Tag: 2025 – U21 NORCECA Girls Panamerican Cup

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 27, 2025.- The United States reaffirmed their continental dominance by claiming their third consecutive title at the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, defeating Chile in straight sets 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-13) at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The U.S. team captured the crown undefeated and without dropping a single set, earning their fourth title in the history of the tournament (2017, 2022, 2023, and 2025) and their third in a row. For Chile, this silver medal marks their best result in the category after previously winning bronze in 2015.

From the very start, the United States set the tone, taking an early lead in the first set that gave them confidence to close it out. In the second set, the American block came alive, allowing them to maintain full control of the match.

The statistics underline the champions’ superiority: 42-15 in attacks, 10-2 in blocks, and 8-2 in service points, sealing a final in which they left no doubts about their strength.

Jadyn Livings and Favor Anyanwu led the United States with 13 points each, the only players from both teams to reach double digits. The U.S. offense was well distributed among 10 different scorers.

For Chile, Dominga Aylwin topped her team with 6 points.

USA head coach Heather Olmstead said after the match: “I am very proud of our group; they kept their focus throughout the entire match and wanted to play for each other. We got a lot of players in, and they executed at the level we wanted to, which is USA Volleyball style. I am happy for the group; they did a great job coming together these past two weeks, and I’m glad they get to celebrate.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 25, 2025.- The United States became the first team to secure a spot in the U21 Pan American Cup final after defeating Canada 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-20) in the tournament being held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium of the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

As predicted, the Americans came out strong from the start, not giving the Canadians a chance to even breathe. Team captain Brooklyn DeLeye led the offense from the beginning, finishing the first set with 7 attack points and 3 service aces. The Canadians never gave up on any point and fought fiercely until the very end.

The United States dominated in attacks (42-18) and serves (9-2), while Canada held the edge in blocking (6-5). The Americans also capitalized on the 30 unforced errors committed by Canada.

Brooklyn DeLeye was the best player of the match, excelling in both reception and attack, finishing with a total of 18 points (14 attacks and 4 aces). Besides Brooklyn, only one other American reached double digits, Jadyn Livings with 10 points. Logan King led Canada with 8 points (7 attacks).

The United States will play the final this Sunday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. against the winner of the other semifinal between Costa Rica and Chile. Canada will play for the bronze medal at 3:00 p.m. against the losing team.

Heather Olmstead, USA Head Coach, said after the match “That was a great match. Canada played great, we had to really dig deep. I liked the way we just problemed solved and stayed creative. I think Brooklyn brought some big heat and big swings; Taylor did a good job offensively. We’re excited to be representing the USA in another match, another opportunity to play together as a group, so we’re super grateful. The crowd was awesome”.

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 26, 2025.- The Dominican Republic claimed fifth place at the Women’s U21 Pan American Cup after defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-19) in the tournament held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium of the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The match started as a back-and-forth battle with no clear dominance from either team. After point 15, Mexico managed to pull ahead, but the Caribbean squad tied the score at 22 and took the set, leading with 17 attack points and 4 blocks.

The second set mirrored the first, with alternating control and increasingly contested points featuring longer rallies. The Dominican Republic took command in the third set.

The Dominicans outperformed in attacks (45-37) and blocks (8-4), while Mexico held the edge in serving (6-2).

Victoria Firpo of the Dominican Republic finished the match with 16 points, including 11 attacks, 4 blocks, and 1 ace, while Julie Millaray Arias contributed 12 points. For Mexico, Paula Miranda scored 13 points, with 9 attacks, 1 block, and 3 aces.

Mexico will face Puerto Rico on Sunday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m. to compete for sixth and seventh place in the tournament.

After the match, Dominican Republic’s Brazilian head coach Alexandre Ceccato commented, “In the end, it was a good result for me. The team is good; it’s a U19 squad, and finishing fifth is not bad. My intention was to be among the top four teams in the tournament, but it wasn’t possible. Next Sunday, we’re off to Indonesia to play the World Championship in this category.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 24, 2025.– Dominican Republic closed the group stage with a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-17, 29-27) over Mexico, securing a spot in the quarterfinals as the second-place team in Pool A of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, held at the Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium of the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Throughout the match, the Dominican squad focused on building a strong offense, scoring nearly 50% of their total points through net dominance. Mexico was unable to read the Caribbean team’s attack.

