SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2024.- Canada´s team captain Jesse Elser won the Most Valuable Player award of the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup, one of the main figures in leading his team to win the gold medal.
Elser, who also won the Best Service award of the event, was one of his team’s top scorers in almost every game, scoring 78 points in the tournament, and in the gold medal match scoring 15 points against the United States. Other Canadians who also earned recognition were Jackson Howe as Second Best Blocker and Max Elgert as Best Setter.
All Star Team
Chilean Dusan Bonacic took the First Best Attacker award, while Colombia’s Daniel Aponza was chosen as First Best Blocker.
Cuban Víctor Andreu was recognized as Second Best Attacker and his teammate Carlos Santana was the Best Opposite.
Mason Briggs of the United States was the Best Receiver and his teammate Gabriel García was the Best Scorer.
Enger Mieses of the Dominican Republic was named Best Libero and Best Digger.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2024.- Canada defeated the United States 3-1 (26-24, 26-24, 26-28, 25-19), in the gold medal match retaining their title in the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that ended on Sunday at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion.
The United States had a better performance in attacks 54-50 and in serves 6-5, while the Canadians held advantage in blocks 11-7.
Isaac Heslinga with 16 points was the top scorer of Canada helped by team captain Jesse Elser with 15 and Jordan Canham who added 14. The United States had Gabriel García as their top scorer with 20 points, followed by Daniel Wetter with 11, while Cooper Robinson and Brett Wildman contributed 9 points each.
USA
Glenn Hoag, coach of Canada: I knew it was going to be a very difficult final against the United States, which is a very good team, my boys played very focused and were very disciplined in terms of blocking and defense and also, we limited their offense, so I am very happy that we return home with the trophy.
Andy Read, United States coach: We should have won one of the first two sets, but I have to give credit to the boys because we were able to win the third set and we had a chance in the fourth, my congratulations to Canada, they are a very professional and very tactical team, and they deserved the victory.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2024.- Puerto Rico defeated Cuba 3-1 (28-26, 25-17, 16-25, 25-22) to win the bronze medal in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup, an event that concluded on Sunday at the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
The Puerto Ricans dominated in attacks 44-42 and in blocks 14-12, while Cuba was better in serves 8-6.
Puerto Rico’s scoring was led by Klistan Lawrence with 22 points, followed by Pedro Molina with 15 and Omar Hoyos with 11. Cuba’s Carlos Santana stood out with 16 points, Víctor Flores with 15 and Alexis Wilson who contributed 13.
Klistan Lawrence PUR
Alberto Torres, coach of Puerto Rico: As I had said before, we were growing in the tournament, we were going from less to more, the improvement of the boys was noticeable, they believed and that was positive because they were playing against a Cuban team that is very strong and big, so we are very happy because this medal is very important for our program.
Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: It was a game where we did not know how to read what the opponent was doing to us, we lost our aggressiveness at times, we only put it into practice in the set that was won, the rest of all the technical elements were below the appropriate levels to be able to achieve a victory, so congratulations to Puerto Rico and enjoy your medal.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2024.- Dominican Republic beat the Colombia 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24) in straight sets to take fifth place of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that concluded this Sunday at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion.
The Dominican Republic was more dominant in attacks 46-34 and in serves 3-1, while Colombia was better in blocks 11-4.
With 20 points, Henry Tapia was the best scorer for the Dominicans, followed by Henry López with 11, while Luther Rosario and Héctor Cruz scored 9 each. For Colombia, Daniel Aponza finished with 13 points and Leandro Mejía added 8.
Henry Tapia DOM
José Gutiérrez, coach of the Dominican Republic: It was a match more mental than physical and technical, even the third set was more mental, I think that in that aspect we showed that we are strengthened, which we continue working and growing and that in the future in the next Cup we can be among the four finalists.
Carlos Osorio, coach of Colombia: An extremely important match for both teams, the advantage was for the team that made the least mistakes, we had some mistakes that we paid for in the final result of the match, fortunately in the end we were also able to move the team, young guys who are starting this process as adults and the truth is that they are happy in that aspect because they gave a good result in this competition knowing that they are young.
BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 20, 2024. – Nisaan Martínez, opposite hitter from Belize, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL, which concluded at the Belize Civic Center.
Nisaan Martínez was a key player in Belize’s historic achievement of winning their first gold medal in an AFECAVOL event.
Also from Belize, Gareth Bruce and Ziane Henderson were recognized as the Best Spiker and Best Setter, respectively.
From Nicaragua, the event’s runners-up, Karen Bird was named the second Best Blocker, María Rivera the Best Opposite, and Dnixa Zeledon the Best Defense.
María Santacruz of Guatemala received the awards for second Best Spiker, Best Server, and Best Scorer. Also from Guatemala, Andrea Mendizábal was named the Best Blocker, Karen Del Cid the Best Libero, and Naomi Monney the Best Receiver.
Belize City, Belize, July 20, 2024. – Belize claimed the crown of the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship in perfect fashion by defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-18) in the event’s final match. They concluded the competition with four victories and no defeats, without losing a single set on their way to glory.
This is the first gold medal in Belize’s history in any AFECAVOL event. In the U21 category, Belize had only achieved a silver medal in the 2022 edition, held at home, where Guatemala won the title.
This time, Belize did not falter, imposing their superior blocking against Guatemala and effectively executing all their attacks to secure a solid victory that assured them their first title in this category.
Gareth Bruce BIZ
With the loss, Guatemala finished with a 2-2 record, placing them in third, while Nicaragua, with a 3-1 record, took second place.
For Belize, Nisaan Martínez was the best attacker with 18 points, 14 on attacks, three on blocks, and one from a serve.
For Guatemala, María Santa Cruz was the top scorer with 15 points, 12 on attacks, one block, and two from serves.
Belize led in points from attacks (36-27) and blocks (9-2), while Guatemala had a slight advantage in serves (6-5) but fell behind in unforced errors (25-18).
Regarding the victory, Belize coach José Fontes said: “This is our first gold medal. We finally achieved this long-desired medal for the people of Belize, and we did it undefeated. The athletes rose to the occasion. Winning a tournament undefeated is not easy”.
Guatemala coach William Fernández added: “Central American events are now very tough, with medals being contested until the very last moment. I can only congratulate Belize; their quality in this tournament was undeniable”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 20, 2024.- The Canadian National Team defeated its counterpart from Puerto Rico with a score of 3-1 (25-16,25-22, 23-25, 25-21) to advance to the Final and defend their title in the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that is being played at the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Canada was better in attacks 57-49, in blocks 12-2 and in serves 8-3.
Jackson Howe with 19 points was the most outstanding for Canada accompanied by Jordan Canham with 18, while Isaac Heslinga and Jesse Elser contributed 16 and 15 points respectively. Klistan Lawrence led the Puerto Ricans’ scoring with 17 points followed by Omar Hoyos and Pedro Molina with 8 points each.
Jackson Howe CAN
Glenn Hoag, coach of Canada: We are very happy with the victory, obviously Puerto Rico had a slow start but they played very well and I think in the last two sets there was a high level of volleyball on both sides so I am happy that we won the game.
Alberto Torres, coach of Puerto Rico: For me, Canada has been the best team in the tournament, the correlation of their service and blocking has been dominant in the tournament, at the beginning of the match it was a little difficult for us to play, I think we are emotionally tired but we recovered and competed, which was what we wanted and excited to have the opportunity to play for a medal, we came here for that and tomorrow we are going to fight for the bronze medal to be on the podium.
This Sunday the event concludes with the following matches:
Positions 5-6 Dominican Republic v Colombia 1:00 pm (local time)
Bronze Medal Cuba v Puerto Rico 3:00 pm (local time)
Gold Medal Canada v United States 5:00 pm (local time)
Belize City, Belize, July 20, 2024.- Nicaragua closed with a solid victory over Honduras, 3-0 (25-4, 25-12, 25-10), concluding their participation in the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL. They are now awaiting the result between Belize and Guatemala at the end of the day to determine the color of their medal.
Nicaragua’s record of 3-1 gives them a strong chance of securing second place in the tournament. However, they must wait for the result between Belize and Guatemala to finalize the standings. Meanwhile, Honduras ends with four defeats and no victories.
Honduras showed effort throughout the match but could not do much to trouble Nicaragua, who dominated in attack points (40-8), blocks (5-2), and serves (10-1), and made fewer unforced errors (15-20).
Samantha Vargas NCA
Norma Brenes was the best attacker for Nicaragua with 12 points, nine on attacks and three on serves. Francesca Medrano scored ten points, five on attacks, one on a block, and four on serves.
Victoria Aparicio was the top scorer for Honduras, collecting three points throughout the match.
Regarding the victory, Nicaragua’s coach Claudia Noguera stated: “I am happy with the result. The girls were focused and managed to impose their rhythm. We just have to wait for the result of the match between Belize and Guatemala, but any medal is positive regardless of its color”.
Honduras’s coach Cristiam Rodríguez commented: “I am very proud of all the girls for taking on this challenge and not turning their backs on the team. Our team is mostly of U17 players, with only two U21 players. It is very enriching for them to have been on the court against such strong teams.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 20, 2024.- In a battle that extended to a maximum of five sets, the United States managed to defeat Cuba in their Semifinal match with a score of 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-11) to place themselves in the Final of the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion.
Cuba was better in attacks 59-57, while both teams were equal in blocks 11-11 and in serves 5-5.
For the United States, Gabriel García scored 25 points, followed by Daniel Wetter with 14 and Ethan Champlin with 13. For Cuba, Bryan Camino scored 18 points, while Carlos Santana and Victor Andreu added 17 and 13 respectively.
Gabriel Garcia USA
Andy Read, coach of the United States: Two well-coached teams, that play as hard as they can, Cuba won the second and fourth sets but in the fifth the boys responded and we were fortunate to get the victory at the end, I am very proud from them.
Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: They are two groups that give themselves until the end, nobody gives anything away, nobody gives up, the two teams fought until the fifth set as could be seen with ups and downs, that’s what happens at this level of competition, we managed to improve our performance in the fourth set but in the fifth the United States did things better and got the better of it.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 20, 2024.- Chile beat Mexico in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) to claim seventh place in this XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup that It took place in the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
The Chileans were superior in attacks 44-40 and in blocks 5-3, while Mexico dominated in serves 3-2.
Vicente Parraguirre led Chile’s offense with 17 points, while Dusan Bonacic and Vicente Ibarra contributed 13 and 12 points respectively. For Mexico, the best offensive player was Victor Parra with 10 points followed by Mauro Fuentes and Franky Milantony who scored 9 each.
Vicente Parraguirre CHI
Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: Well, we clearly played the best game of the entire tournament, we said goodbye with a victory which was what we wanted, and now we have to continue adding points for the ranking.
Carlos Schwanke, coach of Mexico: Many congratulations to Chile, they played a tremendous game, we made many mistakes, there were moments when we had to calm down a little and we didn’t and that was the cause of this defeat, but that is part of the game.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 20, 2024.- The Peruvian team defeated Guatemala this Saturday 3-1 (25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23) in the match that defined the 9th and 10th positions of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup at the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
The Peruvians were better in attacks 49-47, in blocks 9-6 and in serves 4-3.
Sebatián Blanco was the most offensive for Peru with 25 points followed by Francis Mendoza with 12, while Santiago La Jara and Daniel Porras added 8 each. For Guatemala, José Pérez and Carlos López added 8 points respectively.
Sebastian Blanco PER
Juan Carlos Rodríguez, coach of Peru: Very happy with the victory, we had not played for a year and we had not played with Guatemala since 2018 until we met in the preliminary round of this tournament, so satisfied with the work the boys did and by the position reached.
Reider Mora, coach of Guatemala: I congratulate the Peruvian team, they knew how to handle the entire match very well, although we were able to win the third set, they were the ones who always had the difference in the game.
Belize City, Belize, July 19, 2024.- With a solid 3-0 victory (25-11, 25-14, 25-14) over El Salvador, Belize remains an unbeaten record at the 20th AFECAVOL Central American U21 Women’s Championship and is now on the verge of winning the title with one match remaining in the event.
Belize has a record of three wins and no losses and will conclude the tournament on Saturday against Guatemala, a match that will determine the event’s champion. Meanwhile, El Salvador finished their participation with a record of 1-3.
Belize
Gareth Bruce and Nisaan Martínez led Belize’s offense, both scoring 17 points. Bruce scored 10 points on serves and seven on attacks, while Martínez had 14 on attacks and three on blocks.
For El Salvador, María Ramírez was the best attacker with eight points, five from attacks and three from serves.
Belize dominated the entire match, collectively scoring 41 points from attacks compared to their opponent’s 14. They also led in serves 13-6 and blocks 3-0 but conceded more points on unforced errors, 19-18.
Looking ahead to the final match, Belize’s coach, José Fontes, stated: “We have a crucial match against Guatemala. We are not celebrating anything yet, as we know that match is crucial for both teams. Regarding the match against El Salvador, I am satisfied with the offensive part but not with the defensive part, as I feel we made many mistakes”.
On the other hand, El Salvador’s coach, Karen Orellana, commented: “We knew Belize is not an easy team, but I think we achieved about 50 percent of the goals we had set for this match. Overall, I am happy with the work the girls have done in this tournament.”
Belize City, Belize, July 19, 2024.- Guatemala earned a comfortable victory over Honduras 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-13), keeping them in the running for medals in the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship.
With one match remaining, Guatemala has secured their place on the podium with a record of 2-1 in wins and losses. Their upcoming match against Belize will determine the color of their medal.
Guatemala played at their own pace and had little difficulties defeating Honduras, which suffered its third loss of the competition.
Guatemala
María Santa Cruz was the top scorer for Guatemala with 11 points, eight on attacks and three on serves. Her teammate, Dulce Trigueño, also performed notably with nine points, five on attacks and four on serves.
For Honduras, Victoria Aparicio was the best with four points from attacks, while Ivanna Almendarez scored three points.
Guatemala completely dominated all aspects of the match with 30 points in attacks compared to 15 from Honduras, serves 16-1, and blocks 2-0. They also committed fewer unforced errors, 19 against 27 from Honduras.
Regarding the victory, Guatemala’s captain María Santa Cruz stated: “We are still in the fight for medals. After this match, we all feel more united. Now we must give our all in our match against Belize. After the defeat against Nicaragua, we had to rebuild and see what we needed to fix”.
Meanwhile, Honduras’ captain Mónica Vásquez commented: “We had ups and downs in the match. In the midst of everything, we did well according to our capabilities. For us, this event is a very good experience ahead of the U17 Central American Championship. We are all very aware that the plays in which we failed are ones we can execute. We have to learn from our mistakes”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, 10 de julio de 2024.- Manaia Ogbechie of the United States was named the Most Valuable Player MVP of the 2024 Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship that ended on Friday at Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie helped the United States to win their ninth gold medal in the history of the tournament, defeating Canada in four sets.
All star Team
Also from the USA, Audrey Flanagan received the awards for Best Spiker, Best Receiver and Best Server, while Genevieve Harris was Best Setter.
Naomi Cruz of Mexico took the awards for second Best Spiker and Best Scorer.
Dominicans Carolina Rodriguez and Julia Arias were granted first Best Blocker and Best Opposite awards respectively.
Jimena Alfaro of Costa Rica was the Best Libero and Best Digger.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 19, 2024.- United States won the title 2024 Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship after beating Canada 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 25-14) in the gold medal match on Friday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
United States finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, earning their ninth NORCECA title in this category. Canada concluded with a 4-2 record and won their second silver medal in the history of the event, the first was in the previous edition in 2018, also held in Honduras.
