Saturday, July 19, 2014

USA names team & LPRT names scholarship recipients

USA Racquetball Team for PASO Sports Festival

USA Racquetball has announced its team for the 2014 Pan American Sport Organization (PASO) Sports Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico August 2-8. This is a lead up event for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

The team will be led by Rhonda Rajsich, who will play both Women's Singles and Doubles. Da'monique Davis will play Women's Singles and Devon Pimentelli will partner with Rajsich in Women's Doubles.

On the men's side, Jake Bredenbeck will play both Men's Singles and Doubles with Jose Diaz as his doubles partner. David Horn will be the other American player in Men's Singles.

Bredenbeck, Davis, Diaz and Pimentelli are all playing in their first international event for the USA, and Horn is playing in just his second event (his first was earlier this year at the Pan American Championships). In contrast, Rajsich is making her 18th appearance for Team USA.

Dave Ellis will be the Head Coach with Brent Huff as the Trainer and Assistant Coach and Cheryl Kirk as Team Leader.

LPRT Scholarships

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) has announced its scholarship recipients for the 2014-15 season. The six players are Lucia Gonzalez, Aubrey Kirch, Sheryl Lotts, Hailey Miller, Sofia Rascon and Maria Renee Rodriguez.

This is the second season the LPRT has awarded scholarships to promising young players. Kirch and Rodriguez also got scholarships last season. With that help, Kirch finished 7th and Rodriguez 25th in the LPRT season ending rankings.

The scholarships involve several things, and have an estimated $1,625 value. They are awarded to players between 18 and 25 who will compete in at least five (5) LPRT events not including the US Open or US Nationals.

These scholarships should help the LPRT have another exciting season.

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, July 14, 2014

WOR Championships - Carson, Tisinger, Key & Key, Swain & Tucker win

The World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR) Championships happened in Huntington Beach, California on the weekend, and there were some surprising results. But it was no surprise that Rocky Carson won Men's Singles defeating Josh Tucker in the final, 15-8, 15-12.

Carson defeated Daniel De La Rosa in one semi-final, 15-7, 12-15, 11-7, while Tucker beat Charlie Pratt in the other, 15-14, 10-15, 11-7.

Janel Tisinger won Women's Singles, which also wasn't a surprise, as she's been an outdoor champion before. Nevertheless, Tisinger defeated another former WOR champion Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 15-13, 15-7.

In the semi-finals, Tisinger beat Sofia Rascon, 15-7, 15-4, and Rajsich beat Michelle Key, 12-15, 15-14, 11-3.

However, Key and her sister Danielle were one of the surprises in Huntington Beach, as they won Women's Doubles beating Rajsich and Martha McDonald in the final, 15-12, 15-14. They were the 5th seeds, and upset the #1 seeds Tisinger and Aimee Ruiz in the semi-finals, 15-3, 15-12.

In the other semi-final, 2nd seeds Rajsich and McDonald defeated Kris Kaskawal and Mary Schoumaker, 15-5, 15-2.

While Women's Doubles went to a young team in the Key sisters, Men's Doubles was won by veterans Tucker and Cliff Swain. Tucker and Swain, seeded 9th in the draw, defeated 6th seeds Craig Lane and Scott Davis in the final, 15-5, 15-0.

Tucker and Swain beat 5th seeds Carson and Jose Rojas in the semi-finals, 15-10, 15-8, with Lane and Davis defeating 10th seeds Ben Croft and Rod Frontino, 15-9, 15-14.

Tisinger and Greg Solis won the Mixed Open Doubles title defeating Ruiz and Rojas, 15-5, 15-3, in the final. In the semi-finals, Tisinger and Solis beat Key and De La Rosa, 10-15, 15-12, 11-2, and Ruiz and Rojas defeated Kaskawal and Gabriel Medina, 15-12, 11-15, 11-8.

Follow the bouncing ball….

