ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 17, 2025.– Mexico opened with a victory by defeating Colombia 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 26-24) in the opening match of the men’s volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena.
The match began with Colombian dominance thanks to the aggressive serving of Dainer Ocoro and Ronnie Mosquera, who put pressure on Mexico’s reception to secure the first set.
Mexico, however, responded in the second set, taking control early and building a six-point lead (20-14), driven by the offense of Jorge Hernández and opposite hitter Eduardo Garza.
The third set had the flavor of a comeback: Mexico recovered from a four-point deficit (13-17) after several consecutive Colombian errors. Leonardo Maldonado and Daniel Cravioto were key in leveling the score at 18, and a spike by Juan García closed the set, giving Mexico a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was the most contested. Colombia tied at 15 points with plays from Miguel Ángel Rodríguez and Santiago Ramírez, keeping the score tight until the end. A Colombian blocking error and a powerful spike from Hernández sealed Mexico’s 26-24 win.
Mexico led in attacks (56-40), while Colombia held the edge in blocks (11-9) and conceded fewer errors (24-34). Both teams scored 5 aces.
Jorge Hernández and Leonardo Maldonado led Mexico with 19 points each; Hernández all on kills, while Maldonado contributed 15 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 aces. Opposite hitter Eduardo Garza added 10 points.
For Colombia, captain Jhon Mosquera topped the scoring with 18 points (14 attacks, 3 blocks, 2 aces), followed by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez with 11 (7 attacks, 3 blocks, 1 ace).
On the second day of Pool A, Mexico will face Guatemala, while Colombia will take on host Paraguay.
After the victory, Jorge Hernández said: “I believe this was the most important match for us in the group stage. Facing Colombia helps us improve our performance and gain rhythm. Guatemala is also a strong team and Paraguay is at home, but this one was a bit more important. There was inconsistency in our game, and I think we need to handle the pressure better in the closing points of the sets to avoid making errors.”
For his part, Jhon Mosquera explained that Colombia is a team that plays with joy: “As long as we can enjoy every match, the results will be positive. Unfortunately, today we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we’ll keep working to improve our confidence both individually and as a team, which I think was the decisive factor in Mexico’s win.”
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