ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 27, 2025.- Brooklyn Deleye of the United States was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025 U21 Women’s Pan American Cup after leading her team to an undefeated campaign that culminated in the championship at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Deleye was also awarded first Best Outside Hitter. Also from team USA, Favor Anyanwu received second Best Middle Blocker and Taylor Parks earned Best Server.
From the runner-up team, Chile, Dominga Aylwin was recognized as Best Scorer.
Costa Rica, third in the tournament, claimed two awards: Melina Abarga as second Best Outside Hitter and Rashanny Solano as Best Libero.
For Canada, Ella McVittie was named Best Setter, Logan King Best Opposite, and Misha Hameed Best Receiver.
Yalyn Victoria Firpo of the Dominican Republic earned first Best Middle Blocker, while Sofia Padron of Mexico was awarded Best Digger.
Final team standings: 1. United States, 2. Chile, 3. Costa Rica, 4. Canada, 5. Dominican Republic, 6. Puerto Rico, 7. Mexico.
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 27, 2025.- Playing with the support of their home crowd, Costa Rica achieved a historic 3-1 (11-25, 25-18, 25-23, 30-28) victory over Canada on Sunday to claim the Bronze Medal at the U21 Pan American Cup, held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Canada was dominant in the first set, but Costa Rica found their rhythm in the second to even the match. Backed by their fans, Costa Rica managed to turn things around in the third set to take the lead.
Canada’s lack of focus in the final sets allowed Costa Rica’s solid teamwork and audacity to shine, as they celebrated the bronze medal.
Danna León CRC & Ella McVittie CAN
Canada led in attacks (53-42) and aces (13-7), while Costa Rica was more effective in blocks (7-6) and capitalized on Canada’s 35 unforced errors.
Costa Rica’s top scorer was Raldisha Barley with 13 points, including 8 kills, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. Angelica Rodríguez also reached double digits with 11 points, followed by Ester Abarca with 10.
Canada’s Sophia Hansen was the match’s top scorer with 15 points (13 kills, 2 blocks). Mary Healy added 14 (11 kills, 3 aces), and Logan King contributed 13 points.
Costa Rica’s head coach Braulio Godínez said, “This is an indescribable emotion, one I had only felt when we won Bronze at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2011.”
“Winning at home feels even more special because it motivates the kids who came to support the national team. I believe this generation is just as talented as the one that represented us at the World Championship. We hope they continue and achieve even greater success,” he concluded.
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 27, 2025. – Puerto Rico claimed sixth place at the Women’s U21 Pan American Cup after defeating Mexico 3-2 (25-11, 26-28, 21-25, 25-13, 15-9) at the Gimnasio Profesor Jorge Luis Solera of the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The match began evenly, with Mexico committing several unforced errors early on (six by the first technical timeout), while Puerto Rico gradually built confidence and gained the lead point by point. The second set mirrored the first, with Mexico reacting after the 12th point and managing to take the set in a tight finish. Mexico then forced a fourth set by winning the third, but Puerto Rico dominated the fourth with a wide margin to push the match to a tie-break, where they sealed the victory.
PUR celebrates
Puerto Rico was more effective in attacks (61-44) and service aces (9-3). Mexico led in blocks (12-10) but committed more unforced errors (32-27).
Puerto Rico’s Chareika Carrión set a tournament record for most attacks in a single match, scoring 31 points, including 26 kills, 2 blocks, and 3 aces. Valeria Núñez also scored in double digits for Puerto Rico with 15 points (10 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces).
For Mexico, Mariana del Rocío Hernández led the scoring with 15 points (14 kills, 1 block), followed by Dariana Rodríguez with 12 points. Diana Sofia Favela and Brenda Sofia Esquivel each contributed 11 points.
Puerto Rico’s assistant coach Karmari Vélez stated, “Winning this match was extremely important for the girls’ confidence and for learning to handle tough situations. We came with high expectations and now we’re heading straight to the World Championship. We need to keep working and preparing even more.”
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 26, 2025.- Chile defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-23) to advance to the final of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium of the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The Chilean team overcame the pressure of a packed crowd at the Sports Complex, taking control of the match from the start. By the time they reached the second technical timeout of the first set, Chile already held a comfortable lead (16-10).
In the second set, Costa Rica pushed back, but after tying the score at 14 points, Chile regained control and did not allow the hosts to score again. The third set was the most contested, but in the end, the South Americans’ experience prevailed as they came from behind to seal the victory.
Dominga Aylwin CHI
Dominga Aylwin had an outstanding performance for Chile, scoring 20 points, including 15 kills, 4 blocks, and 1 ace. Francisca Vásquez added 11 points, 3 of them on aces. For Costa Rica, Angelica Rodríguez led the scoring with 11 points.
Chile outperformed Costa Rica in every category of the game: attacks (39-30), blocks (10-4) with Aylwin and Nielsen standing out with 4 and 3 respectively and serves (7-2).
Chile will face the United States in the gold medal match at 5:00 p.m., while Costa Rica will play for the bronze at 3:00 p.m. against Canada.
Eduardo Guillaume, head coach of Chile, said, “I am incredibly happy. We are a country that has been growing in volleyball, and these results are very encouraging to keep working hard and pushing forward. I believe this is the first time Chile plays the final of a Pan American Cup, regardless of the category, just as it was the first time that we beat Canada, so these are things that show we are improving.”
“That makes me and the whole team extremely happy,” he concluded.
