Category: Volleyball

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 26, 2023.- Dominican team captain Niverka Marte selected the Most Valuable Player -MVP- of the Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the 19th Pan American Games Santiago 2023 held from October 21 to 26 at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Niverka Marte was handed the MVP Award after the Caribbean Queens, Dominican Republic, beat Brazil 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-19) to win their second consecutive Pan American Games gold medal.

Dominicans Brayelin Martinez and Yonkaira Peña received the awards for Best Spiker and second-Best Spiker respectively. Yonkaira Peña also received the recognition for Best Server.

From Brazil the silver medalist team, Lorena Viezel was granted the second-Best Blocker award and Sabrina Machado the Best Opposite award.

Mexican Ivone Martínez, bronze medalist of the event, received the award for Best Setter.

The Best Blocker award was for Neira Ortiz of Puerto Rico and her teammate Shara Venegas the Best Receiver.

Colombian Camila Gomez was the Best Libero award. Chile’s Carla Ruz and Beatriz Novoa were recognized as Best Digger and Best Scorer respectively.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 26, 2023. – Dominican Republic won its second consecutive Gold Medal at the Pan American Games after defeating Brazil 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-19) in the final of the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the 19th edition of the Games Santiago 2023, held at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

The Dominican Republic has now earned three gold medals in the history of the Pan American Games (Santo Domingo 2003, Lima 2019, and Santiago 2023) and also holds a bronze medal from Toronto 2015. For Brazil, this is their third bronze medal (Mexico 1955, San Juan 1979, Santiago 2023).

Dominican Republic finished the event undefeated 5-0 and Brazil with a 4-1 win-loss record.

In the first set, the Dominican Republic came from behind 14-17 as Brazil, led by outside hitter Sabrina Machado and middle blocker Lorena Viezel, had the lead. However, thanks to the offensive efforts of the Martinez sisters, Brayelin and Jineiry, along with Candida Arias, the Dominicans tied the score at 17 points, and went on to win a thrilling 26-24 finish.

In the second set, opposite hitter Gaila González and outside hitter Yonkaira Peña joined the Dominican offensive, neutralizing Brazil and building a significant lead of 15-7, which proved unbeatable.

Despite Dominicans offensive errors, Sabrina Machado and Tainara helped Brazil recover from a four-point deficit (6-10) in the third set. Lorena, with precise blocking, contributed to keeping the score tied at 13 points. Eventually, the Dominican Republic regained control, sealing the gold medal with a direct serve point from Brayelin Martínez and a comfortable 25-19 lead.

The Dominicans outperformed Brazil in every skill of the game, kills (43-31), blocking (11-8), and serves (3-1). Both teams committed 19 unforced errors.

Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña led the Dominican offense with 13 points, followed by opposite Gaila González with 12 points and outside hitter Brayelin Martínez with 11 points.

The top scorer of the match was Brazilian Sabrina Machado with 14 points. Middle blocker Lorena Viezel scored a match-high of 5 points on blocks.

Niverka Marte, captain of the Dominican Republic, said, “Brazil is a team that plays very well at every level. We are happy to have kept control of the entire game. It has been a beautiful year for all of us, and ending the year like this is the best. We close the year literally with a golden seal against a great rival”.

Marcos Kwiek, coach of the Dominican Republic mentioned that it was a very tough year, “We had many commitments, very important competitions, and we achieved all the goals we set. We came here as favorites, knowing our quality, and I believe we didn’t disappoint. Mission accomplished”.

Naiane Rios, captain of Brazil, expressed, “Unfortunately, today we couldn’t impose our game rhythm as we did in yesterday’s match. We knew it would be a tough game, but it also depended on us. We move forward!”

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 26, 2023 – After 48 years, Mexico won a medal at the Pan American Games by defeating Argentina in five sets 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13) for the bronze medal in the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the 19th Santiago 2023 Games.

The last time Mexico reached a Pan American Games podium was in 1975 when they won the bronze medal against Canada. Mexico also won bronze medals in Cali 1971 and Sao Paulo 1955. Their first-ever medal was gold in 1955.

Mexico recovered from an unstable start in the first set. Argentina, led by their captain Daniela Bulaich and outside hitter Candela Salinas, took a 6-point lead (14-8). However, Mexico managed to stabilize their attack with Grecia Castro and Karen Rivera. Argentina’s blocks stopped them from recovering and led them to commit consecutive errors.

Despite Argentina resistance to Mexico’s pressure evening the score to 19 in the second set, Mexico, led by opposite hitter Karen Rivera and captain Jocelyn Urías, evened the match to one set each.

Opposite hitter María De La Paz Corbalán, along with middle blockers Bianca Farriol and Avril García, helped Argentina win the third set. But in the fourth set, Mexican outside hitter Aimé Topete played a crucial role in forcing a tie-break by scoring three consecutive attack points.

Mexico won the fifth set and the bronze medal with a 78-65 advantage in attacking points and 6-0 in service points. Argentina dominated in blocking 12-8 and made fewer unforced errors 17-27.

Grecia Castro of Mexico led all scorers with 26 points (22 attacks, one block, 3 aces). Karen Rivera also contributed to the victory with 23 points (19 attacks, one block, 3 aces), and Aimé Topete scored 20 points from direct attacks.

