Category: Volleyball

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 17, 2022.- Cuban middle blocker Roamy Alonso was selected the Most Valuable Player MVP of the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six on Sunday night at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic Nayarit.

Roamy Alonso received the MVP recognition during the awarding ceremony after his team was crowned undefeated Champion over Canada.

The MVP award was handed to Alonso by legendary Mexican ex volleyball player Blanca Garcia and Jesus Perales, President of the Mexican Volleyball Federation.

Alonso also received the award for second Best Blocker. Also from Cuba, Osniel Melgarejo was granted the awards for first Best Spiker and Best Server, Adrian Goide as the Best Setter and Jesus Herera the Best Opposite hitter.

Mexicans Mauro Fuentes and Axel Tellez were the second Best Spiker and first Best Blocker respectively.

Canadian Jordan Pereira was the Best Digger and Best Libero, and Mason Briggs of the United States the Best Receiver.

Henry Tapia of the Dominican Republic was awarded as the Best Scorer of the event.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 17, 2022.- Cuba was crowned undefeated champion of the Men’s Pan American Cup Norceca Final Six beating Canada 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) on Sunday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba concluded the event with a perfect 7-0 record winning the gold medal over Canada who ended with a 5-2 record; Canada’s two losses were against Cuba.

The first set was led by Canada up to point 14 until Cuba managed to dominate. Cuba missed 3-match points (24-20) before celebrating their championship win; Simon Robertlandy scored the last point from a powerful spike.

Cuba prevailed by a 37-32 margin in attacks and 8-4 in blocks, Canada held an 6-5 advantage in serves. Cuba committed 23 errors and Canada totaled 25.

Outside hitter Miguel Angel Lopez topped Cuba with 13 points on 12 kills and one block, and opposite hitter Jesus Herrera collected 14 points on 9 attacks, 2 blocks and 3 points from serves. Middle blocker Simon Robertlandy added 9 points.

Two players also led Canada with double-digits, outside hitter Brandon Koppers with 11 points on 8 kills and 3 aces, and opposite hitter Jordan Canham contributed with 10 points on 6 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces.

Jesús Herrera, Opposite of Cuba: “For me and the entire Cuban team it’s the best there can be, and for those who support us far away. It is of great satisfaction because we showed we are well, we are making players, everyone is giving their talent. We showed what we know how to do. Cubans are Warriors, we don’t like to lose, and we always give our maximum effort. All the members of the team are experienced and great players”.

Brandon Koppers, Top scorer of Canada: “I am very proud of all the guys in our team, we have a very young team, and we showed some real guts out there. This is a great defensive team, we did very well and proved what we are made of. We take every point as experience, we are preparing for the Pan American Cup in August back in Canada, so for some of our younger guys it was a great experience. The tournament was amazing”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 17, 2022.- The United States captured the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six bronze medal defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-23) on Sunday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The United States finished third place with a 4-3 win-loss record. This is the U.S. second consecutive bronze medal at the Final Six event. Puerto Rico, in fourth place, closed with a 2-5 record. The U.S. also beat Puerto Rico in straight sets in the preliminary round.

The U.S. led 47-37 in attacks and 7-5 in blocks, both teams scored one point from serves, while they committed 27 unforced errors against 22 from Puerto Rico.

Four Americans finished with double-figures, led by outside hitter Brett Wildman who scored 14 points on 13 kills and one block, outside hitter Kyle McCauley with 13 points from 12 kills and one block, middle blocker Nyerovwome Omene tallied 11 points on 7 kills, 3 blocks and one ace, and opposite hitter Francesco Sani with 10 points.

Puerto Rico’s offense was led by outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas with 12 points on 10 kills, one block and one ace, followed by opposite hitter Gregory Torres with 10 points all on kills.

Merrick McHenry, Middle blocker of United States: “This was a super long tournament; it was so fun. I love my team and coaches; they are the guys I get to work every day. We had a great tournament. It was a very high level tournament, I think we all got better, and it will definitely help us for the future, just to play competitive teams and good volleyball. We play a little bit older than we are, most of us are still in school, in the university and this is a great experience for us youngsters”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “To go home with a medal and to play that hard it validates all the hard work these young men do. This group is working for the future, this is not the finish line for them, it’s way ahead of us. We played better and better even though we lost to Canada in semifinals”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 16, 2022.- Cuba won their semifinal match to Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-16) and will face Canada for the Men’s Pan American NORCECA Final Six title at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba will face Canada who earlier defeated the United States in the other semifinal in five exciting sets. Puerto Rico will play for the bronze medal against the United States. Both matches are happening on Sunday.

Cuba came from a four-point deficit (14-18) in the first set, keeping Puerto Rico on the edge to get the lead. The next two sets Cuba’s offense inhibited Puerto Rico to perform like they did in the beginning.

Cuba controlled every element of the game, with a 39-25 advantage in kills, 8-7 in blocks and 7-4 in service points. Cuba committed one less error than Puerto Rico (20-21).

Cuba’s offense was topped by outside hitter Osniel Mergarejo with 13 points on 6 kills, 2 blocks and the most aces with 5 points. Opposite hitter Jesus Herrera scored 11 points on 10 kills and one ace, accompanied by outside hitter Julio Cardenas and middle blocker Simon Robertlandy who added 9 and 8 points respectively.

Outside hitters Klistan Lawrence and Pedro Molina tallied 7 points each led Puerto Rico.

Julio Cesar Cardenas, Outside hitter of Cuba: “We know each other well with Puerto Rico and that’s why the first set was demanding, sometimes it’s difficult to get organized and we were a bit relaxed. We had to play stronger to cause the difficulties. We’ve been together for a short time; we are playing in international leagues and this tournament has served as an adjustment and move forward. Against Canada, if we do our offense and defense, I believe we can win the title, it will be exciting”.

