SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 24, 2026.- The United States advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship after defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-17) on Monday at the Prof. Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace.
The United States will face the Dominican Republic in the semifinals, while Puerto Rico will play Trinidad and Tobago in the classification matches for positions 5-8.
The event serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship.
Puerto Rico challenged the United States throughout a tightly contested opening set and held a 24-23 lead. The Americans responded with three consecutive points, including back-to-back attacks by Asjia O’Neal, to take the set 26-24. From there, the United States gained control of the match, winning the next two sets 25-15 and 25-17.
The United States held the advantage in attacks (42-33), blocks (13-5) and aces (3-2). The Americans committed 16 errors compared to 18 by Puerto Rico.
Three U.S. players scored in double figures. Simone Lee led all scorers with 16 points, including 13 attacks and three blocks, followed by Asjia O’Neal with 13 points and Stephanie Samedy with 10. Paola Santiago and Decelise Champion led Puerto Rico with nine and eight points respectively.
Erik Sullivan, U.S. coach: “I’m very happy with the way we played. I feel we played a little more freely than we did in the last match. I think that’s progress for us, and we’ll continue working on that tomorrow.”
Juan Carlos Núñez, Puerto Rico coach: “In the first set, we had our chances by sticking to the tactical plan we had prepared, but after that, we were a completely different team. We didn’t compete the way we should have. The United States showed great defensive quality at the net and on the court, and we simply couldn’t overcome it.”
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