Tag: 2023 NORCECA Girls Pan Am Cup

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2023.- USA’s outside hitter Blaire Bayless was named the Most Valuable Player -MVP- of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup that concluded on Sunday in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

Blaire Bayless received the recognition during the closing ceremony after the United States won the gold medal defeating Mexico in straight sets.

In other recognitions to USA’s players, Elizabeth Andrew was the first middle blocker and libero Ava Falduto the best receiver of the tournament.

The first outside hitter award was handed to Elena Garcia of Puerto Rico, who was accompanied by teammates Grace López as the best opposite hitter, Dariana Valencia the best setter and Ainoah Cruz the best libero and best digger.

From Dominican Republic, Katielle Alonza was awarded as the second outside hitter, Yalyn Firpo the second middle blocker and Ariana Rodriguez the best scorer and the best server recognitions.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2023.- United States claimed their second consecutive gold medal defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-8, 25-18, 25-18) at the Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

United States finished first place undefeated (5-0) and Mexico in second place  (4-2). Last year the U.S. won the gold medal at home defeating Brazil.

The American team dominated 40-18 in attacks and 10-1 in serves, they also held a comfortable 8-2 margin in blocks, but handed out more points from unforced errors 23-17.

Middle blocker Elizabeth Andrew scored 13 points for the United States, on 5 attacks, 3 blocks and a match-high of 5 aces. Outside hitter Blaire Bayless also contributed in the win with 10 points on 7 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces.

Mexico was led by Aime Topete with 7 points.

Julia Blyashov, captain of United States: “We brought it today; Mexico is a wonderful team, but we gave it our all. Each game we kept getting better and feeling more together. For me it’s my second gold medal in a row and it’s an honor to repeat this. We are excited to bring home the gold medal”.

Keegan Cook, coach of United States: “I am so impressed by what Mexico did during bracket play, so we expected a battle. We just wanted to play close to our best, which we did in the first set, starting off strong. I am thankful to see these wonderful athletes perform at this level”.

Luis Bañuelos, coach of Mexico: “USA’s margin of error is minimum, they attack over our blocking, and they are a more physical team than ours. This kind of competition allows us to prepare for other international events like the world championship which is close to happen.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2023.- Host Puerto Rico won the Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup bronze medal defeating Costa Rica in four sets 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 29-27, 25-12) on Sunday at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz.

Puerto Rico took the bronze medal with 4 wins and one loss, and Costa Rica obtained a historic fourth place 2-4.

Puerto Rico needed four set points before containing a resilient Costa Rica in the third set, to move forward and completely control the fourth and final set.

The hosts closed the match with advantages in attacks 51-40, in blocks 9-7 and the same margin in aces, committing fewer errors 29-32.

Opposite hitter Grace López of Puerto Rico topped all scorers with 27 points from 21 kills, two blocks and 4 aces. Also contributing to the win, middle blocker Victoria Sanabria with 12 points and outside hitter Chareika Carrion with 10 points.

Team captain Angélica Rodríguez with 20 points on 16 kills, two blocks and two aces; and Joselyn Moraga tallied 10 points.

 

Grace López, top scorer of Puerto Rico: “We had ups and downs at the beginning, we slowly got united to obtain the victory. We kept a positive attitude the whole time and Costa Rica did well. The medal is a great deal for our sacrifice along with our families and winning it at home is a gift”.

Eduardo Galraza, coach of Puerto Rico: “We were up at the beginning of the sets, thinking of the win and in the fourth set I asked the girls to treasure the lead. Unlike yesterday that we couldn’t catch up with Mexico, today my middle hit the ball in, and our outside hitters were freer. We went to four because Costa Rica has a lot of energy”.

Edivaldo Bonilla, coach Costa Rica: “I am impressed with my team’s performance. They played the first two sets very well, and the third set could have gone either way and in the end Puerto Rico closed. We must go on gaining more international experience, even if they are young players, Puerto Rico has a history that strengthens them to be on top. It was a tournament of great level and we competed well, we dispatched a big team from our area (Dominican Republic).  

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2023.- Dominican Republic took the fifth place at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup over Canada 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 25-14, 25-19) at Dolores Martínez Coliseum in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

Dominicans recovered from falling in the first set to end the tournament with a 4-2 record and fifth place, while Canada finished sixth 2-4.

Dominican Republic dominated in the service category 11-8, and Canada in attacks 42-38 and in blocks 10-8. Dominicans scored 38 points from Canadian errors and handed out 22.  

Katielle Alonzo was the leading scorer for the Dominican Republic with 19 points on 15 kills, two blocks and two aces. She was joined by opposite Ariana Rodríguez with 15 points on 12 kills and three aces, followed by outside hitter Yuseiry del Carmen Ramirez with 11 tallies.

Three Canadians also scored double digits led by team captain Taylor De Boer 18 points (13 kills, 4 blocks, one ace), middle blocker Ella Piskorz 14 points (8 kills, one block, 5 aces) and outside hitter Mary Healy 12 points (11 kills, one block).

Marcos Macedo, coach of Dominican Republic: “In the first set one of Canada’s middles scored on a sequence of good serves which destabilized my team, we were able to shorten the margin recovering our rhythm but there wasn’t enough time. We kept the rhythm of play in the following sets, we studied Canada well and the girls executed the game play to finish in fifth place”.

