MANAGUA, Nicaragua, November 20, 2025.– Mexico finished second in Pool B after defeating Cuba 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-20) in the last match of pool play at the NORCECA U17 Boys’ Continental Championship.
Mexico ended with a 2-1 record in second place, while Cuba finished third at 1-2; both teams will play in the quarterfinal round. Mexico will face the third-place team from Pool A, and Cuba will meet the second-place finisher. The Dominican Republic placed fourth and will play for positions 5–8.
In the second set, Mexico trailed by three points (20-23) before rallying to take the set, opening the door to securing the match as Cuba was unable to recover from the setback.
For Mexico, captain Francisco Merino contributed 17 points, and Yanis Medrano added 10. For Cuba, Reinaldo Márquez scored 11 points.
Mexico held advantages in attacking (39-21) and serving (3-2). Cuba led in blocking (6-5) but gave up 28 points on errors, while Mexico committed 19.
Denis Rivera, Mexico’s head coach: “After falling behind in the second set, we managed to come back. The boys handled the pressure well, and in the third set we closed strongly. I’m very happy with the result. This match was key to focusing on what’s next, and now we must wait for the outcome of the other pool. It seems likely we’ll face either Barbados or Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, but we must wait.”
Francisco Merino, Mexico’s captain: “Our families really motivate us, they push us, and that helped us pull off that second set, which was tough. I think what has helped us most is that we changed our attitude from the first match to this one. In this game we gave everything, and that made the difference. Now we’re closer to the semifinals.”
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