Tag: Volleyball

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 28, 2022.- Setter and team captain Niverka Marte of the Dominican Republic was selected the Most Valuable Player of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup after her team won their fifth gold medal match over Colombia at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

The closing ceremony was chaired by NORCECA President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz accompanied by the Guest of Honor Ana Guevara, Director of the Sports Council and Physical Culture (CONADE) of Mexico.

Niverka Marte shared the podium with her teammates Bethania De La Cruz, awarded 1^st Best Spiker and Best Server, Geraldine Gonzalez  1^st Best Blocker, Gaila Gonzalez the Best Opposite and Brenda Castillo awarded as Best Libero, Best Receiver and Best Digger.

From the silver medalists team Colombia, Maria Alejandra Marin was chosen as the Best Setter and Darlevis Mosquera the 2^nd Best Blocker.

Outside hitter Avery Skinner of the United States and bronze medalists, received the recognitions for 2^nd Best Spiker and Best Scorer.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 28, 2022.- Dominican Republic won their fifth Women’s Pan American gold medal defeating Colombia 3-1 (21-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-16) on Sunday at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

The Dominican Republic also won the Women’s Pan American Cup title, in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016. For Colombia, this is their first silver medal and second medal in the history of the event, having won the bronze medal in the past edition in 2019.

Dominicans blocking and service points seized Colombia by comfortable 14-9 and 4-0 margins respectively. The Caribbeans also led by a close 56-51 attacking advantage and scoring on 22 South American errors against 19.

Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz scored a match-high of 23 points on 21 kills and two points from blocks in Dominican Republic’s gold medal victory. Opposite Gaila Gonzalez also contributed to the winning effort with 15 points from 11 kills, one block and three aces, joined by outside hitter Yonkaira Peña collecting 14 points from 12 kills and two blocks.

Three players also led Colombia’s attackers, outside hitter Ana Karina Olaya with 17 points on 16 kills and one block, outside hitter Amanda Coneo with 13 points on 10 kills and three blocks, and middle blocker Yeisy Soto tallied 10 points.  

Niverka Marte, captain of Dominican Republic: “We have screamed and celebrated a lot, I am so happy and proud of my team. I am part of a team of leaders that doesn’t allow anyone to play bad because we are always pushing each other. Colombia has a fierce team, they never give up and we respect them, we faced a great opponent that played well and stood up to us. The joy and team union from the first day of the tournament is what gave us the crown today”.

María Alejandra Marín, captain of Colombia: “This is our first Pan American Cup final, we are happy and hoping for many more to come; we knew it was going to be hard. Colombia did its job, but things didn’t come out, it was a battling second place. We won the first set because we were tactically organized, the rest of the game we committed too many errors, we learn from everything”.

Marcos Kwiek, head coach of Dominican Republic: “After no concentration in the first set, we focused on what we had practiced, studied, and prepared for the game. I believe our discipline was key to win the game. The sets we lost during the tournament were all close, we must be more aggressive from the start”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 28, 2022.- The United States won the bronze medal over host Mexico 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-16, 25-11) at the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup on Sunday at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

This is the United States fourth bronze medal in the history of the Pan American Cup and they earned their qualification to the 2023 Pan American Games finishing as the top ranked NORCECA team not previously qualified, Dominican Republic and Mexico earned their tickets last year.

The U.S. fought four-set points (20-24) in the second set, but Mexico extended to overtime forcing the Americans to celebrate their victory in four sets.

United States topped every skill of the game, with 52-32 attacking margin, 11-8 in blocking points and 10-7 aces. The U.S. committed one less error than Mexico (25-26).

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Outside hitters Veronica Jones-Perry of the United States led all scorers with 24 points from 20 kills and a match-high of four aces. Opposite Stephanie Samedy scored 15 points on 11 kills, three blocks and one ace, followed by outside hitter Avery Skinner with 13 points on 8 kills, a match-high of four blocks and one ace.

Outside hitter Samantha Bricio and Grecia Castro led Mexico producing 10 points each.

Mackenzie May, outside hitter of United States: “Mexico played an incredible game. This was a chaotic match for us, I am proud of my team for working through some adversity, some of us playing positions they’ve never played before, especially me, so having the team behind me and knowing we were good was great. Now we go to the Dominican Republic to play in the Final Six and hopefully we’ll medal as well”.

Bradley Rostratter, head coach of United States: “I am so proud of these girls, we had anything and everything going our way   and the fact that we’re going away with a medal is outstanding; it speaks of their resiliency and their character. Adversity of not feeling too high for some players came and without the girl’s willingness to try new things this wouldn’t have been possible to overcome”.

HERMOSILLO, México, 28 de agosto de 2022.- Cuba venció a Puerto Rico 3-1 (14-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21) por el quinto lugar de la XIX Copa Panamericana Femenina el domingo en la Arena Sonora de Hermosillo.

Cuba concluyó el evento con récord 3-3 en juegos ganados y Puerto Rico 2-4. Ambos equipos obtuvieron la clasificación a los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe 2023 ubicándose entre los primeros tres lugares de los equipos no clasificados al evento; República Dominicana y México obtuvieron su boleto el año pasado.

Cuba sostuvo una cercana ventaja en ataques (53-51) y en bloqueos (10-7), en tanto que Puerto Rico controló los puntos de la línea de servicios (6-2) y cometió menor cantidad de errores no forzados (24-27).

La opuesta Dezirett Madan de Cuba fue la máxima anotadora del encuentro con 23 puntos. Las centrales Laura Suárez y Dayana Martínez aportaron 11 puntos cada una.  

La atacante de esquina y capitana Pilar Victoria lideró Puerto Rico con 20 puntos y la opuesta Génesis Collazo contribuyó con 19 puntos.

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Gretell Moreno, acomodadora de Cuba: “Venimos en el torneo de menos a más, este es un equipo joven que está trabajando duro, está progresando en técnica, táctica y en la actitud en la cancha, creo que será un grupo que dará grandes resultados para Cuba pronto”.

Nomaris Velez, libero de Puerto Rico: “En el primer set mantuvimos el enfoque, nos mantuvimos unidas, luego nos costó un poco de trabajo. Aun así, dimos una buena batalla sin dejar escapar oportunidades de anotar, fue un evento largo y el cansancio afectó al equipo”. 