Daniela Bulaich and María De La Paz Corbalán scored 15 points each from direct attacks for Argentina. Avril García added 14 points, including a match-high of 8 blocks.

Nicolás Negro, Mexico’s coach congratulated his team, saying, “My players achieved a historic result. It has been 48 years since Mexico won a medal at the Pan American Games. We know that the best teams were not here, and we never had a complete team throughout the season. I believe that the pre-Olympic tournament in China prepared us to compete at this level. We arrived with great confidence, had a good tournament here, and I hope this medal marks the beginning of a new journey”.

Daniela Bulaich, captain of Argentina said “I think that at times, we couldn’t control their attackers. We struggled a bit in blocking and defense, and our serving level dropped significantly”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 26, 2023.- Chile defeated Colombia 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17) to take fifth place in their first ever Pan American Games while hosting the nineteenth edition of the event in the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Chile finished the event with a 3-3 win-loss record and Colombia with 1-4. This was the second time that Chile beat Colombia at Santiago 2023.

Chile came out on top leading 41-36 in kills, 14-7 in blocks and 5-0 in points from serves. Both teams committed 15 unforced errors.

Chilean team captain Beatriz Novoa produced 21 points in the win, on 15 attacks, 3 blocks and one ace. Middle blocker Elisa Sandrock contributed 12 points on 7 kills and a match-high of 5 blocks. Opposite Petra Schwartzman added 10 points.

Colombia was led by middle blocker Maira Ospino with 11 attacking points. Sofia Cuartas and Doris Manco both scored 7 points.

Beatriz Novoa, captain of Chile, said after the victory, “We are very pleased with the performance of our team throughout this championship. We had a great performance, but we always want more. We were on the same level with teams like Argentina, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and now Colombia. We know we have a long way to go because we are a young team, but we will continue to move forward”.

Maira Montero from Colombia said, “We are happy because our team has an average age of 18, so there are many girls who are in their first international tournament, so it’s an evolution. We are pleased with the young players’ performance at the Pan American Games”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 26, 2023.- Puerto Rico swept Cuba (25-23, 26-24, 25-19) for seventh place in the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the nineteenth Pan American Games Santiago 2023 at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Puerto Rico finished the event with a 2-4 record and Cuba 0-5. Puerto Rico also beat Cuba in pool-play.

Despite Cuba’s 13-5 huge margin in blocking, Puerto Rico earned the win leading 43-42 in attacks,  6-1 in aces and scoring on 22 opponent errors against 10 of their own.

Ivania Ortiz topped Puerto Rico’s scorers with 15 points all on kills. Destiny Skerrett followed with 13 points all on kills as well and Neira Ortiz registered 12 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces.

Ivy Vila led Cuba with 14 points all on kills. Dayana Martinez added 11 points on 6 kills, 4 blocks and one ace and Yalain De La Peña contributed 10 points on 7 kills and 3 blocks.

Wilmarie Rivera, setter of Puerto Rico, said about the match “This was the second victory against Cuba in the tournament, and there wasn’t much of a difference because the important thing was to focus on our side of the court and make the girls feel comfortable”. Regarding the tournament, she expressed, “It wasn’t the position we wanted, although finishing with a win makes us feel a bit better. The group is very young, the girls fought hard, and we will continue learning to improve. I’ pleased with the performance of the young players; we will improve”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 25, 2023 – Brazil advanced to the final match of the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games with a tie-break victory 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 22-25, 15-13) over Mexico on Tuesday night at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.  

Brazil will face reigning champions, the Dominican Republic, in the gold medal match. Both teams are undefeated, with Brazil seeking its fifth title in the history of the Games, while the Caribbean Queens are aiming for their second title.

Brazil hadn’t reached a final since 2015 when they lost to the United States in Toronto. Meanwhile, Mexico will compete for their fourth bronze medal in Pan American Games, facing Argentina, who won the bronze in Lima 2019, their only medal in the history of the Games.

Mexico didn’t make it easy for Brazil, especially in the third set when Brazil came from behind with a six-point deficit (8-14) for a dramatic 27-25 win.

In battled fourth set, Mexico lost two set points (24-20) before forcing the tie-break, where the Brazilians were the ones to fail three match points (14-10) before their thrilling victory.

Brazil dominated in blocking, with a significant 20-10 advantage, and committed fewer unforced errors, 34 to 38. Mexico held advantage in attacks, 53 to 50, and in service points, 8 to 3.

Brazilian Sabrina Machado was the leading scorer in the match with 27 points (20 attacks, 4 blocks). Lorena Viezel contributed 17 points in the win, including a match-high of 7 points in blocks, and Maira Basso added 10 points.

Grecia Castro and Karen Rivera led Mexico with 16 points each, and Aimé Topete added 15 points.

Sabrina Machado from Brazil said, “Mexico is a highly skilled team, they play very fast, we know their quality, they have a lot of volume. We had to be patient, we  started well in the first set, we had to come from behind in the second and third sets, and I believe that patience was crucial in today’s match. Now, we need to lower the adrenaline and study because tomorrow will be a very tough match for us”.

Paola Rivera from Mexico expressed, “I’m very excited to be here. We were thrilled to face such a formidable opponent. Brazil has a lot of quality, so we knew it would be very challenging.”