Arnel Cabrera, Libero of Puerto Rico: “The team’s missing a bit of experience and managing the game mentally, which is important in every sport. After losing the first set we lost concentration in the rest of the match. Tomorrow against the United States for third place we must erase this match, keep healthy because it’s been a demanding tournament, try to mentalize and study our strategy”.

Nicolas Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “Puerto Rico is an excellent team. In the first set we were a bit relaxed, the guys got into better rhythm, and we closed the next sets. The victory is what’s important. Now we must play well, play tactically, and do the best possible to discuss the championship against Canada; historically they’ve been a good team, may the best one win”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 16, 2022.- Canada beat the United States 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-9) to play for the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six title at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

This is the second title match in a row for Canada, in last year’s edition of the Pan Am Final Six they won the silver medal falling to Mexico and the United States won the bronze over the Dominican Republic.

Canada will face the winner of the other semifinal between Cuba and Puerto Rico.

This was the second occasion in the event that Canada beat the United States, but in straight sets in their first outing.

The roller coaster semifinal match was led by Canada on a 59-45 advantage in kills and 5-2 in serves. The U.S. led in blocks with a 10-6 margin and committed fewer errors than Canada (36-44).

Opposite hitter Jordan Canham topped Canada with 19 points on 18 kills and one ace, while outside hitters Brandon Koppers and Logan House registered 18 and 10 points respectively.

From the United States, opposite hitter Francesco Sani scored a match-high of 20 points on 19 kills and one ace, followed by outside hitter Brett Wildman with 11 points.

Jordan Canham, Top scorer of Canada: “It’s so crazy, it´s always a dream to grow up and make it to this kind of team; to be able to play the best volleyball against some of the best teams is super surreal and then coming out with a win to reach the finals, it’s amazing. In the title match I would really like a rematch against Cuba”.

Francesco Sani, Top scorer of United States: “It was a great match from both teams, I think they got a little more serving pressure than us and that’s why they one the game, in the stretch we had a couple of receiving errors and missed serves, but I feel really good about our team and we’re ready to play tomorrow”.

Nathan Groenveld, Aisstant Coach of Canada: “We knew it was going to be really close and to win had to win the pass-battle, we weren’t winning it up to the fifth it started to come alive, we knew it was there. Both teams run well in the middle and the corner with the pipes. It was an incredible match, with a couple of great plays from the base line”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “It hurts, I feel for my guys, we lost to a very good Canada team, we both played what we are capable of, and we came off a little short. Tomorrow, we want to get the bronze, we want to go back home to show that we are a very good team and that would define it”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 16, 2022.- Mexico finished in fifth place at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 26-24 ) on Saturday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Host Mexico finished the event with a 2-4 record and the Dominican Republic with 0-6; Mexico also defeated the Dominican Republic in four sets in the preliminary round.

Mexico held a comfortable 55-49 advantage in spikes and a 6-3 margin in aces. The Dominicans finished with one more point in blocking (8-7). Mexico scored 29 points from Dominican errors and conceded 27.

Corner hitter Mauro Fuentes led the Mexican offense with 22 points from 19 kills, one block and two aces, followed by opposite player Luis Hernandez with 13 points from 12 kills and one block. Also with double digits were attacker Josué López and center back Jonathan Martínez with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Leading the Dominicans was opposite player and team captain Henry Tapia with 22 points from 17 kills, 3 blocks and 2 aces, outside hitter Wilfredo Hernández with 17 points from 14 kills, 2 blocks and an ace, and outside hitter Héctor Cruz contributed with 14 points from 13 attacks and one block.

Mauro Fuentes, Mexico’s Top Scorer: “Realistically, the competition was tough, we finished fifth out of six teams. We leave with a good taste in our mouths because we closed with a victory, but we have to put our feet on the ground because we need to work hard to face the teams that were superior to us. This has been a great learning for our preparation for the world championship in Poland.”

Henry Tapia, Captain of the Dominican Republic: “We are sad because we couldn’t reach the result we were looking for. The tournament contributes to our growth, the more we compete, the more we improve”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 16, 2022.- Mavis Guilarte Fernandez, Cuban volleyball star, resides in Tepic contributing to the development of sports in Nayarit, has been supporting and enjoying the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six being played at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.   

Mavis, ex member of the legendary team “Morenas del Caribe”, Olympic Gold Medalist in 1971 and 1975, as well as Pan American Gold of the 1979 Games in Puerto Rico, explains that this is an opportunity for the youth of Nayarit and Mexican athletes. 

“Bringing such an important international event of great transcendence motivates young players who want to practice highly competitive volleyball,” said Mavis; “I want to thank the State’s sport authorities of Nayarit to show our young community the beauty of volleyball” she added. 

With her charisma and sixteen years of trajectory representing Cuba, that among other achievements, she was member of the first Latin American women volleyball team to win a World Championship in 1978 in the extinct Soviet Union, came to Nayarit twenty years ago as part of a joint agreement between Cuba and Mexico. 

“In 1992, came in a group of 156 Cuban sport experts in methodology, medicine and coaching to contribute to the development of sport in this beautiful country; with my experience and knowledge have served to motivate a new generation of athletes of the State of Nayarit” she expressed. 

Thanks to Mavis Guilarte’s great work during that agreement, she returned to Nayarit to coach the women’s volleyball team that has been national champion. 

Mavis also explained that volleyball continues to be a sport with distinctive characteristics, over time it has evolved into a great attraction, more competitive and of great difficulty that makes it unique. 

“There are new rules since I played, for example, every action is a point and it’s faster, but it continues to be very technical and tactic” she added. 

In her trajectory as a coach, she has been coach of the Mexican national team and of Nayarit, “I have lived the evolution of volleyball and now I can observe that every team has searched for players to be more specialized, with physical traits to perform a specific game position, which contributes for teams to be more competitive”. 