Canada 2do place
The strong serves (17-1) of USA helped them overcome Canada, who served the U.S. their first set loss in the tournament. The Americans also held advantage in kills (53-42) but gave away 28 points on errors compared to Canada’s 18. The Canadians had a slight edge in blocks (9-8).
United States outside hitter Audrey Flanagan led all scorers in the match with 18 points (14 kills, one block, 3 aces). Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie contributed 16 points (11 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces). Outside hitter Henley Anderson added 14 points (9 kills, one block, and a match-high of 4 aces). The fourth player in double digits was middle blocker Elena Hoecke with 11 points.
For Canada, middle blocker Carmen Waye led with 16 points (12 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks). Outside hitter Sol Henson scored 12 attacking points.
Podium
Elena Hoecke and Henley Anderson led USA to win the first set, where they also scored 5 aces. The Canadians capitalized on consecutive errors by the Americans, and with the offense of Sol Henson and Carmen Waye, reached a comfortable five-point lead (15-10) and then tied the match 1-1, ending the Americans’ unbeaten streak in sets. In the third set, the U.S. started strong, jumping to a 13-4 lead, but the Canadians responded by tying the score at 22 points. Both teams had a chance to win the set, but it was Audrey Flanagan who scored the set point for the United States. The Americans dominated the fourth set, scoring 4 aces, and winning the gold medal with a commanding 25-14.
Jamie Morrison, head coach of United States: “Canada played a great match, they got better every single match they played, they continued to step up their game and that program is going to continue to get better. On our side I am proud of the girls for getting a gold medal in their first international competition, that’s an amazing thing and I’m glad they got this experience”.
Avaya Maga, captain of Canada: “It was an exciting match. I am so proud of our group for how hard we fought, we competed very hard and kept it very close. Overall, I am so proud of how we represented our country and battled”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 19, 2024.- United States advanced this Friday to the Semifinals of the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup, an event that takes place in the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion, beating the Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20).
The Americans were dominant in attacks 45-33, in blocks 6-1 and in serves 3-1.
USA’s attack was led by Gabriel García with 12 points helped by Ethan Champlin and Cooper Robinson who contributed with 10 points each. Dominican Republic had Henry Tapia as the top scorer with 16 points, followed by Héctor Cruz with 9 and Rafael Burgos with 4.
Gabriel Garcia USA
Gabriel García, player from the United States: We knew that the Dominican Republic was going to play a good game, thank God we were able to do it a little better than them, we were able to put a little more pressure and power on their strongest players, we had many ups and downs during the match but in general I think it was a good game for our team to qualify for the Semifinals.
Héctor Cruz, player from the Dominican Republic: We lost today’s game but that helps us keep the team more focused, we will go on working because more competitions are coming, and we have to maintain the pace of the game and in this tournament try to do the best we can in the games we have left.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 19, 2024.- Puerto Rico won the Bronze Medal at the 2024 Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship by defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-23) on Friday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
This is the fourth bronze medal for Puerto Rico in the history of the event (2002, 2006, 2010).
Puerto Rico outperformed Mexico in attacks (40-34), blocks (12-10), and had a slight edge in serves (3-2). Puerto Rico conceded one less point than Mexico (19-20) on unforced errors.
Pamela Agosto PUR
Outside hitter Pamela Agosto led Puerto Rico with 15 points (13 attacks, 2 blocks), followed by middle blocker Alana Guibert with 11 points (8 attacks, 3 blocks) and outside hitter Cherisse Atilano with 10 points (9 attacks, one ace).
Outside hitter Naomi Cruz led Mexico with 13 points (10 attacks, 3 blocks). Angélica Torres added 9 points and Aylin Ravell 8.
The powerful attack of Pamela Agosto, along with Alana Guibert, helped Puerto Rico secure the first set, in addition to their targeted serves that complicated Mexico’s reception. Opposite hitter Aylin Ravell and middle blocker Aitan Rettke pushed Mexico with their blocks to tie the score at 12, but from there, Puerto Rico jumped to a comfortable lead (16-12) thanks to Angélica Reyes’ serving and Guibert’s play at the net. Although Mexico recovered from a five-point deficit (18-23) and denied Puerto Rico two set points (21-24) with Angelica Torres at the serving line, Pamela Agosto closed the set for a 2-0 lead. The teams were tied several times in the third set; tied at 23, Puerto Rico reached set point on a Mexican error, and Agosto sealed the victory with a block over Mexico’s leading scorer Alejandra Cruz.
Daniela Gonzalez PUR
Alana Guibert, captain of Puerto Rico: “It was difficult for us to start each of the three sets. I think the fatigue and emotions drained us all. In the end, we were able to overcome Mexico and win the bronze medal. I believe we are a team that unfortunately works under pressure; it pushes and motivates us.”
Isabella Ocampo, captain of Mexico: “We played well, we stayed united. There were moments when we lowered our intensity, but we always supported each other.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 19, 2024.- Puerto Rico defeated Colombia in their Quarterfinal match 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-20) to place themselves in the Semifinals of the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup at the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Puerto Rico dominated in attacks 38-32, in blocks 7-6 and in serves 8-4.
Klistan Lawrence was the top scorer for the Puerto Ricans with 17 points, followed by Jonathan Rodríguez with 11 and Kevin López who added 7. For Colombia Andrés Piza scored 11 points and Daniel Aponza added another 9.
Jonatha Rodriguez PUR
Klistan Lawrence, player from Puerto Rico: It was a very important match for us because a place in the Semifinals was at stake and it was against Colombia a team with a high level of competition. At first it was difficult for us to pick up the pace due to the pressure we had but in the following sets we managed to get together and obtain the victory.
Andrés Piza, player from Colombia: I think that the result of today’s game was not as we expected, as we would have wanted, Puerto Rico showed itself to be a more fluid and much more solid team today, but now we raise our head, I think the team is doing things very well and now we must finish the event properly.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 19, 2024.- Mexico beat Peru with in straight sets 3-0 (25-15, 27-25, 25-20) in the qualification match for positions 7-10, in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup.
Mexico prevailed in attacks 39-32, in blocks 12-4 and in serves 2-1.
Mexico’s scoring was led by Franky Milantony with 15 points, accompanied by Mauro Fuentes and Yasutaka Sanay with 12 and 10 pints respectively. For Peru, the most outstanding player was Francis Mendoza with 17 points, followed by Daniel Porras with 8 and Sebastián Blanco who added 7.
Franky Hernandez MEX
Franky Milantony, player from Mexico: The truth is it was a difficult match because since we are playing the loser’s round, we are emotionally defeated so in this match whoever had the best spirit was going to come out with the best part and thank God we won.
Francis Mendoza, player from Peru: We were greatly affected by the injury of captain Eduardo Romay, Mexico is a great team, they have been playing together for a long time, they go on tours and play different tournaments, unlike us, we only play in the National League, we train for two months and travel; but that is what we have and it has cost us a lot but we are still here.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 19, 2024.- Dominican Republic took fifth place at the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship with a solid 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-13) victory over Costa Rica on Friday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Dominican Republic finished the event with four wins and two losses, while Costa Rica had two wins and four losses. In pool-play, Dominican Republic also defeated the Central Americans in straight sets.
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic dominated every skill of the game, with a 43-12 advantage in attacks, 8-3 in blocks, and 9-4 in serves. The Dominicans made fewer errors (15-21).
The Dominicans offense was led by opposite hitter Julie Arias with 19 points on 16 attacks and 3 blocks. Middle blocker Caroline Rodríguez contributed 10 points on 6 attacks and a match-high of 4 blocks. Outside hitter Ambar Hernández added 9 points.
María del Sol Venegas and Nadia Granados each scored 4 points for Costa Rica.
Maria Venegas CRC
Alexandre Ceccato, head coach of the Dominican Republic: “We improved a bit compared to how we started because it’s difficult to begin a tournament without friendly matches. It wasn’t the position we wanted, but we were surpassed by the teams that will finish in third and fourth place”.
Edivaldo Bonilla, head coach of Costa Rica: “Instead of focusing on the objectives and the game, the players lacked intensity. Dominican Republic was a very tactical team today, unlike in the previous match against them. It’s a lesson because the approach to each match must be different. We need to work on teaching them how to play these matches”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 19, 2024.- In Friday’s first match, Chile easily defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25- 22), in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup that is being played in the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
In blocks, both teams tied at 7, while Chile dominated in attacks 40-37 and in serves 6-3.
With 15 points, Dusan Bonacic was the best in Chile’s offense, followed by Vicente Ibarra and Gabriel Araya with 10 points each. For Guatemala, José Pérez finished with 15 points and Jason Hernández added another 13.
Dusan Bonacic CHI
Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: As I had already said, this is the second tournament we have played this year and we knew the level of quality that this event has, the boys have played well, and they have been getting into the rhythm of play and today against Guatemala we managed to win in three sets.
Reider Mora, coach of Guatemala: We knew that we were going against a Chilean team with a good level of play, and we knew that it was a very difficult opponent, but the boys made the effort and without a doubt in this tournament they were able to face very good teams which is positive for them in terms of the learning experience.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 19, 2024.- Cuba defeated the hosts Honduras 3-0 (25-23, 29-27, 25-23) to finish in seventh place at the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Cuba finished the tournament with a 1-4 record for seventh place, while Honduras ended with a 0-5 record in eighth place.
Cuba
Honduras pressured throughout the match, particularly with dominance in serving (11-8), but Cuba secured the victory with an advantage in attacks (37-34) and blocks (10-4). Both teams committed 24 unforced errors.
Cuba’s best scorer was outside hitter Salet Castillo with 12 points on 11 attacks and one block. Middle blocker Yalenis Marquez added 11 points on 8 attacks and 2 aces. Ashely Simon contributed with 9 points.
The top scorer of the match was Honduras’ outside hitter Sasha Kawas, with 17 points on 15 attacks, one block, and one ace. She was joined by opposite María Fernanda Merino and middle blocker Andrea Schmucker, each with 9 points.
Sasha Kawas HON.
Yesica Brito, captain of Cuba: “We finished with our heads held high; there was no other option but to come out with the win.”
Marcos Sugiyama, head coach of Honduras: “The courage they showed today is very satisfying, displaying that we have good volleyball. The best part of the tournament is the learning experience the athletes had throughout this week, to look towards the future, they can change the path by training one day at a time, with motivation, gaining more confidence, being patient, and being resilient.”
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 18, 2024.- United States beat Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16) on Thursday to advance to the gold medal match of the 2024 Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
United States will seek their ninth gold medal in this age-group when they face Canada on Friday at 6:00 pm. Puerto Rico will fight against Mexico for their third bronze medal in the history of the tournament on Friday at 4:00 pm.
The Americans are the top medal winners of NORCECA, with 11 overall (8 gold, 3 silver). In this edition, they are undefeated and haven’t dropped a single set.
Audrey Flanagan USA – Javiely Zayas PUR
The United States finished with a 36-26 advantage in attacks, 12-9 in blocks, and 4-1 in service points. Both teams gave away 23 points on errors.
Outside hitters Audrey Flanagan and Henley Anderson were the top scorers for the United States, with 12 points each, both including 10 kills. Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie registered 9 points, with a match-high of 4 blocks.
Pamela Agosto led Puerto Rico with 12 points from 10 attacks, one block, and one ace. Team captain Alana Guibert followed with 10 points from 8 attacks and 2 blocks.
Puerto Rico managed to recover from a three-point deficit in the first set, tying at 11 points when Angelina Reyes stopped outside hitter Audrey Flanagan, who was leading the American offense. United States advanced to a four-point lead (20-16) with Henley Anderson attacks and Manaia Ogbechie in blocking. In the second set, the United States again felt the pressure from Puerto Rico’s Pamela Agosto and Alana Guibert, denying them two set points before closing with a powerful attack by Ogbechie. The United States found stability in the third set, reaching match point with a wide advantage (24-16), once again with Ogbechie blocking Agosto.
Aniya Warren USA
Jamie Morrison, head coach of United States: “Puerto Rico got better with every match that they had here, they played great volleyball, they pushed us and that helped us. We think of this as a development plan for athletes, so thank you to Puerto Rico, they had a really good tournament. I am proud of our girls for the fight that they showed and they played better volleyball as the match went on, they learned a lot. The win was a team effort, that’s how the U.S. plays, if you look at the stats the points were spread around, there’s six people on the floor, six on the bench and anyone can step in and contribute”.
Eduardo Galarza, head coach of Puerto Rico: “We aim for a good level of play, but our margin of error is very high. For example, when the match started, the first three points for the United States were from our mistakes. In the last set, we missed 7 serves and several attacks. We are making many mistakes, and when playing against a well-structured team, we cannot afford to have such a high margin of errors. Tomorrow, we will go for the bronze medal against Mexico”.
Belize City, Belize, July 18, 2024. – El Salvador defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16), securing their first victory in the closing match of the third day in the XX Central American U21 Women’s Championship.
El Salvador’s record is now 1-2 in wins and losses, with only one match left to play this Friday against Belize, while Honduras suffered its second loss without any victories and still has matches pending against Guatemala and Nicaragua.
For El Salvador, Gabriela Flores was the best offensive player with 14 points, 13 of which were from attacks and one from a serve. Honduras had Victoria Aparicio as its top performer with 14 points, 11 from attacks and three from serves.
El Salvador
El Salvador led in collective attack points 30-26, while Honduras was ahead in blocking 5-2 and in serves 9-6, but was affected by unforced errors, committing 37 compared to 14 by their opponent.
After achieving their first success of the tournament, Karen Orellana, coach of El Salvador, stated: “We are very happy with this victory, the girls applied everything we had trained and followed all our instructions.”
Meanwhile, Cristiam Rodríguez, coach of Honduras, commented: “We lacked a bit of attitude. I think it’s important for the girls not only to think about winning but also to have a bit of attitude and try to do things better. We had good moments, but also moments that cost us”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 19, 2024.- Cuba defeated Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-13) on Thursday and finish the preliminary round without defeats to claim first place in Group B at Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup that is held at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion.
Cuba was dominant in all aspects over the Dominicans, in attacks 54-45, in blocks 10-7 and in serves 9-5.
With the victory, Cuba advances directly to the Semifinals, while the Dominican Republic will have to play in the Quarterfinals with Chile. In Group A, Canada achieved a direct ticket to semifinals, while the United States and Colombia will battle in quarterfinals for a place in the Semis.
Cuba celebrated
Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: It was a very important match for us because we knew that first place in the group was at stake, so the boys came out to give their all and although we had difficulties in the second set, we were able to achieve our goal .
José Gutiérrez, coach of the Dominican Republic: The team played hard and although we failed in some technical aspects of the game, the first sets were battled, but in the fourth set the scoreboard opened a lot and the match got out of reach, now we’ll concentrate on our quarterfinal match.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 18, 2024.- Canada advanced to the gold medal match of the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship after a spectacular five-set semifinal victory, 3-2 (25-19, 7-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-11) over Mexico at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Canada will play in the final match on Saturday at 6:00 pm against the winner between United States and Puerto Rico; before that, Mexico will seek to win its fifth bronze medal in the history of the event at 4:00 pm against the loser.
This is the second time Canada has reached the gold medal match; in the previous edition in 2018, here in Honduras, they lost to the United States.
Canadá
Despite Mexico having the advantage in attacks (57-52) and service points (8-5), Canada emerged victorious with a significant advantage in blocks (16-8). Canada conceded more points on errors than Mexico (29-23).
Chloe Bradley was Canada’s top scorer with 21 points (13 attacks, a match-high of 6 blocks, 2 aces). Sol Henson added 20 points (19 attacks, one block), and Carmen Waye contributed 14 points (10 attacks, 4 blocks).
