LEÓN, Guanajuato, July 28, 2025.- Dominican Republic claimed their first win at the U23 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Costa Rica 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-14) on the second day of Pool A action at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.
Both teams now hold one win and one loss in the standings.
From the start, the Caribbean side set the pace, taking a 5-1 lead in the opening set, forcing Costa Rican head coach Kareem Richards to call an early timeout. The gap widened quickly to 12-5, with the Dominicans dominating in every skill.
Costa Rica attempted to respond in the second set by attacking against the block, but the Dominican squad maintained control. The third set followed the same storyline, with Dominican Republic firmly in command.
Dominican Republic led the stats with a wide margin of 40-17 in attacks, 8-1 in blocks, and 4-1 in aces. They also capitalized on 23 Costa Rican unforced errors while committing only 13 themselves.
Opposite Katielle Alonzo, outside hitter Alondra Tapia, and middle blocker Estrella Puente commanded the Dominican offense with 9 points each. For Costa Rica, Ivanny Blackwood topped all scorers with 10 points.
Katielle Alonzo highlighted her team’s unity after the match, “We dominated all aspects of the game. We played together as always. We want to keep winning; even though we lost to the United States yesterday, it was a very good match.”
Ivanny Blackwood acknowledged the challenge of the match, “This game was much tougher than yesterdays. Dominican Republic is a strong opponent; they have better reach, power, and overall physical conditions than we do. We expected a tough match, but we hoped for a better score. We haven’t been together for long, and there are still things to improve.”
On the final day of pool play, Dominican Republic (1-1) will face Suriname (0-2), while Costa Rica (1-1) will close against the United States (2-0).
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