V  Pan-American Women’s Volleyball  Cup 2006

San Juan, Puerto Rico

June 27– July 8, 2006

Brazilian Steinbrecher was elected the MVP

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 7, 2006.- Brazilian Mari Steinbrecher, a key player in the match for the gold medal, was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Steinbrecher was also the best attacker and was joined in the All-Star of the event by teammates Fabiana Claudino and Arlene Xavier as best blocker and libero respectively. Puerto Rican Aury Cruz won the recognition as best scorer and server and teammate Yarleen Santiago was elected the best defender. American Roby Ah Mow-Santos was the best setter and Canadian Stacey Gordon the best receiver. Brazilian Jose Roberto Guimaraes was the best coach. Spanish ..Click Picture to enlarge

Brazil won the Pan American Cup with sensational blocking

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 7, 2006.- Brazil won the gold medal at the Women’s Pan American Cup with a victory over Cuba in four sets capped by a sensational show of blocking led by Mari Steinbrecher. Behind 14-19 in the third set, the new champions mounted an outstanding comeback with a couple of blocks by Steinbrecher and never stopped. Brazil got the victory by score of 25-14, 21-25, 25-22, 25-11 and totaled 18 points via blocks.In the fourth set, the Brazilian wall grew up and Cuba was demolished by the flurry of consecutive stops at the net. Steinbrecher led five teammates in double figures with 22 points, including five blocks and three serving aces. Joyce Silva had 16, Caroline Gattaz and Fabiana Claudino each had 11 and Valeska Menezes collaborated with 10.Yumilka Ruiz and Nancy Carrillo had 13 and 11 points respectively for Cuba. “It is the best game this group has played,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the winning coach. More  Spanish

Dominicans conquered the bronze with balanced attack

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 7, 2006.-  Nurys Arias led a well balanced offense and Dominican Republic dominated USA in straight sets to obtain the bronze medal at the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Dominicans led all the way and relied on the strong blocking and serve location as two key ingredients for the triumph by score of 25-18, 25-22, 25-20. Arias scored 13 points and Cindy Rondon and Milagros Cabral each added 10, while Annerys Vargas and Cosiris Rodriguez contributed with 8 apiece.  Nancy Metcalf and Katherine Wilkins were the Americans in double digits with 12 and 10 respectively. It is the third victory of Dominican Republic over USA in the history of this event, prevailing also in 2002 and last year. More Spanish

Cuba will play Brazil for the gold medal

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- Cuba defeated Dominican Republic in four sets and moved to the gold medal match of the Women’s Pan American Cup against Brazil. The Cubans won by score of 25-23, 25-22, 14-25, 25-13. After being down most of the first set, Cuba reacted with solid blocking and maintained the consistency during the second period. The Dominicans dominated the third set and Cuba paid back with the same coin in the fourth. Nancy Carrillo and Yumilka Ruiz led Cuba with 15 and 14 points respectively, and Zoila Barros (11) and Daimi Ramirez finished also in double figures. Dominican Nurys Arias was the top scorer of the match with 16 points, followed by Cindy Rondon (13) and Cosiris Rodriguez (12). “It was a great match between two good teams,” said Felipe Calderon, the Cuban coach. “We are not satisfied with the way we played, but we won it.” Spanish

Brazil dominated USA and advanced to the finals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- Brazil advanced to the match for the gold medal of the Women’s Pan American Cup with a convincing triumph over USA in four sets by score of 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-10. The Brazilians made an outstanding comeback after being one set down and falling behind 13-18 in the second set. The blocking of Brazil, touching most of the American spikes, was one of the keys for the turn around. Fabiana Claudino led Brazil with 19 points and Mari Steinbrecher had 16. Valeska Menezes and Caroline Gattaz also finished in double digits with 14 and 11 respectively. Tayyiba Haneef, Katherine Wilkins and Nancy Metcalf had 13, 11 and 10 respectively for USA. “After a slow start we began to serve better in the second set and it allowed us to improve our blocking and the counterattacks,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. “It is a very important victory for our team against a team like USA. You have to play good to beat a team like this.” Spanish

Puerto Rico blanked Peru and finished fifth

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- Puerto Rico beat Peru 3-0 and finished in fifth place at the Women’s Pan American Cup, the same position of the previous edition. The score was 25-14, 25-22, 25-22 and Karina Ocasio and Aury Cruz, with 15 and 12 points respectively, were the leading scorers for Puerto Rico. Patricia Soto had 10 points for Peru.Juan Carlos Nunez, the Puerto Rican coach,considered the fifth place an improvement from last year.“This has been the most competitive Pan American Cup and we battled against some big teams,” said Nunez. “It is good to end our participation with a victory and now we are set to prepare the team for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena.” Carlos Aparicio, the Peruvian coach, said: “The balance of our participation has been a positive one. You can not ask for more to a team that is just starting to compete internationally.” Spanish

