SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 2, 2026. – The Dominican Republic opened the defense of its women’s volleyball title at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 in commanding fashion, defeating Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-12) to close the opening day of Pool B.
The Dominicans set the tone from the opening rally, racing to a 6-0 lead in the first set and never relinquishing control. Their dominance became even more evident in the second set, where they held Costa Rica to just nine points, before completing the victory with another solid performance in the third. With a comfortable advantage on the scoreboard, the Dominican coaching staff rotated the lineup while maintaining the team’s intensity ahead of the remaining matches.
The Dominican Republic controlled every scoring skill, finishing with advantages in attacks (39-16), blocks (8-3), and aces (6-2), while also committing fewer unforced errors (14-22).
Gaila González led the Dominican offense with 13 points, followed by Yonkaira Peña with 12 and Brayelin Martínez with 11. Costa Rica’s Nhya Barley paced her team with seven points.
On the second day of Pool B action, the Dominican Republic (1-0) will face Cuba (1-0) in a highly anticipated clash between undefeated teams, while Costa Rica (0-1) will look to rebound against Puerto Rico (0-1).
Dominican captain Brayelin Martínez highlighted the support of the home crowd and her team’s focus throughout the match.
“We’re very happy to be playing at home. It’s a pleasure and an honor to compete in front of our fans. We stayed focused on our game while showing great respect for our opponent. We never relaxed, we remained strong, and we kept our goal clearly in mind. That’s the way we’ll continue.”
Costa Rican captain Tatiana Sayles emphasized the value of facing the defending champions in such a demanding atmosphere.
“Our goal is to improve from match to match. It was a great experience to play in such an outstanding venue with an enthusiastic crowd. We knew it would be a very demanding match. Playing against the Dominican Republic on its home court creates a difficult atmosphere, but we tried to develop our game despite the challenging moments.”
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