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 2023.- Reigning champions Dominican Republic defeated Argentina 3-1 (16-23, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17) in semifinals and is headed to the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games title match undefeated at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

This is Dominicans second consecutive semifinal win over Argentina at Pan American Games to progress into the gold medal match. Dominican Republic remains undefeated with a 4-0 record.

Dominican Republic will face the winner of the semifinal between Brazil and Mexico. Argentina will play their second consecutive bronze medal match at the Games against the loser.

In addition to Argentina’s consistent offense in serves, alongside effective serves, they took advantage of Dominican Republic’s defense errors to win the first set.

Dominicans visibly improved in blocking to stabilize their defense and then charged over Argentina into the next three sets for the final four-set win.

Outside hitter Brayelin Martinez guided Dominican Republic with 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks. Opposite Gaila Gonzalez joined in with 15 points on 11 kills and a match-high of four blocks. Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña collected 13 points on 11 kills, one block and one ace.

Team captain Daniela Bulaich topped Argentina with 14 points on 13 kills and one ace. Candela Salinas and Maria De La Paz Corbalan contributed with 11 points each.

Brayelin Martínez, of Dominican Republic “We started the first slow, lazy, even our serves and Argentina took advantage of our serves and passing. Then we regained our serve and eliminated their middle blockers. We did what we came to do, which is to be in the final”.

“In the first set, we applied a lot of pressure with our serves, which was a fundamental tool to get the Dominican Republic out of system. In the second set, we made more errors and struggled to defend some challenging balls due to their power. We played according to our plan and had a good match”. said Candela Salinas of Argentina.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 25, 2023. – Chile beat Cuba 3-0 (25-15, 28-26, 25-17) and will face Colombia for the fifth place at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games. The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, was present at the Parque O’Higgins Arena, cheering on the hosts.

Chile will compete against Colombia for the fifth place of the event, while Cuba will face Puerto Rico for the seventh position.

Chile dominated the first and third sets by blocking Cuba’s offense, but in the second set, they recovered from a five-point deficit (15-20) and even snatched a set point (23-24) from Cuba for a dramatic 28-26 finish.

The hosts led in attacks 47-37, in blocks 10-7, and in serves 5-3. Chile scored 16 points from Cuba’s errors and handed out 11.

Three Chilean players reached double digits in scoring, with Petra Schwartzman (17), Beatriz Novoa (14), and Karen Morales (11).

Yalain De La Peña was the top scorer for Cuba with 12 points.

 Eduardo Guillaume, coach of Chile, said, “We are used to beating Cuba. At the beginning, playing against Cuba was probably superior, but now Cuba is a bit down, and there are indicators that show we’ve grown. The team has a good temper and always fights. The players give their all in every match; they don’t back down. That gives us confidence and hope to keep growing. Another indicator is that 8 players are going to play abroad, even in Brazil. It’s becoming interesting!”

Leivis García, coach of Cuba, stated, “Today’s match was very interesting. We couldn’t win due to a lack of experience, but it’s a strengthened team that starts strong at the beginning of the sets but eases up in the final quarter of the set due to pressure and inexperience. Also, today, facing the host with the support of the crowd added certain pressure to the team. The players are young and gaining experience”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 25, 2023 – With impressive 39 points from Sofía Cuartas, Colombia defeated Puerto Rico 3-2 (19-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-8) and will battle for the fifth place in the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 being held at Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Sofía Cuartas’ 39 points pushed Colombia to recover from a two-set deficit and clinch the victory in a thrilling five-set match against Puerto Rico. Cuartas improved the 32 points scored by Amanda Coneo in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima when Colombia defeated Peru.

Colombia awaits the winner of the match between Cuba and Chile for the fifth place in the Games.

Cuartas’ 39 points included 34 attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. Juliana Guardado contributed 20 points on 19 attacks and one block.

Neira Ortiz was the top scorer for Puerto Rico with 21 points on 13 attacks, 7 blocks, and one ace. Destiny Skerrett Walker and Ivania Ortiz added 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Colombia ended with an advantage of 69 to 64 in attacks, 11 to 10 in blocks, and committed fewer errors, 18 against 22. Puerto Rico prevailed in direct serves, 9 to 4.

17 year old Colombian Juliana Laguado, commented on the victory, “We had the fighting spirit and came with a clear goal, which was to win this match to contend for the fifth place. Our goal is to  stay united from the beginning to the end, whether winning or losing, and fighting to win. We recovered and achieved the victory today”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 24, 2023 – Argentina defeated Chile 3-2 (25-19, 25-9, 21-25, 23-25, 15-7) and won their ticket at the semifinals of the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the nineteenth Pan American Games Santiago 2023, which is taking place at the Parque O’Higgins Arena.

Argentina will face the reigning champions, the Dominican Republic, in the semifinals, just as they did in the previous edition of the 2019 Lima Games, where they lost in four sets and then went on to defeat Brazil in the bronze medal match, marking their first-ever Pan American Games medal.

Chile staged a remarkable comeback from a two-set deficit, especially after Argentina’s complete dominance in the second set.

The match extended to a tie-break, won by Argentina who controlled the actions with a 75-56 advantage in attacks, a 6-5 margin in blocks, and an 8-1 lead in aces. Chile scored 23 points from Argentina’s errors and gave away 20.

