IRAPUATO, Mexico, August 22, 2024 .- Puerto Rico qualified for the quarterfinals after defeating Costa Rica 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-19) in Pool B of the XXI Women’s Pan American Volleyball Cup.
Puerto Rico (3-2) finished in third place in Pool B and will move to León to play in the quarterfinals on Friday, awaiting to know their opponent. Costa Rica (0-5) will face Suriname, the sixth place in Pool A, on Friday to determine the final standings.
For Puerto Rico, Dariana Hollingsworth was the leading scorer with 20 points, and Solimar Cestero finished with 11. Tatiana Sayles was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 15 points.
Puerto Rico was superior in attack (43-25), blocking (8-3), and serving (5-3), taking advantage of 19 opponent errors compared to their 14.
Dariana Hollingsworth, top scorer of Puerto Rico: “It feels great to advance because this tournament has been very competitive, it was a bit difficult for us, but we found a way to move forward, to unite as a group, trusting in the coaching staff and their game plan, and that has helped us a lot. Any of the opponents will be tough, we must go out and play with everything we have, with everyone ready to do the job”.
José Mieles, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “One of our goals was to advance to the next round, but more than that, I think we’ve gradually found our rhythm in the game, we’ve been improving with each match, and we’ve been able to give confidence to some players who had lost it, so we’re happier about that than advancing to the next round”.
Braulio Godinez, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “We’re just getting into the group, but we’ve taken the opportunity to test different variations. We’ve worked on defense, reception, we tried Tamara (Espinoza) as libero, and other variations, and in the first matches, we had some issues. The idea is to keep working towards the Central American Games, and I feel that the experience here will help us a lot to set goals and work this year”.
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