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 27, 2022.- Dominican Republic won their semifinal match to Mexico 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-8, 25-14) on Saturday and will clash with Colombia for the 19^th Women’s Pan American Gold at the Arena Sonora in Hermosillo.

Dominicans fell in a battled first set not before recovering from a five-point deficit (8-13) and struggled in the second to overcome Mexico’s offense, only to come out with a dominant force for  the rest of the game and move into the gold medal match.

Host Mexico will face the United States in the bronze medal match.

Dominicans overpowered Mexico with a huge 15-1 margin in serves; they also led by a comfortable 10-6 margin in blocks and a close 50-48 advantage in attacks. Dominican Republic limited their errors to 13 points against 23.

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Opposite Gaila Gonzalez of Dominican Republic scored a match high of 23 points on 13 kills, and a match-high of 4 points from blocks and 6 aces. Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz added 21 points on 14 kills, 2 blocks and 5 aces, followed by outside hitter Madeline Guillen with 13 points.

Two outside hitters led Mexico’s attackers, Samantha Bricio with 16 points and Aime Topete tallied 13 points.  

Gaila González, top scorer of Dominican Republic: “We ended up committing too many errors in the first set, we needed to adjust better for the next sets; México took the opportunity very well. For the match against Colombia our concentration will be crucial to come out with the victory, the last time we played against them we came out victorious and the goal will be to do it again”.

Angela Crosetti, libero of Mexico: “In the first set our rhythm of play was fluent and we were speaking to one another about the strategy we wanted to execute. The support of the fans has been of great value for the team. We know we can win the bronze medal playing with a lot of energy, confidence about our game and good communication giving our all”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 27, 2022.- Colombia continued their winning streak reaching the gold medal match of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup over the United States 3-1 (25-16, 25-27, 25-20, 25-20) in semifinals at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Colombia remains undefeated and will face the winner between host Mexico and the Dominican Republic for the gold.

The U.S. battled off three set points (22-24) winning the second set, serving Colombia their first set-loss of the event.

Colombia held a close 59-57 advantage and a comfortable 6-1 in serves. The United States led 9-6 in blocking points. Colombia benefited from 29 U.S. errors against 16.

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Outside hitter Amanda Coneo led Colombia’s attackers with 20 points from 18 kills and two blocks. Middle blocker Yeisy Soto also contributed to the winning effort with 15 points from 12 kills, one block and two aces and opposite Dayana Segovia followed with 15 points on 13 kills and two aces.

Outside hitter Avery Skinner of the U.S. led all scorers with 21 points from 20 kills and one block. Two other players scored double-figures, outside hitter Veronica Jones-Perry with 17 points on 15 kills and two blocks, and middle blocker Alison Bastianelli with 10 points on 7 kills and three blocks.

Margarita Martínez, outside hitter of Colombia: “The team’s performance was stable, we were calm, and we knew how to solve at important moments during the game against an opponent who knows how to play. We lost the second set because the United States played faster, it was hard to adjust, but still it was a battled one”.

Victoria (Tori) Dilfer, setter of United States: “It’s always disappointing when we lose in this situation but plenty of good things happened in the match, it was a fun match. In the second set we did adjustments despite being well prepared, our middles pulled well to success but came too late in the match”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 27, 2022.- Peru took the seventh place at the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup defeating Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-13) on Saturday at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

This was Peru’s second win over Costa Rica, they met in pool-play; Peru ended the event with a 3-3 win-loss record.

Peru prevailed on 42-26 attacking advantage, 2-0 points from blocks and 7-2 from service points; scoring on 24 Costa Rican errors against 16.

Peruvian outside hitter Ysabella Sanchez led with 13 points on 10 kills and three aces, followed by outside hitter Aixa Vigil and middle blocker Maricarmen Guerrero with 9 and 8 points respectively.

Opposite Angelica Rodriguez led Costa Rica’s attackers with 11 points.

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Angélica Muñoz, setter of Peru: “We are glad to end with a win for Peru. The competition was long, hard and there are many things we need to improve, we are going step by step. I believe we did good teamwork and in shows on the court”.

Tamara Espinoza, captain of Costa Rica: “In this game we had difficulties to start and get into the rhythm of play we gained during the tournament. The tournament was of personal growth individually as players and as a team, we came here to prepare for the Central American Games, I am sure this will help us for following competitions”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 27, 2022.- Canada beat Nicaragua 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-22) for ninth place of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup on Saturday at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

This was Canada’s second occasion beating Nicaragua, they also met in the preliminary round. Nicaragua put up a battle in the first and third set, but not enough for Canada’s straight set victory.

Canada led by a huge 52-25 advantage in attacks, they also held an 8-2 margin in blocks and a 5-1 in aces. Canada committed 10 unforced errors and Nicaragua a total of 29.

Three Canadians scored double-figures, opposite Natasha Calkins with 14 points, middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk with 13 points and outside hitter Trinity Solecki with 12 points.

Nicaraguan leading scorer was outside hitter Hellen Traña with 7 points.

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Melissa Langegger, captain of Canada: “Nicaragua put up a good battle, we were trying to focus on our side and making it as clean as possible, grinding out every point. This was a tough competition, there is a lot to learn from it and we’re heading into another competition so it will be important”.

Lolette Rodríguez, setter of Nicaragua: “We came to the tournament to give our all, battle every match and we had a great one today against Canada; we improved in many aspects and now we must work on the negative to improve for upcoming tournaments”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 26, 2022.- Mexico won a dramatic quarterfinal five setter over Puerto Rico 3-2 (25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 20-25, 15-12) to advance into semifinals of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Host Mexico will face the Dominican Republic in semifinals and Puerto Rico will play for fifth place against Cuba. In the other semifinal, the United States goes up against Colombia.

Puerto Rico’s big comeback in the third set took Mexico by surprise, struggling to get back on track only to extend the match to a decisive fifth set.

Mexico overcame Puerto Rico with a consistent 67-49 advantage in attacks and a 4-3 margin in aces. Puerto Rico controlled 13-7 from blocking points and committed fewer errors (25-33).

