Guyana drops first two matches at SA Beach Volleyball Championships

 Juan Velazquez and Vance Harding post for a photo while in Argentina 
Juan Velazquez and Vance Harding post for a photo while in Argentina 

Guyana’s beach volleyball pair of Juan Velazquez and Vance Harding were unsuccessful in the opening rounds of the ongoing South American Beach Games in Rosario, Argentina. 

The Guyanese duo dropped their first two matches to the more seasoned campaigners from Ecuador and Chile.

In their first encounter, Harding and Velazquez surrendered to the much more experienced Ecuadorian (1) counterparts 12-21, 12- 21.

However, the pair displayed a much better showing against Chile (1), who is the number three seeded team in South America; losing 12- 21, 14-21. 

Coach Levi Nedd said, “They stepped up neck-to-neck in the second set (versus Chile) until at 10 all [but] the Chileans made strides to win the two best in three series.” 

Nedd, who is also the President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF), revealed that the Guyanese received commendation from the South American Volleyball Parent Organisation for their efforts thus far.

 “It must be noted that the South America Volleyball Confederation lauded Guyana for making the sterling effort to attend the beach games,” he told Stabroek Sport. 

Meanwhile, the pair will continue their bid to secure a win and the opportunity to advance when they take on Chile later last evening.