Dominican Republic outperformed Mexico in attacks (42-25) and blocks (10-6), while both teams were tied with 5 aces each.

Shantal Rivera led the way for the Dominican Republic with 21 points (16 attacks, 2 blocks, and 3 aces). Team captain Victoria Firpo contributed 11 points (7 attacks and 4 blocks). For Mexico, Mariana del Rocío Hernández was the top scorer with 9 points.

With the win, the Dominican Republic advances to the quarterfinals to face Canada this Friday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m. (local time). The other quarterfinal match will feature Mexico, third in Pool A, taking on Chile, second in Pool B, at 7:00 p.m. (local time).

Dominican captain Victoria Firpo said, “I’m really happy. We need to put in more effort in the next match and play a little more calmly because today we ended the match feeling very anxious.”

Mexican captain Sofía Padrón commented, “Honestly, I’m not satisfied because we didn’t get the result we wanted. But what I did like about the team is that we fought until the end. Now we must keep pushing to get better results moving forward.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 23, 2025.– The United States secured first place in Pool B with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-11) win over Chile, qualifying directly to the semifinals of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup being held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Although Chile challenged the U.S. team, it wasn’t enough to stop the North Americans from comfortably controlling the match. The U.S. only trailed in the second set, but they quickly regained control. In the final set, the Americans surged ahead and dominated convincingly.

The United States led the match in every scoring category: attacks (33-24), blocks (11-4), and service aces (7-3). It was a match with few unforced errors, Chile committed 24, while the U.S. had 18.

The U.S.  distributed its attacks evenly across all zones of the court, which contributed to Jadyn Livings being the top scorer with 10 points (9 attacks, 1 block).

Francisca Vásquez led Chile, also scoring 10 points (8 attacks, 2 service aces).

Chile will face the third-place team from Pool A in Friday’s quarterfinals, determined by the upcoming match between the Dominican Republic and Mexico. The U.S. awaits its semifinal opponent for Saturday, July 26.

Brooklyn DeLeye, captain of the United States, commented, “It was a really good match against Chile. They put up a great fight. They were a very strong attacking team, but I’m super proud of how our team responded. From the beginning, we knew they would come at us aggressively, so we just matched that energy and came out with everything we had.”

Petra Schwartzman, Chile’s captain, said, “We’re happy with what we’ve accomplished in these three matches. Now we have a chance to reach the semifinals. We have a tough game tomorrow, and we’ll prepare and give it our all to keep moving forward. We knew the U.S. would be a tough opponent; they always have very strong teams.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 23, 2025. – Canada defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-20) to claim third place in Pool B at the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament taking place at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Puerto Rico started strong the first set, but Canada quickly regrouped and turned the match around. The second and third sets were much more competitive and a complete contrast to the first.

Despite the closer scores in the last two sets, Canada came out on top, leading in attacks (40-28), blocks (8-2), and aces (6-2).

With this win, Canada will face the second-place team from Pool A (either the Dominican Republic or Mexico) in the quarterfinals on Friday. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, will play for sixth place on Saturday.

Canada’s Sophia Hansen was the top scorer of the match with 16 points (14 attacks, 2 blocks), while teammate Jessica Bergstrom stood out once again, contributing 11 points (5 attacks, 4 blocks, 2 aces). Jessica was once again the top blocker of the match, just like yesterday.

Chareika Carrión was Puerto Rico’s leading player with 11 points, all from attacks.

Ella McVittie, Canada’s captain, said: “I think this was necessary. We needed to fight back, and we did. I believe it was a full team effort. We talked about it before the match, about how everyone needed to contribute a little, and I’m happy we accomplished that today.”

