SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 23, 2026. – Defending champions United States advanced convincingly to the final of the NORCECA Girls’ U19 Continental Championship after defeating Puerto Rico in straight sets, 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-10), moving within one victory of claiming their third consecutive continental title.
After a closely contested start, with Puerto Rico holding a brief lead in the opening set, the United States quickly took control of the match and steadily widened the gap in each set. The Americans limited Puerto Rico’s offensive options and completed a commanding victory to secure another appearance in the championship match.
The United States led every major statistical category, finishing ahead in attacks (43-17), blocks (13-3), and service aces (7-0). Although the Americans committed more unforced errors (18-12), those mistakes never threatened their control of the match.
Ireland Real led the United States with 13 points, while Megan Hodges added eight. For Puerto Rico, Daniela Echeandia and Carinialys Román each scored four points.
After securing a place in the final, U.S. outside hitter Megan Hodges said: “We made it to the final, and this result is thanks to the collective effort of our players and coaches. We played very well against Puerto Rico. Our serve receive and serving were effective, and our setters and defense were also consistent. That balanced performance was the key to our victory over Puerto Rico.”
Puerto Rico’s Kamila Colón added: “Everyone on the team knows we gave our best in this match, so I’m proud of my team and the work we did because we fought until the very end. We still have one more match to play, and we’ll keep fighting to try to earn a place on the podium.”
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