The short version
- El Valle reported that Lares and Ayala won the first set 21-17 but lost the next two 21-16 and 19-17 to Trevor Crabb and Chase Budinger of the US
- Hoy Tamaulipas stated the men's final went to three sets with the decisive tiebreaker ending 19-17 after extra points
- Both sources said the Mexican women's team of Susana Torres and Abril Flores lost the bronze-medal match to the Puerto Rican hosts 0-2 with identical 21-10 scores
- Agssports noted the Mexican pairs advanced undefeated from the group stage with Torres-Flores winning four matches and Lares-Ayala winning two plus a bye
Final results in Puerto Rico
The NORCECA beach volleyball Olympic qualifier took place in Puerto Rico from Nov. 6-8, 2026. In the men's final on Sunday, Nov. 8, the Mexican pair of Inés Lares and Andrés Ayala faced Americans Trevor Crabb and Chase Budinger. elvalle.com.mx reported Mexico took the first set 21-17 but the U.S. team won the second 21-16 and claimed the match in the third set 19-17 after extra points.
According to Hoy Tamaulipas, the result gave the United States the gold medal and Mexico the silver. The tournament awarded one Olympic berth per gender to the champions for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
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Women's bronze-medal match
In the women's category, Susana Torres and Abril Flores reached the bronze-medal match but were defeated by the local Puerto Rican pair. Both elvalle.com.mx and Hoy Tamaulipas reported the hosts won 2-0 with scores of 21-10 in each set, leaving the Mexicans in fourth place.
Agssports reported that both Mexican teams had gone undefeated through the group stage. Torres and Flores won all four of their matches, including victories over El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lares and Ayala recorded two wins plus a bye.
Next steps for qualification
All three outlets stated that neither Mexican pair secured an Olympic spot in Puerto Rico. They must now pursue qualification at the Beach Volleyball World Championships scheduled for Aug. 13-22, 2027 in the Netherlands, where winners earn Olympic berths, or through the world ranking, which distributes 14 spots per gender. Hoy Tamaulipas noted the results keep Mexico's representatives in contention for Los Angeles 2028.
Where the sources differ
All three sources agree that the men's Mexican pair of Inés Lares and Andrés Ayala won silver after losing the final in three sets to the United States and that the women's pair of Susana Torres and Abril Flores finished fourth after losing the bronze match to Puerto Rico by 0-2. El Valle and Hoy Tamaulipas give identical final-set scores of 19-17 for the men and 21-10, 21-10 for the women; Agssports adds group-stage details showing both pairs advanced undefeated but does not cover the final matches. The sources differ slightly on the exact number of men's group wins (Agssports says two wins plus a bye; the others do not specify). All name the same next qualification events.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not provide final overall tournament standings beyond the Mexican results, names of the Puerto Rican women's pair that won bronze, attendance figures, or any statements from Mexican or Puerto Rican officials about the outcomes. They also do not indicate when or where the next NORCECA events will be held or specific ranking positions of the Mexican teams after this tournament.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting México obtiene plata en voleibol de playa en torneo NORCECA de Puerto Rico
- Reporting México se queda con la plata en el NORCECA de voleibol de playa
- Reporting Voleibol de playa NORCECA: duplas mexicanas avanzan invictas
How we checked this
El Valle, Hoy Tamaulipas and Agssports all covered the Mexican performances at the NORCECA beach volleyball event hosted in Puerto Rico. The final-match details rest on the first two outlets while the group-stage results come solely from Agssports.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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