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Gutierrez wins WRT 2014 World Cup

Polo Gutierrez defeated Jake Bredenbeck, 15-8, 15-9, to win the 2014 World Racquetball Tour (WRT) World Cup in Santiago, Chile. Gutierrez won the tournament without losing a game, yielding only 14.8 points per match (7.4 per game).

The doubles final was between 2nd seeds Alejandro Cardona and Sebastian Franco and 5th seeds Jose Daniel Alvarez and Fernando Rios, but results are missing at source.

2014 WRT World Cup
Santiago, Chile

Final


2) Polo Gutierrez d. 5) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-8, 15-9

Doubles

Semi-finals


5) Jose Daniel Alvarez & Fernando Rios d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Roland Keller
2) Alejandro Cardona & Sebastian Franco d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Coby Iwaasa

Final

2) Alejandro Cardona & Sebastian Franco v. 5) Jose Daniel Alvarez & Fernando Rios

Follow the bouncing ball….

Friday, July 11, 2014

WRT 2014 World Cup - Quarterfinals & Semi-finals

More upsets at the 2014 World Racquetball Tour (WRT) World Cup in Santiago, Chile, as Fernando Rios defeated 3rd seed Anthony Herrera, 10-15, 15-8, 11-10, in the quarterfinals. Bur Rios advanced no farther, as 2nd seed Polo Gutierrez beat him in the semi-finals, 15-5, 15-2.

In the final, Gutierrez will face 5th seed Jake Bredenbeck, who upset top seed Alejandro Cardona in the other semi-final, 15-8, 15-14.

They are also playing doubles in Santiago, and there have been upsets on the top half of the doubles draw as well.

Eighth seeds Kadim Carrasco and Roland Keller knocked off the #1 seeds Anthony Herrera and David Horn, 8-15, 15-12, 11-5, while the 5th seeds Jose Daniel Alvarez and Rios beat 4th seeds Cesar Castillo and Gutierrez, 15-10, 15-0. So, it will be Carrasco and Keller versus Alvarez and Rios in one semi-final.

In the other 2nd seeds Alejandro Cardona and Sebastian Franco will meet 3rd seeds Jack Bredenbeck and Coby Iwaasa, as they won their respective quarterfinals. Cardona and Franco beat Fernando Kurzbard and Pablo Kurzbard, 15-13, 11-15, 11-1, while Bredenbeck and Iwaasa defeated Andree Parrilla and Pedro Castro, 9-15, 15-13, 11-6.

The doubles semi-finals are Friday night with both singles and doubles finals on Saturday at noon and 1 o'clock, respectively. Santiago's time zone is the same as Eastern time in North America. The finals will be streamed live via the Gearbox website.

2014 WRT World Cup
Santiago, Chile

Quarterfinals


1) Alejandro Cardona d. 8) Coby Iwaasa, 10-15, 15-9, 11-4
5) Jake Bredenbeck d. 13) Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-7, 15-6

6) Fernando Rios d. 3) Anthony Herrera, 10-15, 15-8, 11-10
2) Polo Gutierrez d. 10) Manolo Sandoval, 15-8, 15-10

Semi-finals

5) Jake Bredenbeck d. 1) Alejandro Cardona, 15-8, 15-14
2) Polo Gutierrez d. 6) Fernando Rios, 15-5, 15-2

Final

2) Polo Gutierrez v. 5) Jake Bredenbeck - Noon

Doubles

Round of 16


1) Anthony Herrera & David Horn - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Roland Keller d. 8) Carols Keller & Mario Mercado, 15-14, 6-15, 11-8

5) Jose Daniel Alvarez & Fernando Rios d. 12) Franco Capandegui & Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-6, 13-15, 11-3
4) Cesar Castillo & Polo Gutierrez - BYE

3) Jake Bredenbeck & Coby Iwaasa - BYE
11) Andree Parrilla & Pedro Castro d. 7) Francisco Troncoso & Santiago Canedo, 15-4, 15-9

