ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 25, 2025.– Canada defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18) to secure a spot in the semifinals of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, held at the Professor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
In the first set, the Canadians managed to maintain a 3- to 4-point lead, which guaranteed them the set. The second set was closer, with the Dominican Republic closing the gap and coming back to tie the match at one set apiece.
It was a match filled with net attacks and strong blocking, as both teams showcased their power. In the end, Canada outperformed in attacks (55-50) and dominated from the service line (10-0). The Dominican Republic led in blocks (11-10).
Canada had four players scoring in double digits: Logan King led with 20 points (17 attacks, 1 block, 2 aces), followed by Mary Healy with 15 points, Ella Piskorz with 14 (including 4 blocks), and Élodie Lalonde with 12 points.
For the Dominican Republic, Shantal Rivera topped the scores with 15 points, all from attacks, while Victoria Firpo contributed 12 points (9 attacks, 3 blocks).
Canada now awaits the result of the other quarterfinal to determine their semifinal opponent, while the Dominican Republic will play for fifth place against the loser of the match between Mexico and Chile.
Misha Hameed, Canada’s libero: “I think our big focus was being warriors, it’s our team value. Digging, finding grit, and just persevering through adversity was big for us, and not getting down on ourselves during those tough moments. I think that in the second and third sets they really tested us, but in the fourth set we showed more of that grit that we’ve been working on the whole week”.
Aurelina Ruiz, Dominican Republic’s libero: “We feel really good despite the loss because it was a great match, a very hard-fought game. Canada is a very strong team.”
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