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Canada and Cuba claim Final Round spots

Havana, Cuba, August 20, 2005 – Top seeds Canada and Cuba claimed the two available Final Round tickets at the 2006 Men’s World Championship second round tournament (NORCECA E) in Havana after collecting their third win from as many matches on Saturday.

The five day tournament, which began on Wednesday, determined two of the four teams from the men’s NORCECA Zone that will attend next year’s World Championship Final Round in Japan.

After a solid opening performance against Panama on the opening day where Canada won in
straight sets 25-18, 25-11, 25-17, they improved to 3-0 after a lopsided victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday and a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-20) win over Costa Rica.

Cuba, meanwhile, beat Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday before collecting a 3-0 (25-8, 25-18, 25-14) win over Costa Rica on Friday and a 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-22) win over Panama on Saturday.

Cuba and Canada will play for tournament honours on Sunday.

Competing with the 14th ranked Canadians at the tournament are top ranked Cuba (12th), Panama (38th), Trinidad and Tobago (65th), and Costa Rica (65th).

In an alternate Zone Qualifier, the USA will be competing with Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala and Barbados, to decide the other two teams that will represent NORCECA in Final Round.

The tournament is a straight round robin format with the top two placing teams advancing to the 2006 World Championships in Japan. World ranking points will also be counted from the results, which will affect placing in next year’s World Championships.