Christine Biggs, coach of Canada: “There’s been lots of growth from our athletes and our ability to prepare, to understand and execute a match plan. I think the piece for us moving forward is developing that consistency and our endurance at this level. There’s a lot of opportunity for us to get back to work for the next time”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2023.- U.S. Virgin Islands finished seventh place beating Honduras 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-17) at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Virgin Islands prevailed over Honduras 26-15 in attacks, 4-1 in blocks and 7-4 in points from serves. Both teams committed 38 errors.

The top scorers of the game were Jala Dixon and Anna Gillens of the U.S. Virgin Islands with 12 and 10 points respectively.  

Isaac Raphael, coach of U.S. Virgin Islands: “I am so proud of the girls, it’s our first time here and the win is so important for us. Today the passing worked well and it helped us a lot. The team mostly improved in serve and serve-receive, we have something to build on”.

Alessandra Hernandez, captain of Honduras: “We are taking many lessons. We are a new team, we had never before been at an international event”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 13, 2023- Mexico defeated host Puerto Rico in four hard-fought  sets 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23) to battle for the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American title against the United States in Puerto Rico.

Mexico and USA will meet at 7pm on Sunday in the final match of the evento, while Puerto Rico will play for the bronze medal against Costa Rica at 5pm.

Mexico was inspired to take the close win that Puerto Rico struggled with all its players to obtain. In the closing of set four, Mexico stopped Puerto Rico with two blocks in a row by Topete and Marquez, allowing them to reach match-point (24-22).  

Puerto Ricans held comfortable margins in attacks 61-47 and serves 5-1, while Mexico held a slim 9-8 advantage in blocks but scored on 36 opponent errors against 18.

Aimé Topete was the best scorer for Mexico with 17 points (14 kills, 3 blocks), followed by opposite Luz Solano with 14 (12 kills, 2 blocks) and middle blocker Arleth Marquez chipped in with 11 points (9 kills, one block, one ace).

The top scorer of the match was opposite hitter Grace López of Puerto Rico with 28 points from 24 kills, three blocks and one ace; and team captain Elena García finished with 22 points on 19 kills, one block and two aces.

Italia Bernal, captain of Mexico: “We were focused, the goal was to win and give our all on the court. The key element was our attitude and the connection between us, and the fact that we didn’t allow the crowd to affect us. Tomorrow we’ll have the same fighting spirit up to the last point”.

Elena García, captain of Puerto Rico: “I believe our service and receiving could have been more effective, but we left everything on the court, and we represented Puerto Rico with pride. This still isn’t over, we have one more match left, the bronze medal match is tomorrow, and we are switching our goal”.

Luis Bañuelos, coach of Mexico: “This is a team eager to transcend, with identity, leaving heart and soul in their performance, proud to represent its country, seeking to do things differently”.

Eduardo Galarza, coach of Puerto Rico: “It was hard today, the ball didn’t score like in other matches. Our offense is always from the right side and today it failed. I don’t want to take away Mexico’s merit, they fought well, they are a team that likes to tip the ball, it affected us”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 13, 2023.- Canada beat the U.S. Virgin Islands in straight sets 25-12, 25-16 and 25-13 to play for fifth place against the Dominican Republic at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Canada fell to the Dominican Republic in the preliminary round and will battle on Sunday for a different outcome to take fifth place. While the U.S. Virgin Islands will meet with Honduras for position seven of the tournament.

Canada presented a different line-up to come out on top mostly from the service line with a 22-5 margin, and leading 23-18 in kills. Both teams scored 4 points from blocks, but Canada limited their errors to 14 against 26.

Canadian opposite hitter Abagayle Guezen scored 10 aces from her 19 points as the leading scorer of the match. Middle blocker Isabella Tehrani tallied 11 points and outside hitter Sophia Hansen added 6 points.

Anna Gillens led the U.S. Virgin Islands with 11 points on 9 kills and 2 aces.

Misha Hameed, libero of Canada: “I am very proud of my team, we pulled out a strong win today and we like to continue building on our performances. I am looking forward for tomorrow’s match against the Dominican Republic, we’re looking to push ourselves to a new level and hopefully come out with fifth place”.

Jadyn Webb, libero of U.S. Virgin Islands: “Canada is a great team. Our team has made a couple of changes in the last days of practice, and we have adjusted to them. We are still working on minimizing unforced errors and we’re getting better each day. Tomorrow, we want to commit less errors in serves, clean up serve-receive and put pieces together to come out with a win”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 13, 2023.- Dominican Republic will play for the fifth place after defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-7) of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Dominican Republic will face the winner between Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the fifth place of the tournament.

Dominicans beat Honduras in 56 minutes, with a huge 31-8 advantage in attacks, 7-2 in blocks and 16-2 in points from serves. The Caribbeans committed 13 unforced errors and the Central American a total of 21.

The top scorer of the match was Dominican Ariana Rodriguez with 16 points on 12 kills, one block and three aces, accompanied by middle blocker Julie Arias with 12 points on three kills, three blocks and a match-high of 6 aces.