7) Fernando Kurzbard & Pablo Kurzbard d. 10) Edwin Galicia & Manolo Sandoval, 15-7, 11-15, 11-1
2) Alejandro Cardona & Sebastian Franco - BYE

Quarterfinals

8) Kadim Carrasco & Roland Keller d. 1) Anthony Herrera & David Horn, 8-15, 15-12, 11-5
5) Jose Daniel Alvarez & Fernando Rios d. 4) Cesar Castillo & Polo Gutierrez, 15-10, 15-0

3) Jake Bredenbeck & Coby Iwaasa d. 11) Andree Parrilla & Pedro Castro, 9-15, 15-13, 11-6
2) Alejandro Cardona & Sebastian Franco d. 7) Fernando Kurzbard & Pablo Kurzbard, 15-13, 11-15, 11-1

Semi-finals

5) Jose Daniel Alvarez & Fernando Rios v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Roland Keller
2) Alejandro Cardona & Sebastian Franco v. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Coby Iwaasa

Follow the bouncing ball….

Thursday, July 10, 2014

WRT - 2014 World Cup - 32s & 16s

The first day of competition at the 2014 World Racquetball Tour (WRT) World Cup in Santiago, Chile has produced a few upsets, although both top seeds - Alejandro Cardona and Polo Gutierrez - are through to the quarterfinals with straight game wins in their matches.

But 4th seed David Horn lost to Jose Daniel Ugalde, 9-15, 15-8, 11-8, in the Round of 16. Ugalde will face yet another American in the quarters: Jake Bredenbeck, who defeated Cesar Castillo in the 16s, 15-8, 15-1.

Third seed Anthony Herrera reached the quarters with a tie-breaker win against Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 5-15, 11-3. Herrera will play Fernando Rios in the quarters, and Rios also needed a tiebreaker to get there, as he beat Carlos Keller, 8-15, 15-14, 11-9.

Manolo Sandoval, seeded 10th, caused the other upset in the 16s when he beat 7th seed Francisco Troncoso, 15-10, 15-2. Sandoval will be up against 2nd seed Gutierrez in the quarters.

The quarterfinals and semi-finals will be Friday with the final on Saturday.

2014 WRT World Cup
Santiago, Chile

Round of 32


1) Alejandro Cardona d. 32) Pablo Kurzbard, forfeit
16) Mario Mercado d. 17) Roland Keller, 15-1, 9-15, 11-7

9) Jose Daniel Alvarez d. 24) Diego Silva, 15-4, 15-6
8) Coby Iwaasa d. 25) Nicolas Mccarthy, 15-5, 15-2

5) Jake Bredenbeck d. 28) Alvaro Yanez, forfeit
12) Cesar Castillo d. 21) Edwin Galicia, 8-15, 15-7, 11-4

13) Jose Daniel Ugalde d. 20) Kadim Carresco, 15-11, 15-12
4) David Horn d. 29) Rogelio Medina, 15-9, 15-6

3) Anthony Herrera d. 30) Rodrigo Salgado Jr., 15-6, 15-8
14) Andree Parrilla d. 19) Pedro Castro, 15-6, 15-8

22) Carols Keller d. 11) Santiago Canedo, 15-3, 15-9
6) Fernando Rios d. 27) Rodrigo Delgado, 15-2, 15-1

7) Francisco Troncoso d. 26) Mauricia Vargas, 15-7, 15-4
10) Manolo Sandoval d. 23) Franco Capandegui, 15-5, 15-8

18) Sebastian Franco d. 15) Fernando Kurzbard, 15-8, 15-9
2) Polo Gutierrez d. 21) Mauricio Suarez Lopez, 15-8, 15-7

Round of 16

1) Alejandro Cardona d. 16) Mario Mercado, 15-8, 15-5
8) Coby Iwaasa d. 9) Jose Daniel Alvarez, 15-5, injury forfeit