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Middle blocker Jocelyn Urias topped Mexico with 20 points on 16 kills, three blocks and one ace. Also contributing to Mexico’s victory were outside hitters Aime Topete and Samantha Bricio with 18 and 13 points respectively.

Opposite Genesis Collazo led Puerto Rico’s attackers with 20 points on 16 kills and 4 blocks, followed by outside hitters Genesis Miranda and Pilar Victoria with 17 and 15 points respectively. 

Cecilia Rios, outside hitter of Mexico: “It was a dramatic victory, but we reached our goal, the team is happy. The support of our fans was valuable for Mexico to be in the semifinal. Our team work was crucial, we are a family and our mentality has been in evolution, we are coming from less to more, hoping for a good result tomorrow”.

Hector Soto, head coach of Puerto Rico: “As a team it doesn’t matter being behind because there is always a chance for the match to continue in our favor, until the last point of the game. I am proud of how the girls battled in a hostile atmosphere; they were cold and showed what it is to represent Puerto Rico with everything”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 26, 2022.- The United States beat Cuba 3-2 (27-29, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 19-17) in a comeback win to claim a semifinal spot at the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

The U.S. will play in semifinals to either Colombia or Dominican Republic depending on the result of the other semifinal between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The United States and Cuba challenged each other the entire quarterfinal match, with the U.S. missing four-set points in the first set which only predicted the tough battle ahead.

The U.S. reached a comfortable seven-point lead (11-4) in the third set with Cuba catching up to even the score to seventeen points. The Americans won the fourth with a comfortable margin, and then captured a thrilling fifth set after Cuba let it slip away, losing two match-points and later the U.S. missing three.

The United States led 64-62 in attacks and scored from 36 Cuban errors against 24. Cuba did better in blocking points 16-13.

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Outside hitter Avery Skinner scored 18 points as the U.S. leading scorer, from 14 kills, two blocks and two aces. Middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan contributed with 16 points, including 6 stuff blocks; and opposite Stephanie Samedy tallied 14 points.

Cuban Greisy Fine was the top attacker of the match with 20 points on 16 kills, three blocks and one ace, joined by outside hitter Claudia Tarin collected 19 points and outside hitter Ailama Cese added 11 points. Middle blocker Dayana Martinez topped in blocks with 7 points.

Stephanie Samedy, opposite of United States: “We were able to compensate and adjust, Cuba was great, they came out swinging and played good defense as well; props to them. We put up a great fight and we will do the same in the semifinal”. 

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 26, 2022.- Peru defeated Canada 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18)  to play for seventh place of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Peru will play for seventh place against Costa Rica and Canada goes head-to-head against Nicaragua for ninth place.

After two battled sets, Peru finally found their way to force their game strategy and rhythm of play, leading 46-29 in attacks and scoring on 25 opponent errors against 20. Canada was better in blocks 10-3 and in aces 3-1.

Outside hitter Karla Ortiz topped Peru’s attackers, with 13 points on 9 kills, three blocks and one ace, accompanied by middle blocker Ginna Lopez and outside hitter Ysabella Sanchez with 10 points apiece (all from kills).

Middle blocker Avery Heppell led Canada with 10 points on 6 kills and a match-high of 4 blocks, outside hitter Melissa Langegger and middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer followed with 9 and 8 points respectively.

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Francisco Hervas, head coach of Peru: “It was a difficult match for us, after falling to Puerto Rico, it’s emotionally hard for our team. Today we confirmed we can continue to compete; the result was in our favor. The team was disciplined in blocking, the players understood what we wanted them to do, sometimes that’s what matches are all about. Canada is a good team, with a lot of energy and dynamic, so we stood strong and stopped them, it wasn’t easy”.

Avery Heppell, top scorer of Canada: “The first two sets were much better, we came out strong, it was part of our game plan. It was unfortunate we gave them too many points in the third set, we weren’t as strong as we needed to be. We will close by giving our all tomorrow”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 26, 2022.- Costa Rica bounced back from an 0-2 set-deficit to beat Nicaragua 3-2 (19-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-13) in a placing match at the Women’s Pan American Cup in the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Costa Rica will play for seventh place against the winner between Canada and Peru, while Nicaragua plays the loser for ninth place.

Costa Rica had a formidable comeback after falling in two closed sets and taking control of the third set jumping to an early eight-point lead (10-2); still they had difficulties overcoming Nicaragua missing two set-points in the third, three in the fourth set and coming from behind (8-10) in the fifth.

Costa prevailed 69-57 in attacks, 11-7 in blocks and 4-3 in aces. Nicaragua committed fewer errors (20-32).

Opposite hitter Angelica Rodriguez of Costa Rica led all scorers with 23 points on 20 kills, two blocks and one ace, followed by outside hitter Tamara Espinoza with 21 points and middle blocker Lakysha Thompson added 17 points including a match-high of 4 blocks.

Three players scored double-figures for Nicaragua, outside hitter and team captain of Nicaragua Ericka Calero with 15 points, middle blocker Brittany Forbes with 14 points and opposite hitter Hellen Traña with 12 points.

Pablo Acuña, head coach of Costa Rica: “It was a complex match, Nicaragua played very well the first two sets, they are a great opponent, and this has become a Central American classic. The player’s reaction took too long, emotionally, and tactically as well. The huge advantage in the third set was because of the team’s energy, our offense was effective, and we executed the game plan we practiced today”.

Ericka Calero, captain of Nicaragua: “We lost concentration as a team, we were uncertain on the court and our offense-defense communication couldn’t connect like in the first two sets. Our team’s energy couldn’t recover from losing the third set, we couldn’t pick ourselves up”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 25, 2022.- Host Mexico outclassed Canada in straight sets 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) to finish second in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Mexico, with an 3-1 overall record in the preliminary round, will face Puerto Rico in quarterfinals; Cuba, third place (2-2) goes up against the U.S. in the other quarterfinal match. Canada will play for classification matches for positions 7 to 10 starting against Peru.

Mexico led in attacks 35-30 and committed 16 errors against 32. Canada led by a huge 10-4 advantage in serves and a slim 5-4 margin in blocks.