Mexico’s Alejandra Cruz led all scorers with 25 points, all on kills. Angélica Torres scored 17 points (15 attacks, one block, one ace), and Andrea Ravell finished with 13 points (8 attacks, 3 blocks, 2 aces).
Sol Henson CAN – Naomi Cruz MEX
Mexico started strong, jumping to an early 4-0 lead, but Canada found its rhythm to contest a close first set, with the win going to the Canadians thanks to their blocking led by Chloe Bradley. Mexico tied the match with an overwhelming 25-7 over Canada in the second set, with the offensive efforts of Angélica Torres, Naomi Cruz, and Aitana Rettke. In the third set, Canada reached set point after a block by Bradley on Cruz (24-23), who then responded with a powerful kill to tie at 24. Mexico won the set on two Canadian errors. In the fourth set, after being tied at 6 points, Canada kept the advantage. Canadians Sol Henson and Carmen Waye took control of the offense, forcing a fifth set that Canada controlled.
Gina Schmidt, head coach of Canada: “Our team did a good job of sticking to the game plan, we executed that well. Whoever we face in the gold medal match, we played them both in pool-play, so hopefully we’ll learn from our fist match against them”.
Ignacio Ramírez, head coach of Mexico: “I think in the fourth set we completely dropped the pace we had been maintaining, and that marked the difference. Our morale declined, and we couldn’t recover some easy balls that we couldn’t finish. We are going to fight for the bronze medal; we need to keep our heads up.”
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 18, 2024.- Costa Rica recovered from losing the first set to beat Cuba 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19) and will play for fifth place in the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
On Friday at 2:00pm, Costa Rica will face the Dominican Republic for fifth place; meanwhile, at noon, Cuba will play against Honduras for seventh place.
Costa Rica earned the win scoring 38 points on Cuban errors compared to 18 and with a 13-11 advantage in serves. Cuba was superior in attacks 46-39 and in blocks 7-4.
Maria Venegas CRC- Yalenis Marquez CUB
Costa Rica’s captain, middle blocker María del Sol Venegas, led her team with 13 points (12 attacks, one block). Outside hitter Galia Luconi also contributed to the victory with 13 points (11 attacks, one block, one ace). Mariela Navarro added 10 points (7 attacks, one block, 2 aces).
The top scorer of the match was Cuba’s Salet Castillo with 16 points (13 attacks, one block, 2 aces). Middle blocker Lizt López and team captain Yesica Brito each scored 10 points for Cuba.
Mariela Navarro CRC
María del Sol Venegas, captain of Costa Rica: “It was a team effort. We tried to improve our attitude because we know that when that happens, we do things well. Our game is about teamwork, being a team on the court, and our system is communication”.
Norka Latamblét, Cuba’s coach: “The team knows the game fundamentals, but they lack the energy to play”.
Belize City, Belize, July 18, 2024. – Nicaragua achieved an important victory over Guatemala in five intense sets, winning 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16, and 15-8). This triumph revitalized their chances of winning a medal in the XX Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL.
Nicaragua’s record now stands at 2-1 in wins and losses, while Guatemala has a 1-1 record. Belize, which had a rest day, has two wins without losses.
It was a match where Nicaragua maintained their fighting spirit to secure a game that almost opens the doors to the podium, with one more challenge against Honduras on Saturday to close their schedule.
María José Rivera NCA
Meanwhile, Guatemala has matches pending against Honduras and will face Belize in the final round on Saturday.
Norma Brenes was the main attacking figure for Nicaragua with 21 points, 18 in attack and three in serves. María José Rivera was also effective with 16 points, 13 in attack, and three in blocking.
For Guatemala, María Santa Cruz led the offense with 25 points, 19 in attack, and six in serves, while Naomi Monney finished with 17 points, 14 in attack, two in blocking, and an ace.
As a team, Nicaragua achieved 54 points in attack, compared to 40 for Guatemala, which led in blocking 11-6 and serves 12-5, but conceded 41 points on unforced errors compared to 37 for Nicaragua.
Regarding the victory, Claudia Noguera, Nicaragua’s coach, stated: “It is a very important victory that places us on the podium. We only have one match left against Honduras in which we will try to change the color of the medal.”
On the other hand, William Fernández, Guatemala’s coach, pointed out: “Our team stopped fighting at crucial moments, in contrast to Nicaragua, who fought with everything throughout the match.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 18, 2024.- Defending champion Canada finished the preliminary round undefeated with a victory against Chile 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 26 -24) on Thursday in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup.
Canada led in kills 37-25 and in blocks 10-4. Both teams scored 4 aces.
Canada’s leading scorer was Daenan Gyimah with 11 points, followed by Skyler Varga with 10 and Jordan Canham with 9. For Peru Vicente Ibarra led all scorers with 13 points and Matías Jadue added 8.
Jordan Canham CAN
Glenn Hoag, coach of Canada: I am very happy with the victory, we beat a team from Chile in three sets that had inspiration, defending the balls very well but we managed to win the match, now we rest day to focus on the semifinals.
Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: We did well, we gave a good demonstration of what our game is, we reached point 19 even in all the sets and in the last set we could have achieved a little more, I think we deserved it.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 18, 2024.- Dominican Republic defeated the host country Honduras 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-11) and will play for fifth place in the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Dominican Republic will play for positions 5-6 on Friday at 2:00pm against the winner between Cuba and Costa Rica. Honduras will go against the loser for positions 7-8 at noon.
Ambar Hernandez DOM
In the pool-play, the Dominican Republic also defeated Honduras in straight sets.
Dominican Republic finished the match with a 41-18 advantage in attacks, 5-2 in blocks, and 9-8 in serves. Both teams committed 20 unforced errors.
Opposite Julie Arias scored 17 points (14 attacks, 3 blocks) for the Dominican Republic. She was joined by outside hitter Ambar Hernández with 12 points (11 attacks, one serve).
Opposite María Fernanda Merino led Honduras with 10 points (7 attacks, one block, 2 serves).
Sasha Kawas HON – Caroline Rodriguez DOM
Julie Arias, top scorer for the Dominican Republic: “I think at the beginning we were a bit overconfident, but Honduras never gave up. In the end, we were able to adjust for the result we wanted. We were good in serving, receiving, and defense”.
María Fernanda Merino, top scorer for Honduras: “I believe that in this match we were more united and encouraged, which helped us score more points. The Dominican Republic is a team with a lot of development; they are very fast and taller, which gives them a greater advantage”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 18, 2024.- Colombia defeated Peru 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16) to finish the preliminary round with a record of 3-1 in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup that is being played in the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Colombia was dominant 56-44 in attacks, 10-5 in blocks and 5-3 in serves.
Colombia’s offense was led by Gustavo Larrahondo with 17 points, followed by Daniel Aponza with 14, while Leandro Mejía and Andrés Piza added 10 and 9 points respectively. For Peru, Maikel Jaramillo scored 22 points, the top scorer of the match, while Daniel Porras contributed 9 and Eduardo Romay 8.
Colombia
Leandro Mejía, captain of Colombia: It was a game that became a little difficult for us at times since our reception was a bit complicated, but we moved forward slowly since we had the pressure that we had to win no matter what and thank God we managed to take the game forward and win.
Maikel Jaramillo, player from Peru: We lacked a bit of definition in the match, we were on the court but we didn’t achieve what we wanted but that’s the game, there is always revenge, I hope we get to play against them again so we’ll see.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 18, 2024.- Puerto Rico defeated Mexico in three straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-16), in the continuation of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup in the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
Both teams finished the preliminary round with a record of one win and three losses.
In today’s match Puerto Rico was superior in attacks 33-29, in blocks 7-5 and in serves 6-1.
Klistan Lawrence PUR
Klistan Lawrence was the most outstanding offensive player for the Puerto Ricans with 10 points, helped by Omar Hoyos and Pedro Molina who added 8 points each. For Mexico, Mauro Fuentes scored 10 points, while Franky Milantony and Brandon López had 8 and 5 respectively.
Alberto Torres, coach of Puerto Rico: We have grown a lot in this tournament, we have a young group, we knew it was going to be a tough tournament for us but today the boys went out to compete knowing that we were against the wall and that we had to win, and we managed to obtain the result we were looking for.
Carlos Schwanke, coach of Mexico: Today our team’s performance was not good, we made many mistakes, and it is impossible to play a game like today against Puerto Rico committing all those errors, so we caused the result of the game ourselves.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 17, 2024.-In a highly contested match, which made the audience vibrate, Colombia dominated the host team Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-18, 28-26, 25-27, 29-27), in this 17th edition of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that takes place in the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Colombia demonstrated its superiority in attacks 62-56, in blocks 14-12 and in serves 9-2.
Andres Piza was the top scorer for the Colombians with 19 points, followed by Daniel Apoza and Jharold Caicedo with 17 and 16 points respectively. For the host team, the best was Héctor Cruz with 17 points, accompanied by Wilfrido Hernández with 15.
Jharold Caicedo COL
Carlos Osorio, coach of Colombia: A match that we knew was going to be very interesting for us, a match that was not going to be easy because the Dominican Republic men team is on the rise in a very interesting process, we also knew that they were coming from competing at a NORCECA Cup and they have been preparing in different parts so it was an important game for us to try to score more points.
José Gutiérrez, coach of the Dominican Republic: Colombia was a tough nut to crack, we had that in mind since they have just won bronze in the Pan American Games, our boys gave their all but there are aspects of the game that we must improve, there is still a way to go and that experience is only given by constant practice and above all the game, the more we play with teams of this level, the better for our team because our level will improve.
Belize City, Belize, July 17, 2024.- In a one-sided match, Belize defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-13), to maintain their strong performance with two victories and zero losses in the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship.
For Honduras, it was their first setback of the event, as they did not play on the first day.
Belize clearly dominated the match, imposing their superior attack, which suppressed the opponent’s momentum, they established a clear advantage of 16-5 in the first set before Honduras responded.
Zanyah Hall BIZ
Belize was dominant in attack points 40 to 14 and in serves 10-3, although they committed 25 unforced errors compared to 23 from Honduras, who also had a slight advantage in block points 4-2.
In offense, Belizean captain Gareth Bruce scored 17 points, 15 on attack and two on serves, while Nissan Martínez contributed 10 points, nine on attacks and one serve.
For Honduras, Victoria Aparicio and Nicole Velásquez each finished with seven points. Aparicio had five on attacks, one on blocks, and one serve, while Velásquez had five on attack and two on serves.
Regarding the victory, Belize captain Gareth Bruce stated: “We were focused on doing our best work, we had the energy, for us this game was great, we are focused on always keeping the same spirit in every match.”
Meanwhile, Honduras captain Mónica Velásquez said: “As a team, we did a good job within our capabilities. It’s true that there are many areas we can improve. I must congratulate my teammates because for many, this is their first national team and many of them are very young, even for this U21 age-group.”
Belize City, Belize, July 17, 2024.- Nicaragua earned a comfortable victory over El Salvador 3-0 (25-7, 28-8, 25-13), in the first match of the second day of the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL.
With the win, Nicaragua stands with one win and one loss, while El Salvador has two losses without any victories so far in the event.
María José Rivera was the best attacker for Nicaragua with 15 points, and Samantha Vargas also stood out offensively with 13 points, 11 on attacks and two in service.
Michelle Vasquez and Alejandra Andrade ESA
For El Salvador, María Ramírez finished with four points, while Gabriela Flores and Gabriela Rivas contributed three points each.
Nicaragua was superior to El Salvador in attack points 48 to 10, blocks 3-2, service 8-2, and committed fewer unforced errors 14-16.
Regarding their first success, Norma Brenes, captain of Nicaragua, stated: “We prepared for this victory, we knew we had to win the match, it was important for us because we are still in the fight for the medals.”
Meanwhile, Ariana Joachin, captain of El Salvador, commented: “Nicaragua is a very strong team, and with the preparation time we had, we gave our best effort. In the end, with this match, we have gained experience that will be useful for the future.”
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 17, 2024. – Canada defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-4, 25-19, 25-11) on Wednesday, to advance to the semifinals of the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Canada will face Mexico in the first semifinal on Thursday at 6:00 pm. And Costa Rica will play in the classification matches for positions 5 to 8, starting with Cuba at 4:00 pm. In the other semifinal, United States faces Puerto Rico at 8:00pm.
Chloe Bradley CAN – Galia Luconi CRC
Canada’s force over the net was significant, finishing with advantage in attacks (44-14), blocks (9-2), and aces (7-4). Canada made one less error than Costa Rica (14-25).
Outside hitters Sol Henson and Chloe Bradley led Canada with 15 points each. Henson had 11 attacks, one block, and a match-high of three aces. Bradley scored on 13 attacks and 2 blocks. Middle blocker Maya Bukovcan added 11 points.
Costa Rica’s captain María del Sol Venegas finished with 6 points.
Jimena Alfaro CRC
Canada was dominant in the first set, not allowing Costa Rica to respond. In the second set, Costa Rica improved their game, which allowed them to limit errors and force Canada to lose three set points (16-24) with the attacks of Nadia Granados and the serves of Manuela Alcalá. Canada finally closed the set 25-19 with a kill from Sol Henson. In the third, Canada quickly advanced to a large lead to secure the victory.
Avaya Maga, Canada’s captain: “In the first set we started off with really tough serving and they (Costa Rica) were stuck in a rotation that we capitalized on. In the second set we gave them a lot of points off of our unforced errors and then in the third set we were able to limit our errors and control the game. We are excited to be in the semifinals”.
Nadia Granados, Costa Rica’s setter: “I feel that in the second set we trusted ourselves more and improved our attitude. I am satisfied with our performance in the second set. In the first set, we didn’t give one hundred percent of our capability because we were afraid”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 17, 2024. – Puerto Rico defeated Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-21) in quarterfinals to advance to the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship semifinals being held at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Puerto Rico will know their opponent in semifinals depending on the result of the other quarterfinal match between Canada and Costa Rica.
The Puerto Ricans controlled the Dominicans with an advantage of 37-25 in attacks, 10-5 in blocks, and 7-1 in aces. Puerto Rico benefited from 21 Dominican errors compared to 19 on their side.
Puerto Rico celebrated
Three players scored double digits in Puerto Rico’s victory, led by captain Alana Guibert with 14 points (10 attacks, 3 blocks, one ace), followed by outside hitter Pamela Agosto with 12 points (10 attacks, 2 blocks) and outside hitter Cherisse Atilano with 10 points (8 attacks, 2 aces).
The only player with double digits for the Dominican Republic was opposite hitter Julie Arias with 13 points on 12 attacks and one block.
Pamela Agosto PUR
Puerto Rico took a four-point lead (10-6) in the first set with the attacks by Alana Guibert and Cherisse Atilano. Puerto Rico increased the lead (18-10) despite the efforts of Julie Arias, who was Dominican’s top scorer, in addition to Puerto Rico’s errors. The teams tied several times before reaching the first technical timeout. From there forward, Puerto Rico jumped to a five-point lead (11-6), which increased with Pamela Agosto and Jomailee Reyes joining the net control until closing at 25-13. In the third set, the blocking of Guibert and Agosto pushed Puerto Rico to a comfortable four-point lead (12-8), but with consecutive points from Arias and Estel Santos, the Dominicans managed to tie at 13 points and stay close until reaching point 20. Alondra Adorno came to the service line, leading Puerto Rico to a straight set victory.
Alondra Adorno, outside hitter of Puerto Rico: “The blocking helped us a lot to get the positive result, as well as good defense and consistency in serving. For the upcoming matches, we need to practice having a lot of definition to dominate the games and finish strong”.
Virelys Rivera, outside hitter of Dominican Republic: “In the third set, we had more concentration in receiving and blocking, which helped us a lot, along with better control in serving. Puerto Rico had good defense and pressured us with their serves”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 17, 2024.- United States beat Chile in straight sets 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-15) in the continuation of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that is held in the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
The United States won in attacks 36-28, in blocks 10-2 and in serves 4-2.
