TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 27, 2026.– Peru bounced back after dropping the opening set to defeat Canada 3-1 (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-12) in its debut at the Girls’ U17 Pan American Cup at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Peru has a 1-0 record in Pool B and will face host Honduras (0-1) on Thursday in its final preliminary-round match. Canada concluded pool play with a 1-1 record.
Canada controlled the opening set from start to finish, holding the advantage in attacks 14-9 behind the offense of Naya Grimm and Ella Grapentine. Peru’s Fernanda Pinto kept her team competitive with key points throughout the set.
The second set remained close early on, tied at 10 before Peru surged ahead on a three-point run fueled by Pinto’s offense and an ace from Mireya Maldonado. Peru maintained momentum with attacks from Tamara Galdos and middle blocker Kiara Lazo. Canada fought off two set points, but Lazo sealed the set with a decisive kill to level the match at one set apiece.
Set three featured intense back-and-forth action, tied at 11 before Peru gained the edge with a Galdos attack and a block by Avril Moran over Madison Yamazaki. Peru widened the gap to 20-16 with strong offense from Valentina Valera, while a kill from Nahir Cueva secured the set and a 2-1 advantage for the South Americans.
Peru showed clear improvement and confidence in the fourth set, dominating from the start and keeping Canada out of rhythm with consistent offense and pressure from the service line.
Peruvian captain Ana Marcela Manrique said nerves affected the team early in the match. “Once we gained confidence, we were able to control the match. We improved as the match went on, and I have a lot of confidence in my team. Tomorrow, we need to believe in our game from the very beginning.”
Peru finished with advantages in attacks (49-37) and service aces (8-5), while Canada led in blocks (7-3). Peru committed 27 errors compared to Canada’s 34.
Fernanda Pinto led all scorers with 17 points for Peru, followed by Nahir Cueva with 11 points. Canada’s leading scorer was Naya Grimm with 11 points.
Canada’s head coach Richard Schick acknowledged Peru’s consistency after the opening set. “We came out strong, which was nice. Peru improved and played a very solid level game where we were maybe too emotional with ups and downs. Peru played very consistently and kept their emotion at a level that did them well.”
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