Outside hitter Samantha Bricio once again led Mexico on a match-high of 12 points on 10 kills and two aces and Aime Topete tallied 11 points on 8 kills, two blocks and one ace. Middle blocker Karina Flores contributed with 8 points.

Canadian opposite hitter Sydney Grills scored 10 points from 6 kills and four aces, while outside hitter and team captain Melissa Langegger chipped in with 8 points.

Rafael Petry, head coach of México: “We earned an important victory, we struggled in receiving, a match that had ups and downs from both sides because of the responsibility of the result. Now we must think about our next game, rest; I believe Mexico will put up a fight against Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals”.

Jocelyn Urías, captain of Mexico: “The moments we lost focus complicated the dramatic finish of the match, but we solved quickly executing the elements of play, attacking with strength to overcome Canada that pressured with serves”.

Carolyn O’Dwyer, head coach of Canada: “It is a tough loss, we need to be more consistent in executing and limit the number of errors”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 25, 2022.- Dominican Republic recovered from an 0-2 set-deficit winning pool A over the United States 3-2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-8) and heading into semifinals of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

The U.S. battled strong to win the first two sets, by close scores and missing one set point before grabbing the second. Dominicans’ reaction helped them jump to a comfortable four-point advantage in mid third set (14-10) and finished strong with a seven-point lead. The Dominican Republic forced the tie-break in a tough close fourth set, only to come out and dominate the fifth and final set.

Dominican Republic concludes pool-play undefeated (4-0) for their semifinal ticket and the U.S. second in pool A will play in quarterfinals, waiting for the result between Mexico and Canada

Dominicans scored on 37 opponent errors against 12, while the United States led in attacks (67-62), blocks (14-11) and aces (4-2).

Opposite hitter Gaila Gonzalez of Dominican Republic scored a tournament-high so far of 27 points on 24 kills, two blocks and one ace. Outside hitters Yonkaira Peña and Bethania De La Cruz added 17 and 14 points respectively.

Outside hitter Danielle Drews led the United States with 24 points from 23 kills and one ace, Avery Skinner contributed with 21 points and opposite hitter Nia Reed registered 15 points, including a match-high of 5 blocks.

Niverka Marte, captain of Dominican Republic: “We had a great opponent on the other side, it wasn’t easy. We started off slow and they were aggressive, so we had to find our rhythm of play to find a way out. We battled up to the last point, never giving up which helped us with the victory. We are in the semifinals, but the discipline to get prepared doesn’t stop until the tournament ends”.

Kendall White, captain of United States: “In the first two sets we had a better game, with great energy, great rallies and energy from the crowd cheering for both sides. The U.S. plays every game like a championship game, we will do the same in the play-offs, just like this one, we’ll come out to win and hopefully stop the next team”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 25, 2022.- Colombia beat Nicaragua 3-0 (25-8, 25-12, 25-12) to  top  pool B and move directly into semifinals of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Colombia with a solid 4-0 record in the preliminary round earned their semifinal spot of the competition. Nicaragua, fifth place of pool B will play classification matches for positions 7 to 10 starting with Costa Rica on Friday.

The South Americans controlled the Central Americans in every skill of the game, attacks (37-22), blocks (14-2) and serves (12-0). In errors, Colombia committed 8 and Nicaragua 12.

Middle blocker Melissa Rangel scored 12 points as Colombia’s top scorer, from 9 kills, 2 blocks and one ace, joined by outside hitter Ana Karina Olaya with 11 points from 7 kills and a match-high of 4 aces; outside hitter Laura Grajales added 9 points.

Opposite hitter Hellen Traña collected 11 points for Nicaragua, on 10 kills and one block.

Melissa Rangel, top scorer of Colombia: “Our main goal was to qualify to the semifinals, today the coach made some line-up variations because it was a quieter match than the previous ones, seeking that everyone should fulfill their job and always have the score in our favor. Colombia’s firm pace is because of our work, preparing for Worlds and having clear goals. We have a strengthened team, we showed it on the court, and we will play hard whoever we play against”.

Swan Mendoza, outside hitter of Nicaragua: “We came into the competition aware of facing the best teams of America, strong teams and with much height than ours, with the idea of performing our work and preparing for future competitions. Tomorrow, we face Costa Rica, we already have our strategy and I believe that our previous matches served us to prepare for a Central American derby, we will follow the instructions of our coach”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 25, 2022.- Puerto Rico defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-12) to advance to quarterfinals of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Puerto Rico finished the preliminary round with a 2-2 win-loss record for third place in pool A, waiting for their opponent in the next round. Costa Rica will play classification matches for positions 7 to 10.

Puerto Rico outnumbered Costa Rica with a huge 41-17 advantage in attacks, 9-5 in blocks and 6-2 in aces, allowing 14 points from errors against 19.

Outside hitter and team captain Pilar Victoria led Puerto Rico with 13 points on 10 kills, two blocks and one ace. Setter Wilmarie Rivera and opposite hitter Genesis Collazo tallied 10 and 9 points respectively.

Opposite hitter Angelica Rodriguez topped Costa Rica with 11 points from 8 kills, two blocks and one ace.

Wilmarie Rivera, setter of Puerto Rico: “We are glad to move into the next round, I think we’ve improved from the beginning of the tournament and yesterdays and today’s victories were crucial to advance, which is good for the team and continue improving. Our expectations in the competition are continuing to work hard and advance the most because we are a young group. Today I liked our team’s unity, energy, and communication. No matter who we face tomorrow, first we will study our game and focus on our side of the court, continue with effort, energy, and communication, all the positive we’ve been doing”.

Angélica Rodríguez, top scorer of Costa Rica: “We’ve played against strong opponents, but we haven’t stayed behind, we’ve been growing as a team. We’ve improved in technique and following our coaches’ instructions. For what’s left of the tournament we hope to play with more intelligence and with confidence”. 

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 24, 2022.- Colombia remained unbeaten with a straight set win 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-17) over Cuba in pool B at the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Colombia with 3-0 record in pool B is in route to top pool B and seal their qualification to the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. The event grants three berths; Dominican Republic and Mexico are already qualified.

The South Americans face Nicaragua (0-3) in their last pool-play outing, while Cuba concludes a 2-2 record.