Brett Wildman led the Americans’ offense with 10 points accompanied by Cooper Robinson and Gabriel García who contributed 9 apiece. For the Chileans, Vicente Ibarra had 7 points followed by Vicente Parraguirre with 6 and Matías Jadue who added 5.
Brett Wildman USA
Andy Read, coach of the United States: I am very proud of my boys, we had a very intense previous game against Canada and they responded with an excellent game against a very good team like Chile, now we have to focus on the playoffs.
Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: We had a very good first set and then the United States clearly showed superiority, both on the scoreboard and in the game.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 17, 2024.- Cuba continued its victorious path defeating Guatemala in straight sets 3 -0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-20), who finished the preliminary round without victory (0-4), on Wednesday in the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup that’s being played at the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Cuba led Guatemala in attacks 41-29, in blocks 9-2 and in serves 4-0.
For Cuba, José Romero scored 20 points, Thiago Suárez 14 and Jakdiel Contreras added another 7. For Guatemala, José Pérez finished with 10 points, while Carlos López and Jason Hernández added 6 points each.
Cuba
Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: It was a fairly calm match despite the fact that in the second set the boys got too confident, and it caused us a bit of problems in some aspects of the game, but we also gave our reserve players some time on the court thinking about tomorrow’s match which is the most important one because we will decide the first place in our group against the Dominicans.
Reider Mora, coach of Guatemala: We knew that we were going against a much more solid Cuban team, with a good level of play and we knew that it was a very difficult opponent, but the boys made the effort and without a doubt that this tournament helped us a lot to continue raising our level.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 17, 2024.- Canada had no difficulties in defeatingMexico in straight sets 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20), in the first match of day four of the XVII Pan American Men’sVolleyball Cup in the “Ricardo Arias” Pavilion.
The Canadians were far superior every skill, in attacks 36-25, in blocks 9-5 and in serves 7-1.
Mauro Fuentes MEX
Jesse Elser and Jackson Howe were the most outstanding players of Canada with 10 points each, followed by Jordan Canham and Isaac Heslinga with 9 and 8 points respectively. Mexico’s offense was led by Axel Tellez with 7 points and Jared Toy who added 6.
Canada (3-0) has to face Chile in its last match of the preliminary round , while Mexico will face Puerto Rico.
Quarterfinals will be played on Friday, Semifinals on Saturday and the Final on Sunday
Belize City, Belize, July 16, 2024. – Belize earned an important first victory over Nicaragua, winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20) in the closing match of the opening day of the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship.
Belize did not disappoint their fans at the Belize Civic Center, delivering a strong performance against Nicaragua, which could not do much against their opponent’s momentum.
Individually, Belize found their best offensive player in Nissan Martínez, who scored 22 points, with 18 from attacks, two from blocks, and two from service, supported by Gareth Bruce, who scored 17 points, 15 from attacks, one from blocking, and one from service.
Belize celebrate
For Nicaragua, María José Rivera scored a total of 10 points, eight from attacks and two from blocks. Samantha Vargas also stood out with eight points, five from attacks, one from blocking, and two from service.
As a team, Belize led in attacks 41-27, in service points 8-5, and committed fewer unforced errors 19-24. Both teams were even in blocking points, with seven each.
After their first victory, Belize’s coach José Fontes mentioned: “It was a very tense match despite the 3-0 score. We know the quality of Nicaragua; they never gave up during the match and always stayed close on the scoreboard. For us, this is a very important victory that gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming matches”.
On the other hand, Nicaragua’s coach Claudia Noguera stated: “Belize is a very difficult team with very tall players, many of whom already have knowledge about our team. The key is not to lower our heads; the tournament is just beginning, and we can still make a difference”.
Belize City, Belize, July 16, 2024.- Guatemala defeated El Salvador in straight sets (25-14, 25-22, 25-21) in the first match of the 20th Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL, held at the Belize Civic Center in Belize City, Belize.
The Guatemalans were superior in collecting attack points, 45-16, and were more effective in service points, 11-6. El Salvador was affected by 32 unforced errors, compared to 16 by the winners.
María Santa Cruz led Guatemala’s attack with a total of 26 points, 21 of which were attacks and five in service. Naomy Monney was also effective offensively with 12 points, ten from attacks and two from service.
Guatemala celebrate
For El Salvador, Araiana Joachin was the best attacker with nine points, two from attacks and blocks, and five from service.
Regarding the first victory in the tournament, Guatemala’s coach William Fernández commented: “The first match of an event is always very difficult; it’s the first step to take, which is why every match is like a final. We must acknowledge that El Salvador fought until the end, especially in the last two sets, which shows that it will be a very close competition.”
On the other hand, El Salvador’s coach Karen Orellana stated: “It was a good match; I feel we had some difficulties closing the sets. As the matches progress, we will adjust as a team to resolve those issues we had in the sets.”
Guatemala will rest on the second day this Wednesday 17th, while El Salvador will face Nicaragua.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 16, 2024.- Dominican Republic remained undefeated on the third day of competition by beating Guatemala 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup that takes place in the Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
The Dominicans dominated everything 49-34 in attacks, 5-4 in blocks and 4-3 in serves.
Henry Tapia was the top scorer for the Dominican Republic with 23 points accompanied by Hector Cruz, who scored 13. For Guatemala, Yeferson Zavala and Andy Blanco scored 10 points each.
Hnery Tapia DOM
Henry Tapia, captain of the Dominican Republic: Today’s game was not an easy game, but we achieved the objective we were looking for, which was to maintain the reception as well as the attack and blocking, then with those three objectives we executed the action and achieved the result 3-0.
Carlos López, captain of Guatemala: Well, I think we improved a little compared to yesterday’s game, we knew it was a difficult game, the Dominican Republic has a great team, we knew they were at home and they did things well, we made several mistakes that cost us a lot because the scoreboard opened up a lot, but I think the team’s attitude was different in this match.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 16, 2024. – Mexico defeated the host country Honduras 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-8) in their third consecutive victory to advance directly to the semifinals of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Mexico finished first in pool B undefeated and without losing a single set, advancing to Thursday’s semifinals. Honduras, winless (0-3), will play in the classification matches for positions 5 to 8.
Mexico celebrate
Mexico dominated Honduras without setbacks, holding a significant advantage of 40 to 12 in attacks and 12 to 1 in service aces. In blocks, Mexico held a slight edge of 3 to 2. Both teams were similar in errors, with Mexico committing 18 and Honduras 20.
The top scorer of the match was Mexico’s Angélica Torres with 15 points. Naomi Cruz and Aylin Ravell added 10 and 9 points respectively. Aitana Rettke scored a match-high of 4 aces.
Outside hitter Sasha Kawas was the leading scorer for Honduras with 10 points.
Sasha Kawas HON – Aitana Retke MEX
Angélica Torres, top scorer for Mexico: “We had the opportunity to try new things on the court to prepare for the upcoming matches. We analyzed plays, some couldn’t be completed, and others could. Everyone played today. In the semifinals, we hope to give more than a hundred percent, which is what Mexico deserves”.
Sasha Kawas, top scorer for Honduras: “Mexico plays very fast, and we didn’t defend well. We couldn’t execute the reception and we should have had more spirit to fight harder. It’s over now, the tournament continues”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 16, 2024.- Canada defeated Cuba 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-21) to take second place in pool A of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA U19 Continental Championship being played at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Canada finished pool-play with a 2-1 record and will compete in the quarterfinals as the second-place team in pool A. Cuba, with a 0-3 record, will play in the classification matches for positions 5 to 8.
Canada dominated every skill, attack (34-23), blocking (9-5), and serving (9-7). Canada committed 18 errors, while Cuba committed a total of 23.
Sol Henson CAN
Chloe Bradley of Canada scored 13 points (8 attacks, 4 blocks, 1 ace) as the top scorer of the match. Sol Henson contributed 10 points, all from attacks, in Canada’s victory.
Yesica Brito and Salet Castillo were the top scorers for Cuba with 11 points each.
Canada and Cuba had a close first set, but the North American team always maintained the lead, taking advantage of the 24 errors conceded by Cuba. Canada dominated set two entirely, closing it with a huge margin of 25-12. Cuba made a comeback in the third set with Yesica Brito and Salet Castillo leading the offense, managing to tie at 18 points, but Maya Bukovac, Sol Henson, and Chloe Bradley pressured and stopped Cuba’s momentum.
Canada
Chloe Bradley, top scorer for Canada: “The second set was really strong, we had the energy going through it and we kept up the whole set, we had no drops. We had a few dips in the first and third sets, I believe our energy went down and maybe we were a bit scared”.
Yesica Brito, captain of Cuba: “We always kept our spirits high, trying to fight. Despite the ups and downs, it was a very good game. I don’t know what happened in the second set, I can’t explain it”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 16, 2024.- The defending champions Canada overcame United States in a hard-fought match that went to a maximum of five sets with 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 25 -27, 25-23, 15-9) to improve (2-0) in the XVII edition of the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup.
Canada took the honors in attacks 62-52, in blocks 9-4 and in serves 6-4.
Canada’s captain Jesse Elser was the top scorer with 21 points, followed by Isaac Heslinga and Jackson Howe with 17 points each. For the Americans, Michael Marshman was the best with 15 points accompanied by Gabriel García who added 13.
Canada
Isaac Heslinga, player from Canada: I think we played with the basic fundamentals, the plan was to keep strong serves and work them well and our offense. For the next matches we must work on some things on our central line but for all the rest we are fine.
Michael Marshman, United States player: It was a classic game between Canada and the United States which are usually very battled on both sides, today I think we came up a little short, but I give all the credit to Canada, they made good adjustments during the game and that gave them this victory.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 16, 2024. – United States topped pool A undefeated and advanced to the semifinals of the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship after defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-22) on Tuesday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
United States closed the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record, without losing a single set and earning a direct ticket to Thursday’s semifinals. Puerto Rico finished with a 1-2 record and awaits the result between Canada (1-1) and Cuba (0-2) to determine their final position.
Henley Anderson USA
The Americans relied on their strength in attacks (40-26) to dominate Puerto Rico. They also had an advantage in blocking (8-5) and serving (8-3). Puerto Rico committed fewer unforced errors (19-24).
Outside hitters Kelly Kinney and Hanley Anderson led the United States with 11 points each. Kinney on 8 kills, one block, and one ace; Anderson on 10 kills and one block.
Puerto Rico’s outside hitter Cherisse Atilano led all scorers with 12 points on 11 attacks and one block. Alana Guibert contributed 9 points.
Cherisse Atilano PUR- Kelly Kinney USA
The first set was very close, with both teams taking turns in the lead until reaching the second technical timeout tied when the attacking efforts of Halle Thompson and Henley Anderson pushed the Americans to close at 25-20. USA reached a comfortable six-point lead (15-9) in the second set with Elena Hoecke leading the offense. In the third, Puerto Rico pushed again, with a 16-14 advantage with strong blocking and attacking by Cherisse Atilano. The teams were tied at 21 points, but Kelly Kinney sealed the match for the United States with a service point.
Kelly Kinney, top scorer for United States: “I think the match challenged us more mentally than it did competition wise. We just stayed strong physically and mentally, and that’s what helped to win. We trusted each other a lot and we supported each one on and off the court. Our team did a good job serving aggressively”.
Cherisse Atilano, top scorer for Puerto Rico: “It was an exciting match. In the second set, the sun affected us, but despite that, we did very well. We gave it our all in the first and third sets, raising our level of play, which we had been striving for. We stood out in our team unity and pushing forward at key moments”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 16, 2024 .- Dominican Republic complete pool-play at the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-18) victory over Costa Rica on Tuesday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Dominican Republic finished pool B with a 2-1 record, while Costa Rica ended with a 1-2 record. Both teams await their final standings after Honduras (0-2) faces Mexico (2-0) in the last match of the day.
Caroline Rodriguez DOM
The Caribbean team outscored the Central Americans 41 to 21 in attack points, 12 to 7 in block points, and 6 to 2 in services. Dominican Republic committed 19 errors compared to Costa Rica’s 16.
Three players led the Dominican Republic with double digits. Middle blocker Caroline Rodríguez was the top scorer of the match with 17 points, including a match-high of 7 block points and 9 kills. Outside hitter Thais Cochy added 11 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks, and an ace. Virelys Rivera contributed 10 points.
For Costa Rica, middle blocker and captain María del Sol Venegas, along with outside hitter Mariela Navarro, scored 9 points each.
Maria del Sol Venegas CRC
Dominican Republic quickly took an 11-3 lead in the first set, overpowering Costa Rica with the offensive efforts of Caroline Rodríguez and Thais Cochy. In the second set, Costa Rica kept the score close thanks to the attacks from María del Sol Venegas and opponent errors, tying the set at 17 points before the Dominicans pulled ahead with blocks from Rodriguez and Rivera’s attacks to take the set. Dominican Republic regained control in the third set, never trailing.
Caroline Rodríguez, top scorer of the Dominican Republic: “The coach’s instructions were to be strong in blocking, take risks in serving, and be prepared to defend. In the quarterfinals, we will give our best, continue fighting, and put into practice what we have trained. We are going to represent our country with heart”.
Jimena Alfaro, libero of Costa Rica: “In the second set, we tried to be more organized on the court because that affected us in the first set where we were disoriented and unfocused. We will see what position we end up in, but we will strive to perform at our best against any opponent”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 16, 2024.- After losing the first set, Cuba made the necessary adjustments to win the other three sets and beat Peru 3-1 (16-25, 25-17-25 -17, 25-19) on the third day of competitions of the XVII Men’s Volleyball Cup.
Cuba led 54-44 in attacks and 11-5 in blocks. Peru did better in serves 5-3.
Cuba’s top scorer was Carlos Santana with 12 points, while Victor Andreu scored 11 and Alexis Wilson 10. Eduardo Romay of Perú led all scorers with 20 points; Maikel Jaramillo contributed 10 points for Peru.
Alexis Wilson CUB
Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: This match is extremely important because it puts us in an advantageous situation compared to the group, a match that allows us to still have the possibility of finishing first in our group and already being within the first four of this competition. This was a tough game in which Peru made it a bit difficult for us in the first set, but the boys made the adjustments, and we were able to obtain the victory.
Juan Carlos Rodríguez, coach of Peru: Cuba is a team that plays very well, they have a lot of strength in their serve and in their attack, we were able to surprise them in the first set, then they got their rhythm of play and did well, it is a young team and very capable.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 16, 2024.- Chile obtained its first victory after defeating Puerto Rico in a well contested match 3-1 (27-25, 28-26, 17-25, 25-22) on the third day of competitions of the XVII Men’s Volleyball Cup at the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
Even though they did not obtain the victory, Puerto Rico surpassed Chile in attacks 54-53, in blocks 10-8 and in serves 3-2.
Chile
Chile’s offense was led by Vicente Parraguirre with 16 points, followed by Dusan Bonacic with 15 and Gabriel Araya with 13. Klistan Lawrence was the best for the Puerto Ricans with 17 points, accompanied by Ismael Alomar and Jonathan Rodríguez with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Vicente Parraguirre, player from Chile: The games with Puerto Rico have always been very intense, both teams had come from losses, and this was a very difficult game and I´m very happy with the victory obtained and now moving forward.
Pedro Molina, player from Puerto Rico: It was a difficult match, we have competed with them several times before, they have a good team, well organized and in the key moments of the game they played better than us, but we must keep holding our heads high and focus on tomorrow’s game.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 15, 2024. – Dominican Republic defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-12) to score their first win in the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Continental Championship on Monday night at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
Dominican Republic improved their record in pool B to 1-1, while Honduras stands at 0-2.