Argentina’s top scorer was team captain Daniela Bulaich, with 21 points on 18 attacks, one block, and one ace. Also contributing to the victory were opposite María De La Paz Corbalan and middle blocker Avril García, with 17 points each. García registered a match-high of 4 blocks.

Chile’s captain, Beatriz Novoa, scored 21 points, all from attacks. Opposite Petra Schwartzman added 16 points on 15 attacks and one block.

Daniela Bulaich of Argentina said, “We knew this was a game that determined our qualification. If Chile started playing well, it would be a tight match. We managed to get back to our game and pull through. Now, we’ll enjoy this victory a bit and study the semifinal match”.

Dominga Aylwin of Chile expressed, “We were coming from a loss. We fought hard, and in the end, we couldn’t capitalize on the win. We left everything on the court”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 24, 2023. – Mexico became a semifinalist in the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the nineteenth Pan American Games Santiago 2023 by defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-14) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at the Parque O’Higgins Arena.

Mexico hasn’t won a medal in the Pan American Games since 1975 when they took bronze. In the semifinals, Mexico will face either Brazil or the Dominican Republic, pending the outcome of the match between Argentina and Chile.

Mexico’s 57-23 huge advantage in attacking points was crucial in advancing to the tournament’s finals. Mexico also led in blocks 9-4, and both teams scored 4 points from serves. Puerto Rico gave away fewer points from unforced errors (10-12).

With 22 points, outside hitter Grecia Castro once again led Mexico’s offense. Opposite hitter Karen Rivera and outside hitter Aimé Topete contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Puerto Rico’s leading scorer was outside hitter Ivania Ortiz with 14 points.

Mexico’s coach, Nicola Negro, expressed, “First of all, I congratulate my girls. This is a very important result for us because we’ve only been together for 5 months. It’s been a challenging journey because we were missing some of our team members. We had several weeks in competition with only 8 or 9 players, so it wasn’t easy to develop our work. We arrived here in good shape, with enthusiasm, and I believe we’ve played well. Now we’re in a semifinal, and it’s time to dream of winning a medal”.

Juan Carlos Morales, Puerto Rico’s coach, said, “Our service was too comfortable, and our offense wasn’t our strong skill, and they (Mexico) blocked well. The counterattack worked well. We also lacked energy.  Mexico has been together for several months, they are well-coordinated, and we have a relatively new team with young players, and we’re still working. This is for the future”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, 23 de octubre de 2023.- Mexico upset Chile in front of the home crowd winning second place of Pool A with a 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18) victory on Monday night at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in the Arena Parque O’Higgins on Monday at Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Mexico finished the preliminary round with a 2-1 record for second place in Pool A. Chile with 1-2 took third place.

In Tuesday’s Quarterfinals, Mexico will face Puerto Rico and Chile plays Argentina. The winners advance to Wednesday’s semifinals.

Mexico recovered from losing the first set, snatching two set points (22-24) before the thrilling 26-24 win for Chile.

Mexico held a 64 to 39 advantage in attacking points and with a 9-8 margin in blocks. Chile scored 6 points from serves against 5 and committed fewer unforced errors (20-28).

Mexican outside hitter Grecia Castro scored a tournament-high of 27 points so far, on 25 kills, one block and one ace. Opposite Karen Rivera contributed 17 points on 16 kills and one block, followed by middle blocker Jocelyn Urias with 14 points including a match-high of four stuff blocks.

Outside hitter Beatriz Novoa led Chile with 21 points on 17 kills, two blocks and two aces. Opposite Petra Schwartzman added 11 points on 8 kills and three blocks.

Grecia Castro of Mexico spoke excitedly, “What can I say? I’ve got the adrenaline pumping. From the beginning we really wanted to win this match, and we knew it would be a tough game against the world, with 12,000 people around us. I confess we enjoy playing with the crowd against us, we have much more fun. It was a very crucial match!”

Petra Schwartzman of Chile said, “We knew it was a tough match, we gave it everything we had, and sometimes things just didn’t work out. We needed to be a bit more organized, especially in our serves. These are aspects of the game, and now we’ll see what comes next”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 23, 2023.- Dominican Republic advanced to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Women’s Volleyball tournament semifinals after defeating Colombia 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-20) on Monday at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Defending champions Dominican Republic won Pool B undefeated to advance to Wednesday’s semifinals. Colombia finished fourth place and will play for positions five to eight.

Colombia put up a better battle in the second and third sets, taking advantage of several Dominican unforced errors.

Dominicans dominating serves (14-4) were too much to handle for Colombia, in addition to finishing with advantages in kills 33-28 and in blocks 6-4. Dominican Republic capitalized 22 points on Colombian errors and gave away 16.

Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña led Dominican Republic with 13 points on 9 kills and 4 service points. Opposite hitter Gaila González added 10 points on 6 kills and 4 aces.

Colombian opposite Sofía Cuartas scored 12 points on 10 kills, one block and one ace.

“I think it was a good match where Colombia took advantage of every opportunity, they are a young team that played very well. We started a bit slow. We hope to be in the final and be champions!”, said Dominican Gaila González.

