Sam Schachter & Sam Pedlow finish off the 2019 season with a silver medal at the 2019 NORCECA Championships in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic - losing to Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb of the USA 21-19, 21-18.

The Sams were the only team to reach the podium, as Grant O’Gorman and Simon Fecteau-Boutin narrowly missed out, finishing fourth after falling 21-15, 21-19 to Ryan Doherty & Miles Evans in the bronze medal match - while the McNamaras suffered the same fate with a 21-16, 21-18 loss to Kelly Larsen & Emily Stockman, also of the USA.

Taylor Pischke & Sophie Bukovec rounded out the Canadian teams, falling to the Twins 21-14, 21-17 in the quarters, but followed it up by taking down Puerto Rico 21-13, 21-13 and then Mexico 21-15, 21-8 to secure 5th place.

For the Schachter/Pedlow, the result doesn’t move the needle when it comes to Olympic Qualification because it’s the same result as last season - but it does improve their entry points, which provides a huge boost to a team that has dropped to the Qualification in the second half of the season.

They’ll be able to use that ticket to the Main Draw when the FIVB makes a rare trip to the Western Hemisphere, when the Chetumal 4-Star goes down in mid-November in Mexico. Ben Saxton, who’s nursing some end-of-year injuries, will return to play with Grant O’Gorman for that one, while Simon Fecteau-Boutin will be joined by Ivan Reka.