TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 30, 2026.- Venezuela earned a hard-fought 3-0 (32-30, 26-24, 25-20) victory over Peru in an all-South American semifinal on Saturday to advance to the gold medal match of the Girls’ U17 Pan American Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Venezuela will face the winner of the second semifinal between the United States and Canada, while Peru will play for the bronze medal against the loser.
The opening set was a dramatic battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Peru erased a six-point deficit (16-22) and fought back to level the score at 23-all. Valentina Valera and Kiara Lazo led Peru’s comeback with powerful attacks and solid net play, forcing the set into extended points. Venezuela responded behind the offensive leadership of Fabianny Carima, Yalesca Colina and Amanda Pacheco, eventually closing the marathon set 32-30.
The second set was equally competitive. After several ties, including at 18-all, Peru managed to gain a two-point advantage as Sofia Olavarria and Tamara Galdos joined the offense. A block by Kiara Lazo on Arleidi Salas gave Peru a 23-20 lead and put the team within reach of evening the match. However, Venezuela rallied behind Carima’s serving pressure and clutch attacking to tie the score at 23. Venezuela then capitalized on its second set point opportunity, sealing the set with a Carima kill and a Peruvian error for a 2-0 advantage.
Venezuela took control early in the third set, racing to a 9-4 lead with Carima and Pacheco setting the pace offensively. Effective serving by team captain Andrea Paez helped maintain constant pressure on Peru’s reception line as Venezuela steadily increased its advantage. The South Americans never trailed, and Victoria Sanoja closed the match with a service ace to secure the victory.
Venezuela held advantages in kills (48-43) and service aces (7-1), while both teams recorded six blocks. Venezuela scored 22 points from Peru’s errors, while Peru benefited from 24 Venezuelan unforced errors.
Yalesca Colina led Venezuela with 18 points, including a match-high 16 kills. Fabianny Carima and Amanda Pacheco added 13 points each in the winning effort.
Peru was led by Valentina Valera with 13 points, while Kiara Lazo contributed 10 points.
“Truly impressive how these girls are playing” said Venezuela’s coach, Ihosvanny Chambers. “We prepared them to play more than three sets; the first one was heart‑stopping and served as a boost for them to wake up and stop giving so many advantages to Peru,” he added.
Peru’s captain, Ana Marcel Manrique, said after the match: “Our spirits went down, but we put up a very good fight. We started off nervous.”
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