SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, November 8, 2025.- Mexico staged a stunning reverse sweep 3-2 (21-25, 15-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-13) over the Dominican Republic to advance to the gold medal match of the 2025 NORCECA Girls’ U17 Continental Championship, where they will defend their title at the Gimnasio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica.
Mexico will face the United States in Sunday’s gold medal match, while the Dominican Republic will play for bronze against Puerto Rico.
The tournament champion will qualify for the 2026 FIVB Girls’ U17 World Championship in Chile. FIVB will confirm at a later date the total number of NORCECA berths.
Mexico captured the gold medal in the inaugural edition of the event held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2023), also rallying from two sets down to defeat Puerto Rico. In that same edition, the Dominican Republic fell short in the bronze medal match against Canada.
Mexico led the match in attacks (59-45) and service points (9-6), while the Dominican Republic was dominant at the net with 20 blocks to Mexico’s 11. Mexico committed 31 unforced errors compared to the Dominicans’ 22.
Emily Camarena led Mexico with 20 points (19 kills, 1 ace), followed by Isabella Gallardo with 19 (11 kills, 7 blocks, 1 ace) and Evelyn Díaz with 19 (12 kills, 2 aces). Adriana Hernández contributed 10 points.
For the Dominican Republic, Rayni Mondesi led all scorers with 27 points (20 kills, 6 blocks, 1 ace), and Leandry Almonte added 14 (13 kills, 1 ace). Shanty Pérez tallied 10 points, while Rosaria Peña scored a match-high 8 points.
The Dominican Republic controlled the first two sets, capitalizing on Mexico’s attacking errors and strong offensive work from Mondesi and Almonte. After trailing 0-2, Mexico regrouped behind Camarena and Gallardo, who led a spirited comeback starting in the third set. Key service pressure from Díaz and Hernández, combined with Gallardo’s blocking, helped Mexico turn the momentum.
Mexico carried their energy into the fourth set, jumping to a 5-1 lead and extending it to 12-5 with dominant blocking from Gallardo and Hernández. Díaz continued to score effectively, and Gallardo sealed the set with a powerful kill to force a tie-break.
In the decisive fifth set, both teams traded points in a dramatic back-and-forth battle. Tied at 13-13, a Dominican service error pushed Mexico to 14-13, and Gallardo delivered the winning ace to complete the remarkable comeback and secure their place in the final.
Migdalel Ruiz, Head Coach of Mexico, said about the comeback: “I think we started off very fearful; we didn’t want to make mistakes and ended up committing too many errors in the first two sets. The players were very nervous. We talked to them to help them gain confidence, telling them that this was their moment and that they would regret it if they didn’t bring out their best volleyball and the passion that defines us. Yes, there were lineup and strategy changes, but the main thing was to motivate them. Now it’s the United States; we’ve already faced them, we’ll study them, and we’ll look for a different result.”
Brazilian coach Marcelo Cezarano for the Dominican Republic said about the loss: “This is the price we pay for being young girls. They are intelligent, but they have to go through these situations to gain maturity. We faced a very good team; Mexico is a strong team. Now we have to take a deep breath and go for the bronze medal.”
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