SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 22, 2026.– The Dominican Republic earned its second victory at the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship, defeating Cuba 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22) at the “Prof. Ricardo Gioriver Arias” Volleyball Palace.
With the result, the Dominican Republic improved to 2-0 in Pool B and will face Puerto Rico in its final match of pool play. Cuba, with a 1-1 record, will take on Costa Rica. The top team in each pool will advance directly to the semifinals. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship.
The Dominican Republic held the advantage in all three scoring categories, leading 42-38 in attacks, 9-6 in blocks, and 4-3 in serves.
Dominican captain Brayelin Martínez led the team with 14 points on 12 attacks, one block, and one ace. Yonkaira Peña followed with 13 points on nine attacks, three blocks, and one ace, while Geraldine González and Jineiry Martínez added nine points each.
For Cuba, Yalain De La Peña led all scorers with 16 points on 15 attacks and one block, followed by Evilania Martínez with 11 points on eight attacks, two blocks, and one ace.
Marcos Kwiek, Dominican Republic coach: “It’s much better for us to have matches like this, hard-fought all the way, so we can keep progressing, keep improving, and see where we’re falling short. Now we have to start thinking about the next match; this one is already behind us.”
Luizomar De Moura, Cuba coach: “We always leave here better than when we arrived. Playing against a team like the Dominican Republic, which is used to facing the best teams in the world, gives the girls a lot of experience. I hope we can play against strong teams like this in the rest of the competition. I’m proud of my team.”
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