Chareika Carrión, Puerto Rico’s captain, commented: “Honestly, I don’t feel happy at all. I know we prepared really well, but we didn’t give our best in every match.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 23, 2025.– Costa Rica secured a spot in the semifinals of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-6, 25-17, 25-23) at the tournament being held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica stunned Mexico in the first set with a dominant 25-6 victory, powered by 16 attack points. Mexico was unable to decipher Costa Rica’s game throughout the set. In the second set, the Mexicans tried to even things out, but after the 13-point mark, the Central Americans pulled away again to take the set.

The third set was the most competitive, with Mexico nearly forcing a fourth set, but Costa Rica closed it out to seal the win.

With the victory, Costa Rica clinched first place in Pool A and now awaits its semifinal opponent for Saturday, July 26.

Mexico will face the Dominican Republic at 7:00 PM (local time) on Thursday, July 24, to determine second and third place in the pool. Both teams will advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, July 25.

Costa Rica dominated the match from start to finish, outperforming Mexico in attacks (43-20), blocks (10-8), and service points (5-4).

Angélica Rodríguez led the Central American offense with 19 points (15 attacks, 3 blocks, 1 ace). Raldisha Barley and Melina Ester Abarca each added 14 points, while Fernanda Moraga also scored in double digits with 11 points.

For Mexico, Mariana del Rocío Hernández was the top scorer with 7 points (4 attacks, 2 blocks, 1 ace).

Costa Rica’s head coach Braulio Godínez, visibly pleased, said, “I’m very satisfied. Playing at home comes with great responsibility. We knew it was a high-level tournament and hoped to get one win, now we have two, so we’ll enjoy this moment. We know that by finishing first in our pool, tougher matches await us, but we’ve done a great job, the fans are happy, and now we’ll aim for an even bigger surprise.”

Mexico’s head coach Héctor Lozano commented, “We started off a bit unfocused. Playing against the home team took a toll (the crowd was very intense). Little by little, we improved our performance. We have the team to do more, and as the tournament progresses, we’ll show the level that Mexico is capable of.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 23, 2025. – Chile defeated Canada in four sets 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 22-25, 25-17) and now shares the top spot in Group B of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup with the United States. The tournament is taking place at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

In the first set, Chile built an early 3-point lead that they held throughout to go up 1-0. In the second set, they took control from the start with a 5-point advantage and maintained it until the end.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle, with Canada winning their first set of the tournament. The fourth and final set followed a similar pattern, but Chile came out on top to seal the victory.

Chile led in attacks (46-43), while Canada dominated in blocks (11-7). Both teams were tied in aces (5-5). Chile capitalized on Canada’s 39 unforced errors to secure the win.

Petra Schwartzman led Chile in scoring with 15 points (11 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 aces). Dominga Aylwin also reached double digits with 13 points (12 attacks and 1 block). For Canada, Élodie Lalonde led with 18 points (17 attacks and 1 block), while Jessica Bergstrom added 11 points and set a tournament record for most blocks in a single match with 7.

Chile will face the United States on Thursday, July 24 at 5:00 PM (local time) to determine the group winner and a direct ticket to the semifinals. The loser of that match will advance to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Canada will face Puerto Rico at 3:00 PM (local time) in a match that will decide a spot in the quarterfinals.

Chile’s head coach Eduardo Guillaume said, “This is an extraordinary result for us. I think it’s the first time we’ve ever beaten Canada at any level, and it fills us with joy. We played a great match with a lot of character. We overcame a team that is physically and technically equal or even better than us, and that makes this victory even more emotional.”

Canada’s head coach Olivier Faucher commented, “Congratulations to Chile, they played great today, they didn’t give us anything. On our side, we couldn’t pass the ball, so our offense became really predictable. We had problems passing the ball well and that’s the main piece of our execution. I think we have to battle a little bit more, fight for every point, and our mindset must be on competing, to bring energy to the court because winning is not easy at this level. We’ll learn from this, grow together as a group, and come back tomorrow stronger.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 23, 2025. – The United States earned their second win at the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup by defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-13, 25-7, 25-15) at the start of the second day of competition, held at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

USA took a quick lead in the opening set and widened the gap as the set progressed. In the second set, the Americans once again pulled ahead comfortably, reaching an 8-0 scoreline. They maintained control in the third set as well.

