Cayman Islands teams announced and DART commits NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournament

The
Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation (CIVF) has announced the teams
that will compete for Cayman in the upcoming NORCECA Beach Volleyball
Tournament which takes place from 26 to 28 April at Seven Mile Public
Beach. In addition, the event itself has also received a significant
boost in the form of support from Dart who has come on as the title
sponsor.

The
Cayman men’s teams are Richard Campbell/Nathan Dack and Casey
Santamaria/Jesse Parham and the female contenders are Marissa
Harrison/Ileann Powery and Jessica Wolfenden/Stefania Gandolfi.

“This
tournament cannot happen without the support of the community and
both the public and private sectors. We are grateful to companies
like Dart who recognise the tourism and economic impact of an event
such as this and choose to partner with us to execute a first-class
competition,” said Kennedy McGowan, CIVF President.

“Congratulations
also to the four Cayman teams that will be competing. These eight
athletes are very strong players and we expect some fierce court
action from them.”

“Sponsoring
the Cayman leg of the 2019 North, Central America and Caribbean
Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Beach Volleyball Tour is
consistent with Dart’s commitment to tourism and promoting the
Cayman Islands internationally,” said Pilar Bush, Executive Vice
President Marketing at Dart. “Hosting world class competitive
events like NORCECA, gives Cayman the opportunity to showcase our
islands’ natural beauty and welcoming people and at the same time
promote sports as an important component of community development.”

This
will be Jessica Wolfenden’s 11th
NORCECA tournament appearance. She finished fourth place in the 2016
Cayman NORCECA tournament; was the 2015 gold medallist at the NatWest
Island Games in Jersey; the 2015 silver medallist at CAZOVA Olympic
Qualifier in Jamaica and the 2013 silver medallist at the NatWest
Island Games in Bermuda. She has also been selected for the Cayman
Islands beach volleyball team that will travel to the 2019 Island
Games in Gibraltar in July.

“The
Cayman NORCECA stop is always a special one on the tour and I am
thrilled to have the opportunity to represent Cayman again,” said
Wolfenden. “I am excited to be back on the court with Stefania and
look forward to battling it out on the sand together.”

Ileann
Powery will be competing in her 7th
NORCECA tournament this month. Powery, 21, has been playing
volleyball since her days at George Hicks High School and was at one
time the youngest member of the Cayman Islands Women’s Volleyball
National Team. She transitioned to beach volleyball in 2013 and has
represented Cayman at the World Championship Qualifiers, NatWest
Island Games, Nanjing Youth Olympic Qualifiers, Pan American Games
and Central American and Caribbean Games. She won her first NORCECA
game in April 2017 against Trinidad & Tobago.

“It
is always an honour to represent the Cayman Islands and it is my
absolute favourite thing to do. I am very thankful to have been
selected once again to represent these Islands in front of my home
crowd,” said Powery. “As I always say, I will put my all in
while playing, and I will take everything in this tournament as a
learning experience.”

Cayman
will be one of the first stops on the 2019 NORCECA tour as teams try
to accumulate points in order to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo. Countries confirmed to participate are the Bahamas,
Canada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad
& Tobago, USA and US Virgin Islands.

Tickets
for the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournament are on sale at
www.eventpro.ky.

• General
  Covered Seating Day Pass – KYD $10
  
• Children
  12 & Under are free in covered seating when accompanied by an
  adult
  
• VIP
  Day Pass – KYD $100
  
• General
  3 Day Covered Seating Weekend Pass – KYD $25
  
• VIP
  3-Day Weekend Pass – KYD $250.00
  
• Free
  Uncovered seating is available
  

The
Cayman NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournament is sponsored by DART,
Ministry of Sports, Sunshine Suites, Corona, Kelly Holding Events,
Ministry of Tourism, Island Heritage, Calico Jacks, BritCay, Hurley’s
Media, Cayman National, Smoothie King, ACE, AI Rentals and Bogle
Insurance.

For
more information log on to www.civf.ky
or email events@civf.ky.