SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 24, 2026. – The wait is over. With the pools set and the competition about to begin, the head coaches of the eight teams competing in the men’s volleyball tournament at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games said their squads are ready to face a championship that promises a high level of competition and, in addition to the regional medals, offers valuable points toward the NORCECA Continental Ranking.
From July 25 to 30, the Professor Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace will host the region’s top teams in a tournament where every match will be crucial in the race for the podium. Ahead of the opening serve, the coaches shared their expectations for this edition of the Games, assessed the level of their opponents, and spoke about the goals they have set for the competition.
Paolo Montagnani, Head Coach of Colombia: “We had more than a month of preparation, but not enough friendly matches to prepare for the competition. This is the first competition of a long summer, and we want to go step by step, improve step by step. We know the first match is one of the most important ones, so we must play it very well. We are excited and also curious to see the level our team can reach. The team is a mix of experienced players and some very young ones.”
Yumilka Ruiz, Team Manager of Cuba: “We come with high aspirations and clear objectives. We will fight to reach the podium and compete for the gold medal. We have a squad that combines young players with more experienced ones who competed in this year’s VNL. We are ready to give everything we have.”
Alexander Gutiérrez, Head Coach of the Dominican Republic: “The Games are one of several important tournaments we have ahead of us. Four years ago, we had a good performance, and we have kept the core of that team while adding new players. We will continue investing in the development of men’s volleyball, doing our best and aiming for a strong performance.”
Reider Lucas, Head Coach of Guatemala: “We are very happy that Guatemala is participating in the Central American and Caribbean Games for the third consecutive time. The players are eager to compete. We know the level will be very high, and we are pleased with the way the team has prepared to play good matches. We will fight for the best position possible. Experiences like this help us continue improving our volleyball and remain competitive at this level.”
Carlos Eduardo Schwanke, Head Coach of Mexico: “It is once again a great opportunity to be here representing Mexico. We expect to achieve a good result, play quality volleyball, and finish the Games in a strong position.”
Jamille Torres, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are always very excited because these are our regional Olympics, and we have enjoyed a great deal of success at the Games. That also brings added pressure because of what this event means to our country. Our objective remains the same: to give a group of young players the opportunity to continue growing within our program. Our performance in the last tournament (the Final Four) reflects where we stand at the moment. We have brought a combination of young and more experienced players to continue building on our work and fight for a medal.”
Carlos Orta Fellove, Head Coach of Suriname: “Suriname is a team in development. We have gone through a rebuilding process, and at present only four players have significant experience. Last year, at the Final Six, we had an outstanding performance with the tournament’s second-best libero and best blocker, showing the progress we have made. We will fight to improve on the seventh-place finish we achieved at the last Games. It will be difficult against such strong opponents, but it is not out of reach.”
Rubén Wolochin, Head Coach of Venezuela: “We have prepared as well as possible under the circumstances. We are grateful to the Dominican Republic for hosting us over the past ten days, which allowed us to play several preparation matches. We hope to compete at the level this tournament demands, even though our team has undergone changes. The players have worked hard and shown great commitment, and we expect to adapt to the competition match by match while striving to perform at our best.”
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