SANTIAGO, Chile, October 30, 2023 – Brazil beat Colombia 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-10) in the opening match of the Men’s Volleyball tournament at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games in Santiago, at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.
Colombia’s performance in the first two sets managed to keep the scores balanced, even in the second set where they took an early four-point lead (2-6) and held it until point 13. In the third set, Brazil prevailed convincingly with a significant lead.
Brazil earned their first victory in Group A with a 35-25 advantage in attacking points, 9-3 in blocking points, and a sizable 12-1 lead in points from serves. Unforced errors were similar, with Brazil committing 18 and Colombia 19.
Brazil’s top scorer was opposite player Darlan Ferreira with 16 points on 9 attacks, 2 blocks, and a match-high of 5 aces. Outside hitter Adriano Fernandes contributed 10 points on 7 attacks and 3 aces. Team captain, middle blocker Otávio Rodrigues, added 9 points, including 4 attacks and a maximum of 4 blocking points.
For Colombia, opposite Gustavo Larrahondo scored 9 points on 7 attacks, one block, and one direct service point. Outside hitter Andrés Piza and team captain Leandro Mejía each scored 8 points.
On the second day of competition, Brazil will face Mexico, while Colombia will take on Cuba.
Brazil’s captain, Otávio Rodrigues, said, “The team did really well; the debut comes with a context, a feeling of “butterflies in the stomach”, its anxiety, but the team behaved well. At the beginning, kept held off Colombia who played well, but little by little, we loosened up, and in the third set, we stayed strong and managed to open with a good lead. It’s an important debut, and I hope we continue to grow throughout the competition”.
Colombia’s captain, Leandro Mejía, said, “I saw the group in good shape; we had some good moments. Unfortunately, we lost a bit of concentration, and Brazil is a very strong team; we struggled with serving. The positive thing is that I see the team in good shape. It’s the first match, and we have a lot ahead of us, and we hope to continue like this”.
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