Dominicans debut with close victory over Trinidad & Tobago

LIMA, Peru, June 17, 2017 – Defending champions Dominican Republic defeated Trinidad & Tobago in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20) in the first match of Pool B  of the XVI Women’s Pan American Cup at Eduardo Dibós Coliseum on Saturday.

In a match that was much closer than expected, the Trinidadians committed 30 unforced errors to 18 by the winners.

Brayelin Martinez led the Dominican squad with a match-high 12 points, followed by her sister Jineiry Martinez and Yonkaira Peña with 8 and 7 points, respectively. Channon Thompson led Trinidad & Tobago with 11 points while Krystle Esdelle and Sinead Jack each tallied 10.

Bethania De la Cruz (Captain of Dominican Republic): “The team of Trinidad and Tobago improves every year. It is the start of the tournament and the season for us and we need to get the team-work. It was a good start for us.”

Renelle Forde (Captain of Trinidad & Tobago): “It was a good fight against a very strong team. Playing our first match against the Dominican Republic will be helpful for the rest of the tournament. It was a good start of the tournament and we will play better.”

Marcos Kwiek (Coach of Dominican Republic): “As Bethania said Trinidad & Tobago shows improvement every year. We need to improve in some aspects because the group is very strong and every team as a chance. Our plan is to play one game at a time to achieve our goals.”

Francisco Cruz (Coach of Trinidad & Tobago): “Our expectations are to get the best experience possible. We had the best preparation ever for a tournament and focused on blocking and serving. Our goal is to qualify again to the Grand Prix and I think we have a good chance to make it but need to minimize the errors, especially when you play against a team like Dominican Republic.”