MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 6, 2026.- USA won their second consecutive NORCECA U23 Women’s Pan American Cup title after defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-15, 25-10, 23-25, 25-18) in the gold medal match on Sunday at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.
USA finished the tournament undefeated and dominated the gold medal match offensively, holding a commanding 55-27 advantage in kills and a 12-7 edge in blocks. The Dominican Republic held a slight 4-3 advantage in aces, while committing 28 errors to USA’s 30.
Tessa Larkin led USA with a match-high 20 points, followed by Megan Hodges with 12 and Ireland Real with 10. Alondra Tapia led the Dominican Republic with 12 points, while Katielle Alonzo added 10.
USA took control of the opening set. After a more balanced start, the Americans began to pull away with effective play at the net and consistent offensive execution, gradually extending their lead on the way to a 25-15 win.
USA were even more dominant in the second set. They established an early lead, while the Dominican Republic struggled to contain the American offense. USA quickly pulled away and cruised to a 25-10 win to move within one set of the title.
The Dominican Republic responded in the third set and changed the momentum of the match. The Dominicans took control late and reached set point at 24-21. USA saved two set points to close within 24-23, but the Dominican Republic finished it off 25-23 to force a fourth set.
USA regained control in the fourth. After trailing 3-2, the Americans put together a run to move ahead 7-3 and never relinquished the lead. They extended the advantage to 20-12 and controlled the closing stretch for a 25-18 win to secure their second consecutive title.
Alexandra Dunphy, head coach of USA: “We’re very happy with the way we played. After the third set, we were able to work a little more in transition, and a lot of credit goes to Tessa Larkin for carrying such a big offensive load. I think it has been very important for us to have so much depth at every position, because on any given night a different outside hitter or middle blocker can come in, score and really help us.”
Tessa Larkin, USA’s leading scorer: “Oh my God, it’s crazy. This is my first national team, so it’s really fun to finish this way, and I’m so happy I got to do it with this group of girls. They’re amazing. I wouldn’t have gotten those kills without my setters; they did an incredible job. The connection we built during our training blocks was amazing, so I have a really good connection with both of them.”
Wagner Pacheco, head coach of the Dominican Republic: “We deserve this silver medal. I think they worked hard for this, and a lot of people didn’t believe in our team. In the end, we had a good tournament, we returned to the podium after missing it last year, and that is very good.”
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