Bryton Codd & Francis Hauze win 2 in NORCECA Beach Volleyball

La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, June 9, 2019 – Bryton Codd and Francis Hauze made Belize volleyball history when they won their first two matches and finished in seventh place at the fifth stop of the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball Tour at the Playa del Malecon in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico from Friday to Sunday, June 7-9.

Codd and Hauze won the placing match for seventh place: 2-0 over Mexico’s B-team who forfeited their match Sunday afternoon. Codd and Hauze had lost the qualifier match for fifth place to Nicaragua’s Ruben Mora and Dany Lopez: 17-21, 12-21 on Sunday morning.

Codd and Hauze won the second set of their quarterfinal match: 22-20 against the eventual silver medallists – Kyle Friend and Travis Mewhirter of United States, who had recovered from a seven point deficit (7-14). The American duo had won the first set 21-14, and they relegated the Belize duo to the battle for fifth place, when they took the third, decisive set 15-13.

Codd and Hauze reached the quarterfinals, despite ranking second in their group C, following a 13-21, 18-21 loss in their third outing on Saturday, to Mexico’s Jesus Alcazar and Francisco Tamayo who won pool C.

Bryton and Francis had debuted with two historic wins in the group stage on Friday. They won 21-11, 21-19 over Jon Isaacs and Muller Petit of Bahamas, and they had to go to three sets to prevail: 19-21, 21-17, 15-13 over the experienced Tato and Pepe of El Salvador.

The Mexican A-team, Angel Sarabia and Raymond Stephens eliminated their countrymen Alcazar and Tamayo: 21-11, 24-22 in the quarterfinals, and won the gold medal: 21-15, 21-18 over Friend and Mewhirter. It was sweet revenge for the Mexicans, who has lost 21-17, 22-24, 11-15 to Friend and Mewhirter in the group stage on Friday.

Guatemala’s Andy Leonardo and Luis Garcia took the bronze medal: 26-24, 21-15 over Canada’s Mathew Donovan and Fiodar Kazhamiaka

Story by Mr. William Ysaguirre / Photos courtesy NORCECA