GUADALAJARA, Jalisco, September 16, 2025. – Mexico rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat Canada 3-1 (21-25, 25-11, 25-17, 25-20) and remain unbeaten at the 2025 NORCECA Women’s Final Six at Unidad Deportiva López Mateos in Guadalajara.
Mexico now stands at 2-0, while Canada falls to 0-2. On day three of the event, Mexico (2-0) will face Cuba (1-1) and Canada (0-2) will take on Puerto Rico (1-1).
Canada jumped to an early 10-4 lead in the first set behind Emma Boyd’s offense and Veronica Dickson’s tough serving. Despite Mexico’s efforts, including a late surge led by Sofía Maldonado and Uxue Guereca, Canada held firm and sealed the set with a kill from Isabella Noble.
Mexico responded with a commanding performance in the second set, racing to a 6-1 lead and never looking back. Arleth Márquez was dominant at the net, while Aime Topete contributed crucial points as Mexico evened the match in emphatic fashion.
The third set saw a tight start, but Mexico surged ahead 11-6 by finding gaps in Canada’s defense. Middle blocker Karina Flores joined Maldonado and Topete to keep Mexico in control. Despite a late Canadian rally led by Maryn Boldon, Gabrielle Attieh, and Boyd, Mexico closed the set with strong plays from Topete and Michelle Lizárraga.
Canada once again took the lead early in the fourth set (10-6), with Noble, Attieh, and Sydney Grills powering the offense. Mexico fought back with Maldonado and Topete to tie the score at 10. Samantha Bricio came off the bench and delivered a crucial ace to give Mexico a two-point edge (20-18). Flores added a key attack, and two Canadian errors sealed the victory for the home team.
Mexico dominated in attacks (50-35) and aces (8-3), while Canada led in blocks (10-8). Mexico handed out 25 points on unforced errors compared to Canada’s 30.
Sofía Maldonado once again led Mexico with 15 points (11 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace), followed by Aime Topete with 13 (12 kills, 1 ace) and Uxue Guereca with 12. Canada was led by Emma Boyd and Maryn Boldon with 11 points each.
Emma Boyd , Canada’s team captain and leading scorer: “In the first set we answered well from yesterday focusing on our details and executing on our game plan and I think we did a really good job at that. We knew the crowd was going to be super loud and that was energizing tonight. It was really fun volleyball. The last set was tight up to the end and then a couple of unfortunate errors ended it. It was wonderful competition tonight”.
Sofía Maldonado, Mexico’s top scorer: “At the beginning, we didn’t follow the coach’s instructions that well. We recovered from losing the first set by being more organized and improving our communication. The second set was very solid; we were all on the same page. Now we face Cuba, we need to stay mentally strong, and we will prepare for that.”
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