SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 27, 2026. – Mexico wrapped up the preliminary round of the men’s volleyball tournament at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games with a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-18) victory over host Dominican Republic, securing second place in Pool B.
Mexico will face Venezuela in the quarterfinals, while the Dominican Republic will take on defending champion Cuba for a place in the semifinals in what promises to be a highly competitive day of action.
After splitting the opening two sets, Mexico took control of the match with a more consistent offense and an effective serving performance.
The difference came through Mexico’s offensive efficiency and serving. The winners led 51-41 in attacks, fired nine aces to the Dominican Republic’s two, and committed fewer unforced errors (28-30). Both teams totaled nine blocks.
Opposite Diego González led Mexico with 18 points, while outside hitters Josué López and Oziel Aguirre added 16 and 13 points, respectively. For the Dominican Republic, outside hitter Alexis Cruz scored a team-high 15 points, followed by opposite Adrián Figueroa with 13.
Following the match, Diego González highlighted Mexico’s growing confidence.
“I feel like we’ve finally adapted on the court. We felt much more comfortable with our serving and attacking. We’re expecting a tough match against Venezuela, and we hope to continue playing solid volleyball now that we’re more accustomed to the heat in Santo Domingo. The team is working well together, and we’re hoping to come away with the win tomorrow.”
Alexis Cruz pointed to the areas the Dominican Republic must improve before facing Cuba.
“Today we struggled in serve reception, and it didn’t help us the way we needed. We also haven’t been able to stabilize our service, we made too many errors in that area, and that’s not something we usually do. Tomorrow, we need to stay composed and limit the mistakes we made today in serve reception and from the service line, with our focus on improving.”
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