ZINACANTEPEC, Mexico, September 24, 2026.- Puerto Rico strengthened its chances of advancing to the semifinals of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-15) victory over the Dominican Republic on Thursday at the Unidad Deportiva Juan Fernández Albarrán in Zinacantepec, Estado de México.
Puerto Rico improved to 2-2 with one match remaining in the preliminary round, while the Dominican Republic dropped to 1-3.
On Friday, the final day of the preliminary round, the Dominican Republic will face Cuba at 4:00 p.m., while Puerto Rico will meet the United States at 6:00 p.m.
Puerto Rico’s blocking was a key factor in the victory. After holding off the Dominican Republic in a close first set, the Puerto Ricans gained greater control in the second and dominated the third. Ana Sofía Jusino was a force at the net, while Dariana Hollingsworth and Valeria Vázquez provided consistency on offense as Puerto Rico pulled away decisively in the final set.
Puerto Rico held a commanding 12-3 advantage in blocks, while also leading 40-35 in attacks and 4-1 in aces. Both teams committed 19 errors.
Hollingsworth led Puerto Rico with 14 points, followed by Vázquez with 12 and Adriana Rodríguez with 10. Jusino registered a match-high six blocks. Flormarie Heredia and Yanlis Félix scored 10 points each for the Dominican Republic.
Wilmarie Rivera, captain of Puerto Rico: “The team has continued to have a good time and play together, and for us the most important thing is to maintain positive energy. This victory was important for us to stay alive in the tournament, and we were able to get the job done.”
Juan Carlos Núñez, head coach of Puerto Rico: “They executed the game plan well. We wanted to serve a little better and be more tactical with our serving. This team has been very consistent over the last two tournaments, so it was a matter of making sure our offensive connections didn’t drop. I think we did a good job defensively, and our blocking was very consistent in the way we covered the net.”