament in Santo Domingo from Aug. 24-28.

In all, 24 teams will compete at the 2006 World Championships from Nov. 16-Dec. 3 – seven from Europe, six from NORCECA, four from Asia, three from Africa, two from South America, the host team (Japan) and the 2002 champion (Italy).