Mavis left a message to volleyball athletes, “this is a demanding sport, it teaches to play as a team, for each one to contribute individually to benefit the team and mostly it’s a family sport that promotes human beings to serve their societies”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 15, 2022.- Cuba topped the preliminary round undefeated winning their last match to Mexico 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) at the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six on Friday night at the Amando Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba finished first place with 5-0 record and 22 points, they will face Puerto Rico in the semifinals who finished fourth. The other semifinal is a North American battle between Canada and the United States, second and third place respectively.

Mexico with a 1-4 record will play Dominican Republic for fifth place.

Mexico suffered the loss of one of its key players, opposite hitter Diego Gonzalez, early in the first set, who was injured falling while defending over the net.

Cuba beat Mexico on 36-25 advantage in attacks and a 7-1 margin in aces. Mexico led 7-6 in blocks and committed one less unforced error than Cuba (26-27).

Opposite hitter Jesus Herrera tallied 16 points for Cuba, on 13 kills, one block and two aces, joined by outside hitter Osniel Mergarejo with 14 points on 11 kills, one block and two aces.

Mexico’s top scorer was outside hitter Mauro Fuentes with 8 points all on kills.

Simon Robertlandy, Middle blocker of Cuba: “We are preparing for the competition in Korea, so this is good preparation, we are trying to perform the best way possible, limiting our errors, we still have deficiencies, we can improve more. Tomorrow against Puerto Rico we will try to reach the final and win the tournament, that will give us confidence and positivity to go to Korea, but we are taking one step at a time. It’s not about being the strongest team, but to have confidence and consistency while playing; I believe the United States and Canada are also strong, the final will be complicated for whoever reaches it”.

Pedro Rangel, Captain of Mexico: “We still have one more match. I am happy with our performance because we have faced powerful opponents, we are eager to play and try to win. The tournament has been a great learning experience for Worlds that is soon. We played one on one against Cuba; the sets were close. The youth in our team came out strong and they are on the right track”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “This Cup has been good, the teams are well prepared; we are working our machinery slowly for the other important international events for us, the Challenger that’s coming soon and that could give us a ticket to the VNL. Mexico a well prepared, there’s a lot of adrenaline between us, we tried to stabilize our game, there are things to improve and what matters is the victory. We are prepared to face any opponent, tomorrow we go up against Puerto Rico and we are going to think about them for now”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 15, 2022.- United States locked their semifinal spot at the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six beating Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-20) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The U.S. concluded the preliminary round with a 3-2 record and 17 points, finishing in third place making their way in the semifinal round where they’ll face Canada who ended in second place. Canada beat the United States in straight sets in their first match of the event.

Dominican Republic ends with 0-5 record and will play for fifth position.

The United States held an overwhelming 40-25 advantage in attacks, the also led with comfortable margins in blocks (6-1) and serves (8-1). Both teams committed a similar number of errors, the U.S. with 22 and Dominican Republic with 21.

Opposite hitter Francesco Sani of the United States scored a match-high of 15 points on 11 kills and 4 aces, followed by middle blocker Austin Wilmot with 10 points on 7 kills and 3 blocks.

Once again Henry Tapia led Dominican Republic with 11 points all on kills.

Mathew West, Captain of United States: “We started with two defeats and now we are in the semifinals, for all of us it’s our first tournament together so we needed to get into rhythm as a team. Today the coach used a different line-up to rest some players, which is good for us, so everyone improves their level. Can we win the gold, yes, in this tournament everything is possible”.

Dawilin Méndez, Middle blocker of Dominican Republic: “We must commit less errors, some technical aspects that are easy to execute aren’t working out and that’s why matches get complicated. We are a young team, only four are veterans that support us to go on the path of good volleyball. These tournaments give us a lot of level”

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “At the beginning both teams were trying to find their rhythm playing, we found it first. We had a lot of guys come in, everyone played it great, so for tomorrow we have all fourteen guys ready to play and begin the play-offs. For the semifinals I hope our best volleyball in the tournament so far; it’s going to be a very good match for both of us (Canada)”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 15, 2022.- Canada moved into the semifinals of the Men’s Pan American Cup NORCECA Final Six after defeating Puerto Rico in straight sets 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-23) on Friday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Canada ends the preliminary round with a 4-1 record and 19 points finishing among the top four in the event. Puerto Rico with 2-3 record and 7 points waits for the days’ results to confirm their semifinal spot.

Puerto Rico´s effort in leading the third set up to point 14 wasn’t enough to stop Canada’s offense who finished with a huge 41-27 advantage in attacks. They also were more effective in blocks by a comfortable 9-4 margin and a 4-0 lead in serves.

From Canada’s side, opposite hitter Jordan Canham led all scorers with 15 points, followed by outside hitter Logan House with 11 points and middle blocker Xander Ketrzynski with 10 points who led in blocks with 4 points.

Outside hitters Klistan Lawrence and Pedro Molina led Puerto Rico with 9 and 8 points respectively.

Xander Ketrzynski, Top blocker of Canada: “We used our strengths as a team to push forward. For this weekend you can say it’s a normal day in the job in these tournaments, a lot of the guys are very experienced and played for team Canada for a while, so it’s going to be the same, either you win, or you lose giving the best and whatever happens you just gotta leave it on the court. I believe there are big things to come for this team, we’ve been working our system and we are looking forward to the semifinals and finals”.

Nathan Groenveld, Assistant Coach of Canada: “We had the goal making the semifinals so we’re really excited that we locked that in place right now. The bigger goal was to play better and better every match and we feel we have done that; and today when we side-out it was awesome. We’ll go on work on our block-defense to be ready for tomorrow. Regardless of our opponent, we have to keep on improving, it’s going to be on our side of the net, so we gotta make sure about it”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- The United States claimed an important victory over Mexico 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-19) taking a step closer to semis of the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup being held in Tepic, Nayarit.

A 27-minute delay due to a power outage in the third set, didn’t keep the U.S. from improving their record 2-2; they will face Dominican Republic (0-4) in their final round-robin performance on Friday. 

Mexico dropped to 1-3 and will finish the preliminary round against Cuba (4-0).

