Colorado Springs, USA, August 29, 2012 – Defending champions United States and Canada finished atop of their respective pools and are the first semifinalists of the NORCECA Men’s Junior Continental Championship taking place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

United States defeated Mexico in straight sets to win Pool A while Canada triumphed in Pool B with a victory over Puerto Rico in four sets. As pool winners, USA and Canada qualified directly to Friday’s semifinals. Mexico will play Guatemala and Puerto Rico will meet Honduras in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
 
United States 3, Mexico 0
United States notched 13 blocks in a 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 victory over Mexico to win Pool A. The Americans were led by Benjamin Patch with 14 points, while Douglas White added 12 points. Sergio Perez notched 10 points in leading Mexico and teammate Roberto Rincon came off the bench to contribute seven points. The United States possessed a 13-1 block advantage in the match and produced a 41-29 attack point margin.

Canada 3, Puerto Rico 1
Canada won Pool B by defeating Puerto Rico 25-13, 25-15, 28-30, 25-12. Canada’s offense was distributed evenly with four players in double-figure scoring and six players with at least seven points. Dany Demyanenko led the way with 16 points and Jarrid Michael Ireland added 15 points in the victory. Pedro Ramos Fernandez and Giovanni Llinas paced Puerto Rico with 14 points each. Canada’s net defense produced a 16-5 block margin and limited its errors to 17 in the match to Puerto Rico’s 26. Canada also held a 57-44 attack point advantage.

Guatemala 3, Curacao 1
Guatemala won its first match with a 25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18 victory over Curacao. With the victory, Guatemala (1-2) advances to the quarterfinal round as the third-place team in Pool B. Guatemala was led in scoring by Gerardo Antonio Gonzalez Paz with 23 points. Christopher Leon Du John contributed 12 points and Erick Noel Colindres Ipina added 11 points. Quinten Anthony paced Curacao with 20 points, while Jurcham Meulens totaled 11 points. Guatemala produced a 13-9 margin in blocks and took advantage of 32 Curacao errors. Curacao held a slim 4-3 margin in aces.