GUADALAJARA, Mexico, August 15, 2023 – Brazil had no trouble securing a 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-17, 25-17) over the Dominican Republic in the first match of Group B at the XVI Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup at the Astros Arena.
Brazil dominated the entire match with their service causing problems to the Dominicans defense. They led in attacks 37-26, blocks 7-4, and service points 9-0, with 22 Dominican errors compared to 21 from Brazil.
Darlan Ferreira was the top scorer for Brazil with 15 points, followed by 12 from Marcus Evangelista. For the Dominican Republic, Henry Tapia and Hector Cruz each scored 7 points.
On the second day of the event, Wednesday the 16th, Brazil will play against Canada at 4:00 p.m., and the Dominican Republic will have a rest day.
Carlos Schwanke, coach of Brazil: “We worked well, our serves were good, something that we managed to make an effect on the Dominican Republic, and it helped us have the perfect tactics to play against them. We played well, it’s the first match of the championship, and we did well with a focused team, aiming to play well”.
Matheus Goncalves, captain of Brazil: “The first game is always very difficult because there’s a lot of excitement, many emotions, and some anxiety, but it’s important to win the first game like this, 3-0. For us, it’s special to have the affection of the audience, the support of the Mexican people, and I hope it continues in the upcoming games as well”.
José Gutiérrez, coach of Dominican Republic: “Playing against Brazil is always a challenge, they are one of the best in the world for a reason. They applied a lot of pressure with their serves, breaking our reception, which put us in a complicated position. This is part of our growth; we have a long way to go, and we hope the players continue adding experience”.
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