The United States prevailed 38-28 in attacks and 5-2 in aces; Mexico was more effective in blocks by a slim 5-4 margin. The U.S. handed out 25 points from errors and scored on 25 from Mexico.

Outside hitter Brett Wildman led the United States with 14 points on 11 kills, 2 blocks and one ace. Middle blocker Nyerovwome Omene contributed with 8 points, while opposite hitter Francesco Sani and middle blocker Merrick McHenry added 7 points each. Opposite hitter Diego Gonzalez scored 11 points in Mexico’s campaign, joined by outside hitters Josue Lopez and Mauro Fuentes who collected 9 points each.

Outside hitter Diego González scored 11 points in Mexico’s campaign, joined by outside hitter Josué López and Mauro Fuentes who collected 9 points each.

Mason Briggs, Libero of United States: “The goal of our team was to go on upwards in our trajectory, so we started off a little rough with two loses early in the tournament, now our goal is to keep on progressing. The key was to stick to us and what our team does, that worked out, together as a team and focus on us and not on the opponent”.

Said Bravo, Libero of Mexico: “We stopped executing important things during the match and it showed in the second set that went away. Unfortunately, we must learn and keep giving our all, it’s a process. Tomorrow against Cuba we must change our attitude, during the tournament we’ve had good moments and we must seek greatness; we can do it”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “The environment was electric until the lights went out; the support of the Mexican fans energized us, being in front of so many supporters that love volleyball went great for us. We want to win the tournament, tomorrow we face the Dominicans, and they will come out hard, so we must win that match first to make it into the final four”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- Cuba scored their fourth victory in a row after defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20) at the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba with a 4-0 record will finish the preliminary round in first place even if they fall to Mexico on Friday. Puerto Rico with a 2-2 record will end the first phase of the event against Canada (3-1).

Cuba held huge margins in attacks (52-38) and blocks (11-5), and a comfortable 7-3 advantage in serves. Puerto Rico committed fewer errors than Cuba (28-36).

Outside hitter Julio Cesar Cardenas was Cuba’s leading scorer with 15 points, middle blocker Javier Concepcion and opposite hitter Jesus Herrera followed with 11 points each.

Puerto Rican Klistan Lawrence scored a match-high of 19 points.

Yonder García, Libero of Cuba: “En general nos sentimos en óptimas condiciones, preparándonos para el Challenger el próximo mes, además de que tenemos la Copa Panamericana en Canadá. Varios jugadores están con buen nivel y todos son efectivos a la hora de entrar a la cancha, algunos descansaron hoy. Mañana le jugaremos duro a México, como lo hemos hecho ante todos los rivales, la meta es tener buenos resultados”.

Arturo Iglesias, Captain of Puerto Rico: “Cuba is very physical, powerful, and strong; despite all I believe we competed well. We started a bit soft, in the second set we had better rhythm, but they (Cuba) had the necessary strength to win. We had more confidence, and we were able to take the second set. We will compete to reach the finals”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “The guys are doing well. We did some changes, necessary to observe all our players, we got the victory which is important, and we are going one step at a time for next tournaments. This is an important competition for world ranking, but we must see every player thinking about future situations”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- Canada improved their record 3-1 after defeating Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-20) on Thursday at the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

It was a crucial victory for Canada to being a step closer to the semifinals, while as for Dominican Republic with 0-3 will play for fifth place in the event.

Canada blanked Dominican Republic with an overwhelming 42-25 advantage in attacks and 10-2 in serves. Canada scored on 27 opponent errors and limited theirs to 17.  Canadians also held a slim 7-6 margin in blocks.

Outside hitter Brandon Koppers led Canada’s scorers with 11 points on 9 kills, 2 blocks and aces, followed by also outside hitter Logan House and middle blocker Xander Ketrzynski scored 10 points apiece.

Team captain, opposite hitter Henry Tapia, was the only Dominican player with double-digits, scoring 13 points on 11 kills and two blocks.

Canada resumes the preliminary round on Friday against Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic facing the United States.

Luke Herr, Captain of Canada: “We are playing really well so far, it helped us to come here earlier and get some practice matches to get adapted to the gym. We are ready for the next game and whatever comes after that; we’ll prepare for every match”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “It’s a long tournament, we may have to play seven matches in seven days, so every opponent is difficult. We are very excited to be able to win today and being one win closer to being in a final four position. Our next opponent (Puerto Rico) is a very athletic team that will give us a lot of problems, we will have to be prepared for them because it’s our last game in the preliminary phase”.

Alexander Gutierrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “It was a complicated match because Canada plays orderly and facing a team like ours that’s not as organized because of so many young players and lack of experience. We are closing the preliminary round against the United States, it will be hard because they have the characteristic of playing these tournaments from less to more and they get adjusted as a team, they get organized and they are also orderly, it’s the American school; we play with a lot of passion”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022 – Raquel Chumpitaz, former member of the Peruvian volleyball women’s team, is now living as the mother of the captain of the United States national team Mathew West, who is competing in the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup in Nayarit, Mexico.

Raquel was member of the Peruvian women’s volleyball team that competed in the 1980 Olympic Games and a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1982 FIVB World Championship.

She owns a recognized volleyball club in Seattle, Washington where she lives, and during the next days she’s in Tepic sitting in the stands supporting her son Mathew.

“I was member of the Peruvian volleyball team under the direction of Korean coach Mambo Paz and now I am a coach back in Seattle with my club, training children between the ages of 8 and 18” she explained.

When asked how it feels to be from the outside as a mother, she indicated “I feel proud, he had already made team USA during the Pan American Games in Toronto and has played professionally for the past seven years”.

Raquel explained that besides the great feeling of watching Mathew defending the US flag, she also feels stress “when you know the game and the opportunity of making the national team, I feel anxious of being on the court”.

She added that she’s delighted to see how Mathew and the rest of the guys in the American team have evolved “watching them gain experience, get nervous about the opportunity they have and for some of them it’s the first time representing their country is surreal because I was once in their shoes and having the same experience”.