Colombia subdued powerhouse Cuba with a comfortable 13-7 advantage in blocks and a 44-34 margin in attacks. Cuba held a slim advantage of 4-3 in aces. Colombia allowed 10 points from unforced errors, scoring on 15 from Cuba.

Opposite hitter Dayana Segovia of Colombia topped all scorers with 21 points on 15 kills and a match-high of 6 points from blocks. Middle blocker Darlevis Mosquera chipped in with 11 points on 6 kills and 5 blocks, and middle blocker Yeisy Soto contributed with 9 points.

Middle blocker Jessica Aguilera led Cuba with 10 points on 5 kills, 4 from blocks and one ace. Outside hitters Claudia Tarin and Sulian Matienzo added 9 and 8 points respectively.

Dayana Segovia, top scorer of Colombia: “We were well prepared to face Cuba, we did a great job for a positive result. More than technique, our unity and complicity when we play is our team’s strength; we understand each other well; it has been years of process that helps us to know us well. Cuba is not easy, we did our work, we studied them well”.

Antonio Rizola, head coach of Colombia: “We were expecting the victory because my team has been working well, focused and we are recovering players that we needed, that’s why the team has more confidence. I didn’t expect a decisive win, we thought it would be in five sets. With this victory we are in the position of winning our pool, but what is most important is that we are one step from qualifying to the Central American Games, our big goal, Colombia deserves it”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 24, 2022.- Puerto Rico won a vibrant five-setter 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-17, 15-12) to Peru in their first tournament win in pool A of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup in Hermosillo.

The roller coaster victory put Puerto Rico in a hopeful position, with a 1-2 record needing to win their last pool match to Costa Rica and move into the quarterfinal round.

Peru concludes the preliminary round with a 1-3 win-loss record and could play for positions seven to ten depending on Puerto Rico’s result on Thursday.

Puerto Rico prevailed with 15-12 advantage in blocking and committing fewer errors (28-30) errors than Peru. Both teams scored 57 points from attacks and two points from serves.

Outside hitter and team captain Pilar Victoria led Puerto Rico on a match-high of 24 points from 22 attacks and two blocks. Also contributing in the Caribbeans victory was middle blocker Paola Rojas with 16 points on a match-high of 7 blocks and 9 kills, while opposite hitter Genesis Collazo added 11 points on 10 kills and one block.

Peru’s top scorer was opposite hitter Maria Paula Rodriguez with 21 points on 17 kills and 4 blocks, accompanied by outside hitter Karla Ortiz contributing with 16 points on 14 kills and 2 blocks, and by middle blocker Ginna Lopez adding 11 points on 8 kills and 3 blocks.

Pilar Victoria, captain of Puerto Rico: “It’s our first win, we are super excited because it was an important match that gives us the possibility to move forward in the tournament, in addition that we are working in getting into rhythm of play. We must continue to fight, obviously we must win tomorrow and finish third in our pool. In style we are much like Peru and our intention was to be aggressive all the time, we fought a lot in defense and with consistency in attacks”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 24, 2022.- Canada grabbed their first win beating Nicaragua 3-0 (25-10, 25-19, 25-19) in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup being held at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo.

Despite Nicaragua’s good fight in the last two sets, Canada improved their record 1-2 and will face Mexico (2-1) in their last match of the preliminary round. Nicaragua (0-3) closes with Colombia (2-0).

Canada topped all stats with an impressive 46-29 in kills, a huge 11-0 margin in aces and a comfortable 8-4 advantage in blocks.

Canada’s team captain, outside hitter Melissa Langegger led with 12 points on 11 kills and one block, middle blocker Avery Heppell also contributed with 12 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces, joined by middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk with 11 points on 8 kills and a match-high in blocks (4) and aces (4).

Nicaraguan Hellen Traña led all scorers with 14 points on 13 kills and one block.

Caroly O’Dwyer, head coach of Canada: “As we found out so far in the tournament, winning is hard, so getting this win under our belt feels nice. We moved our serving and put in trouble our opponent, defensively we did a better job by hitting different angles and finding different ways to score. We close with Mexico, it will be exciting, tough to face them in front of a full crowd but it’s a good chance to feel the pressure and try to use it to our advantage”.

René Quintana, head coach of Nicaragua: “My team did their best effort, I am optimistic, we have a great spectacle despite the differences in practice, experience, and force. What’s important is that Central American volleyball does not look bad in these competitions”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 24, 2022.- The United States beat Costa Rica 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-7) to remain undefeated at the Women’s Pan American Cup in Hermosillo.

The United States undefeated (3-0) will take on Dominican Republic (3-0) for first place in pool A on Thursday; Costa Rica (0-3) goes up against Puerto Rico (0-2).

The U.S. quickly dominated with a stronger offense to lead by a huge 39-9 in attacks over Costa Rica. The Americans also held a 7-2 margin in aces and a slim 6-5 margin in blocks, committing 22 errors against 24.

Outside hitter Veronica Jones-Perry of the United States led all scorers with 11 points on 10 kills and one ace. Outside hitter May Mackenzie and opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy contributed with 9 points each.

On Costa Rica’s side, outside hitter Nicole Mata led with 4 points.

Veronica Jones-Perry, top scorer of United States: “So far, our team is doing a good job, building every day, coming together as a team and we are excited to see what we can do tomorrow against Dominican Republic; we will put up a fight and leave everything we can on the court. Today we were patient, we kept calm when things weren’t going our way and kept playing”.

Nicole Mata, top scorer of Costa Rica: “The match started nice for us against a strong opponent, they are a world volleyball power. We had good moments in defense, we did the best possible, we enjoyed it and benefited from the opportunity because we don’t always play against teams of this level of play. These tournaments push us out of our comfort zone, allowing us to gain experience”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 23, 2022.- Colombia stopped host Mexico 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-11) in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup on Tuesday night at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Colombia won by comfortable margins in the first and second sets; but their impressive comeback of a five-point deficit (15-20) in the second set surprised Mexico who failed two set points (24-23 and 25-24).

Colombia’s strong 45-26 advantage in kills was to thank for their second straight win in pool B.  Both teams scored 5 points from blocks and 2 from serves. Colombia benefited from 25 Mexican errors and committed 17.