On Tuesday, Dominican Republic (1-1) will face Costa Rica (1-1) at 2:00 pm to determine their final position in pool B. Honduras (0-2) will meet Mexico (2-0) at 8:00 pm.
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic executed their strategy with a sizeable advantage of 40-19 in attacks and 10-3 in service points. Additionally, the Dominicans dominated blocking 5-3 and committed fewer unforced errors (18-20).
The only player in double digits was Dominican middle blocker Caroline Rodríguez, who scored 13 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks, and 3 service points. Outside hitter Thais Cochy and captain Yalyn Firpo each added 9 points.
Sasha Kawas was the top scorer for Honduras with 8 points.
Sasha Kawas HON
In the first set, Honduras started strong, surprising the Dominicans by keeping the score close. Thanks to the offense of Thais Cochy and Ambar Hernández, the Dominican Republic regained control to finish the set on top. Dominican Republic controlled Honduras the rest of the match with skillful directed serves and powerful attacks.
Ana Patricia Encarnación, setter for the Dominican Republic: “We were in trouble in the first set. I feel that some players, due to inexperience, found it hard to start strong. We executed our game strategy, which is to play intelligently, observe the opponent to always score, and direct our serves”.
Jimena Aguilar, setter for Honduras: “It was difficult to keep up with the Dominican Republic’s pace. The team’s spirit was affected. We started with a lot of energy but didn’t continue fighting. I hope we can all perform better tomorrow than we did today”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 15, 2024.- Peru won against Guatemala 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22) on the second day of competitions of the XVII Cup Men’s Volleyball Pan American Championship that takes place in the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Peru was better in attacks 44-34 and in blocks 13-8, while both teams tied at 2 points on serves.
Peruvian captain Eduardo Romay was the best offensively for his team with 14 points, while Benjamín Patrón and Maikel Jaramillo added 12 and 11 points respectively. For Guatemala, team captain Carlos López scored 14 points and Andy Blanco added another 11.
Andy Leonardo GUA
Eduardo Romay, captain of Peru: It has been a super difficult game for us, Guatemala is a team that we have not seen since 2018 so we had lost their game a little, for us the key was finding ourselves playing our game and luckily it did not go well .
Carlos López, captain of Guatemala: We had a game with many ups and downs, there were positive and negative streaks, but the negative ones were more frequent and that was what made the difference in the result of the game in the end.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 15, 2024. – United States downed Canada 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-15) for their second victory in the Girls´U19 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
With a perfect 2-0 record in pool A, the United States will conclude the preliminary round on Tuesday at 4:00 pm against Puerto Rico (1-1). Canada, with a 1-1 record, will face Cuba (0-2) at 6:00 pm in their last pool-play match.
Audrey Flanagan USA – Avaya Maga CAN
The Americans finished with a huge advantage in the statistics: attacking (39-14), blocking (10-4), and serving (7-0); but committed more errors (29-19).
Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie and outside hitter Audrey Flanagan led the United States with 13 points each. Ogbechie ended with 7 kill points, 3 blocks, and 3 service points. Flanagan recorded 9 kill points, 2 blocks, and 2 aces. Kelly Kinney contributed 10 points.
Abby Wasutik CAN
On the Canadian side, Sydney Bell, Abby Wasutyk, and Alyssa Flack each scored three points.
Manaia Ogbechie, top scorer for the United States: “In the first part of the first set we were figuring out Canada and then we started playing our game, once that happened it was perfect. Our game is consistent, it’s like a snake, we wrap around, and we coil together. We are always cheering one another”.
Kylie Savin, libero for Canada: “We communicated better in the first set, we made less errors and we were disciplined, playing it clean to stay closer to them. Tomorrow, we need to use our pins more, hitting strong and running a few more balls. We must make sure the passing stays strong”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 15, 2024.- The United States scored its second victory after beating Mexico 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18) in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup.
The United States surpassed Mexico 47-41 in attacks, 7-4 in blocks and 10-4 in serves.
The United States offense was led by Gabriel García with 15 points followed by Ethan Champlin who accumulated 11, while Mauro Fuentes and Juan García stood out for Mexico with 13 and 12 points respectively.
Mauro Fuentes MEX
Quinn Isaacson, captain of the United States: It was a slow game, we knew that Mexico had a good team, we inserted guys from the bench and I’m glad that we had difficult moments during the game and we were able to overcome them, which I like since we have some difficult games ahead of us and I see it well that we have won, although there are things that need to be improved.
Mauro Fuentes, captain of Mexico: The United States appeared very strong in this match mainly on the service line, tactically good in that aspect apart from having a very high block, I think we were able to compete with them in the first three sets; I think we lost the fourth set because we lacked concentration, but without a doubt they are a great rival.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 15, 2024. – Puerto Rico earned its first victory in the Girls’ U19 NORCECA U-19 Continental Championship after defeating Cuba 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-10) on Monday at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Puerto Rico improved its record to 1-1 in pool A, while Cuba remains winless at 0-2.
Puerto Rico (1-1) will conclude pool-play on Tuesday against the United States at 4:00 pm, and Cuba (0-2) will face Canada at 6:00 pm.
Yesica Brito CUB
The Puerto Ricans capitalized their victory with a huge advantage of 35 to 17 in attacks, 10 to 5 in blocks, and 12 to 2 in service aces.
Outside hitter Pamela Agosto of Puerto Rico was the top scorer of the match with 16 points (14 kills, 2 blocks). Middle blocker Jomailee Reyes also contributed to the win with 13 points (5 kills, a match-high of 5 blocks, 3 aces). Team captain Alana Guibert added 10 points (7 kills, 2 blocks, one ace).
Salet Castillo of Cuba scored 8 points as the team’s top scorer.
Puerto Rico
The attacks of Alana Guibert and the serves of Jomailee Reyes pushed Puerto Rico to recover from a four-point deficit (0-4) in the first set. The Puerto Ricans advanced with better control of their serves, gaining a comfortable lead. In the second set, Puerto Rico quickly jumped to a five-point lead (15-10), maintaining it throughout the set. Puerto Rico was dominant in the third set.
Pamela Agosto, top scorer for Puerto Rico: “We were a bit nervous; it’s the second international match for almost everyone on the team. We managed to improve, limit our errors, and did a great job. I think our serving was very good, but the key to our victory was our communication. We know we can advance to the quarterfinals”.
Ashley Simón, setter for Cuba: “We started with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. When we try to do things right, we get nervous, and that causes us to make mistakes. I think there’s a lack of communication among us; there are arguments that hurt us as a team. We’ll see what happens tomorrow against Canada. We need more unity and to be a team”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 15, 2024.- Cuba achieved its first victory in XVII edition of the Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup after beating Colombia in straight sets 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-21), at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Cuba was better in attacks 42-27 and in serves 6-3, while Colombia dominated in blocks 8-6.
Victor Andreu was the most productive for Cuba with 14 points, while Carlos Charles and Bryan Camino contributed with 13 and 12 points respectively. For Colombia Andrés Piza scored 9 points and Jharold Caicedo added 7.
Carlos Charles CUB
Julio Gómez, captain of Cuba: It was an important match for us since it was the first and we did what we were expecting against Colombia, which was to obtain the victory since the last time we faced them we suffered a loss and thanks to that today things went well for us, and we were able to go out with a 3-0 lead.
Leandro Mejía, captain of Colombia: We knew that Cuba was a very strong opponent, they are very physical, that is why it was very difficult for us to serve them since they come out very hard, we do not come with a good rhythm of play, which is one of the things that we must fix in the future.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 15, 2024. – Mexico defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-15) to remain undefeated in the Girls’ U19 NORCECA U-19 Continental Championship being held at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Mexico has an undefeated record of 2-0 in pool B, while Costa Rica stands at 1-1.
On Tuesday, Costa Rica (0-2) will conclude pool-play against the Dominican Republic at 2:00 pm, and Mexico (2-0) will face Honduras at 8:00 pm.
Naomi Cruz MEX – Manuela Alcala CRC
Mexico set the pace of the match with advantages in every skill of the game, attacking (37-18), blocking (8-5), and service aces (7-1). Mexico committed one less error than Costa Rica (22-23).
Costa Rica managed to contain Mexico up to point ten in all three sets; from then on, the Mexicans dominated with the offensive play of Naomi Cruz, who led all scorers with 16 points on13 attacks, one block, and two aces, supported by Angélica Torres with 14 points on 10 attacks, one block, and a match-high of three aces.
Opposite hitter Dayna Barrantes and outside hitter Mariela Navarro led Costa Rica with 6 points each.
Nadia Granados CRC
Naomi Cruz, top scorer for Mexico: “Costa Rica managed to contain us at the beginning; we started the sets a bit slow. We gave our best, without pressure, to keep the match from getting complicated. As the sets progressed, our confidence and game intensity increased. We all supported each other, just like our coaches, who always help us improve. There is a lot of unity in the team”.
Dayna Barrantes, top scorer for Costa Rica: “We entered the match knowing Mexico is a tough opponent. We gave our best, especially at the start of each set. Mexico is a team with greater physical capabilities than us, and it motivated us to stay close on the scoreboard until almost halfway through each set. We played well against Mexico. We are waiting for the result of Honduras today and the results of tomorrow’s matches in the group to know if we advance to the quarterfinals”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 15, 2024.- Team Canada battled for three sets with Puerto Rico and at the end won with 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-23) to start the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup with a victory at the National Volleyball Pavilion.
The Canadians dominated in attacks 48-30, in blocks 7-4 and in serves 7-1.
Jordan Canham and Jesee Elser were the top scorers for Canada with 17 and 14 points respectively. For Puerto Rico, which now has a record of (0-2), Pedro Molina scored 12 points, while Klistan Lawrence contributed another 10.
Canada
Jesee Elser, captain of Canada: It was a very entertaining match, we had a good performance on the court, there was a small delay in the game, but we knew how to keep the team’s spirits up, no one complained, and I think we showed it with our performance.
Dennis Del Valle, captain of Puerto Rico: I think we had a good match despite the result because we were fighting all the sets but after point 20, they knew how to handle the situation better than us and I think that was the difference in the game, we have a young team and we have to learn from those experiences.
Belize City, Belize, July 15, 2024 – After completing the mandatory preliminary interviews, the five teams participating in the XX Central American U21 Women’s Championship of AFECAVOL have declared themselves ready to take to the court at the Belize Civic Center gymnasium in Belize City, Belize.
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize will compete for the coveted U21 title and a spot in the NORCECA Continental Championship in the contest that will take place from July 16 to 20, with two daily matches.
Before the start of the tournament, each of the coaches leading the participating teams evaluated their squads and shared their goals for the event.
William Fernández, Coach of Guatemala, stated: “We have a U21 team with a lot of experience. We have players who were here two years ago in Belize, and most of the players who were in the U23 team. Our goal is to be on the podium. This will be a very competitive tournament, even though there are only five teams, all have the chance to win a medal”.
José Fontes, Coach of Belize, commented: “We have a very young team with some experienced players. Our expectations are high to be on the podium, and we always aspire to the highest, that is, to fight for the gold medal for Belize”.
Cristiam Rodríguez, Coach of Honduras, affirmed: “We have high expectations with this group that is very young. Many will make their debut, marking a promising future for volleyball in Honduras. We want to perform well in the tournament, and if things go well, make it to the podium”.
Claudia Noguera, Coach of Nicaragua, expressed: “We have a young team. Nicaragua has already presented many of these players in other events such as the Final Four and the U23, where we achieved first place in both. We will fight to be on the podium. We have the team to achieve a good position”.
Karen Orellana, Coach of El Salvador, commented: “Our team is very young. We are looking to make a generational change in El Salvador for future tournaments. For this event, we expect to compete, for the girls to give their best. It’s a good group, and we truly hope to surprise”.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 14, 2024. – Costa Rica kicked off the Girls U19 NORCECA Continental Championship defeating host Honduras 3-2 (25-23, 25-27, 25-14, 18-25, 15-13) in pool B of the event, which began on Sunday in Tegucigalpa.
The match was full of ups and downs, with both teams taking turns in the lead. In the end, Costa Rica emerged victorious, leading in attacking points 52 to 50 and in blocking points 8 to 2. Honduras led in service aces 10 to 8. Both teams committed 40 unforced errors throughout the match.
Mariela Navarro CRC
Outside hitter Mariela Navarro was the top scorer for Costa Rica with 15 points (13 attacks, one block, one ace). She was followed by outside hitter Galia Luconi with 14 points (13 attacks, one ace) and middle blocker María del Sol Venegas with 11 points (6 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks, one ace).
For Honduras, opposite María Fernanda Merino was the best scorer with 14 points (12 attacks, 2 aces). Outside hitter Sasha Kawas finished with 13 points (12 attacks, one ace). Middle blocker Sofía Ghadesi contributed 10 points.
On the second day of the event, Costa Rica (1-0) will play against Mexico (1-0) at 2:00 pm, and Honduras (0-1) will face the Dominican Republic (0-1) at 8:00 pm.
Galia Luconi CRC- Andrea Schmucker HON
In the tie-break, Honduras tied the score at 10 points after recovering from a five-point deficit (5-10) with the offensive efforts of Andrea Schmucker, combined with Costa Rica’s errors. An attack by Galia Luconi and an error by Honduras put Costa Rica ahead, but Honduras tied again at 13 points. An error by Honduras, followed by a kill from middle blocker Nadia Granados, sealed the victory for Costa Rica.
María del Sol Venegas, captain of Costa Rica: “The match got complicated for us; I feel like we got a little too confident. We achieved the result. There were ups and downs. Costa Rica is very mental, but when we are confident, we play a good game, the best we can. Tomorrow we will face a strong opponent, but we are confident in our game”.
Sofía Ghadesi, captain of Honduras: “I am very proud of my team. I am still euphoric about what we were able to achieve. We had a lot of energy. That’s sports; we had good things and made mistakes. We almost defeated Costa Rica. We supported each other throughout the match, had good energy, and were euphoric. We held our heads high”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 14, 2024.- The Dominican Republic defeated its counterpart from Peru 3-1 (25-16, 28-30, 25-18, 25-17) scoring its first victory at the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup.
The Dominicans had a good performance in every skill, with 51-45 advantage in attacks 51-45, 11-10 in blocks and 6-3 in serves.
Héctor Cruz was the best scorer for the Dominican Republic with 17 points followed by Wilfrido Hernández with 12, while Henry Tapia and Luther Rosario added 10 points each. For Peru, Maikel Jaramillo scored 17 points and Sebastián Blanco 12.
Hector Cruz DOM
José Gutierrez, coach of the Dominican Republic: The first game of this competition is the most difficult, the most complicated, I think we continue to build this team trying to maintain a good level throughout the games, that is the task that we have pending to be able to play with any opponent without complicating our lives without need.
Juan Carlos Rodríguez, coach of Peru: Well, after a year without playing I think the team had a lot of ups and downs and we committed too many foolish errors, the Dominican team worked well and I respect all their work, let’s hope that in this competition we can continue improving game by game.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 14, 2024. – The United States defeated Cuba 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-21) on the first day of competition in the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Continental Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
United States obtained their first victory in pool A with a dominant performance, using all their players over the course of the match and overpowering Cuba 35-5 in attacks and 13-2 in service points. Both teams scored three blocking points. United States gave away more points from errors than Cuba (30-24).
Hazel Alevok and Elena Hoecke led the United States’ offense with 9 points each. Hazel Alevok scored a match-high of 4 aces.
United States
Cuba’s outside hitter and captain, Yesica Brito, was the top scorer for her team with 4 points.