Sofia Cuartas, of Colombia said “They are an opponent who we admire. Colombia is a young team and we’ve always watched them play and performing so nicely against them makes me proud of our work. We know that soon we will face them again in a better way”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 23, 2023 – Argentina defeated Cuba 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-15) to clinch the second position in Pool A of the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Argentina, with a record of two wins and one loss, advanced to the quarterfinals as the second place team in Pool A, where they will face either Chile or Mexico. Cuba will compete in the matches for positions 5 to 8.

Argentina and Cuba battled closely in the first set, but the South Americans celebrated a straight set victory with a 45-38 advantage in attacks, 9-5 in blocks, and 4-2 in service points.

Argentina’s Nicole Pérez led in scoring with 13 points (10 attacks, 3 blocks). Daniela Bulaich and Bianca Farriol contributed 11 points each.

Ivy Vila was once again the top scorer for Cuba with 12 points (10 attacks, 2 service aces).

Tatiana Rizzo, Argentina’s libero, said, “We prepared to reach the next round of the tournament and now we are focused on what we need to do tomorrow to advance to the semifinals. In the first set, there was some anxiety, and we didn’t put in the necessary effort to avoid some errors that kept the score close. We had confidence in winning the match”.

Leivis García, Cuba’s coach, explained “With the team we brought, we see small steps of progress. There are young players who took on the responsibility in a very strong setting for them. I am happy, but not satisfied; we must work a lot, and we have the material to do it, with athletes with a lot of talent, dedication, and above all, the right attitude on the court. The players responded today, but inexperience made the difference”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 23, 2023 – Brazil defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-21), winning Group A undefeated and advancing to the semifinals of the Women’s Volleyball tournament at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

Brazil secured a direct spot in Wednesday’s semifinals with a 3-0 record, while Puerto Rico finished the group stage at 1-2 and will compete in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Puerto Rico gave Brazil a tough time on several occasions, especially in the second set, where they scored a seven-point rally coming from behind (15-23).

Brazil outclassed Puerto Rico with a 39-29 advantage in attacking points, 10-9 in blocking points, and 3-2 in direct service points. Brazil committed 18 unforced errors, while Puerto Rico finished with 23.

Opposite hitter Sabrina Machado led Brazil with 18 points, on 15 attacks, one block, and two aces. Outside hitter Maira Basso and middle blocker Lorena Viezel contributed 9 points each.

Middle blocker Neira Ortiz and outside hitter Stephanie Rivera led Puerto Rico with 10 points each.

Brazil’s outside hitter Helena Wenk expressed her happiness for reaching the semifinals, saying, “Today, the team was a bit slow, and the cold also influenced our game a bit. The good thing is that we managed to come back when the match was tight, and we were behind on the scoreboard. We will rest and train to prepare well for the semifinal”.

Puerto Rico’s middle blocker Neira Ortiz highlighted, “In the second set, we put up more of a fight because we started to believe more in ourselves. We managed to get closer, with a bit more confidence, and entered our game. We have a very young team, and sometimes facing a world-class team can be intimidating. We are already in the next round, and I hope we can develop better cohesion as a team, continuing to nurture the young talent so they gain experience because this group of players is the future, and if we’ve done well now, imagine what they will become. We will enjoy the journey, the process, and be patient”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023 – Chile achieved a historic victory at Pan American Games by defeating Colombia 3-0 (29-27, 25-23, 25-7) in the Women’s Volleyball tournament of Santiago 2023 at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Chile delighted the home crowd coming from behind in the closing moments of the first two sets. Chile took the first set from Colombia (23-24) in a dramatic finish that extended to 29-27, and in the second set, they made a comeback from a four-point deficit (18-22) to finish 25-23.

Chile completely outplayed Colombia in the third set, jumping to a 12-1 lead and dominating the set 25-7.

Chile, with a 1-1 record in Group B, will conclude the preliminary stage against Mexico (1-1), while Colombia, with a 0-2 record, will face the undefeated defending champions, Dominican Republic.

Chile outperformed Colombia 50-29 in attacks, 6-3 in blocks, and 9-3 in service points. Colombia made fewer unforced errors than Chile (14-22).

The top scorer of the match was Chile’s Beatriz Novoa with 24 points (20 attacks, 3 blocks, one service ace), the highest in the tournament so far. She was accompanied by Petra Schwartzman with 15 points (13 attacks, 2 service points).

Colombia’s leading scorer was Maira Ospino with 10 points (9 attacks, one block).

Beatriz Novoa, the captain of Chile, expressed with excitement, “For me, it was insane to play in this venue, to see all my people here, cheering us point by point. The truth is that it has been beautiful, and I am super happy. As a team, everything just ran well; we were very united, and that was something we were looking for, and that’s why I’m very happy, for my teammates and for all what we did today”.

Colombia’s coach, Antoni Rizola, said, “My team deserves no criticism. It’s a young team that played at a very high level of volleyball in the first two sets, and with only two starting players, they had the opportunity to close them. Without any experience, it was difficult for them to find their rhythm in the third set”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023.- Defending champions Dominican Republic beat Mexico 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-19) to improve 2-0 at the Women’s  Volleyball Tournament of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games on Sunday at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Dominican Republic stands undefeated in Pool B and Mexico after suffering their first loss are with a 1-1 mark. Dominicans will finish the preliminary round on Monday against Colombia and Mexico will face hosts Chile.

