Tag: 2025 Woman Pan American Junior Games

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 10, 2025. – Costa Rica defeated Paraguay 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-11) in the final match of the opening day of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Arena COP.

The first set was marked by a strong early lead built by the offense of Costa Rica’s Ivanny Blackwood. Costa Rica lost five set points (24-16) but eventually closed it out thanks to the attacking efforts of Ruth Peralta and Mayra Pérez, along with Paraguay’s own mistakes that complicated their chances.

The second set was more balanced, with long rallies and both teams trading the lead until a 10-10 tie. Costa Rica took control at 12-10, with María Torres leading the scoring, and thanks to their solid defense and reception, they pulled away on the scoreboard. Krystel Vargas and Torres added key points to prevent Paraguay from staging a comeback in the closing stretch.

The third set was dominated from start to finish by the Central American side, which took a 12-6 lead and sealed the win convincingly.

Costa Rica had the advantage in the main skill categories, outscoring Paraguay in attacks (41-28), blocks (3-2), and service points (7-3). Costa Rica committed 20 errors compared to 24 from their opponents.

Ivanny Blackwood led the Costa Rican offense with 15 points, followed by Krystel Vargas with 12 and María Sofía Torres with 11. For Paraguay, Alexia Martínez was the top scorer with 8 points.

In Pool A, Costa Rica (1-0) will next face Cuba (0-1), while Paraguay (0-1) will play Argentina (1-0).

Braulio Godínez, Head coach of Costa Rica, said, “We didn’t know anything about Paraguay; however, they showed good volume of play. I feel that as the match went on, we built our rhythm, and they (Paraguay) made more mistakes. The first set was very close. We have a similar technical and physical level, but the volume of play we have in Central America and NORCECA benefits us a lot, and today that made the difference.”

Delio Arruebarrena, coach of Paraguay, said, “For a first match, the girls could have performed better. We don’t have game rhythm because there are few opportunities to play at this level. Most of the teams here come with international experience, and that shows. As the tournament goes on, the girls will improve their rhythm.”

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 10, 2025 .– Brazil defeated Mexico 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-15, 25-15) in the second match of Pool B in the women’s volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Arena COP.

At the start, both teams traded points in long rallies until Brazil pulled ahead thanks to the attack and serving of Jaqueline Schmitz, creating a gap to take the first set.

Mexico responded in the second set, building an 11-8 lead with standout performances from Andrea Felix and Arleth Márquez. With Marcela Herrera joining the offense and capitalizing on Brazil’s errors, the Mexicans tied the match.

Brazil regained control in the third set with an effective offense led by Lívia dos Santos. With a 10-4 lead, the South Americans dominated the game while Mexico’s errors made closing the set easier. In the fourth set, Brazil maintained consistency, led by Ana Luiza Rüdiger and Gabi Carneiro.

Blocking was key to Brazil’s victory, with a 13-6 advantage, along with superiority in attacks (53-42). Both teams scored 5 aces. Brazil gave away 20 points on errors, while Mexico conceded 25.

Ana Luiza Rüdiger was the top scorer with 15 points. Lívia dos Santos added 14 and Maria Clara de Moura contributed 12. For Mexico, Andrea Felix was the only player in double digits, with 14 points.

Letizia, Brazil’s libero, explained: “We were nervous going into the game, which is normal for the first match, and we were distracted. During the match, we were able to focus and put our minds into the game. Things went much better in the fourth set.”

Brazil’s coach, Marcos Pinheiro, said: “We have a lot of respect for Mexico. In their last competition they finished third after a very tough semifinal. Today, the first sets were a game of stars; nerves were running high. We handled the first set very well, but in the second, a change in positions prevented us from executing our plan. We returned to our game plan in the last two sets, and things went well, especially in our reception.”

Mexico’s coach, Luis León, shared his thoughts: “When things didn’t work for us at certain times, Brazil took advantage, made adjustments, changed players, and it worked for them. At some point, Mexico didn’t manage to maintain the rhythm and composure, allowing Brazil to get a bigger lead. Physically and technically, Brazil has a good team.”

Next, Brazil (1-0) will face the Dominican Republic (1-0), while Mexico (0-1) will play Chile (0-1).

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 10, 2025 .-The Dominican Republic opened their campaign in the women’s volleyball tournament of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025 with a convincing 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-18) victory over Chile at the COP Arena, kicking off Pool B action.

Chile started with a strong attacking performance led by Florencia Aguilera, building a 13-9 lead. However, the Caribbean side tied the score at 17 points and took advantage of a series of errors from the South American team to claim the first set, with Alondra Tapia as their main offensive weapon.

In the next two sets, the Dominicans found better rhythm in their game system and imposed their dominance.

The Caribbean team capitalized on 31 unforced errors by Chile, committing only 15 themselves, and outblocked their opponents 8-3. Both teams scored 30 attack points and 6 aces.

Outside hitter Alondra Tapia led all scorers with 13 points (11 attacks, 2 aces), while Chile’s Florencia Aguilera stood out with 10 points.

Dominican Republic’s captain, Florangel Terrero, said after the match: “We started out nervous because we know how important this tournament is, and we wanted to show what we can do. We were aware that Chile would play hard, and that made us anxious. We lifted our spirits, and when that happens, the Dominican Republic becomes a warrior”.

Chile’s head coach, Sergio Soto, commented: “Unfortunately, our game plan didn’t work. Our serving and passing fundamentals were not executed well, that was our biggest problem, and we need to improve that right away. This is a developing, mixed team, and if we can fix that aspect, we’ll perform much better in the tournament”.

In their next match, the Dominican Republic will face Mexico, while Chile will take on Brazil.

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 10, 2025.– Argentina opened with a victory in women’s volleyball at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, defeating Cuba in straight sets 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-23) in the first match held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) Arena.

Both teams are part of Pool A of the tournament, where their next matches will be Argentina against hosts Paraguay and Cuba against Costa Rica.I

In the first and second sets, Cuba started strong, but Argentina came from behind in both. In the opener, Argentina tied at 15 points with a block from Josefina Ossvald and, taking advantage of consecutive opponent errors, took the lead. An attack by Keila Llanos closed the first set in favor of the South Americans.

In the second set, the score was even until 12-12, when Argentina moved ahead and never trailed again.

The third set was the most contested. Cuba led 23-18, thanks to the work at the net by Yensy Kindelán and Argentina’s errors. However, Argentina rallied to tie at 23-23, erasing a five-point deficit. A block by María Victoria Matich brought match point (24-23), and a Cuban net error sealed the win.

The statistics reflected Argentina’s dominance in attack (35-29) and blocking (11-4), while Cuba scored one more point from service (5-4) but committed one more error (25-24).

Middle blocker María Victoria Matich led Argentina with 18 points (12 attacks, 6 blocks) and outside hitter Keila Llanos added 10 points (9 attacks, 1 ace). For Cuba, middle blocker Lianet García was the top scorer with 9 points, all on attacks.

Argentina’s captain Josefina Ossvald said, “It was an exciting finish. We came from behind, but luckily, we’re a team that always pushes forward, and we’re happy about our first win. We’re a new group and winning a match while playing well is a huge source of pride and a great thrill”.

Coach Eduardo Allona highlighted the key to the victory: “In the last set, at times we were playing so-so, and at other times very well. Keila’s serve, the best we have, worked in our favor by making Cuba’s setting more difficult, allowing our middle blocker to get the block”.

Cuba’s coach Norka Latamblet noted, “I think that due to the long trips to get here, we didn’t have time to train and get the team mentally ready. We need to finish better; they play well and have good preparation. The match was good, we always started ahead, and we hope that in the next games we can close them out.”