Raquel added that the feeling is incredible, and she wishes to enjoy many more successes as a volleyball mom.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 13, 2022.- Mexico came back to down Dominican Republic 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-21) in their first victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

After falling in the first set, Mexico battled tough to even the scores and finish earning their tournament win to improve to a 1-2 record. Dominicans’ strong effort recovering from a four-point deficit (8-12) in the fourth set wasn’t enough and dropped to an 0-3 overall record.

Mexico out blocked Dominican Republic with a 13-7 margin; they also outnumbered with a huge 8-1 advantage in aces and a 51-42 margin in attacks. Mexico had 31 scoring errors while Dominican Republic had 24.

Opposite hitter Diego Gonzalez led Mexico with a match-high of 20 points on 17 kills, 2 blocks and one ace. Two other Mexican players scored double-digits, middle blocker Axel Tellez Rodriguez with 19 points on a match-high of 4 blocks and serves, and middle blocker Jonathan Martinez tallied 11 points.

Dominican outside hitter Wilfrido Hernandez topped with 15 points, opposite hitter Henry Tapia added 12 points and outside hitter Hector Cruz chipped in with 10 points.  

On Thursday Mexico will play the United States, both have 1-2 record, while Dominican Republic (0-3) meets Canada (2-1).

Christian Aranda, Setter of Mexico: “The team needed this win, we have been working well, in the past matches we came off short in decisive points and we couldn’t close. Dominican Republic has been working well for some years now and facing them is always challenging, so we can’t keep our heads down. Concentration was the key, and we enjoyed the game more. Tomorrow the United States is a stronger team than Dominican Republic and we are aiming for the qualification to defend our title”.

Bryan Turbides Pepen, Libero of Dominican Republic: “We started off well, but Mexico shorten the distance and we weren’t compenetrating, we weren’t understanding ourselves. We tried to do it better, but it wasn’t possible. We have three losses, but we will keep on fighting to give our best. We will keep working for future wins”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “With Dominican Republic we know each other well and they always make our game difficult, but today we were able to win. The guys knew how to come out of difficulties, our substitutions did their job changing the rhythm and keeping things calm, that was the key in our victory. We performed under pressure, it’s a responsibility playing at home and the guys must learn to manage it better, being committed to represent their country. Tomorrow is a hard duel against the United States, they are a well-structured team and we are going after the qualification, my team is capable of winning”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 13, 2022.- Cuba kept their undefeated record after beating Canada 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-21) at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup on Wednesday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba is the only team of the competition that remains undefeated with a solid 3-0 record, with two days left of the preliminary round. Canada stands with a 2-1 win-loss record.

Cuba dominated all the categories with 34-27 margin in attacks, 4-2 in blocks and 6-2 in aces. Cuba finished with 25 unforced errors and Canada committed 31.

Two Cuban players were the only players that scored double-digits; outside hitter Osniel Mergarejo with 12 points all from kills and outside hitter and team captain Miguel Angel Lopez collected 10 points from 7 kills, one block and two aces.

Middle blockers Fynnian McCarthy and Jordan Schnitzer led Canada with 9 and 6 points accordingly.

Cuba’s next opponent is Puerto Rico and Canadas’ is Dominican Republic.

Osniel Mergarejo, Top scorer of Cuba: “We are getting into the rhythm of the tournament to go on adding points and generating more confidence for our second important tournament of the season (FIVB Challenger Cup) because we are a team that hasn’t performed together for two years. Canada plays well tactically, but we are known for our strength in serves and attacks; we need to use our power to prevail over Canada”.

Fynnian McCarthy, Top scorer of Canada: “For us it’s just a mental thing, we kind of got psyched out from the service line and didn’t come to be aggressive, we were passive and trying to put the ball and not score points putting pressure, so our change of mentality will definitely help us; we can’t expect to win missing too many serves. In our next match we will battle hard, be aggressive in serves”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “We are all happy, we’ve been getting into rhythm slowly because we’ve been together practicing for a short period of time. It was a good match to reach our objectives. We still need to serve better, block better as well, we must work through some difficulties; what’s important is the victory”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 14, 2022.- United States beats Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 27-25) for their first win at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The U.S. were challenged by Puerto in the final set, missing four match points before celebrating the first tournament win and serving Puerto Rico their first loss. The United States improved their record 1-2 and Puerto Rico dropped to 2-1.

United States’ advantage in blocking (9-1) and in serves (5-0) definitely worked to overcome Puerto Rico who came from winning to exhausting five-setters entering day three of the event. The Americans also held a slim 38-37 margin in kills. Puerto Rico committed one less error (25-26) than the U.S.

Outside hitter Kyle McCauley of the United States led all scorers with 13 points on 7 kills, 5 blocks and one ace, followed by middle blockers Nyerovwame Omene and Merrick Mchenry who tallied 11 and 10 points respectively.

Puerto Rico’s top scorer was outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas with 8 points.

On Thursday the United States plays to host Mexico and Puerto Rico against Cuba.

Nyerovwame Omene, Middle Blocker of United States: “As a team it’s just about steady growth and an operative incline, we came from losing to Canada and 3-2 to Cuba and we just focused on our system and our side of the net, not worrying about results. From our first performance to this one, we applied better to our system and believing in all fourteen guys, in one single game, one single point”.  

Peligrin Vargas, Top scorer of Puerto Rico: “It was a complicated match, we came in from two five-set matches, long matches and the body starts to feel it. United States played well against Cuba yesterday and they came with good energy. We must recover as soon as possible”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I feel great, the guys feel great, it’s our first win in the tournament after a great matches against Canada and Cuba yesterday and today we beat Puerto Rico. Our ability to play at the level we do, I thought we played better last night and a little drop today; it’s really hard for young players to play hard all the time, but that’s what they have to do”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, July 13, 2022 – Blanca García, legend of Mexican volleyball and born in Tepic, is an honored guest at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup that started on Monday in her pnative city.  