Marcos Macedo, coach of Dominican Republic: “Tomorrow will be our final, we will come for the best result possible in the tournament which is fifth place. Yesterday against Costa Rica was atypical, they played well and battled a lot, in the end they deserved the victory. Now is the moment to study, look where we committed errors, and learn. All athletes have defeats, and they must learn to improve, maybe without a negative outcome, they couldn’t grow”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “It was a bad performance; I understand my team being afraid of Dominican Republic because their level has dropped a lot. On the occasions we had control of the ball we were able to attack, we scored aces and we blocked, but they were afraid to receive. I believe we will face the U.S. Virgin Islands tomorrow, they are strong and tall, but with technical deficiencies, if my girls come with energy we can perform well”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 12, 2023.- Costa Rica caused a major upset defeating Dominican Republic in five thrilling sets 3-2 (20-25, 28-26, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13) to move into semifinals of the U19 Girls NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Costa Rica will face the United States in semifinals, while Dominican Republic will play the classification matches for positions five to eight. The other semifinal will be between the host Puerto Rico and Mexico, who earlier won their quarterfinal also in five sets to Canada.

Costa Rica had the personality and enough energy to keep the scores close dominating Dominican Republic who struggled to find their usual rhythm of play.

The Central American champions held advantage over Dominican Republic on multiple occasions during their performance, solving with a comfortable 13-8 margin in serves and allowing 36 points from errors. Dominican Republic led in attacks 53-21 and 11-10 in blocks, committing 33 unforced errors.

Costa Rican captain Angélica Rodríguez was the leading scorer of the match with 29 points on 25 kills and four blocks. Outside hitter Joselyn Moraga added 10 points on 8 kills and two services.

Dominican Republic’s top scorers were outside hitters Katielle Alonzo with 26 points on 23 kills and three blocks, joined by opposite Ariana Rodriguez with 23 points on 19 kills, three blocks and one ace.

Angélica Rodríguez, captain of Costa Rica: “The key to our success today was attitude. We never gave up. We were aware of the great team they are, the good players they have and their prototype, but we never stopped believing in ourselves. I want to thank my team’s effort; I was confident in myself and what I did was transmit that security and confidence to my team”.

Ailyn Liberato, captain of Dominican Republic: “Our game level was too low, because of our excess of confidence. Costa Rica had more desire to win, they wanted to battle more than us, they left all on the court, a respectful opponent”.

Edivaldo Bonilla, coach of Costa Rica: “As the tournament develops, the team is growing and looking better. Maybe from ten matches we play against Dominican Republic me might win one and it was today, a historic win for our volleyball. I want to thank all the coaches who have taught these girls from little, it’s a recognition to their work and today we are enjoying the win. Tomorrow we will face the best team of the area and we will come out to compete”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 12, 2023.- Mexico reached the semifinals with a dramatic five-set quarterfinal win over Canada 3-2 (23-25, 25-17, 29-27, 23-25, 15-12) at the U19 Girls’ NORCECA Pan American Cup on Friday in Puerto Rico.

Mexico will face host Puerto Rico in Saturday’s semifinal while Canada will play for places five to eight.

Mexico and Canada put up a great performance, in a roller coaster battle. In the third set, first Canada missed two set points and then Mexico, in the highest-scoring set of the tournament so far. Mexico recovered from a seven-point deficit (9-16) before falling in the fourth, which forced the tie-break finish.

Canada lost to Mexico despite leading 62-52 in attacks and ending with a huge 20-12 margin in blocks but handing out 47 points from errors against 23. Mexico did better in serves 4-1.

Three players scored double digits for Mexico, Aime Topete led with 15 points on 12 kills, two blocks and one ace, Luz Solano and Ximena Cordero  added 14 points each; Solano (9 kills, 5 blocks) and Cordero (11 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace).

Canada’s team captain Taylor De Boer set a new scoring record in the event of 33 points, from 25 kills and 8 blocks. Trinity Shadd-Ceres contributed with 16 points on 11 kills and 5 blocks.

Luz Solano, opposite of Mexico: “It’s exciting because it’s what we’ve all been working for and it showed on the court, our enthusiasm, communication, and the desire to keep on battling up to the end. For me, the ups and downs during the match were my nerves of what the game meant”.

Luis Bañuelos, coach of Mexico: “Canada was a great opponent and knew how to take advantage of the opportunities. The positive of the game is the energy of my team, they never dropped their arms and kept on battling. To move into the gold medal match I believe the team needs to focus better on following instructions, in the strategy and the tactical changes. We are going to help them to focus better”.

Taylor De Boer, captain of Canada: “Definitely a tough loss on this one. We all went out with aggression and I really think we fought through it, as well as Mexico; it was a good fight. We have more to give than we let out some moments, but we should be proud of ourselves. We’re still in a warrior mindset, going with whoever we play”.  

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2023.- Host Puerto Rico beat Honduras 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-9) on Thursday to reach the semifinals undefeated of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz.

Puerto Rico finished the preliminary round 3-0 and first place in pool B to advance into Saturday’s semifinals. Honduras 0-3 will play for positions 5 to 8.

The home girls were stronger outnumbering Honduras 36-8 in attacks, 16-2 in aces and 2-1 in blocks, committing 20 unforced errors against 21.

Outside hitter Chareika Carrion of Puerto Rico was the only player with double digits, scoring 14 points on 8 kills and 6 aces. Outside hitter Destiny Skerrett and opposite hitter Gabriela Machin, both coming off the bench for the second and third sets, contributed with 9 points apiece.

Outside hitter Monica Vasquez of Honduras scored four points.

