PONCE, Puerto Rico, August 25, 2026.- The Dominican Republic earned its first victory at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six after defeating Guatemala in straight sets 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.
The Dominican Republic improved to a 1-2 record, while Guatemala dropped to 0-3.
The Dominican Republic held the advantage in kills (41-39), blocks (9-0), and aces (2-0).
Alexis Cruz led the Dominican Republic with 18 points, followed by Henry Tapia with 13. For Guatemala, Carlos López scored 14 points.
With a two set lead, the Dominican Republic pulled away to a 17-13 advantage in the third after a block on Carlos López and maintained control the rest of the way to complete the straight-set victory.
José Mañón, Head Coach of the Dominican Republic:
“In this match we had a lot of energy; we came in focused on winning. We lost to them twice in a row in the last two events, so we were really committed to this one. Last night we met for a long time and talked about their system. We studied it well, and it gave us the result.
“We still need to make adjustments in blocking and reception. After that, we have the team and the attack, and I believe that with those adjustments we can compete against any team in the region.”
Reider Lucas, Head Coach of Guatemala:
“We really haven’t been able to win a set yet in this event. It has been very difficult for us. I think one of the things affecting us the most is our opponents’ serving sequences. Our reception has not responded well, and from there our actions in Complex I have become very difficult. I think that has been our biggest issue in this event.
“We still have two matches left. We know Puerto Rico is a good team and Mexico is also a good team, but we came here with the objective of competing at this level, which is something we really need, and becoming more familiar with a level that has been very difficult for us to reach. Now that we are here, we want to enjoy the competition, but we came with clear objectives and there is still competition ahead. We know reaching the semifinals is very difficult; we are fully aware of that. Our chances are practically remote at 0-3, but we will see what happens. There is still the match for fifth and sixth place, and any positive result we can achieve here would be a gain for us.”
The Dominican Republic will face the United States in its next match, while Guatemala will take on Puerto Rico.
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