The Dominicans dominated the first and second sets with strong defense from Brenda Castillo and coordinated attacking.

In the third set, Mexico gave more competition after recovering from being down 16-19 and tying the score at 19 points. However, Dominican Republic closed it with a rally of six consecutive points.

Dominicans dominated in attacking 41-30, in blocking 7-2 and in serving 2-1, benefiting from 24 opponent errors and giving away 18.

Dominican Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña led all scorers with 19 points on 15 kills and a match-high of 4 blocks. Brayelin Martinez contributed 10 points on 8 kills, one block and one ace.   

Outside hitter Aimé Topete led Mexico with 9 points all on kills. Outside hitter Grecia Castro and team captain Jocelyn Urias added 6 points each.

Yonkaira Peña, the top scorer for the Dominican Republic, said, “The matches against Mexico are always tough because we know each other well. We’re happy that everything went well. We lost a bit of concentration in the last two sets, but we were able to push through and get the victory”.

Aimé Topete of Mexico stated, “I thought it was a good match. Dominican Republic is a great team, and I’m very proud of my teammates because we fought until the last point, and we’re going to keep going like this”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023.- Brazil captured its second win at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 beating Argentina 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-18) on Sunday at Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Brazil is unbeaten in Pool A while Argentina has one win and one loss. The preliminary round finishes tomorrow with Brazil (2-0) facing Puerto Rico (1-1) and Argentina (1-1) against Cuba (0-2).

Brazil prevailed with a huge 43-28 advantage in attacking points and 11-2 in blocks. Both teams scored two aces and committed 19 unforced errors.

Three Brazilians scored double figures, led by Sabrina Machado with 15 points (14 kills, one block), followed by Maiara Basso with 10 points (9 kills, one ace) and Lorena Viezel contributed 10 points (6 kills, 3 blocks, one ace).

Maria De La Paz Corbalan was Argentina’s leading scorer with 11 points all on kills. Dalma Nicole Perez followed with 9 kill points.

“This was a very different match because these are teams that are in the process of forming, we’re all rookies, and we all need to have the same pace in the game. I think we were able to assess the match, feel how the girls over there were doing, and finally, we were able to get started a bit and then we could be more relaxed” said Brazil’s middle blocker, Lorena Giovana.

Opposite player María De La Paz from Argentina said, “We knew that Brazil was a tough opponent, and we tried to give our best in the match. It worked out for us at times, but at other times, it didn’t. So, we’re preparing for tomorrow, continuing to do our best in this tournament to represent Argentina at its best”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023.- Puerto Rico claimed their first win after beating Cuba 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18) in Pool A at the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.  

Puerto Rico improved their record to 1-1, taking a significant step toward advancing into the next round of the event. Cuba, on the other hand, is still without victories (0-2).

On the last day of the preliminary round, Puerto Rico will play against Brazil and Cuba goes up against Argentina.

Puerto Rico outperformed Cuba with a 44-32 advantage in attacks and a slight 2-1 margin in direct service points. Both teams tied with seven points in blocks. Puerto Rico capitalized on 22 points from Cuba’s errors while conceding 14.

Outside hitter Stephanie Rivera led Puerto Rico with 13 points, on 10 attacks, two blocks, and one ace. Middle blocker Neira Ortiz contributed 12 points, including 9 from attacks and three from blocks.

On Cuba’s side, outside hitter Ivy Vila led with 10 points, all from attacks.

Stephanie Rivera, Puerto Rico’s top scorer, said, “We stayed united; today there was better communication than yesterday, and we were able to achieve our goal of winning with good passes and minimizing errors. Our defense stopped Cuba from scoring; we upset their plays because they didn’t know where to attack. We hope to do a good job against Brazil, our next opponent, hoping for victory”.

Cuba’s top scorer, Ivy Vila, explained, “Puerto Rico defended better than us, and we couldn’t make a comeback; you must be mentally strong against a team that defends so well. Tomorrow we must go out to win, fighting for every point”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023 – The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, had the opportunity to congratulate the Dominican Republic Women’s team for their qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics during a meeting with athletes competing in the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago 2023.

President Bach had a conversation in Santiago, Chile with Dominican team “Las Reinas del Caribe” Niverka Marte, with whom he made a commitment following his visit to the Caribbean Island in March.

“President Bach is a wonderful person and an exceptional sports leader who has been known for reaching out to us athletes” said Niverka. “He gave me a personal pin when he visited us in the Dominican Republic, a very important moment for me as an athlete, as a token for good luck and made an agreement with me that I would return it to him personally in Paris to motivate me and my team to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics”.

After Las Reinas del Caribe won their ticket to the Olympics at the FIVB qualifying tournament last September, Niverka contacted President Bach to inform him that she would be able to return the pin as they had agreed.

“The bond we have established with Mr. Bach is surreal”, Niverka expressed. “I wrote to him to inform him of our qualification and that I would be in Paris to fulfill our pact. He congratulated me and the entire team in a beautiful letter and to my surprise, I was going to have the opportunity to meet with him at the Pan American Games”.

“I thanked him in person! But he told there was no need for me to return the pin, congratulating Las Reinas del Caribe enthusiastically for their direct qualification to the Olympic Games”.

