POZA RICA, Mexico, November 8, 2023. – Puerto Rico remains undefeated in the first edition of the NORCECA Boys’ U17 Championship after a 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-13) victory over Nicaragua at the Miguel Hidalgo Gymnasium in Poza Rica, Mexico.
Puerto Rico has a 2-0 record in Pool B and will face Cuba on Thursday to conclude the preliminary round. Nicaragua, with a 0-2 record, will finish the pool-play against Dominican Republic. The first and second-placed teams in each group advance directly to the semifinals and qualify for the 2024 FIVB Boys’ U17 World Championship.
Puerto Rico’s coach, Carlos De Sevilla, used all his players to finish with advantages of 46-20 in kills, 11-3 in blocks, and 10-2 points from serves, while limiting their errors to 8 points compared to Nicaragua’s 14.
Maximiliano Aponte from Puerto Rico was the only player with double digits, scoring 20 points from 14 kills, one block, and a match-high of 5 aces. Adrian Carrillo and Fernando Castello, who only played two sets each, contributed 9 and 8 points respectively.
Bradley Cordón was Nicaragua’s leading scorer with 8 points.
Maximiliano Aponte from Puerto Rico spoke about tomorrow’s match against Cuba, “There’s always something to improve; we need to communicate better and be more effective in blocking. Cuba is a strong team, and we hope to fight until the end. I’m proud of my team, for my country”.
Bradley Cordón from Nicaragua said, “Honestly, today we lacked communication; the team played unfocused and made too many mistakes”.
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