PONCE, Puerto Rico, April 25, 2026. – Cangrejeras de Santurce moved halfway toward being crowned the new champions of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF) after defeating the Ponce Leonas for the second consecutive night, once again in straight sets, at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.
The scores were 25-15, 27-25, and 25-22.
Although the first set was controlled by Santurce, the second and third demanded the best from both teams. Holding a two-set lead, the Cangrejeras had to withstand a surge from the Leonas, who—despite the absences of Raymariely Santos and Sherridan Atkinson—refused to back down in front of more than 3,000 fans who packed Pachín.
Santurce took the second technical timeout 16-14 with a successful attack from Andrea Rangel in zone two and later extended the lead to 19-16 with another spike from the Mexican on the same side. But Ponce responded with a 6-3 run, fueled by back-to-back attacks from Stephanie Enright and an offensive error by Kara McGhee in the middle, tying the score at 22.
The Cangrejeras closed out the set—and ultimately the match—with a three-point run: Helena Grozer attacked off the Ponce block, Claire Chaussee committed an error from zone four, and Grozer sealed it with a service ace.
After the match, Ponce libero Valeria León acknowledged the challenge her team faces in the series but insisted they are not out of contention.
“Obviously, we know we’re missing Raymariely and Sherridan, who are very important players for us. Still, today we came out to battle against a great team. With or without them, we can compete and get the win. It’s about one, two, or three adjustments, but we know we can stay in the fight,” she said.
Looking ahead to Game 3, León was clear about the urgency of the moment. “Going to the Clemente on Monday is a very important game for us. We can’t fall behind 0-3 in the series. There’s a sense of urgency. We’ll prepare, put this loss behind us, and focus on Monday.”
On the winning side, veteran libero Débora Seilhamer highlighted the intensity of the match and Ponce’s ability to elevate its play at home.
“It was a hard-fought match, just as we expected. We’re on their home court, and as we saw in the semifinals, they rise here. Despite their absences, we knew it would be a very competitive match, and it didn’t disappoint.”
Regarding the possibility of sweeping the series, Seilhamer was emphatic.
“No, no, no. Every match will be contested. Even though they’ve ended in three sets, each set has been tough. We can’t manage ourselves or get comfortable at any point.”
Santurce’s offense was balanced, led by Madison Kingdon with 16 points (14 kills, one block, and one ace), followed by Helena Grozer with 15, Andrea Rangel with 12, and Neira Ortiz with 10.
For Ponce, which played without Atkinson and Santos due to physical issues, Stephanie Enright led with 14 points (all on kills), while Claire Chaussee added 13 and Nataly García had 12.
In team statistics, Santurce led 49-44 in attacks, 8-6 in blocks, 4-1 in aces, 48-47 in digs, and 11-10 in assists. Leonas held the advantage in receptions (39-26).
Game 3 of the Finals Series will be played on Monday at 8:12 p.m. at the Roberto Clemente Walker Coliseum, home of the Cangrejeras de Santurce.
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