PONCE, Puerto Rico, August 26, 2026.- Puerto Rico secured its spot in the semifinals of the NORCECA Men’s Final Six after defeating Guatemala in five sets on Wednesday at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.
The set scores were 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 15-7.
Puerto Rico improved its record to 3-1, while Guatemala dropped to 0-4.
Jair Santiago led Puerto Rico’s offense with 24 points, followed by Antonio Feliciano with 16 and Klistan Lawrence with 15.
For Guatemala, Andy Blanco scored 17 points and Carlos López added 15, while José Pablo Pérez, Christian Álvarez and Jason Hernández contributed 11 points each.
Puerto Rico held the advantage in attacks (64-58) and aces (9-2), while Guatemala led in blocks (7-5). Guatemala committed 26 errors compared to Puerto Rico’s 30.
Guatemala took the opening set 25-20, but Puerto Rico responded by winning the next two, 25-22 and 25-18, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Puerto Rico threatened to close the match in the fourth set with a 6-2 run, including an attack by Feliciano from zone four, that cut Guatemala’s lead to 19-18. Guatemala responded by pulling ahead 23-19 with a block by Blanco against Feliciano and reached set point at 24-19 before an attacking error by Jair Santiago gave Guatemala the set 25-19 and forced a fifth.
Puerto Rico took control early in the deciding set, building a 9-5 advantage. The hosts continued to pull away down the stretch and closed the set 15-7 to complete the five-set victory and secure their place in the semifinals.
Dennis Del Valle – Puerto Rico
“We knew this match was important because we want to be in the best possible position in the Final Six to get a good placement in the semifinals and have a chance to win another medal. This summer we’ve had a lot of success with medals, so we want to keep that momentum.
“Guatemala is a team that always battles, they compete hard, and they’re talented players, so we knew it would be tough. I’m happy for the opportunity given to those of us who aren’t playing as much; it’s good to keep rotating.
“For Thursday’s match against the United States, they’re a big team, and those are usually the teams we struggle with because of the height difference, but we’re prepared to compete. We want that rematch from the gold medal match in Mexico two weeks ago, where they beat us 3-1. We want to hit back and keep growing as a group.”
Carlos López – Guatemala
“I think confidence had a lot to do with how we played today. We worked the serve very well, and that helped us defend balls, get touches on the block, and our attitude was much better than in previous matches.
“We still have two matches left, and we’ll fight for the best possible position and do the best we can.”
Puerto Rico will close the preliminary round against the United States on Thursday, while Guatemala will face Mexico.
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