TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 29, 2026. – Venezuela convincingly defeated Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals of the Girls’ U17 Pan American Cup, winning in straight sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-12) to secure a spot in the semifinals, where they will face Peru.
The team coached by Ihosvanny Chambers showed superiority in attacks (42–32) and service aces (7–1). Both sides registered three successful blocks. Venezuela capitalized on 23 Puerto Rican errors while committing only 11 of their own.
Yalesca Colina led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Fabianny Carima with 13 and Victoria Sanoja with 9. Team captain Andrea Páez directed the offense with 11 recorded assists.
Puerto Rico fought hard but could not contain Venezuela’s offensive power. Kelysha Domínguez and Carinialys Román stood out with 9 points each.
After the match, Venezuelan outside hitter Fabianny Carima said: “We came from a very high game rhythm and thanks to that today the team was solid, even though Puerto Rico was not easy to beat. I am very proud of my team; thanks to them I have improved my game.”
Puerto Rican coach Leira Ortíz commented: “From the beginning we knew Venezuela had great strength and height. It was a good game from Venezuela. We had a work plan that did not flow as we would have liked; they dominated us offensively and it was difficult to stop them at the net.”
With this victory, Venezuela joins Peru in the South American semifinal clash, while the other semifinal will feature a North American showdown between the United States and Canada, who defeated Mexico in their quarterfinal. Puerto Rico will face Mexico in the match for fifth place.
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