Tag: 2025 Men Pan American Junior Games

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 17, 2025. – Brazil made a strong debut in men’s volleyball at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, defeating the Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena.

In the next matches of Pool B, Brazil (1-0) will face Argentina (1-0), while the Dominican Republic (0-1) takes on Cuba (0-1).

Team captain Samuel de Morais led Brazil’s offense in the opening set, supported by Witallo de Sousa and Maicon dos Santos, while Adrián Figueroa was the main scoring weapon for the Caribbean team.

In the second set, tied at 12, Figueroa’s serving put Brazil’s reception under pressure, but Samuel responded with back-to-back aces to give his team a 15-13 lead. From there, Brazil stayed in control with key contributions from Guilherme Amorim.

The third set was tighter, reaching 20-20. Two Dominican errors and a spike by Maicon dos Santos put Brazil ahead 22-20. Although Luther Rosario closed the gap with a powerful attack, another Dominican mistake sealed Brazil’s straight-set victory.

Brazil held the edge in all categories: attacks (43-35), blocks (7-3), and service aces (8-5). Both teams committed 17 unforced errors.

Brazilians Samuel de Morais and Witallo de Sousa topped the scorings with 17 and 14 points respectively. Samuel also delivered a match-high 4 aces.Maicon dos Santos added 10 points. For the Dominican Republic, Adrián Figueroa led with 13 points, followed by Malik Britton with 10.

Brazil’s head coach Nery Pereira praised the opponents: “The Dominican team has a lot of talent. They come in as NORCECA U23 champions, and we knew it would be a tough match. Brazil was able to handle it. We dream of winning the competition, just like every team here.”

Dominican captain Luther Rosario remained optimistic: “Despite the loss, it wasn’t a bad match, but we feel we could have done more because we have the potential. We’ve worked hard and can show a higher level. We faced a tough rival. We’re focused on the upcoming matches.”

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 17, 2025. – Argentina dug deep to overcome Cuba in a marathon five-set thriller 3-2 (25-21, 26-24, 21-25, 23-25, 16-14), in the opening match of Pool B in the men’s volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena.

The first set was even until 15-all, when Argentina took control through the power of captain Pablo Cabañas and Nahuel Rojas, while Alejandro González kept Cuba in contention.

The second set brought a dramatic finish. Cuba reached set point with a spike from Bryan Camino, but Argentina denied them with a block and an ace by Nahuel García, tying the score at 24. A block from Iván Pavón and a Cuban reception error on García’s serve handed Argentina the 2-0 lead.

Cuba struck back in the third, powered by the serves of Thiago Suárez and the attacks of Yusniel González, narrowing the gap. The fourth set was a nail-biter, with constant ties. Thiago gave Cuba set point, and Jakdiel Contreras sealed it with a block to force a decisive tie-break.

The fifth set was a rollercoaster. Argentina surged ahead 13-8, but Cuba rallied to level at 13-13 after capitalizing on errors. With the score locked at 14-14, Cabañas delivered a crushing spike and then forced a Cuban net violation to clinch the battle for the South Americans.

Argentina took advantage of 33 Cuban errors (against 25 of their own), while Cuba led in attacks (61-58), blocks (14-12), and service aces (9-8).

Argentinean team captain, Pablo Cabañas led all scorers with 29 points (25 attacks, one block, three aces), followed by Nahuel Rojas with 22. For Cuba, Alejandro González tallied 22 points, Yusniel González added 20, and Bryan Camino finished with 17.

Action continues Monday in Pool B with Argentina vs. Brazil and Cuba vs. Dominican Republic.

Argentina’s coach Damian Arredondo said about his team’s victory: “We have a young group, a mix of U19 and U23 players, so we knew we would have ups and downs. We held on and resisted Cuba’s attack and serve, playing smart when it mattered. We struggled with Cuba’s serving pressure. We had the tie-break almost sealed, and Cuba’s coach made a good substitution with a player who opened the game with his serve; the win was heroic.”

Cuba’s middle blocker Thiago Suárez said: “It was a tough match. We are known for being fighters, and even when we were two sets down, we hadn’t given up. We managed to push it to five sets, unfortunately we couldn’t get the victory, but we will improve for the next match.”

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 17, 2025.– Mexico opened with a victory by defeating Colombia 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 26-24) in the opening match of the men’s volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena.

The match began with Colombian dominance thanks to the aggressive serving of Dainer Ocoro and Ronnie Mosquera, who put pressure on Mexico’s reception to secure the first set.

Mexico, however, responded in the second set, taking control early and building a six-point lead (20-14), driven by the offense of Jorge Hernández and opposite hitter Eduardo Garza.

The third set had the flavor of a comeback: Mexico recovered from a four-point deficit (13-17) after several consecutive Colombian errors. Leonardo Maldonado and Daniel Cravioto were key in leveling the score at 18, and a spike by Juan García closed the set, giving Mexico a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was the most contested. Colombia tied at 15 points with plays from Miguel Ángel Rodríguez and Santiago Ramírez, keeping the score tight until the end. A Colombian blocking error and a powerful spike from Hernández sealed Mexico’s 26-24 win.

Mexico led in attacks (56-40), while Colombia held the edge in blocks (11-9) and conceded fewer errors (24-34). Both teams scored 5 aces.

Jorge Hernández and Leonardo Maldonado led Mexico with 19 points each; Hernández all on kills, while Maldonado contributed 15 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 aces. Opposite hitter Eduardo Garza added 10 points.