Elena García, captain of Puerto Rico: “It’s my birthday and what better gift from my team than moving into the semifinals. It’s a privilege to be in this position (undefeated and in semifinals), thanks to our hard work, our performance and I am sure we’ll do well up to the final. We are ready, very disciplined and we are  training hard, we will give our all as always”.

Chareika Carrion, top scorer of Puerto Rico: “Our best weapon was our passing, in addition to our outside hitter’s offense. I am very glad to be in semifinals for all our hard work”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2023.- On a new tournament-high of 29 points, opposite hitter Ariana Rodriguez carried Dominican Republic over Canada 3-0 (25-17, 29-27, 25-14) at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Ariana’s 29 points came from 15 kills, six blocks and eight impressive aces, where Dominicans missed two set points before a dramatic second set win. Outside hitter Katielle Alonzo added 11 points to the win.

Mary Healy and Taylor De Boer led Canada with 11 points each; Healy on 9 kills, one block and one ace, and De Boer on 8 kills and 3 blocks.

Dominicans prevailed on their powerful serves 14-5 and a comfortable 10-6 margin in blocks. The Caribbeans also led in attacks 33-24 and committed 23 unforced errors against 22.

Dominican Republic (2-1) and Canada (1-2) both advance into the quarterfinal round.

Ariana Rodríguez, top scorer of Dominican Republic: “In the second set we lost aggressiveness. We got the win with intensity in serves, we communicated well and dominated using the middles, we focused on our game. We want to battle for the medal matches”.

Marcos Macedo, coach of Dominican Republic: “We lost attention and aggressiveness, Canada took good advantage. Our strength is our passion and we didn’t give our opponent opportunities in the third set. It’s most likely we’ll face Costa Rica in the next round, our goal is to reach the semifinals that we are aware will be hard”.

Christine Biggs, coach of Canada: “It was an exciting second set, we showed some battle that we didn’t show in the tournament so far, opportunities for us to take the positive moments from this match and build on for the World Championship that’s coming soon. Disappointed that we didn’t maintain it, but we did some new things we’ve been working on. I think we´ve shown a lot of growth”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2023.- United States claimed their place in the semifinals of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup beating Mexico 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-17) at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

USA finished the preliminary round first place in pool A and undefeated (3-0), earning a direct ticket into the semifinals. Mexico 2-1 will play the quarterfinal round.

The Americans kept control, scoring on a 32-19 margin in kills, a huge 15-2 advantage in blocks and 9-3 in serves. They committed one less error than Mexico (18-19).

Outside hitter and team captain Julia Blyashov led the US with 12 points on 9 kills, one block and one ace. Middle blocker Calissa Minatee, playing the first and second sets, scored 9 points.

On Mexico’s side, middle blocker Arleth Marquez topped with six points.

Calissa Minatee, middle blocker of United States: “We had things in control the entire match and I was for sure confident we could take care of this match even if there were moments of uneasiness. Today we had really good serving pressure, Mexico was out of system a lot and when they were we were patient to care of things. The team gets along very well, we have a great connection once we get on the court. In the semifinals we expect dominance”.

Keegan Cook, coach of United States: “We are excited to be going on to the playoffs, I’m pleased the team has improved with every single match, they are more organized. It’s a young group and they need the experience. We’ve been concerned about our own side of the net but there are some players (opponents) we must pay attention to and we’ll shift our focus a little bit on them going into the next round”.

Luis Bañuelos, coach of Mexico: “United States complicated the game for us, they are strong and dominate the game system well. We tried to battle, we did the best we could, for moments we were on top, and the players fought up to the end. There’s an opportunity to reach the semifinals, but we are going one step at a time, and we will focus on the quarterfinals”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 11, 2023.- Costa Rica moved into the quarterfinals of the U19 Girls’ NORCECA Pan American Cup after defeating the U.S. Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-15) at Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

With the win, Costa Rica finished the preliminary round 1-2 for third place in pool A and advanced to tomorrow’s quarterfinals. U.S. Virgin Islands 0-2 will play for positions 5 to 8.

Costa Rica held a comfortable 30-17 lead in attacks, 5-3 in blocks and 8-2 on points from serves. The Central American team scored on 32 opponent errors and allowed 22.

Angelica Rodriguez, team captain of Costa Rica, led all scorers with 17 points on 14 kills and three blocks. Also contributing to the win,  outside hitter Joselyn Moraga collected 9 points.

Anna Gillens once again was the U.S. Virgin Islands top scorer with 10 points on 9 kills and one block.

Angélica Rodríguez, captain of Costa Rica: “It’s an important win. We had faith in a good result because we prepared for it. Today we had a lot of energy and we agreed to give our best the whole time despite the difficult moments. Now we expect a neat performance, with confidence, looking to represent our country well”.

Edivaldo Bonilla, coach of Costa Rica: “We met our expectations, the best of the team today was its disposition and concentration despite committing 9 unforced errors in the first set; we made the necessary changes, and we played better in the next two sets. We are happy because it’s what we aspired for, now we wait for our opponent in quarterfinals and who’s to say we can’t”.

