PARAMARIBO, Mexico, September 17, 2024.- Mexico beat Costa Rica 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-21) in its second win in Pool A of the U23 Men’s Pan American Cup, taking place at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo, Suriname.
With two victories in Pool A, Mexico (2-0) is assured of advancing to the next round, but it remains to be seen whether they will go directly to the semifinals or compete in the quarterfinals after facing Cuba on Wednesday. Costa Rica (0-2) will play against the Dominican Republic in their final group stage match.
Mexico and Costa Rica are vying for one of the two spots available for NORCECA teams at the II Pan American Junior Games Asunción 2025.
After a tough first set, Mexico secured the win with an advantage of 41-31 in kills, 9-4 in blocks, and 9-2 in serves, but Costa Rica benefited from 27 unforced errors compared to 18.
Jared Toy led Mexico with 11 points (8 attacks, 2 blocks, one ace). Oziel Aguirre scored 10 points (5 attacks, including a match-high of 5 direct serve points). Juan García also contributed 10 points (5 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks, 1 ace).
For Costa Rica, Jeremy Vanega and Dennis Jenher each scored 9 points.
Costa Rica started strong, reaching a five-point lead (11-6) with powerful kills from Dennis Jenher and Jeremy Vanega, but Mexico quickly recovered with Oziel Aguirre’s attacks and Jared Toy’s blocks. The set remained very close, with Mexico finally closing it out in extra time. In the second set, Aguirre maintained his serve to help Mexico hold a comfortable lead over Costa Rica and stay in control of the match. In the third set, the teams tied several times until reaching 20 points, when Mexico pulled ahead with consecutive points from Franky Hernández.
Jared Toy, Mexico’s top scorer: “We started a bit slow, which is something we’ve been struggling with as a team. Costa Rica gave us a good scare. We managed to get into rhythm and come through. Tomorrow, we close against Cuba, and we expect it to be a great match, good for both teams”.
Jeremy Vanega, Costa Rica’s top scorer: “We lost control in the first set because we started making errors and gradually lowered our level of play. From there, we lost focus and Mexico’s pressure increased. This is another experience; we learn from each game and regardless of the outcome, we’re happy to be growing”.
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