ZINACANTEPEC, Mexico, September 23, 2026.- Puerto Rico earned its first victory at the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-18) win over Canada on Wednesday at the Unidad Deportiva Juan Fernández Albarrán in Zinacantepec, Estado de México.
Puerto Rico improved to a 1-2 record, while Canada remained winless at 0-3.
Puerto Rico held the advantage in attacks 40-28, blocks 8-6 and aces 3-2, while also committing fewer errors, 18 to Canada’s 24.
Adriana Rodríguez led Puerto Rico with 13 points as the team’s only player in double figures, while Dariana Hollingsworth added nine. Mackenzie Pool led Canada with 11 points and Laila Johnston contributed 10.
Canada challenged Puerto Rico throughout a tight opening set before the Puerto Ricans closed it 25-23. Puerto Rico then took control in the second and maintained the momentum in the third, with Rodríguez making an impact at the net as they pulled away to complete the straight-set victory.
On Thursday, Canada will face Cuba at 4:00 p.m., followed by Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic at 6:00 p.m.
Jennifer Nogueras, setter of Puerto Rico: “Every opponent is competitive. We’ve been playing very well in the tournament and there have been moments when we’ve been in control, but we’ve let things slip away because of small details. We’ve talked about correcting those things, and the important thing is to try to learn from every match for the next one because it’s a long tournament.
“We have to survive and keep moving forward. The first goal is to finish among the top four, and then we can think about bigger things, like getting into the medals. First, we have to play the two matches we have left, earn as many points as possible, keep improving and learn from the experience. It’s been tough because the losses hit us hard, but we’re going to keep moving forward with the resources we have available right now.”
Laila Johnston, captain of Canada: “Obviously, there’s some good competition and we’re really being pushed here, but I think we’re making too many unforced errors from the service line and not keeping balls in play when we don’t get the sets we like. We need to cut down on those unforced errors.
“I also think we’re putting their offense on a pedestal, and we get too anxious on defense, which makes the easy things look really hard. Tomorrow is a new day.”