LEÓN, Guanajuato, July 29, 2025.- Canada secured its spot in the quarterfinals of the U23 Women’s Pan American Cup, held at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato, after defeating Nicaragua in straight sets 3-0 (25-12, 25-, 25-) and will now face the Dominican Republic in the next round.
With this result, Canada finished third in Pool B, while Nicaragua will compete in the classification matches for positions 5 through 8.
Jessica Andrews’ effective blocking was key in the first set, combined with Madyson Saris’ offensive contribution, to give Canada a comfortable win in the opening frame. In the second set, the Canadian offense continued to dominate, with Veronica Dickson joining the attack.
In the third set, Nicaragua attempted to respond with Karen Bird leading the charge and tying the score at 5-5 in the early points, but defensive errors allowed Canada to pull ahead 14-7 and cruise to victory.
The stats reflected Canada’s dominance in every skill: 40-12 in attacks, 11-1 in blocks, and 9-3 in aces. Nicaragua committed fewer unforced errors (15-23).
Canada’s Veronica Dickson with 15 points (11 attacks, 2 blocks, 2 aces) and Madyson Saris with 11 (9 attacks, 2 aces) were the top scorers of the match. Jessica Andrews stood out with 5 successful blocks.
Canada’s head coach Matt Krueger said: “We come to these tournaments for experiences and for lessons. We’ve learned some lessons and had some great experiences, so today was a great game. We came out and played well and we were focused all day. Tomorrow we are excited for the challenge against the Dominican Republic.”
Nicaragua’s head coach Claudia Noguera stated: “Canada is a very tall team with strong blocking and attacking. We are going to try to improve for what’s ahead. The goal is to finish in a better position than last tournament, and I believe it is very possible to achieve it.”
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