SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 27, 2026. – Cuba secured second place in Pool A and advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 after defeating Venezuela 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-19) in the final day of the preliminary round.
With the victory, Cuba finished with a 2-1 record to claim second place in Pool A, while Venezuela ended third at 1-2. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will compete for a place among the tournament’s final four.
Cuba set the pace from the opening set with a consistent offensive performance and a strong presence at the net. Venezuela stayed within striking distance throughout the second set, but Cuba responded in the key moments to widen the margin. The Venezuelans again put up a fight in the third set, yet Cuba relied on an effective service game and solid blocking to close out the match in straight sets.
Cuba held the advantage in every skill, leading Venezuela in attacks (37-21), blocks (10-8), and service aces (7-1), although it also committed more unforced errors (27-21).
Four Cuban players reached double figures in scoring, led by Daniel Martínez with 15 points. Miguel Ángel López, Marlon Yant Herrera, and Alexis Wilson each contributed 10 points.
Following the match, Miguel Ángel López praised the level of competition in the pool stage and emphasized Cuba’s focus heading into the knockout round.
“The teams we’ve faced want to test themselves against us and show something different. They deserve a lot of credit because they came well prepared for this tournament. We stayed focused on our own game and on executing what we needed to do on the court. We got the win today, and now it’s time to think about our next opponent. Playing an extra match wasn’t our goal, but that’s part of the competition. Now we have to go out, give it everything we’ve got, and win it.”
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Argentine head coach, Ruben Wolochin, offered a positive assessment of his team’s performance in the preliminary round and said the focus now shifts entirely to the quarterfinals.
“I think we’ve done a decent job. It’s unfortunate that we lost last night because we could have finished second in the pool. There are six teams here that are clearly at a slightly higher level than the others. Now it’s all about the quarterfinals—we have to give it everything we’ve got.”
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