PONCE, Puerto Rico, May 15, 2024. – Cuba staged a comeback from a two-set deficit in a 3-2 victory (19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13) over Canada on the second day of action at the Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship being held in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Cuba, with a 2-0 record, will compete for the top spot in pool A against the United States (2-0) on Thursday. Canada (0-2) will face Suriname (0-2) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
After winning the third set, Cuba came from behind in the fourth (16-20) to force a fifth set, which remained close until point 11 when Cuba’s attack sealed the victory.
Cuba finished with a 54-45 advantage in points from kills, while Canada led in blocks 17-11 and service points 7-5. Cuba committed more errors than Canada (39-37).
Opposite hitter Yosdani Medina of Cuba scored a match-high of 28 points (27 attacks, one service), and was the only player from the Cuban squad with double digits.
On Canada’s side, team captain Reuben Veith scored 21 points (12 attacks, 6 blocks, 3 services). Opposite hitter Luke Wright contributed with 12 points.
Lian Sem Estrada, Head coach Cuba: “The game got complicated at the beginning because it was the first time they faced a team of higher level. The players knew how to follow the instructions of all the coaches and went out to fight for the game. What we did better than Canada was the fighting spirit and determination”.
Dan Ota, Head coach Canada: “I think it was a much better performance than yesterday. I am very proud of this team for only their second match together to push Cuba, who is a very strong volleyball country, who showed their quality in the second half of the match and were difficult to stop. This is a young group, and we are only going to get better as the tournament develops. We want to play more exciting games like this one”.
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