5) Jake Bredenbeck d. 12) Cesar Castillo, 15-8, 15-1
13) Jose Daniel Ugalde d. 4) David Horn, 9-15, 15-8, 11-8

3) Anthony Herrera d. 14) Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 5-15, 11-3
6) Fernando Rios d. 22) Carols Keller, 8-15, 15-14, 11-9

10) Manolo Sandoval d. 7) Francisco Troncoso, 15-10, 15-2
2) Polo Gutierrez d. 18) Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-10

Quarterfinals

1) Alejandro Cardona v. 8) Coby Iwaasa
5) Jake Bredenbeck v. 13) Jose Daniel Ugalde

3) Anthony Herrera v. 6) Fernando Rios
2) Polo Gutierrez v. 10) Manolo Sandoval

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, July 7, 2014

Three team announcements

The Mexican Racquetball Federation held a selection tournament on the weekend to determine its team for the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games that will be held in Veracruz, Mexico November 14-30.

Representing Mexico in the women's divisions will be Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, who are the current three time World Champions in doubles and Longoria is the two time singles World Champion.

On the men's side, Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa will play singles and Beltran and Javier Moreno will play doubles.

In the women's competition, Longoria defeated Salas in the Women's Singles final with Sofia Rascon third and Lucia Gonzalez fourth. Longoria and Salas defeated Susana Acosta and Rascon in the doubles final.

For the men, Beltran came first in Men's Singles with De La Rosa second, Polo Gutierrez third and Andre Parrilla fourth. Beltran and Moreno beat De La Rosa and Edson Martinez in the doubles final.

Longoria and Beltran are the defending champions in Women's and Men's Singles, respectively, when the championships were held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

Salas and Moreno are two time defending champions in Women's and Men's Doubles, respectively, but played with different partners in both 2006 and 2010 than they are in 2014. Salas played with Nancy Enriquez in 2006 and Acosta in 2010 while and Moreno's parters were Alejandro Pena in 2006 and Gutierrez in 2010.

Mexico also won the Men's and Women's Team events in both 2006 and 2010.

US Junior Team

Following the US Junior Olympics, USA Racquetball named its Junior National Team that will compete at the 2014 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia October 19-26.

In U18 singles, the boys will be Adam Manilla and Connor Laffey, and the girls Hollie Scott and Hollee Hungerford with Manilla and Sawyer Lloyd playing Boy's Doubles and Hungerford and Danielle Falvey playing Girl's Doubles.

In U16 singles, the boys will be Mauro Rojas and Wayne Antone IV with Jordan Barth and Justus Benson playing doubles, while on the girl's side it'll be Jordan Cooperrider and Erika Manilla playing both singles and doubles.

In U14, Barth and Akul Ramayani will play Boy's Singles with Ricardo Diaz and Dane Elkins the Boy's Doubles players. Kaitlyn Boyle and Briana Jacquet will play both Girl's U14 Singles and Doubles.

Cheryl Gudinas has been announced as the Interim Head Coach of the US Junior National Team, succeeding Kelly Beane who resigned for personal reasons. Joining Gudinas in Cali will be assistant coaches Jen Meyer, Nick Montalbano and Jody Nance.

Canadian National Team

The Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) is holding a Pan American Sports Festival with the racquetball part of it in in Guadalajara, Mexico from August 2-9. It's a preview of the 2015 Pan American Games that will be held in Toronto, Canada next July. The last Pan American Games were in Guadalajara in 2011.

The Canadian team for Guadalajara will be slightly different from that played at the World Championships last month in Burlington, Ontario.

Samuel Murray and Coby Iwaasa will play Men's Singles with Tim Landeryou and Pedro Castro playing Men's Doubles. Frédérique Lambert and Christine Richardson will be the Women's Singles players with Danielle Drury and Valerie Fallu playing Women's Doubles.

Rino Langelier and Corey Osborne will be coaching the team.

Follow the bouncing ball…