The Dominican team, ranked 8th in the world, earned their direct spot in Paris 2024 in the FIVB qualifying tournament last September in Ningbo, China, after a hard-fought five-set victory over the Netherlands (25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12).

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 21, 2023.- Defending champions Dominican Republic celebrated their first victory at the nineteenth edition of the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 after defeating hosts Chile in straight sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-11) at Arena Parque O’Higgins on Saturday night.

Despite a high-level of resistance from Chile in the first two sets and the support of the home crowd, Dominican Republic prevailed in their first pool B outing in three consecutive sets.

Dominican Republic held advantage in every skill of the game, 39-22 in kills, 10-1 in blocks and 5-1 in aces. Both teams committed 21 unforced errors.

Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña and Brayelin Martinez led Dominicans offense with 13 points each. Opposite Gaila Gonzalez contributed 11 points.

Chilean team captain Beatriz Novoa scored 10 points and outside hitter Dominga Aylwin added 7 points.

Beatriz Novoa CHI, attacks

On Sunday, Dominican Republic (1-0) will face Mexico (0-1) and hosts Chile (0-1) go up against Colombia (0-1).

Niverka Marte, captain of the Dominican Republic, said, “It was very important to start with a victory. This stadium is incredible, the audience came to support their team, and we knew we had to play with a lot of concentration. Chile is playing very well. We recently faced them in the Pan American Cup and could see that they have improved. The atmosphere is beautiful and we are happy to be here”.

Chilean team captain, Beatriz Novoa expressed “For us, it’s a dream, and now we’re here enjoying it in this great stage, and honestly, it was a really nice match. I think we knew it would be a tough match. We still lack a couple of things, but that’s why we’re here, to gain experience and grow”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, 21 de octubre de 2023.- Mexico took down Colombia 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-14) at the opening day of the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Mexico gained more confidence as the match developed to finish with a 39-24 advantage in attacking points and an 8-1 margin in blocks in their first Pool B win. Both teams scored four points from serves and committed a similar number of errors, Mexico with 20 and Colombia with 23.

Opposite Karen Rivera scored 16 points as Mexico’s leading attacker and outside hitter Grecia Castro contributed with 11 points.

Leading Colombia was middle blocker Paulina Agudelo with 9 points.

On day two of the event, Mexico faces the Dominican Republic and the hosts Chile play against Colombia.

“The match was very good. We knew that Colombia had a strong defense. They have players who defend well, but we managed to adjust and take the victory,” said Mexico’s captain, Jocelyn Urías.

Camila Gómez, the captain of Colombia, said, “We knew it would be difficult. We didn’t perform as we usually do, as we showed in the friendly matches. I think our girls need to gain experience. Although we didn’t win this match, I’m happy with what this new generation of Colombia has demonstrated”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 21, 2023.- Argentina started the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 17-25, 25-19) win over Puerto Rico at the Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday in Arena Parque O’Higgins.

Argentina held back Puerto Rico who  recovered from an 0-2 set deficit forcing a fourth set, earning their first tournament win in Pool A.

Argentina had its blocking to thank for, finishing with a 16-8 margin over Puerto Rico. The attacks were balanced, with Argentina leading 45-41. Puerto Rico led in serves 3-0 but handed out 31 points on errors and Argentina 27.

Opposite hitter María Corbalan topped Argentina with 16 points on 14 kills and two blocks, joined by middle blockers Bianca Farriol with 13 points and Avril García with 10 points who scored a match-high of 7 stuff blocks.

Puerto Rico’s leading scorers were middle blocker Neira Ortiz with 13 points on 7 kills and 6 blocks. Outside hitter Stephanie Rivera added 11 points on 10 kills and one ace.

On the second day of competition in Pool A, Argentina (1-0) will play against Brazil (1-0) and Puerto Rico (0-1) faces Cuba (0-1).

“It was a difficult debut! We had just arrived from our clubs and reunited here. It was an important match for us to adjust as a group, and fortunately, the result came”, said Argentina’s captain, Daniela Simian.

“I thought the match went very well; it was our first match with very young girls, of a young age. I believe we will improve a lot as we practice more. I’m very happy with the result because we didn’t give up. We did well!” said Puerto Rico’s captain, Shara Venegas.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 21, 2023.- Brazil opened the Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games with 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-14) at the Arena Parque O’Higgins.

The South American team had a solid debut outperforming the Caribbeans in pool A.

Brazil led in points from attacks 40-21, in blocking points 7-5 and points from serves 6-2. Brazil’s level of play managed to force Cuba to commit 22 unforced errors against 16 of their own.

Brazilian Sabrina Machado led all attackers with 19 points on 11 kills, one block and two aces. Maiara Basso and Lorena Viezel added 10 points each in Brazil’s win.

Yalain De La Peña was Cuba’s top scorer with 9 points.

On the second day of competition in Pool A, Cuba faces Puerto Rico and Brazil plays Argentina.

“It was great for the debut. We were able to put into practice everything we studied and set out to do. An opening performance always gives us butterflies in the stomach, but we played freely, and Brazilian fans also gave us a lot of strength today,” said Brazil’s captain, Naiane Rios.

Cuba’s captain, Laura Suárez, said, “It was a tough debut; Brazil is a strong rival. Our team is young, and some of us recently joined due to commitments with our clubs. Things didn’t go as well, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings. Today, there were moments of joy with every point we scored, and tomorrow we’ll go for the victory”.