Isaac Raphael, coach of U.S. Virgin Islands: “There are a lot of nerves going on, the team is still not comfortable, they aren’t relaxing and playing. We made too many unforced errors, about 15 per set, too many missed serves and passes. This is our first time here but hopefully we’ll find our game, enjoy and relax, play and have some fun”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 10, 2023.- Opposite hitter Grace Lopez scored a tournament-high of 26 points in Puerto Rico’s victory over Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 26-24, 25-12) to improve their record 2-0 in pool B of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Grace Lopez ended the match scoring four aces in a row to finish with a match-high of 5 points in that category. Grace was the only Puerto Rican with double figures.

Outside hitter Katielle Alonza was the best Dominican player with 18 points joined by opposite hitter Ariana Rodriguez with 10 points.

Puerto Rico dominated with a 41-30 advantage in attacks and 16-10 in serves, while Dominican Republic held a 9-7 margin in blocks. Both committed a similar number of unforced errors, Puerto Rico (32) and Dominican Republic (31).

Puerto Rico leads group B with a 2-0 win-loss record and will face Honduras to end the preliminary round and secure a direct ticket into Saturday’s semifinals. Dominican Republic will meet Canada, both stand 1-1.

Grace López, top scorer of Puerto Rico: “We were close all the sets, but in the last set we gave our all to win. With a lot of practice, I’ve accomplished to have a powerful serve, I focused a lot to be effective with my serve at the end of the game”.

Eduardo Galarza, coach of Puerto Rico: “I believe our team’s effort in the third set when we had a double change and coming from behind completely changed the match, the girls were strong. Yesterday we studied the Dominican Republic a lot and we had the confidence, added that Grace came out to finish with four aces, she will be one of the best or the best opposite in the Caribbean”.   

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 10, 2023.- Canada scored their first win after defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-10, 25-7, 25-13) at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

Canada will close the preliminary round on Thursday against the Dominican Republic to secure a spot in the quarterfinal round, and Honduras will face host Puerto Rico.

Canada overwhelmed Honduras with advantages in every skill, 34-2 in attacks, 15-1 in serves and 5-2 in blocks, but Honduras committed fewer errors (21-25).

Outside hitter Mary Healy topped Canada’s scorers with 9 points, team captain Taylor de Boer chipped in 8 points and middle blocker Ella Piskorz tallied 7.

Middle blocker Natalia Aguilar scored two points for Honduras.

Mary Healy, outside hitter of Canada: “I am really happy for the win after a tough game yesterday against Puerto Rico; we battled this game and stayed strong. Today we were more focused on our energy and fight rather than just staying in the match. Tomorrow we´re excited to bring great energy and the warrior mentality we’ve been talking about in practice”.

Natalia Aguilar, middle blocker of Honduras: “We are aware that we aren’t at the same game level as the teams we’ve faced. We have taken it as a learning experience and with a good attitude, celebrating each point to take out the best of this opportunity”.

JUANA DIAZ, Mexico, May 10, 2023.- Mexico defeated the U.S. Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17) in their second victory at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

On the last day of the preliminary round, Mexico (2-0) will face United States (2-0) for first place of pool A and to advance into semifinals. The U.S. Virgin Islands (0-2) plays against Costa Rica (0-2) to move into the quarterfinals.

Mexico depended on their serves with a huge 12-3 advantage to come out on top; they also led 31-23 in kills and 5-4 in blocks. Mexico scored 27 points from opponent errors and handed out 19.

Outside hitter Aime Topete led Mexico with 12 points on 10 kills, one block and one ace. Also contributing in Mexico’s victory were middle blocker Arieth Marquez with 9 points and opposite hitter Luz Solano with 6 points.

Outside hitter Anna Gillens of the U.S. Virgin Islands led all scorers with 15 points on 13 kills, one block and one ace.

Aime Topete, top scorer of Mexico: “The third set was a bit closer, but I think we did well because we organized what we had planned. Everyone contributed from their position. Tomorrow, we close against the United States and we need lots of concentration, but mostly trust ourselves”.

Anna Gillens, top scorer of U.S. Virgin Islands: “We did better today after dropping off the jitters  from the first game, we played better in serving and our defense was working out. As a team we need to focus on our serving and passing, making better decisions in offense and defense to advance into the next round, taking what we do in practice into the game”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 10, 2023.- The United States beat Costa Rica 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-12) in their second strong win at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico.

United States is 2-0 and will close the preliminary round against Mexico for a direct ticket into Saturday’s semifinals. Costa Rica goes against the U.S. Virgin Islands for a chance to advance into quarterfinals.

The U.S. controlled the actions with their powerful serves 15-2 and a huge 30-11 advantage in attacks; they also led 7-4 in blocks. United States committed 21 unforced errors and Costa Rica a total of 28.

Outside hitter Julia Blyashov scored seven points as the U.S. best scorer, followed by outside hitter Kaci Demaria and middle blocker Calissa Minatee with six points each.

Opposite hitter Angélica Rodríguez led Costa Rica with five points and outside hitter Joselyn Moraga added four points.

Ava Falduto, libero of United States: “Costa Rica started the sets stronger, and our team is very new playing together, we’ve been training only one and a half weeks, so we are still trying to come together. I think we’ve doing a great job and our communication was rocky in the beginning, but it will step up as we keep playing together. I believe communication will be a huge part of our success in the next performances. We’re learning every time we step on the court together and we’ve done a great job playing together and for each other, our goal tomorrow is to close the preliminary round with another strong win”.

