CUERNAVACA, Morelos, July 10, 2025.– Venezuela secured a hard-fought 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 17-25, 25-22) victory over Canada in their final Pool A match at the U19 Boys’ Pan American Cup, held at the UAEM Gymnasium in Cuernavaca.
With this result, Venezuela closes the preliminary round with a 2-1 win-loss record, while Canada finishes 1-2. Both teams await final seeding ahead of the knockout stage.
Canada mounted a strong comeback in the third set after trailing by two sets, improving both their defensive reads and offensive execution. However, Venezuela responded with a reorganized effort in the fourth set to seal the match in four.
Venezuela held advantages in attacks (51-44), blocks (11-10), and aces (6-4). Canada committed fewer unforced errors, 23 to Venezuela’s 33.
Venezuela’s top scorer was outside hitter Neyver Manuel Zabala, who tallied 15 points on 11 kills, 2 blocks, and 2 aces. He was supported by middle blocker Angel Matute, who contributed 12 points (7 kills, 4 blocks, 1 ace), and outside hitter Gandy Lugo, who added 11 points all from kills.
Canada was led by team captain Marcus Barrett, who also scored 15 points. Middle blockers Simon Oberbuchner and Cameron Hutt contributed 12 and 10 points respectively.
Venezuela’s head coach, Iván Nieto: “The game plan was executed as expected; we only failed in the third set when Canada managed to break our reception line and gained an early lead. We also struggled with ball distribution, and they were well positioned to anticipate where we were going to pass. In the fourth set, we made the necessary adjustments, changing our middle attack and serving strategy, corrected our reception, and that gave the team the stability to move forward.”
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