Outside hitter Amanda Coneo led Colombia with 14 points on 13 kills and one block, middle blocker Darlevis Mosquera and opposite hitter Dayana Segovia contributed with 10 points each.

Outside hitter Samantha Bricio scored 12 points all on kills for Mexico and Grecia Castro added 7 points.

On Wednesday Colombia (2-0) will face Cuba (2-1) and Mexico (2-1) has the day off.

María Alejandra Marin, captain of Colombia: “It’s crucial to finish first in our pool and advance directly into semifinals. We had no connection in the second set, allowing Mexico to take advantage, nevertheless we came back quickly and executed our game plan. Our strength is our team’s unity to solve critical moments. Tomorrow, we face a tall Cuban block, and we must focus on our game to come out strong”.

Jocelyn Urías, captain of Mexico: “Colombia was more focused than us, we lacked connection and team communication. We will move forward; it’s our first loss and we will continue to work on beating Canada. Positive things of the match were our strong serves and defense”.

Antonio Rizola, head coach of Colombia: “The sets that we started with pressure in serves, blocks and defense, Mexico couldn’t catch up with us. In the second set we were behind six points, but with serenity, structure in our tactic and discipline we recovered up to point 20. Our group power is crucial”.

Rafael Petry, head coach of Mexico: “We lacked connection in our defense-counterattacking actions, our passing with receiving as well as we led the second set. Now we need patience”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 23, 2022.- Dominican Republic kept their undefeated mark winning to Puerto Rico in straight sets 25-17, 25-11 and 25-18 in pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Dominican Republic has a 3-0 win-loss record, while Puerto Rico stands with 0-2.

Puerto Rico had good starts in all three sets, but Dominican Republic´s power stopped them with huge margins in attacks (42-27) and blocks (11-3); they also led 3-1 in aces. Dominican Republic scored on 19 Puerto Rican errors, allowing 15.

Three Dominicans finished with double-digits, opposite hitter Gaila Gonzalez leading with 15 points on 11 kills, three blocks and one ace, outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz with 12 points on nine kills and two aces, and outside hitter Yonkaira Peña with 10 points on 9 kills and one block.

Puerto Rico’s top scorers were opposite hitter Genesis Collazo (9), middle blocker Paola Rojas (7) and outside hitter Genesis Miranda (6).

The Dominican Republic (3-0) has the day off on Wednesday and Puerto Rico (0-2) faces Peru (1-2).

Marcos Kwiek, head coach of Dominican Republic: “This is one mor step, we reached our goal, come out with the victory. We are aware the tournament isn’t easy, it’s long and we have practiced well, the players are focused. Puerto Rico has a good level of play, and they are used to playing with us, that’s why the close scores at the beginning of the sets, but we kept our concentration”.

Héctor Soto, head coach of Puerto Rico: “The inconsistency of our offense didn’t allow a good performance, it didn’t reach the level required at this competing level. We brought young talented players to give them the opportunity to gain experience at an international level. Of the things we are doing well is limiting our errors and receiving”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 23, 2022.- Cuba improved their record 2-1 with strength over Nicaragua 3-0 (25-7, 25-11, 25-14) in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Cuba had no difficulties in leading the actions using all their players in a dominant performance of 44-21 in attacks, 9-2 in blocks and 8-1 in points from serves. Cuba committed eight unforced errors and Nicaragua ended with 14.

Middle blocker Yamisleydis Viltres and outside hitter Claudia Tarin led Cuba with 9 points apiece, joined by opposite hitter Dezirett Madan who added 8 points.

Nicaraguan opposite hitter Hellen Traña scored 8 points, followed by outside hitters Gilmary Smith and Swan Mendoza with 4 and 3 points respectively.

Cuba (2-1) will face Colombia (1-0) on Wednesday and Nicaragua (0-2) plays Canada (0-2).

Thainalien Castillo, captain of Cuba: “We respect all our opponents, our goal is to win every single game and reach our goal to qualify to the Central American Games. We are known by our strength and that we fight for every point, we are warriors and we practiced hard to be here”.

Ericka Calero, captain of Nicaragua: “We have prepared to give our best, we are aware that we are facing opponents with a lot of play and international experience; I am sure we will go on improving. Our unity as a team was crucial to cheer us up during the game as well as our coaches’ instructions to keep us calm”.

Thomás Fernández Arteaga, head coach of Cuba: “This match adds to our preparation for our next games, especially tomorrow’s game against Colombia. The good news is that our first setter, Gretell Moreno, will join the team tomorrow; she will change our teams’ performance for better, with her experience and the way she distributed the game”.  

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 23, 2022.- Peru beat Costa Rica in pool A 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-14) for their first tournament win at the Women’s Pan American Cup in the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

After two losses (United States and Dominican Republic), Peru came out on top Costa Rica by an overwhelming 41-19 advantage in attacks and an impressive 14-0 margin in serves. Costa Rica held a slim 4-3 margin in blocks and committed one less error than Peru (17-18).

Opposite hitter Maria Paula Rodriguez of Peru was the only player with double-figures, with a total of 18 points on 8 kills, 2 blocks and a match-high of 8 aces. Middle blocker Maricarmen Guerrero and outside hitter Aixa Vigil tallied 8 and 7 points respectively.

Outside hitters Tamara Espinoza and Nicole Mata led Costa Rica with 5 points each.

On Wednesday Peru (1-2) will play Puerto Rico (0-1) and Costa Rica (0-2) goes up against the United States (2-0).

María Paula Rodríguez, top scorer of Peru: “This was a team effort, our attacks were strong, we worked well in blocking and our serves helped to control our opponent. To keep on winning we must have a good attitude like today and work together as a team”.

Irene Fonseca, setter of Costa Rica: “In comparison from our first match against Dominican Republic, today we limited our errors. The closing of the second set was long, exhausted and we showed the level of play we are prepared to give. The team is learning with every match and set, gaining experience for our growth”.  

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 22, 2022.- Mexico dominated Cuba 3-1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-16, 25-18) for their second victory in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup on Monday night at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Mexico came back from losing a tough first, with a stronger support from its fans and coming out on top by a comfortable 50-40 advantage in attacks, 13-9 margin in blocks and a 7-5 lead in aces.

