SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 4, 2026. – Venezuela secured its place in the quarterfinals of the women’s volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-14) victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their final Pool A match.
With the win, Venezuela advanced to the knockout stage, while Trinidad and Tobago will compete in the classification matches for fifth through eighth places.
Trinidad and Tobago got off to a strong start, taking a 9-8 lead in the opening set, but Venezuela responded with a run fueled by strong serving and a more consistent offense to seize control of the match. From that point on, the Venezuelans dominated the remainder of the contest with constant pressure from the service line.
The second set was marked by an injury to outside hitter Malika Davidson, a significant loss for Trinidad and Tobago that limited the team’s offensive options.
Venezuela held a decisive advantage in attacks (41-26) and service points (10-1), while both teams finished even with three blocks each. Venezuela committed 13 unforced errors compared to Trinidad and Tobago’s 21.
Mariangel Vivas led the Venezuelan offense with 14 points, including a match-high five aces. Kiune Fletcher was the match’s leading scorer with 16 points for Trinidad and Tobago.
Venezuelan setter Diana Paredes emphasized the importance of the victory.
“We’re very happy because our goal was to play a good match against Trinidad and Tobago, since a win would secure our place in the next round. We kept our unforced errors to a minimum, tried to maintain pressure with our serve, and that made their reception difficult. We’re very excited to be in the next round. Our opponent will probably be Cuba. They are a team that plays high balls, and we believe we can play a great match and fight for the victory.”
Trinidad and Tobago head coach Gideon Dickson reflected on his team’s experience in the preliminary round.
“The preliminary round confirmed that we deserve to be in this tournament. This is our first event of the international cycle, while the other teams have already had more competitive opportunities, but that’s not an excuse. Venezuela played better than we did today, but I believe we’re close to their level. Now we’ll look to compete on equal terms against our next opponent, try to win sets, and continue to improve.”
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