Cuba (0-1) will face Puerto Rico (0-1) on Monday at 4:00 PM, and the United States (1-0) will play Canada (1-0) at 6:00 PM.
The United States controlled the first and second sets with no difficulty, using their powerful serves and strong kills as their main strengths. In the third set, Cuba managed to surprise the Americans by keeping the score tight and tying at 16 points. In the end, the United States finished strong.
Halle Thompson USA
Aniya Warren, captain of United States: “We played strong. We started the first set, we played our game and performed what we knew how to do, being ourselves. We did good keeping up the entire game, despite it getting kind of rocky in the third. But overall, we kept fighting”.
Yesica Brito, captain of Cuba: “It was a tough start, facing one of the best teams in the tournament, a very strong team. This is only the first game, and for some of the players, it’s their first international tournament. We played well at the end of the match. Tomorrow, we will look to start strong like we did at the end today”.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 14, 2024.- In a match that was full of emotions, the United States defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 29-31, 25 -18), to achieve its first victory in the 27th edition of the Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup, an event that takes place in the “Ricardo Arias” Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
The Americans were better in attacks 50-42, in blocks 11-8 and in serves 12-1.
Gabriel García was the most outstanding offensive player for the United States with 19 points followed by Ethan Chaplin and Michael Marshman with 17 and 12 points respectively. For Puerto Rico, the top scorer was Jamal Carballo with 19 points followed by Klistan Vidal with 11.
Ethan Champlin USA
Andy Read, coach of the United States: I am very proud of the way they played, we had a team from Puerto Rico that responded very well in the third set, but we were able to recover in the fourth and take the victory.
Alberto Torres, coach of Puerto Rico: This is the first game of the tournament, and we knew it was going to be tough going against the United States, but I think we showed that we have the potential to compete with the teams that are in the tournament.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 14, 2024. – Canada started the NORCECA U19 Girls’ Continental Championship with a 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-15, 25-21) over Puerto Rico in pool A at Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Canada controlled every skill of the game, attacks (34-26), blocks (7-3), and service points (8-3). Both teams gave away 26 points on unforced errors.
Two Canadian players scored double digits, opposite hitter Sydney Bell with 13 points on 8 attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 service points, and outside hitter Sol Henson with 11 points on 10 attacks and on service point.
Canada celebrate
Outside hitters Cherisse Atilano and Pamela Agosto led Puerto Rico with 9 and 8 points, respectively.
On Monday, Puerto Rico will face Cuba at 4:00 PM, and Canada will play against the United States at 6:00 PM.
The first set was very close, with both teams sharing the lead until they were tied at 22 points. Canada managed to pull ahead thanks to two errors by Puerto Rico and an attack point by opposite hitter Sydney Bell. Canada looked more comfortable in the second set, benefiting from 9 errors by Puerto Rico, in addition to the offense from Bell and Sol Henson. Canada lost four set points before celebrating the straight-set victory when Puerto Rico’s setter Daniella González came to the service line.
Sofia Zabjek CAN – Jomailee Eyes PUR
Avaya Maga, captain of Canada: “For a lot of us it’s our first international tournament, so getting into the competition and our style of plan took some time in the first set. In the second and third sets we capitalized on our game plan. We stayed aggressive the whole match. Credit to Puerto Rico for serving tough in the last points and got us stuck in that rotation”.
Alana Guibert, captain of Puerto Rico: “I think we lacked defense and communication. There are several players on the team who lack experience, and there was a bit of desperation. We put up a good fight at the end. We will do better in the next match.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 14, 2024.- Colombia only needed three sets to defeat Guatemala 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-16) on the opening day of the XVII Pan American Cup Men’s Volleyball.
Colombia was superior in all aspects, in attacks 43-28, in blocks 7-2 and in services 5-1.
Gustavo Larrahondo COL
Leandro Mejía was the best offensive player for Colombia with 12 points, while Gustavo Larrahondo added 10. For Guatemala, their captain Carlos López had 12 points and José Pérez added 8.
Carlos Osorio, coach of Colombia: This match was very important for us and we knew how to handle it very well, the boys were tactically synchronized and the truth was that we knew how to take advantage of the opportunities.
Reider Mora, coach of Guatemala: I must congratulate the Colombian team, they knew how to carry the entire game, they were the ones who always had the difference in the game, they were really very offensive and did not let us play, our reception failed a bit and that made the game easier for them.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 14, 2024. – Mexico won the opening match of the NORCECA U19 Girls Continental Championship, which began in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with a straight-set victory, 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-18) over the Dominican Republic.
In the first match of pool B, Mexico outperformed Dominican Republic 44-26 in attacks, 7-5 in blocks, and 5-4 in serves. The Dominican Republic committed fewer errors (22-28).
Opposite hitter Aylin Ravell led Mexico with 17 points (14 attacks, one block, 2 aces), followed by outside hitter Naomi Cruz with 16 points (14 attacks, 2 blocks) and outside hitter Angélica Torres with 11 points (9 attacks, 2 aces).
Aylin Ravell MEX
Julie Arias was the top scorer for Dominican Republic with 13 points, all on attacks.
On the second day of competition, Mexico will face Costa Rica at 2:00 PM, and the Dominican Republic will play against Honduras at 8:00 PM.
Mexico started a bit slow, with the Dominicans taking an early 3-0 lead in the first set, but Mexico stabilized and closed with a comfortable 25-19 advantage. Mexico imposed their game, reaching 21-18 when three consecutive points from Julie Arias and a precise block from Caroline Rodríguez gave the Dominican Republic a boost. They battled point by point until Mexico continued with the lead. Aylin Ravell and Naomi Cruz led Mexico’s offense to secure the victory in straight sets.
Mexico celebrate
Isabella Ocampo, captain of Mexico: “It was hard for us to start; there were some nerves because it was the first time the team was competing together. We managed to neutralize the Dominican Republic with our strong serves, which helped us control our attack better”.
Yalyn Firpo, captain of the Dominican Republic: “I think everything was a consequence of our attitude. We are a team that sometimes gives up a little when we are behind in the score. Our spirits dropped a lot, and that greatly influenced our performance. I think our blocking was dominant.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 14, 2024.- In a disputed match that lasted a maximum of five sets, Mexico had to work hard to defeat Chile 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 19- 25, 15-25, 15-13) and obtain their first victory in the XVII Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup at the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion.
The Mexicans surpassed the Chileans in serves 4-2, while Chile dominated in attacks 59-56 and in blocks 14-8.
On offense for Mexico, Franky Milantoni had 24 points, while Mauro Fuentes and Victor Parra added 13 and 10 respectively. For Chile Vicente Parraguirre and Dusan Bonacic finished with 20 points each.
Mexico celebrate
Carlos Schwanke, coach of Mexico: Incredible, we are here to develop a group, we remained aggressive every minute on the court, except in the third and fourth sets where we lowered the intensity a little but we returned in the fifth and we were able to capitalize on the victory which is very positive for us.
Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: It was a very challenging match but the team played at a good level because although we couldn’t win, after being down 2-0 we were able to extend it to a fifth and decisive set.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 13, 2024.- The coaches of the eight teams that will compete in the NORCECA Girls’ U19 Continental Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, are ready to face a new challenge from July 14 to 19.
The event, which is part of the qualification process for the age-group FIVB World Championship, will be streamed on Facebook Live Federación Hondureña de Voleibol
Gina Schmidt, Head Coach of Canada: ““Our preparation period was fairly short, but we have a great group of athletes, and it will be just a matter of how quickly we can get used to playing together. I can see us improving with each game of the tournament”.
Comité de Control junto a Arateide Caceres, en el Campeonato Continental Norceca Sub 19 femenino en entrevista preliminar con Canadá, que se realiza en Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Norka Latamblét, Head Coach of Cuba: “We are coming with a very young group, U17 players. We have had problems with training, but we are here to play with a good attitude, hoping that things will turn out as well as possible. We aim for the girls to project themselves for future competitions and for Cuba to achieve a better ranking as in previous years”.
Cuba
Alexandre Ceccato, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “Some players competed at the U19 continental and others at the U21, they have been training together for two weeks. The goal is to reach the semifinals and we are focused on doing so”.
Dominican Republic
Marcos Sugiyama, Head Coach of Honduras: “Honduras is very pleased to host another international event. The teams from Honduras for the underage categories are made up of players from a previous category. The team is mostly composed of players from last year’s U17 category. We are very eager to participate in the competition. We are motivated to play in front of our home crowd, for the players to be happy playing with the support of their families, which is an advantage for the team. I believe it will be a very important competition for the players”.
Uniform Honduras
Ignacio Ramírez, Head Coach of Mexico: “We are bringing several U17 players, we want them to gain more experience since they will participate at the World Championship soon. Our expectation is to reach the semifinals to compete for a medal. We trained for 21 days before arriving here and the team has gradually improved. In addition, each match will give us a measure of how we are progressing”.
Mexico
Eduardo Galarza, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “This is a group from a new cycle, and we have only one athlete returning (the team captain). The group is very talented, tall, plays fast, and has great ball control. Our goal is to qualify for the World Championship and win the tournament”.
Puerto Rico
Jamie Morrison, Head Coach of the United States: “This is a learning opportunity for our young athletes that we see having the potential to be in the national team one day. We had a shorter five-day training block during the summer and then a three-day training block leading up to this. I’m proud of our athletes for the amount of dedication they put in this short period of time and how much better they’ve gotten. We’re excited to show the world who we are on the volleyball court in this tournament”.
USA
The arrival of Costa Rica is expected on Saturday night.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 13, 2024.- The ten coaches participating in the XVII Pan American Men’s Volleyball Cup commented on their expectations during the preliminary meeting before starting to compete on Sunday in the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Olympic Center Pablo Duarte.
Andy Read, United States: I think it is an extremely strong tournament and in an Olympic year, there are 10 well-prepared teams here so the United States will have some very competitive matches in this event that is very well organized, and we are very excited to be here.
Mario Izquierdo, Cuba: The Cuban team brings great expectations after not having qualified for the Olympic Games, we began our preparation for the other Olympic Games and this tournament marks the beginning of our new Olympic cycle, that is why we are giving the possibility to athletes of a second line so that they can be in the not too distant future in the national team for the upcoming international events that we have.
Carlos Schwanke, Mexico: We have high expectations, there are several games that are going to make it difficult for us but the more time we spend on the court the better it will be since we have new guys who need to raise the level, that is the first objective here in this tournament.
Glenn Hoag, Canada: I think it’s going to be a very interesting tournament for us, the group we brought is the next generation of Team Canada so they will have the opportunity to compete with highly competitive teams and I think it’s going to be a great learning opportunity.
José Gutierrez, Dominican Republic: Expectations are good for this tournament because we are going with the full team as we would have wanted in Puerto Rico where we couldn’t have it, so we are going to fight to stay in a good place.
Carlos Goicochea, Peru: We have prepared well, we bring a mix of young and veteran players, and we have high expectations even though we have not participated in any tournament for a year, but the most important thing is to see how the athletes perform since our sights is set for 2027 so this tournament is very good for us because there are high quality teams here.
Reider Lucas, Guatemala: We know that it is a high-level event, one of the best played on the continent, we know that there are teams that come with their second group but what we want is for the boys to play and have a good result and try to do the best possible in this event.
Felipe Ozorio, Colombia: Our country comes with great expectations after coming from some very interesting Pan American Games in our performance and our result, now we are trying to incorporate new players so that they acquire the experience of the veterans and I hope that we can be among the first four places in this Pan American Cup.
Alberto Torres, Puerto Rico: The first thing we want is to maintain the level at which we have been playing since the last competition and of course try to win a medal. We believe that we have the group for that. We have had continuity since last summer and we believe that we have a chance to be among the top three in this event.
Daniel Nejamkin, Chile: This is the second tournament we have played in the year so we come with little preparation, without a doubt that for us the Pan American Cup is a very important tournament, we understand that our pool is complicated with the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, so we expect the best performance in the first games to aspire to reach the medal zone.
BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 11, 2024. – Belize City will once again host the AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship, this time in its twentieth edition, to be held from July 16 to 20 at the Belize City Civic Center in Belize City, Belize.
Two years ago, the Belize City Civic Center was also the venue for this age-group Central American Championship, where Guatemala was crowned champion in five thrilling sets 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-11) over hosts Belize.
The XX AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship will feature teams from Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, who will compete for the AFECAVOL title and qualification for the NORCECA Continental Championship.
Guatemala returns to defend its title, having won the event six times overall. The most successful team in the history of the competition is Costa Rica with nine titles. Panama has won twice, and Honduras once. Costa Rica and Panama will not participate in the event.
July 9, 2024.- All final volleyball rosters for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 have now been released. A total of 312 volleyball players are already set to travel to the French capital, where the most prestigious multi-sport event in the world will spark top-caliber volleyball excitement from 27 July to 11 August.
Wide rosters of up to 25 athletes per team were announced in June, but now the number has been narrowed down to 13 (12 + 1). Some of the final squads had already been revealed, but now all 24 stellar line-ups have been unveiled.
NORCECA will be represented by four teams, United States in both women and men, Dominican Republic women and Canada men.
Find the final team rosters for women here and for men here*.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic volleyball competition, each participating team will be entitled to include one non-competing athlete to serve as a last-minute replacement, if an athlete is unable to compete due to injury or illness. That is why the team rosters have been extended from 12 athletes at previous editions of the Olympic volleyball tournaments to 13 at Paris 2024.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 8, 2024. – Canada is set to defend its title at the seventeenth edition of the Men’s Senior Pan American Volleyball Cup from July 14 to 21 at the “Professor Ricardo Gioriber Arias” Volleyball Palace in Santo Domingo.
Last year, Canada won the title for the first time in the Pan American Cup history after defeating Brazil in the gold medal match 3-1 (26-24, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22) in Guadalajara. In the history of the event, Canada had lost the title match three times (2008, 2009, 2022).
Chile achieved its first-ever Pan American Cup medal last year by defeating Mexico in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-22) for the bronze medal.
The Men’s Senior Pan American Cup is part of the qualification process for the 2025 NORCECA Continental Championship, the next edition of the Pan American Cup in 2025, and the 2027 Pan American Games.
Ten teams will take part in the competition, divided into two groups. The winner of each group will advance directly to the semifinals. The second and third placed teams in each group will compete in the quarterfinals.
Group A consists of the current champion Canada, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Group B includes Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Peru, and the host nation, the Dominican Republic.
United States has won the Pan American Cup on five occasions, Cuba four times, Brazil three times, Argentina twice, and Mexico once.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 8, 2024. – The NORCECA U19 Girls’ Continental Championship will take place at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from July 14 to 19, an event that is part of the qualification process for the age-group World Championship.
The participating national teams are eligible to compete in the 2025 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup; both events are part of the qualification process for the 2025 FIVB U19 Girls’ World Championship.
The last edition of the championship was held in 2018, also in Honduras, when the age-group was classified as U18. The United States won the championship for the eighth time, Canada claimed its first silver medal, having previously won its first bronze medal in 1998, and Cuba made history by securing their first medal since the creation of the event, taking the bronze medal.
The United States has also dominated the U19 Pan American Cup, winning the last two editions (2023, 2022).
Eight teams will compete in the event, divided into two groups. Group A includes Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and United States. Group B consists of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the host Honduras.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 1, 2024.- Dominican Republic triumphed in thrilling Five-Set showdown against the United States at Ricardo Arias Volleyball Pavilion, Olympic Center Juan Pablo Duarte in Santo Domingo, which drew a record-breaking crowd of 7,000 enthusiastic spectators on Sunday night.
In a remarkable display of volleyball prowess and passionate support, the Dominican Republic captured the gold medal in a nail-biting five-set match against the United States during the fourth edition of the NORCECA Women’s Final Six tournament.