The United States dominated the match across all fundamentals: attacks (37-13), blocks (7-2), and service aces (5-0). Except for two players who started the previous match, the team used a different lineup today.

There were 46 unforced errors in the match, 26 by Puerto Rico and 20 by the USA.

Blaire Bayless stood out on offense for the U.S., leading all scorers with 14 points, including one block and one ace. Elizabeth Andrew was the top blocker with 3 blocks and also contributed 8 points, the second-highest scorer for her team.

For Puerto Rico, Valeria Chloe Núñez led with 4 points, all from attacks at the net.

With this result, the United States remains undefeated with 2 wins and 10 points. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, suffers its second loss and is still searching for its first win.

USA will close out the pool-play on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (local time) against Chile, while Puerto Rico will face Canada at 3:00 p.m. (local time).

USA head coach Heather Olmstead said, “We used a different lineup because we wanted to give everybody an opportunity to play, as they’ve all been working really hard this past week and a half. We’re comfortable with anyone on our roster going out and playing brand USA-volleyball. We know anyone can go in at any time, because we’re going to need everyone throughout the tournament. This was a good opportunity to show how strong we can be as a group, with everyone’s different playing styles.”

“The entire team did a good job supporting each other through the various changes. We stayed focused and did a nice job earning this second victory. We’re still fine-tuning our serve-pass game, but offensively our setters are doing a great job putting our hitters in rhythm, and I think everyone is contributing in different ways. We’re excited to play every match,” Olmstead concluded.

Puerto Rico’s head coach José Ricardo Rivera Guinand commented, “We’re playing good volleyball, but my offense isn’t flowing, right now I’m relying solely on our captain Chareika Carrión. If the rest of the team doesn’t start contributing offensively, the entire game becomes more difficult. We’re getting great match experience and have improved substantially from yesterday. We’ll keep trying to compete, we still have one game left and we can still reach the quarterfinals.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 22, 2025. – In front of a packed gymnasium and with unwavering home support, Costa Rica delivered the biggest surprise of the opening day by sweeping the Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15) at the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, at the Professor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela.

Costa Rica started strong in the first set, capitalizing on five unforced errors by the Caribbean side within the first eight points. The early confusion forced Dominican coach Alexandre Ceccato to call a technical timeout at point 11 to settle his team.

The pattern continued in the second set, with nerves again taking a toll on the Dominican players, who committed another 10 unforced errors, paving the way for the home team.

Throughout the match, Costa Rica made the most of the Dominican Republic’s 30 unforced errors and also held the advantage in attacks (35-25), blocks (7-4), and service aces (3-1).

Angélica Rodríguez led Costa Rica’s offense with 14 points, 12 on kills and 2 on blocks. Virelys Shantal Rivera led the Dominican Republic, scoring 12 points (7 attacks, 4 blocks, and 1 ace), and was the top blocker of the match.

Costa Rica’s Angélica Rodríguez said, “They played well, but we’ve been training for this for years, and we’re finally seeing the results. I’m proud of the team and of the work we did together. I’m very happy with the number of points I scored, but it was all thanks to the team.”

Dominican Republic coach Alexandre Ceccato commented, “We made too many mistakes. I think my team felt the pressure from the crowd. They’re very young, but they have what it takes to overcome that pressure and play better. We still have Mexico, who are strong, we’ll see what we can do to challenge them.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 22, 2025.- The United States began their Women’s U21 Pan American Cup title defense with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-13) victory over Canada, kicking off their campaign for a third consecutive title at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium in the Monserrat Sports Complex, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The U.S. team had a slow start, falling behind 1-6 in the opening set, but gradually recovered to tie the score at 13. From there, they took control and won the set 25-18. The second set was evenly matched until point 10, when the Americans pulled ahead and closed it out 25-15. In the third set, the defending champions dominated from start to finish.

