LEÓN, Mexico, September 12, 2026.- Led by an outstanding 31-point performance from Sofía Maldonado, host Mexico defeated the United States 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20) to remain unbeaten at 2-0 in Pool B of the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup on Saturday at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.
Mexico took the first two sets by identical 25-21 scores, relying on its offense with Maldonado as its main weapon. The United States responded in the third, increased the pressure and extended the match with a 25-20 win.
The hosts answered with a dominant start to the fourth set. With Grecia Castro at the service line, Mexico built a 7-0 lead, with Maldonado and Aimé Topete contributing in attack, and extended the advantage to 11-1. The United States kept fighting and gradually reduced the margin with Temitayo Thomas-Ailara, Jessica Mruzik and Anna DeBeer Hudson contributing offensively, but Mexico maintained control to close the set 25-20 and secure the victory.
Mexico held a 60-46 advantage in attacks, while the United States led 5-3 in blocks and 6-1 in aces. The Americans also committed one fewer error, 30 compared to Mexico’s 31.
Maldonado, who played as an outside hitter, finished with 31 points on 29 attacks and two blocks. Grecia Castro added 14 points, all on kills, while Aimé Topete contributed 11.
Temitayo Thomas-Ailara led the United States with 11 points, and Claire Hoffman added 10.
On Sunday, the United States (1-1) will face Costa Rica (0-1) at 4:00 p.m., while Mexico (2-0) will play Guatemala (0-1) at 8:00 p.m.
Sofía Maldonado, Mexico’s top scorer: “Our goal here is to earn ranking points. Even though this match against the United States does not give us ranking points, thank God we were able to win. The United States is always a very strong team, and we came in with the idea of adapting to the position changes. Today I played as outside hitter, trying new things and learning against a great opponent. I played outside hitter in the professional league last year, so I already had that experience. It was a team effort, everything worked very well, and you could see that we played with a lot of determination. Our good defense also helped our setting and allowed us to attack more effectively.”
Ella Powell, USA setter: “It’s always fun to play in this environment. Playing Mexico at home with this crowd is tough. I don’t think we were completely ready for the challenge. There were moments when we were, but that must be there from the beginning. If we had started a little better, things might have been different. We just have to keep our minds right and not try to be spectacular but simply put together one good action after another. That’s all we need to do.”
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