Rashanny Solano, libero of Costa Rica: “Today was about learning for us because the United States is a strong team. We are adjusting better as a team for tomorrow’s match which is really important to advance into the next round. I am confident that my team tomorrow will play well and the key will be the confidence in our game play, the energy; both teams are Caribbean and it will be a close battle”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 9, 2023.- Puerto Rico prevailed in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25- 21) against Canada in pool B of the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup at the Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

The home girls kept up with Canada’s pressure to open the tournament with a win but on a  rollercoaster performance, coming from behind in all three sets.

Puerto Rico held a huge 42-24 advantage in kills and 11-3 in aces; Canada did better in the blocking 8-4 and committed fewer unforced errors 18-23.

Puerto Rican opposite hitter Grace Lopez scored a match-high of 22 points on 19 kills and three aces, followed by team captain Elena García who added 13 points on nine kills and two from blocks and two on aces. Outside hitter Chareika Carrion contributed with 10 points on 8 kills, two blocks and two aces.

Canada was commanded by outside hitter Mary Healy with 9 points.

Puerto Rico (1-0) faces Dominican Republic (1-0) on Wednesday and Canada (0-1) plays Honduras (0-1).

Elena García, captain of Puerto Rico: “We worked hard the entire match, we worked under pressure, we united as a team when we needed to, and we did our best. We get going under pressure. Our strength was our attitude as a team, but there’s space to improve our communication”.

Taylor de Boer, captain of Canada: “It’s definitely not the outcome we were hoping for, there were a lot of rollercoaster moments, I guess we’re still figuring out as a team how we can play and work together and this is a test for that. Puerto Rico is a solid team, with a very aggressive attacking technique and I think that really got us, they were not afraid, and we must do the same. We need to play our game and our system”.  

Eduardo Galarza, coach of Puerto Rico: “The girls have prepared themselves, our culture in Puerto Rico is to work under pressure; the team performed better when they were pressured. Tomorrow there’s a strong sport rivalry with Dominican Republic, but we are good friends, it will be a good match; we will have a video session to study them, but we must start strong and not be under pressure to perform”.

Christine Biggs, coach of Canada: “Some ups and downs, there are some areas we are hoping to smooth out and clean up as we move forward, but I’m confident we’re going to be a better team next time. We got more to offer in our block-defense, there’s small adjustments to make for tomorrow’s match”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 9, 2023.- Dominican Republic defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-10, 25-6, 25-9) in their opening match at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup at the Dolores Martinez Coliseum in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

Dominican Republic dominated Honduras in every skill of the game, with a huge 34-4 advantage and 17-5 in serves; they also held an 8-2 margin in blocks. Dominicans committed 14 errors and Honduras 16.

Three Dominicans ended with double figures, led by opposite hitter Ariana Rodríguez with 14 points on 6 attacks and the highest service points with 8; outside hitter Yuseiry Ramirez and middle blocker Yalyn Flipo scored 11 points each.

Tomorrow, the Dominican Republic faces host Puerto Rico and Honduras plays Canada.

Ailyn Liberato, captain of Dominican Republic: “I am proud of my team because we’ve been preparing for four months, and this result sends the message that Dominican Republic is here to win their second medal”.

Alessandra Hernández, captain of Honduras: “For our level of play, I believe we played well, also this is the first international event for the team. We are young players, and we can continue to learn. We were influenced by nerves”. 

Marcos Macedo, coach of Dominican Republic: “Tradition says we are a strong team and we proved on the court. The instructions were for them to play with intensity, with their maximum commitment and they were disciplined, that is what we’re bringing for tomorrow’s match against Puerto Rico, it’s an important match for us”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “It’s the second occasion that we start against Dominican Republic, it was in 2012 and Gina Mambrú had us down 11-0 on serves. My team started the first set performing well, but they failed in receiving and we couldn’t perform. The few times we received, we responded”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 9, 2023.- Mexico won 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15) over Costa Rica in their debut at the Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup being held at Dolores Martínez Coliseum in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

Costa Rica surprised Mexico jumping to an 11-8 lead in the first set, but quickly turned things in their favor to earn the win in pool A.

Mexico held a comfortable 33-19 advantage in attacks, as well as in aces with 10-5; in blocks they scored one point more 5-4. Mexico committed fewer errors than Costa Rica (20-27).

Outside hitter Aime Topete of Mexico topped all scorers with 13 points from 11 kills and two aces. Opposite Luz Solano and middle blocker Naomi Ramos followed with 8 and 7 points respectively.

Costa Rica’s captain Angelica Rodriguez scored 8 points as their leading scorer, joined by outside hitter Joselyn Moraga with 7 points.

On the second day of competition Mexico (1-0) will face the U.S. Virgin Islands (0-1) and Costa Rica (0-1) goes up against the United States (1-0).

Italia Bernal, captain of Mexico: “We were tense in the beginning, but we got into rhythm on point 11 of the first set, I believe we are ready, and it was only to warm up. I liked the connection we had and the enthusiasm we showed. We hope to keep on winning and with a great attitude”.

Angelica Rodríguez, captain of Costa Rica: “It was an interesting match, we tried to do the best possible for a clean performance. We would have liked to win a set, nevertheless we were close and with a good advantage in the first set, that was very important for our attitude”.