This historic encounter, which drew a record-breaking crowd of 7,000 enthusiastic spectators, highlighted the growing popularity of volleyball in the region and set a new standard for the tournament’s atmosphere and excitement.
The gold medal match, played at the iconic Ricardo Arias Volleyball Pavilion, was a roller-coaster of emotions and athletic excellence. The Caribbean Queens, known for their powerful offense and defensive tenacity, faced off against a resilient United States team that had shown exceptional form throughout the tournament.
Dominican Republic beat the United States 3-2 (25-15, 17-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11) where the Dominicans came out strong, leveraging their home-court advantage. The crowd’s energy was palpable as every point was fiercely contested.
The United States responded with determination, adjusting their strategy to neutralize the Dominican attack, which set the stage for a fiercely competitive match.
The match not only showcased the high level of competition but also marked a significant milestone for volleyball in the Dominican Republic and the NORCECA Women’s Final Six tournament. The attendance of 7,000 fans set a record, surpassing previous tournaments and demonstrating the sport’s growing appeal in the Caribbean.
Fans filled the Ricardo Arias Volleyball Pavilion, creating an atmosphere that was both electric and supportive. The vibrant energy of the crowd played a crucial role in boosting the home team’s morale and underscored the community’s passion for volleyball.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 30, 2024.- The Dominican Brayelin Martínez won the Most Valuable Player award this Sunday in the fourth edition of the NORCECA Final Six tournament that was played in the “Ricardo Arias” Volleyball Pavilion of the Olympic Center Juan Pablo Duarte.
Martínez concluded the event with 70 points from 58 attacks, 9 blocks and 3 serves, helping the Dominican Republic team win the gold medal.
Individual Awards
Canada’s Abagayle Guezen won the distinction of Best Spiker, while Brayelin Martínez also won the award for Second Best Spiker.
Puerto Rican Neira Ortiz was the Best Blocker, while also from Puerto Rico Sarah Venegas was the Best Libero, Paola Santiago Best Receiver and Grace López Best Scorer.
Dominican Lisvel Eve Mejía was the second Best Blocker and her compatriot Alondra Tapia was the Best Opposite.
The best in the serves department was Canadian Emoni Busch and American Kamerynn Miner finished as Best Setter.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 30, 2024.- Led by a great offensive attack by Brayelin Martínez, the Dominican Republic defeated the United States in a close match that extended to a maximum of five sets with a score of 3-2 (25 -15, 17-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11) to win the gold medal in the fourth edition of the NORCECA Final Six Women’s Volleyball that took place at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
The Dominicans were superior in all aspects: in attacks 55-54, in blocks 13-10 and in services 5-2.
USA Silver medal
Martínez led the Queens of the Caribbean with 25 points as the leading scorer of the match, followed by Alondra Tapia with 13, while Bethania De La Cruz and Jineiry Martínez added 11 each. For the United States Merritt Beason had 15 points, followed by Sarah Franklin and Khori Louis who added 11 each.
Brayelin Martinez DOM
Marcos Kwiek, coach of the Dominican Republic: It was a close match, a technically ugly match, we went to the maximum of five sets but at the end the girls did what they had to do, and we won, which is the most important thing, now we have to continue our preparation for the Olympic Games.
Brad Rostratter, coach of the United States: The Dominican Republic has a great team, there is no doubt that they are going with a magnific team for the Paris Olympics, it is a team that works and battles hard. When the United States plays like that with a team of this caliber and in a country like this with this great atmosphere it makes me feel proud.
TORONTO, Canada, June 30, 2024 – USA’s outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NORCECA Women’s U21 Continental Championship, which concluded this Sunday at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
In addition to winning the MVP award, Brooklyn was also recognized as the Best Spiker of the event. Also from the United States, Ramsey Gary was named the Best Receiver.
Individual Awards
From Canada, Verónica Dickson received the award for Second Best Blocker. The Best Setter award went to Ella McVittie, and Delaney Watson was honored as the Best Libero and Best Defense.
Chareika Carrion of Puerto Rico was awarded as the Second Best Spiker and the Best Scorer.
Mexican Aylin Ravell received the award for Best Opposite, and the recognition for Best Server went to Dominican Ariana Rodríguez.
The award for Best Blocker went to Krystal Eddy of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 30, 2024.- In a well disputed match, Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21) to win the bronze medal of the NORCECA Final Six Women’s Volleyball tournament 2024.
Mexico dominated in attacks 58-54, in blocks 11-7 and in serves 6-5.
Karina Flores was the best offensive player for the Mexicans with 18 points, while Sofía Maldonado and Uxue Guereca added 16 and 11 respectively. For Puerto Rico, the most outstanding offensively was Grace López with 29 points, followed by Paola Santiago with 10 and Stephanie Rivera with 9.
Uxua Guereca MEX
Nicola Negro, Coach of Mexico: We are very happy because the girls wanted to win that medal and it was an important game since it awarded ranking points and this will allow us to play important competitions next year with strong teams and thus continue our growth.
Juan Carlos Núñez, coach of Puerto Rico: It was a match in which we had our options, we had our opportunities in that first and second set, but we couldn’t close them. Throughout the tournament we had sets with 3 and even 4 points ahead but we didn´t have that person who at given moments could carry the group and we did not close at the end. For example, in today’s match we depended on a single player offensively and the second person who could have done it wasn’t with us in the last two games and that’s what happened.
Toronto, Canada. June 30, 2024: The United States won the gold medal of the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
The USA swept the final 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-16) over Puerto Rico today.
USA dominated in attacking points 46-24, blocks 9-2, aces 7-3, but USA made two more errors 15-13 than its opponent.
Middle blocker Andi Jackson scored a match-high 14 points; Brookly DeLeye, who was also tournament MVP, contributed 11 points.
Outside hitter Chareika Carrión contributed 13 points for Puerto Rico.
This win is also significant as it gives USA a NORCECA berth to the 2025 U21 World Championships (Women).
Team USA’s head coach, Heather Olmstead, said: “I think our team has done a great job; everyone has been ready to play at any time. Our offense was great all the tournament. It was exciting to see us play well against Puerto Rico. Also, congrats to Puerto Rico, I thought they played a great tournament.
“I’m happy for the USA U21 team to win the gold and get the bid for the World Championships. All these players are eligible for next year’s U21 and they set a great tone. They worked hard and did everything that we asked them to – they were all-in for the team all the time.”
Andi Jackson, USA player, said: “We just did an amazing job coming together and working with our differences … . Our week of training before the tournament was very rigorous but I think everyone handled it really well. I think the relationships that we built at the training before this really helped lead us to victory. We were one on the court. The relationships that we have and how we support each other as teammates are our foundations.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 30, 2024.- Canada defeated Cuba in three sets 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-22) to finish in fifth place in the NORCECA Final Six tournament which was played in the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Canada outscored Cuba in attacks 40-35 and in blocks 9-4, while in serves Cuba had the advantage 10-8.
Abagayle Guezen CAN
For the Canadians, Abagayle Guezen stood out offensively, who also led all scorers of the match, with 18 points, Emoni Busch added 9, while Raya Surinx and Madison Saris contributed with 8 points each. For Cuba, the most outstanding was Dezirett Madan with 14 points, while Alejandra Gómez and Laura Suarez added 9 each.
Carolyn O’Dwyer, coach of Canada: I think it was good that our team was playing better in each game we played, I think that is positive for such a young group, obviously we wanted to play much better and at least advance to the semifinals, but I am satisfied with the experience obtained.
Leivis García, coach of Cuba: I think it was a very well balanced tournament, the countries participated with good teams, some very different in terms of the game system, but the reality is that the Final Six event has been gaining quality.
Toronto, Canada. June 30, 2024: Dominican Republic won the third-place match today over host Canada at the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
After two very close set battles, Dominican Republic took control of the third set, sweeping Canada 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-16).
Dominican Republic led in attack points, 38-30, blocking was even at 7, serving favored the winning side 11-4, but Dominican Republic made a couple more errors 21-19.
Ariana Rodriguez Fung led all scoring with 17 points, five of those coming from ace serves.
Sophia Hansen, Claire Carter, Ella Piskorz, and Maëli Cormier added 8 points each to Canada’s effort.
Head coach of Dominican Republic’s team, Cristian Cruz, was satisfied with the outcome today: “I’m very happy with the medal, but we could have done even better. We lost to Puerto Rico and in the semifinals, we had to play the United States. But I am happy with third place, and I am proud of this team’s performance today.”
Dominican opposite Ariana Rodriguez Fung said after the match: “I felt we really concentrated on our serve receive and our efficiency on attack. We knew they were a tall team and we wanted to aim high. They blocked us a few times but what mattered is how we recuperated from the point. We stayed concentrated throughout the whole game and came out with the victory. This win means a lot because we’re a small country and we used all our volleyball skills get the job done and represent our country.”
Canada head coach, Olivier Faucher, said: “Dominican Republic team’s profile is one that we haven’t faced in this tournament so far. They are more physical than Puerto Rico and Mexico, so it was a different match-up for us. It was a good battle in the first two sets – we came to play. Block defense was good, but we just couldn’t convert some opportunities. It’s something we have to learn – finding ways to put the ball away when we have the chance. .. We gave them too many opportunities…. It’s part of the learning process for these athletes in their pathway to competing at a higher level.”
Toronto, Canada. June 30, 2024: Mexico finishes fifth overall at the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
It was a straight set win for Mexico 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-16) today over Costa Rica.
Mexico was more aggressive in their offense leading to 51 versus 19 attack points for Costa Rica. Mexico also dominated in its service points: 7 to 1. Blocks were tied at 4 apiece. Mexico made more errors 18-13.
Aylin Ravell Iglesias contributed 16 points to the Mexican side, and teammate Michelle Lizarraga added 15 points. Amanda Campos Monge of Costa Rica scored 9 points (including a block and ace her total).
Head coach of Mexico, Luis Leon Lopez, said post-match: “We played well as a team today. We played Costa Rica already in this tournament, so we had some information on them and that helped us today. … We had hoped to be in the semifinals and make it further in this tournament, but with an injury and other issues we were not able to achieve this goal.”
Outside hitter (Mexico) Michelle Lizarraga said: “I was feeling good the entire tournament and the team was very united. We enjoyed the game played as a team the whole time to win. We trusted in ourselves and stuck together.”
Toronto, Canada. June 30, 2024: The US Virgin Islands finishes seventh after a victory over Suriname today the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
The final score was 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-16) between these two young teams in the match for places 7 and 8.
US Virgin Islands came out on top in attack points 39-16, blocks 4-5, and ace serves 13-3, but also made more errors 25-18.
US Virgin Islands team captain and outside hitter Anna Gillens topped the scoresheet with 25 points (21 attacks, 2 blocks, 2 aces).
Chontelle Lisse was Suriname’s top scorer with 8 points.
Head coach US Virgin Islands, Isaac Raphael: “I thought we performed well, we have a young team. Of the 12 girls, eight of them qualify for the U19 category… so it was a good experience for them and I’m excited for them, and for the future. I’m glad they had a fun final match.
“The competition is high and every game we got a little better… we played Mexico twice and played a lot better the second time. I like to see the development of the team as a whole.”
Anna Gillens #9 US Virgin Islands player: “I think the game went really well. We did very well on offense and we tried to hone in on serve receive. The key to our victory was our teamwork. Throughout the whole tournament we were coming together, trying to figure things out and after figuring things out we were able to get the win.”
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 29, 2024.- Nicaragua’s setter, Norma Brenes, was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 6th Central American Women’s U23 Championship.
Brenes received the award during the closing ceremony after Nicaragua won the gold medal, emerging as the undefeated champion of the tournament. They topped the standings, followed by 2nd place Costa Rica, 3rd place Belize, 4th place Guatemala, 5th place Honduras, 6th place El Salvador, and 7th place Panama.
Biz Bronce, NCA gold, CRC Silver
Other individual performance awards, based on statistical data from the event, were also presented.
From Costa Rica, the team that finished in second place, Ana Victoria Rojas was awarded Best Opposite, and Rashanny Solano was named Best Libero. Additionally, Nhya Barley from Costa Rica was recognized as the 2nd Best Blocker.
Individual awards
Belize’s Fatuomata Camara received honors as the tournament’s Top Scorer and Best Spiker, while Nissan Martínez was recognized as Best Blocker.
For Guatemala, María Andrea Santa Cruz was named the 2nd Best Spiker, Ana Granados received the award for Best Receiver, and Jimena Castellanos was honored as Best Setter.
Honduran Natalia Reyes was awarded Best Server, and Salvadoran Mónica Portillo was recognized as Best Defense.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 29, 2024. – Costa Rica defeated Honduras 3-1 with set scores of 25-21, 25-14, 19-25, and 25-13 to secure the Silver Medal at the 6th Central American Women’s U-23 Championship, which concluded at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
With the victory, Costa Rica tied with Belize with 4 wins and 2 losses, accumulating 21 points. However, Costa Rica finished in second place with a better set ratio (2.000 to 1.875) and a better points ratio (1.230 to 1.206). Guatemala finished in fourth place with the same number of wins and losses but with 19 points.
Costa Rica dominated the game in attacks, leading 55-32 against Honduras. The teams were tied in blocks with 7 each, while Honduras led in serves, surpassing Costa Rica 8-4.
Costa Rica
Ana Victoria Rojas of Costa Rica was the top scorer of the match with 21 points. Lakysha Thompson added 13, and Krystel Vargas contributed 10 to support the Costa Rican attack. Rocío Duron led the Honduran offense with 20 points.
This was the last match of the 21 played in the 6th Central American Women’s U-23 Championship.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 29, 2024. – The Dominican Republic defeated Mexico in the semifinal match 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-22) to secure their place in the final of the 2024 NORCECA Final Six, taking place at the National Volleyball Pavilion at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The top scorer for the Caribbean Queens was Lisvel Eve Mejía with 12 points, followed by Bethania De La Cruz with 10 and rising star Alondra Tapia who added 9 points. For Mexico, Sofía Maldonado contributed 11 points, while Uxue Guereca and Gracie Castro added 9 and 7 points, respectively.
Mexico outperformed the Dominican Republic in attacks with 32-31, while the Dominicans were superior in blocks with 8-7 and in serves with 6-2.
Bethania de la Cruz DOM
Niverka Marte, captain of the Dominican Republic: I am happy because we achieved today’s goal, and I believe the team has been gradually improving, all of this is part of our team cohesion process. The coach is trying to give all the girls a chance to play as much as possible, so I’m happy we achieved this 3-0 victory.
Jocelyn Urías, captain of Mexico: The Dominican team is well-prepared, they have been improving for many years, showing a higher level each time, this is the result of their participation in numerous tournaments, meanwhile, we are a team with many new players and we managed to recover a bit in the last set but couldn’t close it out.
The NORCECA Final Six concludes this Sunday. In the 5th-6th place match, Cuba will face Canada. Puerto Rico and Mexico will compete for the bronze medal, while the Dominican Republic and the United States will battle for the gold.
Toronto, Canada. June 29, 2024: Puerto Rico will play in the gold-medal final after beating the host country today the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
After a tight first couple of sets, Puerto Rico managed to sweep Canada 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-16). Puerto Rico led in attack points 42-29, and aces 5-2. Canada led in blocking points 6-2. Canada also made more errors 27-24.
Outside hitter Chareika Carrión had a match-high 19 points and teammate Camila Soto contributed 12 to the winning side.
Opposite Maëli Cormier was Canada’s top scorer with 8 points.
Puerto Rico’s Captain, Chareika Carrión said: “We played united as a team, our passes were always there and we were mentally ready. This team is all about players that are younger than the norm. I’m very happy because we’re going to the finals with such a young and great team. We’re ready for the next game because we’ve already played against the USA and we’re ready to play them again.”
