TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 28, 2026.– The United States completed pool play at the Girls’ U17 Pan American Cup with a dominant performance, sweeping Pool A after winning both matches in straight sets at Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.
The U.S. closed with a convincing 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-14) victory over the Dominican Republic, who had fallen to Puerto Rico the previous day.
With this result, USA topped Pool A undefeated and now awaits the outcome of the groups to determine semifinal qualification. Puerto Rico (1-1) secured second place and a quarterfinal berth, while the Dominican Republic finished third and will compete for positions 7 to 9.
In the opening set, the United States quickly established dominance with a powerful offensive surge, racing to a 13-3 lead. Mesa Jameson, Jael Smith, and Naomi Stevenson spearheaded the attack, leaving the Dominican Republic unable to respond effectively.
The second set proved more competitive as the Dominican Republic, guided by Shanty Perez, managed to stabilize their play and keep the score closer. Despite their efforts, the U.S. remained in control throughout, with Piper Coady joining the scoring offense to maintain the advantage.
The third set began with the Dominicans taking an early 7-2 lead, fueled by Perez and captain Leandry Almonte. However, the Americans quickly regrouped, tying the score at 9-all thanks to effective blocking from Madlen Gloessner and Coady. From that point forward, the U.S. regained momentum and closed the match comfortably, with middle blocker McKenzie Andrews delivering a decisive super spike to seal the victory.
The United States outperformed the Dominican Republic, leading in attacks (41-22), blocks (9-1), and aces (10-1). The Dominican side committed fewer errors (12 compared to USA’s 22).
Top scorers for the match were USA’s opposite Mesa Jameson and outside hitter Piper Coady, each contributing 14 points. For the Dominican Republic, Shanty Perez led with 11 points.
USA outside hitter Piper Coady praised her team’s defensive cohesion: “I think our blocking was very well, which I believe is our strength. We do a very good job of closing the blocking and communicating which way we’re going and how we’re going to do it. I feel really good about our team; we’ve been doing a good collective job, supporting each other and we have a good chance of taking control of the next section of the event.”
Dominican captain Leandry Almonte highlighted her team’s resilience: “Despite the loss our team never stopped fighting no matter the score. We had good communication and we kept on battling to execute well.”
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