Luis Bañuelos, coach of Mexico: “The entire team was immersed in the game, no matter if the players were starters or came off the bench; they all had the same spirit and the energy to win. The nerves won a bit in the beginning, and we hope it won’t happen again, for several this is their first international experience”.

Edivaldo Bonilla, coach of Costa Rica: “We lacked more aggressiveness, we failed a lot of serves in key moments and that downed the team mentally. We must work on blocking better; we aren’t used to moving around the triple-block in the center at a national level and that damages us at an international level. Tomorrow, we face the strongest team in the tournament (United States) and we will try to solidify some things so our last pool-play match can progress us to the quarterfinal round”.

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 7, 2023. – The NORCECA control committee held inspection visits on Sunday in preparation ahead of the U19 Girls’ NORCECA Pan American Cup that runs from May 9 to 15.

The control committee visited the Olympic Villa of Salinas, where the eight participating teams will be staying during the tournament.

The lodging facilities, the two training courts and general accommodations were presented by the local organizing committee under the supervision of the National Volleyball Federation of Puerto Rico.

Later in the day, final details at the Dolores Martínez Coliseum in the City of Juana Diaz were supervised by NORCECA President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz accompanied by the President of the National Volleyball Federation of Puerto Rico Dr. César Trabanco.

On the eve of the competition, on Monday, teams will go through the preliminary inquiries for the players’ official registration.   

JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, May 1, 2023.- The Girls’ U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup will be held in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico from May 9-15 at the Dolores “Toyita” Martínez Coliseum.

Eight national teams will be taking part in the event, who all will be eligible to compete in 2024 at  the NORCECA continental championship, a qualifier to the FIVB age-group World Championship.

Teams have been divided into two pools, pool A consisting of reigning U19 Pan American champion United States, Costa Rica, Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Host Puerto Rico, who finished fourth in last year’s edition, is accompanied in pool B by bronze medalist Dominican Republic, Canada and Honduras.

Members of the NORCECA control committee and teams will be arriving in Juana Diaz during the weekend, with the competition starting on Tuesday May 9th with the preliminary pool-play round.

Pool winners will advance directly into Saturday’s semifinals, second and third ranked will play in crossover quarterfinals one day before.

Preliminary round schedule

Tuesday, May 9

2:00 p.m.        United States vs. U.S. Virgin Islands

4:00 p.m.        Mexico vs. Costa Rica

6:00 p.m.        Dominican Republic vs. Honduras

8:00 p.m.        Canada vs. Puerto Rico 

Wednesday, May 10

2:00 p.m.        United States vs. Costa Rica

4:00 p.m.        Mexico vs. U.S. Virgin Islands

6:00 p.m.        Canada vs. Honduras

8:00 p.m.        Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico

Thursday, May 11

2:00 p.m.        Costa Rica vs. U.S. Virgin Islands

4:00 p.m.        United States vs. Mexico

6:00 p.m.        Dominican Republic vs. Canada 

8:00 p.m.        Honduras vs. Puerto Rico   

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 10, 2023.- The Project of National teams of the Dominican Republic announced their U19 Girls team that will represent their country in the 2023 Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup.

Head Coach, Brazilian Alexandre Ceccato presented the roster of 12 talented players selected from a group of 20 athletes, “we started to train since January at the Olympic Center in Santo Domingo for two international events of great relevance, the NORCECA Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico and the FIVB World Championship to be held in Croatia and Hungary in August”.

Team captain and setter Aylin Liberato alongside opposite Ariana Rodríguez were part of the U18 and U20 national teams that competed in the 2021 World Championship, as well as the team that won the bronze medal in last year’s U19 Pan American Cup held in the United States.

Setter Crismeyli Paniagua, outside hitters Katielle Alonzo, Dilenny Malenol, Phoebe Reyes and  Yuseiry Ramirez, and middle blocker Yalyn Victoria Firpo were also part of the bronze medalist team of 2022.

The middle blocker Nicole De La Cruz, opposite/middle blocker Julie Arias, outside hitter Jismeily Flete and libero Edily Soler are new members of the national team.

“We will try to battle for a medal, and we are working hard to achieve it” added Ceccato.

Dominican Republic Girls U19 Roster

1. Aylin Liberato (Captain), Setter
2. Crismeyli Paniagua, Setter
3. Ariana Rodriguez, Opposite
4. Katielle Alonzo, Outside Hitter
5. Julie Arias, Opposite/Middle Blocker
6. Dilenny Malenol, Outside Hitter
7. Yalyn Victoria Firpo, Middle Blocker
8. Phoebe Reyes, Outside Hitter
9. Edily Soler, Libero
10. Nicole De La Cruz, Middle Blocker
11. Jismeily Flete, Outside Hitter
12. Yuseiry Ramirez, Outside Hitter

Technical Staff

1. Agripina Martinez, Team Manager
2. Alexandre Ceccato, Head Coach
3. Jose Espinal, Assistant Coach
4. Marcos Macedo, Performance Analyst
5. José Reynoso, Physiotherapist

CANADA, April 4, 2023.- Volleyball Canada is excited to announce the 12 athletes selected to compete at the 2023 Girls’ NORCECA Pan American Cup from May 7 to 15, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“It is a really impressive group of young women, and I am excited to see them compete on the international stage,” said women’s indoor NextGen coach Carolyn O’Dwyer. “This is a really exciting time for the development of Canadian women’s volleyball as we continue to build the women’s pathway towards podium success at the international level.”
 