The host benefited from 29 Cuban errors while handing out 22 points on their errors.

Samantha Bricio’s offensive power was crucial in her team’s victory, scoring a match-high of 22 points on 19 kills, 2 blocks and one ace. Outside hitters Aime Topete and Grecia Castro contributed with 13 and 11 points respectively.

Cuba had two players scoring double-figures, led by opposite hitter Dezirett Madan with 13 points all from kills and outside hitter Sulian Matienzo with 11 points, including the most aces with 4 points.

On day three Cuba (1-1) plays against Nicaragua (0-1) and host Mexico (2-0) faces Colombia (1-0).

Samantha Bricio, top scorer of México: “I feel good after this victory, we adjusted after the first set and I think we were able to settle, without allowing Cuba to get into their rhythm of play. This win helps us mentally and physically to get into a better rhythm. There is always room for improvement, today we failed some serves, and we will work on them for our next matches”.

Rafael Petry, head coach of Mexico: “Our serves were our best weapon. Our reception could have been of better quality, but we adjusted our blocking, overcoming Cuba in that category. We are going to enjoy today’s victory and tomorrow we will focus on Colombia, which I consider a classic and an important game for the qualification we want to reach in this tournament”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 22, 2022.- The United States improved 2-0 in pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-22) at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

The U. S. had to work harder in the third set trailing on four-point run (11-15) moving ahead sweeping Puerto Rico in their tournament debut.  

The United States held a huge 43-26 advantage in attacks and an 11-8 margin in blocks; Puerto Rico had a slim 5-4 margin in aces. Both teams committed a similar number of unforced errors, Puerto Rico a total of 17 and the United States 18.

Outside hitter Avery Skinner of the United States scored a match-high of 15 points all on kills, middle blocker Brionne Butler contributed with 10 points, including the most blocks with 5 points and opposite hitter Nia Reed added 9 points on 7 kills and 2 blocks.

Middle blocker Paola Rojas led Puerto Rico’s offense with 11 points on 5 kills, 3 blocks and 3 aces; opposite hitter Genesis Collazo and outside hitter Pilar Victoria registered 8 points each.

The U.S. (2-0) will have the day off on Tuesday and Puerto Rico (0-1) faces the Dominican Republic (2-0).

Bradley Rostratter, head coach of United States: “It was a fun match, Puerto Rico played well and for us it’s really about our side of the net; us learning, gluing together, and getting better with what we do, with our USA volleyball. Tomorrow, we will rest, but we will be here in the gym watching volleyball”.

Hector Soto, head coach of Puerto Rico: “We are OK and satisfied with the girls’ performance, this is our first match together, we didn’t have any practice matches. This is an evaluation for some of the players. We saw good things, such as the confidence they went on growing to improve their offense which started a bit off, they committed errors and went on improving, in addition to fighting up to the end”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 22, 2022.- Colombia started the Women’s Pan American Cup beating Canada 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 28-26) in pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup in the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Colombia recovered from a 4 point deficit in the third set (15-19) missing three match points and Canada one set point for the thrilling end.  

Colombia grabbed their first tournament win with an 11-8 advantage in blocks, a 5-4 margin in aces, and limiting their errors to only six points, while Canada committed 22.  Both teams scored 40 points on kills.

Colombian outside hitter Amanda Coneo scored a match-high of 18 points on 16 kills, one block and one ace, followed by opposite hitter Dayana Segovia with 13 points on 11 kills, one block and ace.

Outside hitter Melissa Langegger led Canada with 13 points on 11 kills, one block and one ace, joined by middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk who collected 11 points from 7 kills and 4 blocks.

On Tuesday Colombia (1-0) takes on Mexico and Canada (0-2) will rest.

Amanda Coneo, outside hitter of Colombia: “We had a great game, I am very glad for the team that’s getting back to competition in a good way, the idea is continuing to do so. Canada made some line-up changes in the third set, putting things difficult for us and making us come from behind, it was a good spectacle closing like we did. Our long rally defense was gratifying because when you score you show the work”.

Layne Van Buskirk, middle blocker of Canada: “We need to be more aggressive; we did a lot of fighting. The little things just slipt a bit, like pressing on the block and being patient on defense. We are getting better with every game; you can expect us to up our game in our next performance”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, Augusto 22, 2022.- Dominican Republic picked up their second win in pool A beating Peru 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-22) on day two of the Women’s Pan American Cup being held at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

In the third set, Peru kept the score close up to point 18 and forced the Dominican Republic to miss three match points before the match finished. Peru suffered the loss in the second set of opposite hitter Tahisa McLeod due to a shoulder injury but still, Peru went on improving their performance as the game developed.

Dominicans led 43-33 in attacks, 6-5 in blocks and 5-0 in aces, while scoring on 21 Peruvian errors and committing 15.

Three Dominicans scored double digits, led by outside hitters Yonkaira Peña and Bethania De La Cruz with 16 points each, and opposite hitter Gaila Gonzalez with 15 points. De La Cruz scored a match-high of 3 aces.

Outside hitter Karla Ortiz scored 12 points as Peru’s top scorer.

On day three of competition, Dominican Republic (2-0) will meet with Puerto Rico and Peru (0-2) has the day off.

Bethania De La Cruz, outside hitter of Dominican Republic: “We reached two goals (winning). We know each other well with Peru, we have played against them many times and we know their good quality, but thanks to our performance in this match we got the victory. Peru adjusted some things in the third set, and we committed too many errors that put us in the position of a close score; sometimes the game has ups and downs. It’s good that our team has young players as part of our development of our national team, we respect one another”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 21, 2022.- Mexico’s huge 14-0 margin in serves controlled Nicaragua 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-9) in their winning debut at the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup on Sunday at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

In addition to Mexico’s strength in serves, their huge 35-10 advantage in attacks and 8-1 margin in blocks dominated Nicaragua in pool B. Mexico committed 17 unforced errors and Nicaragua a total of 18.