Garcia has a distinguished trajectory as a former member of Mexico’s national volleyball team that competed in the Olympic Games of Mexico 1968 and winning the silver medal of the XII Central American and Caribbean Games of 1974 in Santo Domingo.  

Blanca Garcia is an honored guest in her own city that for second time is hosting an international volleyball event of great relevance, in 2015 they hosted the FIVB World League, “it brings me joy that the fans of Nayarit can experience a high leveled competition like this” she indicated.  

NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz had the opportunity to greet her while she visited the first day of the event, “Blanca Garcia honors us with her presence, we are proud of her achievements as an athlete and representing Mexican volleyball so highly”. 

“It is satisfying to have represented my country and now I continue to do so but from another perspective while helping to promote volleyball” expressed Blanca Garcia.  

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Ana Gabriela Guevara, Director of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports, CONADE supports the NORCECA Final Six Men’s Pan American Cup being held in Tepic, Nayarit.

Ana Guevara, former high-performance athlete, who won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 400-meter dash and World Champion in athletics, is in Tepic supporting volleyball.

“With this event, the road to the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023 and later the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, begins, in addition to international tournaments in which we are seeking to provide volleyball with the best preparation within our reach,” said Guevara.

She highlighted that the men’s team, qualified for the Volleyball World Championship needs the best preparation available; It helps the team to be at home facing highly competitive national teams.

 “That is why I am here, supporting our team, it is not easy to play this competition against high-level opponents, but that’s how sports work: you have to compete, you have to be there, you have to play and enjoy” she said.

Guevara thanked the government of Nayarit for their enthusiasm and interest in supporting and promoting volleyball and that she is sure to bring more international championships.

Everything comes from the illusion of helping Mexico’s volleyball and beach volleyball teams grow, a new generation of athletes that thanks to ideas and desires with the approach of the President of the Mexican Federation Jesús Perales Navarro has become possible.

“At the Tokyo Olympics I was able to meet with FIVB President Ary Graça and it created this interest to support volleyball which had a great response with the recent World Tour events hosted by Mexico in previous occasions” she added.

Guevara explained that Mexico has a large public and is very well involved in beach volleyball, which is why it accepted the challenge of hosting the Beach Volleyball World Championship next year, “we bet on the scheme of innovating as we did this year to celebrate an event in one of the smallest cities in Mexico (Tlaxcala), in a bullring and that was a great success, so we want to give the World Championship the same effort that beach volleyball deserves”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Canada beat the Mexico 3-1 (33-31, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21) in their second tournament victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup on Tuesday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Canada improved their record 2-0 leading their win over Mexico with a 58-42 margin in kills and a one-point margin (7-6) in aces. Mexico held a slim 7-6 in blocks to drop to an 0-2 record. Canada committed 41 unforced errors and the host a total of 34.

The first set was a party of points with both teams losing several set points to a thrilling 33-31 finish for Canada. In the third set, outside hitter Jesse Elser of Canada, suffered an ankle injury as he fell defending over the net.

Outside hitter Brandon Koppers led Canada’s scorers with 19 points on 15 kills, 3 blocks and one ace, followed by opposite hitter Jordan Canham with 13 points and outside hitter Logan House with 13 points all on kills.

Two Mexican players scored double-figures; opposite player Diego Gonzalez with 18 points on 14 kills, 3 blocks and one ace, and middle blocker Axel Tellez scoring 11 points on 5 kills, 3 blocks and 3 aces.

Canada (2-0) and Cuba (2-0) will meet on Wednesday, and Mexico (0-2) goes up against Dominican Republic (0-2).

Brandon Koppers, Top scorer of Canada: “Mexico played a lot of great defenses, a lot of big points and big rallies, so a lot was about managing the momentum and how loud the fans were and just trying to play our game. We are going to play our best every single night and our goal is to win as many matches as we can, that’s our goal and hopefully will go home with the gold medal. For tomorrow’s match, we are going to watch a lot of videos of Cuba, the have really great spikes, serves and blocks; so, the key is to make them play our game, we play a little more block-defense than they do, we need to transition and try to put them out of system and hold our hard serves”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “Mexico gave us all we could handle, they played very hard and a very difficult opponent. We won a difficult first set, lost the second and when Jesse Elser got injured our team rallied around and wanted to win for him, I am proud of how the responded in this difficult situation and also handled the fans that were very loud. Our next opponent, Cuba, is a really good team and my players know them well from watching them play when they were younger; to have a chance to play such a quality team like Cuba is a great opportunity for us, hopefully we’ll be able to put our best effort”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “It’s difficult to take in the loss. We had some good moments, but we are still lacking to close in important moments. Our counterattack and defense are in trouble; the guys get nervous in moments they should be able to score because we are defending well, but they will improve with more consecutive matches like this one. We aren’t happy and we could have pressured more. The qualification is still in our hands, and we must come out strong tomorrow, we will work hard, the level of play with Dominican Republic is similar, but we are coming from five sets yesterday and four today. We will watch some videos to determine how we’re going to play tactically speaking”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Cuba with an exciting five-set win 3-2 (25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11) over the United States to improve 2-0 at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

The United States came back strong after falling in the first two sets to extend the action to a tie-break won by Cuba.

Cuba led 63-47 in attacks and 5-3 in aces. United States held a comfortable 14-8 margin in blocks. Cuba scored on 35 points from U.S. errors but handed out 43.

Opposite hitter Jesus Herrera of Cuba scored a match-high of 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks, outside hitter and team captain Miguel Angel Lopez followed with 19 points on 18 kills and once ace, and middle blocker Roamy Alonso contributed with 13 points.

Opposite hitter Francesco Sani topped the United States with 17 points on 15 kills and two aces, outside hitter Kyle McCauley contributed with 15 points on 11 kills, three blocks and one ace; middle blocker Nyerovwome Omene and outside hitter Brett Wildman added 11 and 10 points respectively.

On Wednesday Cuba will meet Canada and United States plays Puerto Rico.

