XALAPA, Mexico, September 5, 2024.- Chile defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U23 Women’s Pan American Cup at the International Velodrome in Xalapa, Veracruz.
With their first victory in the tournament, Chile (1-2) secured third place in Pool A and moved on to the next round, where they will face the loser between Mexico and Peru. Costa Rica (0-3) will play in the classification matches for positions 5 to 8.
Chile finished the match with advantage in attacks (40-30) and blocks (5-3). Both teams scored 4 direct points from serves. Costa Rica conceded fewer points on errors (26-28).
Opposite hitter Petra Schwartzman was once again Chile’s top scorer with 17 points (15 attacks, 2 aces). Outside hitter Dominga Aylwin added 12 points for the win (9 attacks, 2 blocks, one ace). Francisca Vásquez contributed 10 points, all from kills.
Krystel Vargas led Costa Rica with 11 points (10 attacks, 1 block).
The game had really extended rallies with both teams taking turns holding the advantage. Chile closed the first set by scoring four consecutive points (21-21) with attacks from Dominga Aylwin and Francisca Vásquez, along with a couple of opponent errors. Costa Rica started the second set 4-0 with offense from Ana Victoria Rojas and María del Sol Venegas, alongside Krystel Vargas’s serve, but Chile recovered, and the point exchange resumed. Chile always led in the third set and managed to finish with a comfortable five-point margin after a block by Aylwin against Jezrel Cabezas.
Ediardp Guillaume, Head coach of Chile: “This was a key match, the most important one. Not only was it important to win this match to move on to the next round, but also to gain confidence because we had faced two very strong opponents (Cuba, Dominican Republic), and the team wasn’t playing freely. To play freely, you need things to go well, and today they did, even though it was close. Now we will face the loser between Peru and Mexico, and we will see what happens.”
Braulio Godínez, Head coach of Costa Rica: “In the third set, our setter lost focus, and Chile managed to pull away; we didn’t have a chance to catch up. I feel it was a good match, with a high volume of play, and I am pleased with the team’s performance. We still lack a bit of faith and confidence in the final moments, as evidenced by closing the second set with two bad serves. Now we have two tough matches ahead of us, and we hope to win them.”
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