Cuba Defeats Jamaica to Play for Seventh Place

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 22, 2026. – Cuba defeated Jamaica in straight sets 3-0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-10) to advance to the seventh-place match at the NORCECA Girls’ U19 Continental Championship.

The Cubans will face the U.S. Virgin Islands in their next match after their opponents secured a place in the classification round as the best third-place team from the preliminary round. Jamaica, meanwhile, concluded its campaign without a victory and finished ninth in the tournament.

Cuba took control of the match from the opening points and never allowed Jamaica to find its rhythm. The Cuban squad dominated every major statistical category, leading in attacks (36-2), blocks (7-1), and service aces (6-1). Jamaica also committed more unforced errors, giving away 26 points compared to Cuba’s 22.

Amanda Mayor led the Cuban offense with 11 points, while Anely Manuel added eight. For Jamaica, Ría Bertram finished as the team’s top scorer with two points.

After the match, Cuba’s leading scorer Amanda Mayor said: “We couldn’t achieve our main goal of qualifying for the World Championship, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop fighting in every match. Now we’re focused on finishing seventh, and our spirits are high for that match.”

Jamaica’s Lamique King commented: “This was our first international competition, and despite everything, we feel proud. We could have done better, but after every match we came back stronger. It was a significant challenge, and we had to work hard to stay encouraged while competing in such a demanding tournament.”

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