LEÓN, Mexico, August 23, 2024.- Argentina reached the semifinals of the XXI Women’s Pan American Volleyball Cup after a five-set comeback victory over Mexico 3-2 (15-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-13, 15-12) on Friday at the Domo de La Feria in León, Guanajuato.
Argentina will face Colombia in the second semifinal on Saturday, while the first semifinal will feature the United States against the Dominican Republic, who also came back in five sets against Puerto Rico.
Mexico will compete in the classification matches for the positions 5-8 in Irapuato, starting against Chile.
Argentina led in blocks (14-6), while Mexico held advantages in attacks (59-53) and service points (5-3). Argentina scored 31 points off opponent errors and gave away 22.
Argentina’s outside hitter Dalma Pérez was the top scorer in the match with 22 points from 19 attacks and 2 aces. Contributing to the victory were middle blocker Bianca Farriol with 16 points, including a match-high of 7 blocks, outside hitter Elina Rodríguez, and opposite hitter Bianca Cugno, each with 10 points.
Once again, Mexico’s outside hitter Grecia Castro led her team with 19 points. Uxue Guereca added 13 points, and both María Rodríguez and Karina Flores contributed 11 each.
Mexico started strong, gaining a nine-point lead (20-11) in the first set, with Grecia Castro and Uxue Guereca at the wings and Karina Flores in the middle as their key players. In the second set, Argentineans Dalma Pérez and Bianca Farriol adjusted better to Mexico’s game, which lost a set point before Castro secured the set. The match turned around as Argentina dominated the third set entirely, overpowering Mexico by a huge margin (25-17). The South Americans forced a tiebreak by significantly improving their blocking (3-0) and winning it with an ace from Pérez. The teams were tied several times in the fifth set until the point 12, when Argentina’s Elina Rodríguez and Pérez scored two consecutive points and sealed the victory with a Mexican attack error.
Dalma Pérez, top scorer of Argentina: “I feel that our attitude is what defines us the most. We are growing as a group, and I’m one of the youngest, but I feel that when I step in, the whole team gives me the confidence to do whatever I want. I believe that our attitude led us to victory. We started the match very slow, but we refocused”.
Facundo Morando, coach of Argentina: “The girls deserve all the credit. They showed character, as they have throughout the tournament. They wait, adapt, and then strike”.
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