Miguel Angel Lopez, Captain of Cuba: “It was a complicated match, it depended on our game. From the third set onward our game stopped to go smoothly as it was in the first two sets. The key was the concentration to come out with the victory. This is just our second match, and we are adapting to the condition of the court and the surroundings. Now we must study Canada and rest”.

Kyle McCauley, Outside hitter of United States: “We have a lot of trust in everyone coming in, we had some great serves, also our blocking did well. We fought hard the entire match”.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 12, 2022 – Two new team records for the NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six were set on Tuesday by Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.

Roosevelt Comarazamy, the Press Communication director of NORCECA Confederation informed about the new standards for the event that is in its second edition in Nayarit, Mexico.

The two teams combined for 232 points in the five-set victory of Puerto Rico 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 32-34, 22-25, 15-12) to open the actions of the second day of the competition.

The 34-32 third set won by the Dominican squad is also a new record.

Last year, Puerto Rico prevailed 33-31 in a second set of a match won by the Dominicans 3-1 (31-29, 31-33, 27-25, 27-25) on September 3 of the inaugural Final Six held in Santo Domingo.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 12, 2022.- Puerto Rico won another five-set match in their second victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup, defeating Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 32-34, 22-25, 15-12) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Puerto Rico also beat Mexico in five sets on Monday to stand with a 2-0 record and Dominican Republic drops to 0-2.

Dominican Republic had a remarkable recovery coming from a two-set deficit and snatching the third set in an extended 34-32 while Puerto Rico lost 8 match points to close in three sets.

Puerto Rico held a 72-68 advantage in attacks and a slim 13-12 margin in blocks, Dominicans did better in the service line with a 6-4 advantage. Dominican Republic committed one less unforced error than Puerto Rico (24-25).

Four players from each team scored double-digits. Puerto Rico with outside hitters Klistan Vidal (25), Pedro Molina (24), Peligrin Vargas (18) and middle blocker Angel Rivera (12). On Dominican Republic’s side, outside hitter Henry López (20), opposite hitter Henry Tapia (18), outside hitter Hector Cruz (12) and middle blocker Felix Romero (10) who led in blocks with 6 points.

On day three of the event, Puerto Rico faces the United States and the Dominican Republic goes up against Mexico.

Pedro Molina, Outside hitter of Puerto Rico: “It was a difficult match, we always have great performance against the Dominican Republic, they are an excellent team. We have improved, we have grown to reach today’s victory. We have all worked a lot and we are prepared for tomorrow’s match, after two matches in five sets it’s important for us to recover physically”.

Henry Tapia, Captain of Dominican Republic: “This match was more open, one on one, in comparison from yesterday that we had a lower performance. Sometimes it’s not the level of play but the floor, the light, several factors influence one’s performance to execute and score. Tomorrow we are forced to win”.

Oswald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are coming with a project that is relatively new, there are several players debuting in this tournament. We are glad and cautious about the next matches, but happy to work. Dominican Republic is an organized team, and they changed their game plan, it’s part of the strategy of the game; we came out with the victory and it’s important to prepare for tomorrow”. 

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Puerto Rico opened the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am cup beating Mexico in five sets 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 15-14) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

It was a nail-biting match from start to finish and despite Mexico´s advantages in every skill, 51-47 in attacks, a comfortable 12-6 margin in blocks and 7-4 in aces, Puerto Rico won scoring 51 points on opponent errors while committing 39.

Outside hitter Klistan Lawrence with 16 points all on kills was Puerto Rico’s leading scorer, accompanied by outside hitter Pedro Molina with 10 points on 8 kills and two aces and outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas also with 10 points on 8 kills, one block and one ace.

Opposite hitter Diego González of Mexico scored a match-high of 20 points on 17 kills and three blocks, outside hitters Mauro Isaac Fuentes and Josué de Jesús Lopez contributed with 15 and 12 points respectively.

Puerto Rico (1-0) will face Dominican Republic (0-1) and Mexico (0-1) meets Canada (1-0) on Tuesday.

Klistan Lawrence, Top scorer of Puerto Rico: “This was my first international match, that’s why it was difficult, I adjusted, solved and in the end played well. Facing the host team isn’t easy, there was too much noise, the crowd influenced our concentration. It’s always important to start with a victory and mostly in the last set that has 15 points, we were able to get the victory”.

Diego González, Top scorer of Mexico: “Unfortunately we couldn’t win, we worked hard. Puerto Rico was able to adjust in the end, that’s what it’s all about. We had too many errors and couldn’t solve them. Our serves were out of rhythm, but there’s more competition ahead. Everybody comes to win, there is no easy opponent, we will give all, we’ve trained for that. Our team is young, and this is the level of play that helps us improve; it’s a long road”.

Oswald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “Mexico is a great team, well trained, well prepared, they have a well-established plan, it’s clear; they came to play and it’s a pleasure to face a team like that. We are in the process of establishing our identity as a country of good volleyball, with a young group that’s trying to get to know each other better. For us the victory is very important to gain confidence for the rest of the tournament. We showed character coming from behind, what’s important is to keep our head high and rest for our next match”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “We were destroyed by our errors, we committed errors at the end of the sets, we didn’t execute our counterattacking. The only player on the team with experience is Pedro Rangel that has a knee injury, so we used him a little to take care of him. The tournament is strong, and no team is weak; this is just the beginning and we must adjust to win a medal”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Canada earned a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21) victory over the United States in their opening match at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

Canada had a great start overcoming the U.S. with a solid 5-1 lead in service points. The Canadians also held advantages in blocks (6-4) and attacks (35-33), while scoring on 29 opponent errors and handing out 21.

Opposite hitter Jordan Canham led Canada with 9 points, while outside hitters Logan House and Brandon Koppers chipped in with 8 points each.

Outside hitter Brett Wildman of the United States led all scorers with 10 points. Opposite hitter Francesco Sani added 8 points for the U.S. and middle blocker Austin Wilmot scored 7 points.