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 25, 2025.– Chile earned a place in the semifinals of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-17) in the tournament held at the Professor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Chile dominated the first set, taking a significant lead early on. In the second set, Mexico started ahead, but the Chileans gradually closed the gap and turned the score around at point 16, maintaining the advantage to close out the third set comfortably.
Chile outperformed in attacks (42-23) and blocks (7-1), while Mexico held the edge in serves (5-4).
Martina Allende CHI
Petra Schwartzman led Chile and the match with 13 points, including 11 attacks and 2 blocks. Dominga Aylwin also scored in double digits with 10 points, all from attacks. For Mexico, Brenda Sofia Esquivel topped the scoring with 8 points.
On Saturday 26, Chile will face Costa Rica in the second semifinal at 7:00 p.m. The first semifinal will be at 5:00 p.m. between the United States and Canada.
Before the semifinals, Mexico will face the Dominican Republic at 3:00 p.m. for fifth place. The loser of that match will play Puerto Rico on Sunday to determine sixth and seventh place.
Martina Allende, Chile’s libero, said: “We are super happy; we’ve been working hard for a long time, and now we’re obtaining the rewards and celebrating this semifinal qualification. Tomorrow, we face Costa Rica. Playing against the home team is tough, but we are going to give it everything we have.”
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 25, 2025.– Canada defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18) to secure a spot in the semifinals of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, held at the Professor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
In the first set, the Canadians managed to maintain a 3- to 4-point lead, which guaranteed them the set. The second set was closer, with the Dominican Republic closing the gap and coming back to tie the match at one set apiece.
It was a match filled with net attacks and strong blocking, as both teams showcased their power. In the end, Canada outperformed in attacks (55-50) and dominated from the service line (10-0). The Dominican Republic led in blocks (11-10).
Misha Hameed CAN
Canada had four players scoring in double digits: Logan King led with 20 points (17 attacks, 1 block, 2 aces), followed by Mary Healy with 15 points, Ella Piskorz with 14 (including 4 blocks), and Élodie Lalonde with 12 points.
For the Dominican Republic, Shantal Rivera topped the scores with 15 points, all from attacks, while Victoria Firpo contributed 12 points (9 attacks, 3 blocks).
Canada now awaits the result of the other quarterfinal to determine their semifinal opponent, while the Dominican Republic will play for fifth place against the loser of the match between Mexico and Chile.
Misha Hameed, Canada’s libero: “I think our big focus was being warriors, it’s our team value. Digging, finding grit, and just persevering through adversity was big for us, and not getting down on ourselves during those tough moments. I think that in the second and third sets they really tested us, but in the fourth set we showed more of that grit that we’ve been working on the whole week”.
Aurelina Ruiz, Dominican Republic’s libero: “We feel really good despite the loss because it was a great match, a very hard-fought game. Canada is a very strong team.”
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 21, 2025. – This morning, the preliminary interviews for the participating teams of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup were held in the Quetzal Room at the Hilton Garden Inn City Mall in Alajuela.
The head coaches of the seven participating teams shared their insights and expectations for the tournament, which will take place from July 22 to 27 at the Monserrat Sports Complex Gymnasium in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
This event brings together promising youth talent from across the continent, providing international exposure and continuing their development in high-performance competition.
Héctor Lozano, Head coach of Mexico said: “We come with very high expectations. We’ve had great preparation and worked hard over the past few days. The competition is tough, with many high-level teams. Our team has a mix of experience and newcomers, some have international exposure, while others play key roles in their clubs.”
José Ricardo Rivera Guinand, Head coach of Puerto Rico, commented: “As for our expectations, last year in Canada we won the silver medal. We hope to at least repeat that achievement. We’re going to make the most of this tournament as preparation for the World Championship coming up soon in Indonesia.”
Heather Olmstead, Head coach of USA stated: “We’re glad to be here in Costa Rica representing the United States. We’re going to come out to compete, fight, and play as a team, doing our best with the best style of volleyball we can. We’ll rely on each other as a new group and see if we can start shaping our identity throughout the week. We know we’re going to face great competition, starting tomorrow against Canada, so we’re excited to compete.”
Eduardo Guillaume, Head coach of Chile said: “This is a tournament with very strong teams. We are in the same group as Puerto Rico, Canada, and the United States. Costa Rica is our direct rival. After this tournament, we head to the World Championship in Indonesia, so this event and the opponents we face here are great preparation for us.”
Olivier Faucher, Head coach of Canada, expressed: “We are excited about the competition. We’ve been training with this group for a week and are looking forward to the opportunity to play against strong opponents in our group, which will help us gain momentum ahead of the World Championship next month. We want to step on the court every day to win, but also to improve and continue building our team.”
Alexandre Ceccato, Head coach of Dominican Republic stated: “I believe this is a very strong championship. We’re bringing a U19 team, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try to reach the semifinals. This tournament also serves as preparation for the World Championship next month in Indonesia, as we plan to take the same group of players currently here in Costa Rica.”
Braulio Godínez, Head coach of Costa Rica shared: “This is a great opportunity for Costa Rica to promote volleyball here in Alajuela. It’s a place where many neighboring cantons practice the sport, so they can come and support our players. I believe our team has performed well; at one point, they placed fourth in a NORCECA event in the previous age category. It’s a group we believe in and have great faith in for the future.”
Before the tournament, the Control Committee inspected the court and facilities where the event will take place, confirming that everything is in excellent condition.
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