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 19, 2023.- The Head Coaches of the teams competing at the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games to be held at the Arena Parque O’Higgins, gave their first impressions.

The competition starts on Saturday October 21 with pool-play, with Pool A formed by Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Cuba, and Pool B consisting of defending champions Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico and Chile.

Daniel Jorge Castellani, Head Coach of Argentina: “We are really excited to be at the Pan American Games, an event which all the athletes and coaches wait for. Our team is a combination, with some players that were at the pre-Olympic, some senior players and we introduced five or six U21 players. Our goal will be to battle and play our best possible, to finish among the top three in our pool and then battle for the medals”.

Paulo do Rego Barros Junior, Head Coach of Brazil: “I am proud, happy to be at the Pan American Games here in Chile. An important tournament for Brazil. A great opportunity to develop players and some other ones who are beginning their experience at professional volleyball level and it’s an important competition that we must make the best out of it and have fun. The tea mis a combitnation of young players and some who played at the U21 world championships, others that played in the senior team season and others who are having their first experience with the national team”.

Eduardo Guillaume, Head Coach of Chile: “It’s a great responsibility to play the Pan American Games at home, we are very happy because I’ve been in Chile for 7 years and this is the first time we’ve been playing all over Chile. We played in New Zeland and yesterday we finished playing a tour with Mexico and I liked the response of the fans, they always respond well, they go to support and motivate the team. I see that my players have been taking it with enthusiasm the fact to player her in front of their supporters. When I arrived in Chile, there were some under-18 players, some younger ones, and some veterans who joined the group last year. Then there’s the core, which is very young, a group of girls born between 2003 and 2005. I started working with them when they were 14 years old, and we have a fairly young mixed team. All the teams here faced some difficulties, but thanks to the Federation’s management, we were fortunate to train in a sports complex where we had a very pleasant experience with the people and the facilities. We train every day, and in the past week, we played three matches in three different locations. We will take it one game at a time. Chile is the team with the lowest ranking in this event. The Pan American Games always feature eight high-level teams, and as the host, we automatically qualified. But we know that each of our games will be like a final because our rivals have a higher ranking than ours, and these are typically tough matches”.

Antonio Rizola, Head Coach of Colombia: “We are proud because in 2019, we participated in our first Pan American Games and reached the final, surprising everyone. Today, all of Colombia expects a medal from this team, but that’s not the case because the Games are outside the National team period. We have brought a team with an average age of 20 years, including three 16-year-old athletes, one who is a starter. This means that we have already started our process for 2028. These players have a projection for 8 to 10 years. It is a joy to represent Colombia in such an important competition as the Pan American Games with a young team, always supported by veterans like Juliana Toro and Camila Gómez, the team captain. When we returned from the qualifying tournament in Poland, the main senior players stayed in Europe and did not return to Colombia. After giving the athletes 5 days of rest, we began preparing for the Games. We understand that the Dominican Republic is the strongest team in this championship, as they are the only team with a complete roster in our group. We must fight for the second spot with Chile and Mexico. Mexico also has many problems, and Chile has prepared well, so these will be tough matches”.

Leivis García, Entrenador de Cuba: “Cuba se presenta con un equipos muy joven en donde el 75 % de su composición son jugadoras Sub-21. El objetivo es dar un espectáculos, incursionar a las atletas nuevas a este nivel de voleibol, luchando punto a punto, partido a partido y obtener el resultados de acuerdo con el esfuerzo. Venimos de haber ganado medalla de bronce en los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe y en el Final Six en Canadá. Es una lástima que este evento coincida con varias jugadoras ya jugando con sus clubes a nivel internacional, porque no podremos darle seguimiento al equipo”.

Marcos Kwiek, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “We are very excited. Representing the country is always something very important and beautiful, and we hope for a tournament with many successes. The team is practically coming with the complete roster for the Games, which was planned from the beginning. We already had three competitions as a priority this year, and the Pan American Games were one of them. We returned from the Olympic qualifying tournament in China, and the team was already in high spirits because we achieved our goal. Before coming to the Pan American Games, we had a training base in Brazil, and we worked very well. All the players are in good physical shape, prepared to bring a medal to the country.”

Nicola Negro, Entrenador de México: “First of all, we are very happy to be in this important competition. This marks the end of a very long season for us, our seventh competition during the season. Our preparation was somewhat affected because in the last few days, some players had already left to compete with their clubs and have since returned to Europe. Fortunately, we could field the same squad that played in the pre-Olympic tournament in China last month. That tournament allowed us to face high-level teams and served as preparation for a good Pan American Games. Our goal is the same as all the other teams here: to seek a medal. We know that the competition will be tough, and there are clear favorites like the Dominican Republic and Brazil, but I also see a balance, I think the battle for the podium is open”.

Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “I am glad to be here. It’s the first time I will be with the team as head coach, I’ve been working this summer as an assistant coach and now I will guide these young players. I am glad because it’s a group of veterans with young players and we expect to play game by game looking for the victory and giving our all. The message is for them to enjoy the game, to play with confidence, with confidence of what they will perform and for them to look for the win. The new members of the team are mostly the ones who play the U19 world championships and one who comes for the NCAA”.