Outside hitter Aime Topete of Mexico led all scorers with 13 points on 8 kills and a match-high of 5 serves, joined by middle blocker Karina Flores with 10 points and outside hitter Vanessa Villegas with 8 points.

Nicaragua’s leading scorer was middle blocker Dalia Calero with 4 points.

On Monday Mexico (1-0) plays against Cuba (1-0) while Nicaragua has the day off.

Aime Topete, top scorer of Mexico: “We did well, it was a good victory. Mexico made its debut winning and I made my debut in the senior national team. The team is prepared for any kind of pressure, I know my teammates and I will do well against stronger opponents. The fans’ support will be crucial for the whole tournament”.

Dalia Calero, top scorer of Nicaragua: “Mexico is a strong team, with players that play overseas. We knew it was going to be difficult. We were looser in the first set, but our receiving fell in the next two because we were pressuring ourselves to perform well. We must improve in reception and blocking. In Central America we have a better level, but here the teams have more reach than us”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 21, 2022.- The United States downed Peru 3-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17) in pool A of the 19^th Women’s Pan American Cup at Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

The United States dropped the second set despite their strong effort to recover from a five-point deficit (5-10) for a 25-21 finish for Peru.

The U.S. prevailed over Peru with a huge 13-4 margin in blocks, a 54-46 advantage in kills and 4-2 lead in service points. Both teams allowed 25 points from unforced errors.

Outside hitter Danielle Drews of the United States led all scorers with 19 points on 15 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces; outside hitter Avery Skinner scored 17 points on 16 kills and one block and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan contributed with 12 points on 10 kills and 2 blocks.

Outside hitter and team captain Karla Ortiz of Peru scored 17 points on 16 kills and one block, followed by middle blocker Ginna Lopez and outside hitter Ysabella Sanchez added 10 points each.

On the second day of competition of pool A, the United States faces Puerto Rico and Peru against the Dominican Republic.

Danielle Drews, top scorer of the United States: “It was a very exciting first game for this group, there was a little of those first game jitters caused us to grind into some ups and downs; but we were able to stay strong as a team and to stay together to end up with the win”.

Bradley Rostratter, head coach of the United States: “The first win was great, it was an awesome atmosphere, great for these girls to get this experience to a tough Peru team. We’re learning to play together, as much as we wanted to be perfect as coaches it’s not always going to be. Peru created some good service pressure and offensively they had some really good swings”.

Francisco Hervas, head coach of Peru: “The first games are always difficult and more against such a physical team like the United States, we knew it was going to be hard, but the girls put up a fight, they worked hard and there is much to compete as the tournament is long. Winning a set leaves us with more positive sensations”. 

HERMOSILLO, México, August 21, 2022.- Cuba won an exciting match to Canada 3-0 (25-16, 28-26, 25-23) in their Women’s Pan American Cup debut at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Cuba took the second set away from Canada recovering from a six-point deficit (18-24) with their serves, for a thrilling 28-26 finish.

Cuba controlled Canada with an 11-6 margin in blocks; both teams scored 34 points from attacks and 5 points from serves. Cuba committed fewer errors than Canada (20-28).

Opposite hitter Dezirett Madan led Cuba with 12 points on 9 kills and 3 aces, outside hitter Ailama Cese contributed with 10 points and middle blocker Laura Suarez scored 7 points on 5 kills and 2 blocks.

On Canada’s side, team captain, outside hitter Melissa Langegger topped with 12 points on 9 kills and 3 blocks, opposite hitter Sydney Grills also scored 12 points and middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer tallied 10 points on 6 kills, one block and 3 aces.

Cuba will face host Mexico on day two of the event, while Canada goes up against Colombia.

Dezirett Madan, máxima anotadora de Cuba: “At the start of the second set we were a bit relaxed, we failed in serves, but we were able to comeback. We worked well in blocking, spiking strong. Tomorrow we will work to obtain the victory and we hope to finish first place, qualify to the Central American and Caribbean Games, also have a favorable individual performance as well”.

Melissa, Langegger, captain of Canada: “We showed a lot of fight, we are a new team so in the first set we were figuring out how to play together and as the game went on, we showed who we are as a team, using that is our goal throughout the tournament. We’re a team that wants to thrive, we have to be smarter in our shots, getting our blocks solid and hopefully get a win tomorrow”.

Thomas Fernández Arteaga, head coach of Cuba: “Our team showed a lot of courage, we haven’t played in the last two years and there were jitters at the beginning. I am glad about the victory”.

Carolyn O’Dwyer, head coach Canada: “Losing the second set was unfortunate, Cuba had a great serving run, they did a good job putting the pressure on us. We must improve our start, we were tight, be aggressive from the service line, but I’m proud of what we showed regardless of the result”.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico, August 21, 2022.- Dominican Republic defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-9, 25-8, 25-9) in the opening match of the Women’s Pan American Cup at the Sonora Arena of Hermosillo.

Dominican Republic jumped to comfortable leads in all three sets dominating Costa Rica in their first win of pool A.

Dominican Republic held overwhelming stats over Costa Rica with a huge 39-13 margin in attacks and 13-1 in serves, they also led 7-4 in blocks. Dominican Republic scored on 16 Costa Rican errors and allowed 8.

Dominican outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz with impressive 10 points from serves, led all scorers with a total of 17 points, followed by outside hitter Yonkaira Peña with 10 points and opposite hitter Gaila Gonzalez added 7 points all on kills.

From Costa Rica, team captain outside hitter Tamara Espinoza finished with 5 points.

On Monday, the Dominican Republic faces Peru and Costa Rica has the day off.

Niverka Marte, captain of Dominican Republic: “I am happy for our first victory, all first matches are complicated. We had the chance to try all our players, they were able to hit the court, which is important for us and win, which is what we are looking for”.

Tamara Espinoza, captain of Costa Rica: “This is a great opportunity for the entire team to face a world class team like the Dominican Republic. We grow as a team; we can take to our zone this experience. We are happy because this is a young team, the base for our senior team and despite the result, everything adds to help us become a team of great level”.

Pablo Acuña, head coach of Costa Rica: “It was a difficult debut, the players had difficulties to take it in; I believe that in the third set the team was more settled. We did what we could to face a world power team, what is left for us is gaining confidence”.