USA’s team captain Brooklyn DeLeye led all scorers with 16 points, 14 on attacks. Kamryn Gibadlo also reached double digits with 11 points (10 attacks, 1 ace), while Favor Anyanwu contributed 10 points, including 4 blocks.

For Canada, Élodie Lalonde was the top scorer with 7 points, and Logan King added 6 points.

USA outperformed Canada in attacks (44-20), blocks (7-3), and aces (9-4). Canada took advantage of 19 unforced errors by the U.S.

Brooklyn DeLeye, U.S. team captain, said, “It’s a wonderful atmosphere to play in. All the hard work we’ve put in this past week led to this victory. I’m very proud of this team.”

Élodie Lalonde of Canada said, “Winning or losing at this point doesn’t mean much—we’re growing as a team and haven’t been together for long. Obviously, we came out as strong as we could. It was a great opportunity to learn as a team and coaching staff. We saw a lot of positives throughout the match and growth despite not taking the win. We started very strong; our setter had a great serve, but midway through the set we played more tentative,  and that gave the U.S. an advantage.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 22, 2025. – Chile kicked off the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup in dominant fashion, defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-23) at the Profesor Jorge Luis Solera Gymnasium at the Monserrat Sports Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Chile took control from the start, reaching the first technical timeout with a five-point lead at 8-3. In the second set, Puerto Rico tried to even the match, but after point 10, the Chileans regained command and pulled away comfortably.

Dominga Aylwin led the South American squad with 17 points (16 kills and 1 ace), while team captain Petra Schwartzman also reached double digits with 12 points (10 kills, 1 block, and 1 ace). For Puerto Rico, Chareika Carrión was the match’s top scorer with 18 points, all from attacks.

Chile dominated all statistical categories, attacks (42-33), aces (5-2), and blocks (7-3).

Karla Molina, Consul of the Chilean Embassy, was present throughout the match supporting the team. She said, “It’s always emotional to see fellow Chileans here, and even more so with a first victory. It truly feels special to be far from home and watch them represent our country and our sport as ambassadors, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Dominga Aylwin shared after the match, “I’m super happy with our team’s victory. This tournament is part of our preparation for the World Championship. We entered the game with strong conviction, and the result was a win, so I’m really excited.”

Chareika Carrión of Puerto Rico commented, “It was our first match, and we started very unfocused. In the third set, we got more organized, and I hope we can show more of what our team is capable of in the upcoming games.”

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, July 19, 2025. – The stage is set for the 2025 edition of the U21 Women’s Pan American Cup, which will take place from July 22 to 27 at the Montserrat Multisport Complex in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The tournament will feature seven national teams competing in two pools. Pool A includes the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and host nation Costa Rica, while Pool B consists of the United States (reigning champions), Canada, Chile, and Puerto Rico.

The United States enters as the two-time defending champion after winning the 2022 and 2023 editions, bringing their total to three gold medals, including the first one in 2017. The Americans will aim to make history by claiming a third consecutive title this year.

Matches begin on Tuesday, July 22, with the finals scheduled for Sunday, July 27.

Preliminary Round Schedule:

July 22:

3:00pm  Chile vs Puerto Rico

5:00pm  United States vs Canada

7:00pm  Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic

July 23:

3:00pm  United States vs Puerto Rico

5:00pm  Chile vs Canada

7:00pm  Costa Rica vs Mexico

July 24:

3:00pm  Puerto Rico vs Canada

5:00pm  United States vs Chile

7:00pm  Mexico vs Dominican Republic

Year by Year pódiums

YEAR	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE
2011	PER	DOM	CUB
2013	MEX	DOM	COL
2015	DOM	ARG	CHI
2017	USA	ARG	CUB
2019	CUB	DOM	PER
2022	USA	ARG	MEX
2023	USA	MEX	CUB

Composite Medal Table

COUNTRY	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
USA	3	0	0	3
DOM	1	3	0	4
MEX	1	1	1	3
CUB	1	0	3	4
PER	1	0	1	2
ARG	0	3	0	3
CHI	0	0	1	1
COL	0	0	1	1