CUERNAVACA, Morelos, July 13, 2025. – Puerto Rico secured a hard-fought fifth-place finish at the U19 Boys’ Pan American Cup with a thrilling five-set victory over Chile, 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12), on Sunday at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) Gymnasium in Cuernavaca.
In a marathon match that lasted over two hours, both teams battled with intensity, exchanging long rallies and fierce net play. Puerto Rico rallied from an 8-11 deficit in the decisive fifth set, tying the score and gaining momentum with a final push of effective blocking to close the match 15-12.
Puerto Rico outblocked Chile 12-10 and capitalized on 38 Chilean errors while committing 24 of their own. Chile held the edge in attacking points, 71-57, and points from serves, 3-1.
Jean Paul González led Puerto Rico with 22 points, all on kills. Gustavo Álvarez added 18 points, and Fernando Castello contributed 14 points, including a match-high of 7 blocks.
Chile’s best performer was once again Joaquín Valjalo, who topped all scorers with 26 points. He was supported by Francisco Briones (18 points), Joaquín Cassanova (16), and Mateo Sanz (13).
Juan Albarrán, head coach of Puerto Rico, said, “It was a great match, and the fans really enjoyed it. For us, it was extremely important to leave here with this fifth-place finish, because of what it means to win at this moment and, emotionally, what lies ahead next week: the FIVB U19 World Championship.”
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