On Tuesday United States (0-1) will face Cuba (1-0) and Canada (1-0) meets host Mexico.

Jordan Canham, Top scorer of Canada: “Being our first match, I was a little nervous like the rest of us. It was so fun to play with a crowd like this and the nerves got out. It’s important to start with a victory this, against a team like the United States. We had a couple of scrimmages before the tournament and that helped us, I don’t think they had any and I believe they were nervous; it’s always fun to play against them.

Brett Wildman, Top scorer of United States: “Obviously our goal was to win, but also coming into the tournament our goal is to get better over time. We have a bright future in this tournament, but we must cut down the errors on serves”.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “This was more than we could have hoped for, coming out on top with a 3-0 win especially against a country with great volleyball, one of the top volleyball nations in the world and a country ten times bigger than ours.  Our team played an excellent match and I think the Americans struggled a bit from the service line. Our work is just beginning, and our best matches are yet to come”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I want to give credit to Canada, they came out and played a good match from the very start. We did not play well at the start and played better in the second and third set. We must make more serves and create scoring opportunities from our block defense, we have to be better in that tomorrow against Cuba.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Cuba won the NORCECA Final Six Pan Cup opener to Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-15-, 25-15, 25-22) at the Amado Nervo Auditorium in Tepic, Nayarit.

Cuba grabbed their first win of the preliminary round with 39-21 advantage in kills, an 8-4 margin in blocks and leading 5-3 in aces. Cuba committed 19 errors and Dominican Republic a total of 20.

Cuba’s top scorer was outside hitter Marlon Yant with 12 points on 9 kills and three aces, joined by team captain Miguel Angel Lopez with 9 points on 7 kills and 2 blocks; middle blocker Roamy Alonso added 8 points.

For Dominican Republic, outside hitter Wilfrido Hernadez led with 9 points, opposite hitter and team captain Henry Tapia contributed with 8 points and middle blocker Dawilin Mendez finished with 7 points.

On day two of competition, Cuba faces the United States and the Dominican Republic plays against Puerto Rico.

Marlon Yant, Top scorer of Cuba: “We got into rhythm little by little, I believe it was a great game to kick the tournament. We want to win all our matches, add one by one, we have practiced to do so and try to win the competition”.

Wilfrido Hernández, Top scorer of Dominican Republic: “Despite Cuba being a strong opponent, we did the best we could. Cuba was well organized, mostly in blocking and their K-1 they are tough. We will go on improving, from less to more; we must improve many things”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “The first two sets were good, despite making some changes the guys always get relaxed and overconfident. In the end we pressed a bit and came out with the victory. We are working little by little”.

Alexander Gutiérrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “It was a hard game to start a tournament, it is known that Cuba is one of the favorites in the tournament. We began lazy, committing too many errors. We adjusted in the third set and got a better rhythm, but we came short to close. What’s important is to finish strong despite the negative things”.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 10, 2022.- The Government of the State of Nayarit held a Welcoming Ceremony for the NORCECA Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup in a colorful ceremony on the eve of the competition that starts on Monday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium.

The players enjoyed folk dances and traditions of Nayarit in a pleasant coexistence at the teams’ hotel.

The General Secretary of the State of Nayarit Juan Antonio Echegaray Becerra, representing the Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero, alongside Carolina Guadalupe Lugo Robles, General Director of the Institute of Sports and Culture of Nayarit and the Secretary of Tourism of Nayarit Juan Enrique Suárez welcomed the six participating delegations and the members of the Control Committee of the event.

NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz thanked the authorities of the State of Nayarit for their hospitality, their efforts in bringing the best teams of America and being the center of attention of thousands of volleyball followers.

“Thank you, Nayarit, for working for sports, the best tool to recover our principles as a society, our family and battle all the difficulties we are currently facing”.

The sports authorities of Nayarit expressed their interest in hosting the 2023 Women’s NORCECA Continental Championship.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 10, 2022.- Head Coaches of the teams at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six Pan American Cup gave their first statements on the eve of the competition that gets underway on Monday at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.

As teams officially registered during the preliminary inquiry, Cristobal Marte Hoffiz NORCECA President confirmed that the winner of the event qualifies to the 2023 NORCECA Continental Championship. He also added that teams will earn ranking points in route to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games of Santiago and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “We have a young squad, we don’t have a lot of international experience, but we are really excited about this group because they have physical talent and great potential for international play. We had a couple of scrimmage matches against our host Mexico and it looks promising so far that maybe our team could have a great result here. If we stay healthy, keep performing and improving every day we’ll have a very good result”.

Nicolás Vives, Head Coach of Cuba: “Our intentions are to give our best, prepare well for the FIVB World Challenger Cup which is our next most important immediate competition (end of the month), we are gearing up. We are also preparing for the Pan American Cup and the World Championship. Cuba’s major objective is always to win the competition”.

Alexander Gutierrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “Our team has grown, it’s very young with an average of 21 years old; there is more youth than experience, but the experienced players contribute a lot to our youngsters. This competition has different characteristics from the final four, with Mexico and Puerto Rico having other figures, while we have the same base because we are in the process of our young players’ growth thinking of their future, in addition to the enrichment of having the United States and Canada. For us it’s an addition to our experience”.

Jorge Azair, Head Coach of Mexico: “It’s an interesting competition, with high quality teams, Cuba is bringing their first team and we know that United States and Canada always have competitive squads. Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and us always battle strong. It will be a nice competition, and the best of it is that it is in my country”.

Owald Antonetti, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are taking this summer as a big step in establishing several players that are moving up; after last summer’s success, we want to strengthen our teams’ success with new guys, and we want them to understand the importance of volleyball in Puerto Rico. This tournament is one step towards competing in the World Championship, we are testing players”.

Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I think my team is very well prepared, the competition will be excellent, all six teams are very strong here and the host city is also well prepared, they are excited to have the competition here. We will hopefully have great crowds and supportive for everyone and the USA will play very well”.