SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 29, 2026. – Puerto Rico secured its return to the final of the men’s volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19) semifinal victory over Mexico.
Puerto Rico will play in its 11th men’s volleyball final in Central American and Caribbean Games history, having won the regional title five times. The Puerto Ricans will face the winner of the other semifinal between Colombia and Cuba for the gold medal. Mexico, meanwhile, will play for the bronze medal against the losing semifinalist, seeking its seventh bronze medal in tournament history.
Puerto Rico built its victory around an outstanding blocking performance that neutralized Mexico’s offense and proved decisive at key moments. After taking the opening two sets convincingly, Mexico responded by claiming the third, but the Puerto Ricans regained control in the fourth set to secure their place in the gold medal match.
Blocking was the decisive factor in Puerto Rico’s victory, as it held a commanding 14-4 advantage. Puerto Rico also led in service points (5-2) and committed fewer unforced errors (29-32), while Mexico finished with a narrow edge in attacks (46-45).
Jair Santiago led Puerto Rico with 16 points, followed by Klistan Lawrence with 14, Pelegrín Vargas with 13, and Ismael Alomar with 10, including a match-high five blocks.
Axel Téllez paced Mexico with 13 points, while Josué López and Yasutaka Sanay each added 10.
Jair Santiago, the match’s leading scorer, said after the victory: “The desire to win has always been there. We didn’t have the best luck at the last Central American and Caribbean Games. This year we’re fully prepared to win it all. No matter who’s on the other side of the net, we’ll go after the gold medal with the same determination, energy, and game plan that has worked for us. We’ll keep doing the same.”
Mexico’s Franky Hernández commented after the loss: “We made too many errors and never found our rhythm on the court, and that worked in their favor. Tomorrow we’ll fight hard for the bronze medal and give it everything we’ve got.”
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