PARAMARIBO, Suriname, September 21, 2024.- Dominican Republic defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18) to claim fifth place at the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup, which concluded on Saturday at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo, Suriname.
This was the second time in the tournament that the Dominican Republic beat Costa Rica. In the preliminary round, the Dominicans defeated the Central Americans, but in four sets.
The Dominican Republic finished with a 3-3 record, while Costa Rica ended with 1-4.
The Dominicans controlled all aspects of the game: attacks (48-26), blocks (7-5), and serves (6-4). Costa Rica made fewer unforced errors (14-18).
Dominican player Adrián Figueroa once again stood out as the top scorer of the match, contributing 26 points (23 attacks, one block, two aces). Middle blocker Moisés Ortiz added 14 points, including a match-high of six blocks, while outside hitter Ronny Molina contributed 11 points.
For Costa Rica, Luis Eduardo Solano and Harold Rodríguez led with 8 points each.
José Alexander Gutiérrez, Head coach of Dominican Republic: “These matches are more mental. We played with more confidence, and there was no pressure; in reality, throughout the tournament, there was no pressure on the team because we were already qualified for Asunción. We were able to test players who have only been working for a few months. This is a project for the future. Now we will prepare for the Junior Pan American Games”.
César Salas, Head coach of Costa Rica: “Today’s match wasn’t our best. I liked that my team grew during the group stage, going toe-to-toe with big teams. We played better against the Dominican Republic in the group stage. I’m satisfied because this is a new project. We did well, and we would have liked to compete more. We’re going back to Costa Rica to keep growing and adding to this project, ensuring it heads in the right direction in the short term”.
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