Head coach Puerto Rico, Jose Ricardo Rivera: “We are really happy we won. Our goal when we came to this tournament was to finish in the top four. This is the first time we have been in the U21 Norceca championship final, so we’re happy and proud we are in the final against USA. They are a really strong, tall team with a lot of discipline.”
Head coach of Canada, Olivier Faucher : “I think tonight we had a lot of missed opportunities. We were right there in the first two sets, we had our chances and we just couldn’t convert. The message I told the players is that they have to learn from this and get ready for the bronze medal match tomorrow. We need to deliver our best performance tomorrow.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 29, 2024.- Nicaragua defeated Guatemala 3-1 with set scores of (11-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-19) to claim the title of the 6th Central American Women’s U-23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
The Nicaraguan team finished the tournament with a perfect record of 6 wins and no losses. Guatemala ended with a 4-2 record. With this result, Belize reached the podium, and both teams are now waiting for the outcome of the match between Costa Rica and Honduras to determine their final standings.
Guatemala outperformed Nicaragua in blocks (8-5) and serves (10-3), while both teams were tied in attacks with 37 points each. The difference in the game was that Guatemala committed 41 unforced errors compared to Nicaragua’s 29.
Nicaragua
Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua led all scorers with 16 points. Samantha Vargas and María José Rivera also scored in double digits for Nicaragua with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
For Guatemala, María Andrea Santa Cruz finished with 14 points, Naomi Monney with 12, and Andrea Michelle Mendizábal with 10.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 29, 2024.- The United States defeated Puerto Rico in their semifinal match 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 25-16) becoming the first team to advance to the final of the Women’s NORCECA Final Six Volleyball tournament that is being played at the “Ricardo Arias” Pavilion in Santo Domingo.
The Americans were better in attacks 57-53 and in blocks 9-6, while in serves both teams were tied at 6. In terms of errors, the United States committed the most 24-20.
Sarah Franklin led the United States’ offense with 15 points, while Merritt Beason and Sophia Fischer added 14 and 13 respectively. For Puerto Rico Grace López scored 23 points followed by Diana Reyes with 11 and Paola Santiago with 10.
Sarah Franklin USA
Sarah Franklin from the United States: I think the game was fantastic, we had good communication between us although there were ups and downs but that’s what volleyball is all about and if we are consistent in the game and stay together, we can achieve the goal.
Grace López from Puerto Rico: It was not our best match, we could have played better but the United States closed the sets better and achieved the victory, now we have to prepare to see how we do tomorrow.
This Sunday starting at 3:00 pm (local time) the matches for positions 5-6, followed by the bronze medal match and the grand final will be played.
Toronto, Canada. June 29, 2024: The United States U21 team defeated Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-12) in the semifinals of the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
USA led in attack points 42-21, blocks 7-4, ace serves 11-3, but made more errors 17-15 than its opponent.
Dominican player Ariana Rodríguez was the match top scorer with 13 points.
Outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye, who led her team in scoring with 12 points (10 attack points and 2 aces), said: “We knew they were going to come in strong since we played them once before this tournament. We were expecting their best and I think we just really had to fine tune some things and then work together as a team to come out on top. I’m really excited for the finals. It will be a great game and I think we’re ready for it.”
Coach Heather Olmstead of team USA said: “We’re just trying to play our best style of volleyball. We’re still working on rotations and fighting hard together. I like that we got a lot of players in the match and we just keep working on our system, as it’s a new group. I thought we did some really good things – we served well, got them in some tough spots and our offense was good, and Bergen (Reilly) set a good match.
“We’re really excited about advancing and we feel grateful for the opportunity to play tomorrow.”
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 26, 2024.- Belize defeated El Salvador 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-20) and could become the runner-up of the 6th Central American Women’s Under-23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
Belize’s comfortable victory leaves them awaiting the results of the matches Guatemala vs. Nicaragua and Costa Rica vs. Honduras to determine their position in the Championship. A loss for Guatemala and Costa Rica could place Belize as the tournament’s runner-up.
Belice
Belize finished the tournament with a record of 4 wins, 2 losses, and 21 points. Guatemala, with one match remaining, is at 4-1 and 18 points, while Costa Rica, playing later tonight, stands at 3-2 with 17 points.
Belize was superior to El Salvador in all aspects: 32-16 in attacks, 11-2 in blocks, and 10-2 in serves.
Fatoumata Camara once again led the Belizean team to victory, scoring 16 points. She was supported in the attack by Blessed Omamurhe and Nisaan Martínez, who each scored 10 points. For El Salvador, their best attacker was Allison Naomi Méndez with 9 points.
Nisaan Martinez BIZ
Fatoumata Camara from Belize said after the match, “I think this has been a very good tournament, despite us starting off really slow because we lost our first two games. But then we ended up winning all the rest of our games which is a good thing. We just decided to finish the tournament strong and for me personally I think I had a great tournament; my team depends on me, so I need to make sure I am aggressive on the court”.
Daniela López, captain of El Salvador, expressed, “I congratulate the Belize team; it was a good game for them. They are quite tall and strong, and we don’t have those qualities. We hope that for the upcoming tournaments, our team can be better prepared; I think that’s what we were missing.”
Toronto, Canada. June 29, 2024: Mexico will have the chance to play for fifth place in the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
On Saturday, the Mexican team defeated the US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17) in their classification match.
Mexico held the advantage in attack points 42-20 and serves 10-3, while USVI had a slight advance in blocking 4-3. Errors were 20-19 in favor of Mexico.
Mexican outside hitter Michelle Lizárraga had a match-high 15 points, followed by opposite Aylin Ravell Iglesias with 13 points. Anna Gillens reached 10 points for the US Virgin Islands.
Head coach of Mexico, Luis Leon Lopez, commented after the match: “This was an important match and the players came ready to play and in the moment. Tomorrow we’re going to try and win and just play our game like we’re supposed to.”
Isabella Annie Ocampo, Mexican player, said: “Today when they started to push back a little, we came together as a team and talked about what was open on the court and how to help each other with receiving. They are a good blocking team, so we also tried to help each other when it came to hitting and covering and we talked about who to go to. What worked for us was coming together as a team and talking and making sure we kept our energy high.
Tomorrow our mindset is to come out with everything, play our hardest, and to play together as a team.”
Toronto, Canada. June 29, 2024: Costa Rica defeated Suriname in the first classification match of the day at the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
Costa Rica will get the opportunity to play for positions 5 and 6 on Sunday.
The score was 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-15) with Costa Rica leading in attack points 38-22, block points 5-3 and ace serves 9-2. Costa Rica also made the most of Suriname’s errors by 23-17 points.
Amanda Campos of Costa Rica led scoring with 9 attacks, 3 blocks and an ace. Mariela Navarro and Amelie Jenkins Cruz each had 10 points for the winning side.
Avaira Sengwai of Suriname was that team’s lead scorer with 9 total points.
Costa Rican player Manuela Alcalá Martinez said: “We stuck together as a team and tried to follow our coaches’ instructions. We tried to keep our movement up and not let ourselves down. … We came together really well as a team, we managed to communicate well. We’re really happy with how we played and we’re really excited for the game tomorrow.”
Head coach of Costa Rica, Kareem Richards, said: “Suriname came out strong. We told the girls we needed to reduce the unforced errors that we were committing. The girls were very tactical with their serves and that’s what gave us a little advantage over the game. As I said last time, these are awesome girls, once they’re on the court they give their everything.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 28, 2024.- In a nail-biting match that went to a maximum of five sets, the Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 28- 30, 23-25, 16-14) on the third day of the 2024 NORCECA Final Six Women’s Volleyball tournament.
Although the Dominicans committed more errors than Puerto Rico 117-112, they were better in attacks 65-62 and in blocks 16-13, while in serves the Puerto Ricans were much superior 12-4.
Brayelin Martínez led the Queens of the Caribbean with 24 points, while Bethania De La Cruz and Lisvel Eve Mejía added 14 and 12 points respectively. For Puerto Rico Stephanie Rivera and Paola Santiago added 21 points each and Neira Ortiz collected 18.
Brayelin Martinez DOM
With the victory, the Dominicans finished first in group B in the preliminary round and will face Mexico which finished second in group A in Saturday’s semifinals starting at 7:00 pm (local time).
Marcos Kwiek, coach of the Dominican Republic: For the fans it was a good game, a close game but clinically it was a bad game, analyzing the numbers it was an ugly game, I think we relaxed in some important moments we believed we were going to win the time that we wanted but it was not like that, on the other side there are also people who play and who study, who work hard, the good thing was that at the important moment the relevant players came out and were able to achieve victory.
Juan Carlos Nuñez, coach of Puerto Rico: We were able to come from behind being down 2-0, we were able to regroup in the game, we extended the game, it was convenient for us to play, it was convenient for us to pick up the pace in the game, we brought some new players from the reserve who could do their job and well we didn’t achieve victory but we are not out and I appreciate the effort the girls made.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 26, 2024: Nicaragua defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-20), putting them in a commanding position to win the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
Nicaragua started the game with complete dominance over Honduras. Honduras’ coach, Marcos Sugiyama, called the first technical timeout when they were trailing 2-13. The Honduran team managed to close the gap but couldn’t do enough to win the first set.
Nicaragua will face Guatemala on Saturday, and with their victory over Honduras, they are now just one step away from the title. Even losing to Guatemala 3-1 would still secure them the U23 Central American Championship, thanks to the points system in the standings.
Meanwhile, Honduras has a record of 2-3 and will play against Costa Rica in the final match of the tournament.
Nicaragua outperformed Honduras in all aspects of the game: 37-20 in attacks, 10-2 in blocks, and 6-5 in serves.
Brittany Forbes NCA
Masiel Brenes of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 16 points, including 5 blocks. Brittany Forbes added 12 more points to the victory. For Honduras, Andrea Duarte was the top scorer with 8 points.
Nicaragua’s coach, Claudia Noguera, said, “We had many ups and downs during the game, but in the end, the team managed to focus and made fewer mistakes to secure the victory. Tomorrow, we will give our all on the court and try to play at our highest level in the final game.”
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024: Costa Rica defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 26-24), re-entering the race for medals at the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
The victory keeps Costa Rica’s hopes alive and puts Guatemala in a tough spot, as they now no longer solely control their path to the Gold medal match. A loss to Nicaragua tomorrow could even push them off the podium.
Costa Rica improved their record to 3-2 and will face Honduras on Saturday. Guatemala now stands at 4-1 and will face Nicaragua.
Costa Rica surpassed in serves, leading 6-0, while Guatemala missed 7 serves. The differences in attack and blocking were small, yet still in favor of Costa Rica, at 37-35 and 8-5, respectively.
Ana Victoria Rojas from Costa Rica dominated the game, being the most effective scorer with 19 points. Nhya Barley assisted with 12 points, including 4 on serves and 2 on blocks. For Guatemala, Ivana Sopegno was their best attacker with 12 points, and Naomi Monney contributed 9.
Nhya Barley CRC
Ana Victoria Rojas of Costa Rica said, “Thank God we were able to win 3-0 today. This result puts us back in the competition. We now have the chance to fight for the Silver medal, and that’s what we’ll aim for tomorrow when we play against Honduras. Today, the team had great energy; we worked together, and that helped us secure the victory.”
Guatemala’s coach, William Fernández, commented, “The team did not meet the expectations for this game. They started well in the first set, but after Costa Rica came back, they couldn’t recover psychologically, losing confidence in themselves. Now we have to fight back tomorrow.”
Toronto, Canada. June 28, 2024: Dominican Republic secured its spot in the semifinals of the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
The Dominican team defeated Mexico 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-23) in Friday’s quarterfinal match.
The winning side led in attack points (38-32), blocks 4-2 and ace serves 11-1. Mexico also made more errors 22-13.
Dominican player Ariana Rodriguez contributed 18 points, which included 3 aces; and teammate Selanny Puente scored 14 (also including 3 aces).
Middle blocker Arleth Marquez Ceja was the Mexican team’s top scorer with 12 points.
This U21 Dominican team now faces the challenge the United States in tomorrow’s semifinal at 4:30 pm ET.
Head coach of the Dominican Republic, Cristian Cruz, was pleased his team fought off Mexico’s late comeback attempt: “In the last set we were a little bit confused, but I trusted in the girls, and I knew they would adjust. Our attitude played the biggest role in the game.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 28, 2024.- The United States continues on the victorious path and only needed three sets on Friday to easily dominate the Canadian team with a score of 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-13) in the fourth edition of the NORCECA Women’s Volleyball Final Six that is being held at the National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo.
United States led 35-27 in kills, 5-3 in blocks and 6-1 in aces. Canada committed more errors (29-18).
For the United States, which now has a record of (2-0), Sarah Franklin was the most outstanding offensively with 12 points, while Carter Booth added another 9. For the Canadians (0-2), the best was Abagayle Guezen with 12 points followed by Emonia Busch with 6.
On Saturday the United States will face Puerto Rico in the semifinals at 5:00 pm (local time).
Brad Rostratter, coach of the United States: It was a good match for us since we played well and were more relaxed regarding the issue of pressure, which in this environment is amazing and obviously it was a great match in which we were able to develop the strategies well and achieve good momentum for the semi-finals.
Carolyn O’Dwyer, coach of Canada: I think we had some good moments in the game, it’s just a matter of keeping our spirits high all the time because during the game we went down a little, but we also had positive things, several good starts that are one of the things we should do more often.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 26, 2024.- El Salvador won 3 sets to 0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-18) against Panama in the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.
The Salvadoran team secured their first victory on Thursday at the start of the penultimate day of the tournament, bringing their record to 1-4, while Panama concluded their participation in the Central American Women’s Championship with 6 losses and no wins.
El Salvador will face Belize on Saturday, in the first game of the final day; Belize had a rest day today.
The Salvadorans dominated the match with 35 attack points compared to Panama’s 24. In blocks and serves, El Salvador also led 6-1 and 5-2, respectively.
El Salvador’s captain, Daniela López, was the top scorer of the match and the only player with double digits, scoring 15 points for her team, including 2 from serves. For Panama, Krisleen González scored 8 points, including 1 block and 1 serve.
Panama’s coach, Donaldo Ureña, commented, “This tournament was a great learning experience. We faced challenges due to our lack of preparation and the technical and tactical aspects we need to improve. These are part of our plan for future tournaments”.
“It was a very good match. We played as a team, and our goal was to win this game, so we are very happy we achieved it. Tomorrow, we aim to give it our all again. We know Belize is a strong and tall team, so we must give it our best with enthusiasm and the right attitude”, said Daniela López, captain of El Salvador.
Toronto, Canada. June 28, 2024: Puerto Rico advances to the semifinals of the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario, after a decisive win over Costa Rica today.
Puerto Rico dominated the scoresheet 3-0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-11).
The winning team led in attack points 39-10, blocks 9-3, and serves 10-0. Costa Rica also lost more points to errors 17-14.
Puerto Rico’s Chareika Carrión again led her team’s offense with 18 points, including 3 aces.
Puerto Rico will face host Canada in the semifinal on Saturday.
Head coach of Puerto Rico, Jose Ricardo Rivera, said post-match: “In this game we were focused on passing and serving. That was our strategy in practice. For the next game against Canada, we’re focused on doing the same things and the little things so we can move on to the final and play for a medal.”
Opposite player Mariajose Vazquez said: “We played united. The key to this game was to play a happy game with a lot of communication and to do the little things: passing, setting, spiking, and good serving with a lot of enthusiasm. … I’m feeling good (about the semifinal) I bet the girls are feeling great, too. The next game is going to be harder; it’s going to be a better game. I hope we get the win and go to the finals.”
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