For Colombia, captain Jhon Mosquera topped the scoring with 18 points (14 attacks, 3 blocks, 2 aces), followed by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez with 11 (7 attacks, 3 blocks, 1 ace).

On the second day of Pool A, Mexico will face Guatemala, while Colombia will take on host Paraguay.

After the victory, Jorge Hernández said: “I believe this was the most important match for us in the group stage. Facing Colombia helps us improve our performance and gain rhythm. Guatemala is also a strong team and Paraguay is at home, but this one was a bit more important. There was inconsistency in our game, and I think we need to handle the pressure better in the closing points of the sets to avoid making errors.”

For his part, Jhon Mosquera explained that Colombia is a team that plays with joy: “As long as we can enjoy every match, the results will be positive. Unfortunately, today we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we’ll keep working to improve our confidence both individually and as a team, which I think was the decisive factor in Mexico’s win.”

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 16, 2025.– The teams competing in the men’s volleyball tournament of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, to be held from August 17 to 22 at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena, arrive with great expectations.

At stake in this event is a berth to the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima for the tournament champion, as well as for the highest-ranked team from the opposite continental confederation that does not win the gold medal.

Before the start of the competition, the technical meeting took place with the participation of Dominican double Olympic champion Félix Sánchez, a member of the Panam Sports Technical Commission and Athletes’ Commission, alongside officials from the Pan American Volleyball Union.

Diego Ferreira, Delegate of Argentina: “We came with solid preparation. This season, with several international competitions (U21 World Championship, Senior World Championship), assembling a roster was challenging. We carried out a dedicated effort throughout the year. We are confident we can deliver a high level of volleyball for the fans who come to enjoy the Junior Pan American Games.”

Lucas Müller, Delegate of Brazil: “We had a long preparation, about three months. This competition is part of the national team’s season, and I believe we are very strong to reach the final. We came to defend the title, Brazil always plays to win tournaments.”

César Lovera, Coach of Colombia: “The first objective is to get through the group stage. We believe we have a chance to move on to the next round, and from there we hope to play the best tournament possible. Preparation was short due to overlap with the U21 World Championship and the Senior Pan American Cup. The group is strong and ready to compete for a good performance at the Junior Pan American Games.”

Darian Ferrer, Coach of Cuba: “We will aim for the best possible result. One of our goals is to fight for a spot on the podium. We ask the boys to enjoy the competition, to take it one match at a time and to feel good, because from there, results will come.”

Alexander Gutiérrez, Coach of Dominican Republic: “For us this is a tough tournament; we’re in a group that everyone expects the medalists to come from. This will allow us to measure ourselves against the powerhouses Brazil and Argentina, to see how far we still need to go to keep progressing and consolidating as we move forward. We just had a good tournament at the U23 Pan American Cup, and we will try to do our best, fighting in every match to see if we can advance to the next round. This is a long-term project, and a good result doesn’t mean we’re already established, it means we’re on the right path.”

Reider Lucas, Coach of Guatemala: “This is a beautiful competition, with a very high level and well-prepared teams; it is the prelude to the senior national teams. We come with the goal of finishing the group stage in a position that allows us to advance to the next round and improve on our performance from the last edition.”

Renato Soares, Coach of Mexico: “We arrived two days ago and are eager to start the competition. We are ready to do our best. The group we’re in is theoretically not as difficult as the other, and we must face three important matches to move into the next round. We will try to finish first in the group, that’s our first goal, though it will be a very tough challenge.”

Ronald Sarti, Coach of Paraguay: “Paraguay is a developing team, a process we began two years ago with my arrival in 2023 to prepare for the Junior Pan American Games. It’s a young group with little experience but a strong desire to compete. We’ve worked hard and seriously to arrive in the best possible shape, and I believe we’ve succeeded because they have improved. We have a team ready to compete; you will see a different Paraguay, a young and hungry team. Even though we’re the least experienced nation, we will compete and give our all to represent the country in the best way possible.”

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 16, 2025.– The spotlight now shifts to the Men’s Volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, set to ignite from August 17 to 22 at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee Arena (COP).

The multi-sport event unites the best under-23 athletes from across the Americas, showcasing the next generation of stars and driving the growth of volleyball throughout the region.

A place at the Lima 2027 Pan American Games is on the line for the tournament champion, along with the highest-ranked team from the opposite continental confederation that does not claim the gold medal.

Eight national teams will battle for the crown, with four representatives from NORCECA and four from the South American Confederation CSV, divided into two pools:

• Pool A: Host Paraguay, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico
• Pool B: Defending champion Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic

The preliminary round runs from August 17 to 19, with the winners of each pool advancing directly to the semifinals on August 21. Second and third place finishers will fight through crossover quarterfinals on August 20 for a spot in the final four. The medal matches will bring the tournament to a thrilling close on August 22.

Preliminary Round Schedule (local time)

August 17

11:00 am    Mexico vs Colombia

2:00 pm       Cuba vs Argentina

5:30 pm       Brazil vs Dominican Republic

8:30 pm       Paraguay vs Guatemala

August 18

11:00 am    Cuba vs Dominican Republic

2:00 pm       Mexico vs Guatemala

5:30 pm       Brazil vs Argentina

8:30 pm       Paraguay vs Colombia

August 19

11:00 am    Argentina vs Dominican Republic

2:00 pm       Guatemala vs Colombia

5:30 pm       Brazil vs Cuba

8:30 pm       Mexico vs Paraguay