IRAPUATO, Mexico, August 21, 2024.- Puerto Rico (2-2) overcame a tough battle to defeat Chile (1-3) 3-2 (18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 15-9) in Pool B of the XXI Women’s Pan American Volleyball Cup.
It was a crucial match for both teams, as the quarterfinal qualification and ranking position were at stake.
The top scorer of the match was Chile’s Schwartzman with 24 points, and Beatriz Novoa added 18. For the winners, Solimar Cesteros scored 15 points, while Neira Ortiz and Dariana Hollingsworth each contributed 13 points.
Puerto Rico was better in attack, leading 60-55, and in blocking with a 9-6 advantage; Chile led 5-4 in serving and committed 28 unforced errors compared to 32 from their opponents.
Chile came out determined in the first set, with Petra Schwartzman inspired, scoring six points and taking advantage of seven opponent errors, especially in attacks. However, Puerto Rico responded by comfortably winning the next two sets, despite Chile’s attempts to pressure in the closing moments. In the fourth set, the story shifted back to Chile, who capitalized on 11 points on opponent errors, with Schwartzman scoring five points to extend the match to a fifth set. In the fifth set, Puerto Rico gave no room for Chile, with Diana Reyes and Stephanie Rivera scoring three points each, supported by a strong defense from their team captain Shara Venegas.
Puerto Rico will face Costa Rica on Thursday at 11:00 a.m., while Chile will play against Cuba at 2:00 p.m.
Shara Venegas, Captain of Puerto Rico: “This victory is important, and it helped us regain our confidence. We have a new team, with players who have gradually joined in and haven’t had much practice time, but we are proud of the whole team. I think it’s normal to have ups and downs, but we have managed to push through. We’re not thinking about the standings; we want to play all our matches and then see where we stand. We’re focusing on tomorrow’s game (Costa Rica)”.
Solimar Cesteros, standout player for Puerto Rico: “It feels good that we were able to get the win. At one point, we were strong, and we let it slip, but I’m glad we were able to bounce back. I feel like we let our passing slip a bit, but we managed to recover; I started a little inconsistently, but we improved, and I’m happy we were able to win the match”.
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