SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 2, 2026. – Colombia let a two-set lead slip away but kept its composure in the decisive set to defeat Venezuela 3-2 (25-20, 25-14, 20-25, 20-25, 16-14) in an exciting South American clash in Pool A of the women’s volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026.
The Colombians controlled the opening two sets with authority, particularly the second, in which they held Venezuela to just 14 points. However, the Venezuelans responded from the third set onward with strong blocking and a more aggressive offense to level the match and force a tie-break. In the fifth set, Colombia regained the initiative, although Venezuela fought off a first match point to tie the score at 14-14. Colombia ultimately kept its composure to close out the match 16-14.
Colombia built its victory on a 57-48 advantage in attacks, a slight edge in aces (4-3), and fewer unforced errors (32-42). Venezuela countered with a commanding 15-3 advantage in blocks, a key factor behind its comeback that kept the match level until the closing points.
Ana Karina Olaya led the Colombian offense with 25 points, followed by Ivonne Montaño with 12 and Valerín Carabali with 11. For Venezuela, Mariangel Vivas and Reibeth Artigas shared team-high honors with 16 points each, while Alejandra Arguello added 13 and Gabriela Noguera contributed 10.
On the second day of Pool A action, Colombia (1-0) will face Trinidad and Tobago (0-1), while Venezuela (0-1) will look for its first victory against Mexico (1-0).
Colombia’s captain María Alejandra Marín praised her team’s ability to withstand Venezuela’s comeback.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult match. We played them a week ago and, although we won 3-0, they never gave up. This time they knew us better and understood how we play, but we managed to hold on and earn the victory.”
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