From Volleyball Canada - Sophie Bukovec's bid to compete at three world championship trials in beach volleyball was thwarted this weekend.  Bukovec and her partner Victoria Altomare of Toronto lost in the final at the U23 selection trials to Bison women\'s volleyball second year player Taylor Pischke of Winnipeg and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Toronto 21-15, 21-15.

Pischke and Humana-Paredes, who strung together 12 straight set wins to take the tournament, advance to the NORCECA (North and Central America and Caribbean) world championship trials later this year.

Bukovec had already earned spots this winter for the U19 (with Tiadora Miric of Thornhill, Ont.) and U21 (with Ali Wooley of Toronto) NORCECA world championship trials.

In the bronze match, Denise Wooding of North Vancouver and Charlotte Sider of Ottawa defeated Julia Hamer of Burlington, Ont., and Brett Hagarty of Aurora, Ont., 21-19, 25-23.

On the men's side, Will Hoey and Will Sidgwick of Toronto earned the NORCECA world championship trial spot defeating Greg Simone of London, Ont., and Gabriel Burlacu of Windsor, Ont., 21-12, 17-21, 18-16.


Notes: Pischke and Humana-Paredes of Toronto, from York University, finished tied for fifth at the 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH Junior World Championships in Halifax from August 29-September 2, 2012. Plus the same pair won the women\'s beach volleyball national championship at the 2012 Volleyball Canada Beach Nationals from August 17-19, 2012 at Spanish Bank Beach, B.C.