The team will train May 4 to 6 in Kitchener, Ontario, before travelling to compete in Puerto Rico.
 
2023 U19 Girls NORCECA Roster
 
Name, position, province/state

Taylor DeBoer, Outside hitter, BC
Sophia Hansen, OH, AB
Mary Healy, OH, CA
Trinity Shadd-Ceres, OH, ON
Lydia Johnson, Opposite, AB
Abby Guezen, Opp, AB
Ella Piskorz, Middle Blocker, ON
Ronnie Dickson, MB, AB
Isabella Tehrani, MB, ON
Kaiya Tyson, Setter, ON
Sophia Magus, Setter, SK
Misha Hameed, Libero, AB
 
Head Coach: Christine Biggs
Assistant Coaches: Olivier Faucher and Sandra Lamb
Performance Analyst: Troels Lavritsen
Athletic Trainer: Craig Cuzion

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 4, 2023. – USA Volleyball is proud to announce the 20 athletes selected for the 2023 Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup Roster.

Twelve players from this group will be chosen to compete at the 2023 Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup on May 7-15 in Ciudad de Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The team will train April 30-May 6 at the Anaheim National Team Training Center.

Minnesota women’s Head Coach Keegan Cook will serve as the U19 team’s head coach. Krista Hendrickson and Cursty Le Roux will assist Cook.

“We are thrilled to welcome this specific group of athletes to the U19 National Team,” Cook said. “The team training for the Pan American Cup is comprised of a diverse range of ages and national team experience. What they do share for certain is a bright future with USA Volleyball.” 

Two players on the 2023 Girls U19 roster return from the 2022 team that won the Girls U19 Pan American Cup and qualified for the 2023 FIVB U19 Girls World Championship: outside hitter Julia Blyashov and setter Izzy Starck. Blyashov also played on the 2021 Girls U18 Team that won bronze at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championship.

Two other players were alternates on the 2022 Girls U19 Team: opposite Olivia Babcock and middle blocker Alec Rothe.

New outside hitters on the 2023 roster are Blaire Bayless, Suli Davis, Brooklyn DeLeye, Kaci Demaria, Kelly Kinney, Teraya Sigler and Abby Vander Wal. The new middle blockers are Lizzy Andrew, Jaela Auguste, Taylor Harvey and Calissa Minatee.

Logan Parks is a new opposite/setter on the 2023 roster. Taylor Yu and Reese Messer are the new setters. Ava Falduto and Ryan McAleer are the liberos.

The 2023 Girls U19 Pan American Cup was a late addition to the NORCECA calendar and USA Volleyball looks forward to participating in both the Pan Am Cup and the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship.

The roster for the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship (Aug. 1-11 in Croatia and Hungary) will be determined later this year.

Name (Position, Height, Birth Year, Hometown, School, USAV Region)

Lizzy Andrew (MB, 6-5, 2005, Ridgefield, Wash., Ridgefield HS, Columbia Empire)

Jaela Auguste (MB, 6-2, 2006, Spring, Texas, Grand Oaks HS, Lonestar)

Olivia Babcock (OPP, 6-4, 2005, Los Angeles, Calif., Sierra Canyon HS, Southern California)

Blaire Bayless (OH, 6-2, 2005, Plano, Texas, Plano West Senior HS, North Texas)

Julia Blyashov (OH, 6-3, 2005, San Diego, Calif., Cathedral Catholic HS, Southern California)

Suli Davis (OH, 6-2, 2007, Euless, Texas, Nolan Catholic HS, North Texas)

Brooklyn DeLeye (OH, 6-2, 2005, Auburn, Kan., Washburn Rural HS, Heart of America)

Kaci Demaria (OH, 6-4, 2007, San Pedro, Calif., Palos Verdes HS, Southern California)

Ava Falduto (L, 5-7, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., IC Catholic Prep, Great Lakes)

Taylor Harvey (MB, 6-3, 2006, Bountiful, Utah, Bountiful HS, Intermountain)

Kelly Kinney (OH, 6-2, 2007, West Palm Beach, Fla., The King’s Academy, Florida)

Ryan McAleer (L, 5-5, 2005, Leawood, Kan., Blue Valley HS, Heart of America)

Reese Messer (S, 5-11, 2006, Olathe, Kan., Saint James Academy, Heart of America)

Calissa Minatee (MB, 6-0, 2005, Kansas City, Mo., University of Minnesota, Heart of America)

Logan Parks (OPP/S, 5-11, 2006, Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley North HS, Heart of America)

Alec Rothe (MB, 6-3, 2006, Dublin, Ohio, Dublin Scioto HS, Ohio Valley)

Teraya Sigler (OH, 6-2, 2006, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona)

Izzy Starck (S, 6-1, 2006, Colorado Springs, Colo., Rampart HS, Rocky Mountain)

Abby Vander Wal (OH, 6-3, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., Timothy Christian HS, Great Lakes)

Taylor Yu (S, 6-0, 2006, Temple City, Calif., Temple City HS, Southern California)

Head Coach: Keegan Cook

Assistant Coach: Krista Hendrickson

Assistant Coach: Cursty Le Roux

Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham

Athletic Trainer: Cheryl Bueno

Team Lead: Courtney Smith