Canada won a five-setter and finished in seventh place

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 6, 2006.- Canada edged Venezuela in a thrilling five-setter and finished in seventh place at the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Canadians had to battle against a brave Venezuelan side that came from behind to force the tie-breaker after losing the first two sets. The score was 25-17, 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 19-17 and the match lasted 1 hour and 57 minutes. Stacey Gordon led four Canadians in double figures with 25 points. Tiffany Dodds, Shelley Chalmers and Lies Reimer had 12, 11 and 10 respectively. Jayce Andrade with 28 points and Desiree Glod, who added 22, carried out the load of the Venezuelan’s offense. Veronica Gomez added 13 points. Spanish

USA sensational comeback to beat Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- USA made a spectacular comeback erasing a 0-2 deficit to beat host Puerto Rico and move to the semi finals of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Both teams engaged in a tough battle of more than two hours but USA prevailed with its superior blocking and mental strength in the key situations. The score was 23-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-8. The victory enabled USA to qualify to the 2007 World Grand Prix joining Brazil, Cuba and Dominican Republic. USA will meet Brazil and Dominican Republic will face Cuba in the Final Four phase. Nancy Metcalf had 26 points, including five blocks, Katherine Wilkins scored 20 and Heather Bown added 12 for USA. Karina Ocasio and Aury Cruz had 25 and 23 respectively for Puerto Rico and Alexandra Oquendo contributed with 12. “We were mentally prepared to play five sets,” said Lang Ping, the American coach. “We are also lucky because this is a young team. I told them to fight for the points without worrying for the result.” Spanish

Dominican Republic moved to semi finals and Grand Prix 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- The Dominican Republic advanced to the semi finals of the Women’s Pan American Cup with a victory in straight sets against Peru by score of 25-21, 25-18, 25-13. The win also qualified the Dominicans, Brazil and Cuba to the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Brazilians, winners of Pool A, earned the ticket with the elimination of Peru, the other South American with a chance to qualify for the annual FIVB event. Annerys Vargas led the Dominicans with 12 points, including five blocks, and Milagros Cabral had 10. Cindy Rondon added 9 and Cosiris Rodriguez and Nurys Arias each had 8. “The reception was the key for us today,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. “We improved that part of our game and allowed us to set the attack very well.” “We reached the first goal of qualifying for the Grand Prix and now we will prepare for Cuba tomorrow,” added Cruz. Spanish

Mexico beat Argentina and finished in 9th place

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- Mexico ended in the ninth position of the Women’s Pan American Cup with a victory over Argentina in four sets. The Mexicans’ faster game and better blocking contributed to their win today by score of 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-14. “I think we were more focused than our opponents and that was the reason of our victory,” said Marco Heredia, the Mexican coach. “Now we are going to the Central American and Caribbean Games to do our best effort in a tough competition,” he added. Claudia Rodriguez led four Mexicans in double figures with 15 points, followed by Yendy Cortinas with 11 and Bibi Candelas and Blanca Chan each with 10. Argentinean Mirna Ansaldi led all the scorers with 20 points and Melissa Callo and Antonela Bertolozzi each had 12. Spanish

Costa Rica qualified in 11th position

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 5, 2006.- Costa Rica defeated Barbados in straight sets in the match for the 11th position at the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Costa Ricans had a slow start but once the match progressed they were consistent with their attacks and beat the Caribbeans by score of 25-19, 25-16, 25-15. “The girls were a little nervous at the beginning, especially the setter,” said Braulio Godinez, the coach of Costa Rica. “We had the responsibility of winning this match and we complied. “It was not a great match but it means a lot to us because it allows a change in our mentality,” he added. Verania Willis and Karen Cope led Costa Rica with 14 and 12 points respectively and Shari Matthews had 11 points for Barbados. Spanish

Americans finished second in Pool B

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- USA finished in second place of Pool B with a 4-1 mark and will meet in quarterfinals with the loser of the match between Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico later today. The Americans defeated Venezuela 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-14). Venezuela had two well fought sets but could not keep the consistency while the Americans found out their rhythm with young setter Samantha Tortorello. Katherine Wilkins led USA with 14 points and Heather Bown and Nancy Metcalf each had 11. Jayce Andrade led Venezuela with 15 points. American coach Lang Ping said she has no preference to meet either Dominicans or Puerto Ricans. “They are both strong teams and with the rally point system you never know. I am only worrying about the preparation of my team and we have one free day tomorrow to do it.” Spanish

Brazil defeated Costa Rica

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- Brazilian coach Roberto Guimaraes used all twelve players in every set with the exception of the opening one, and his team beat Costa Rica 25-13, 25-13, 25-16. The match was a preparation for the next round where the Brazilians (4-1) have at least secured the second place in Pool A pending the outcome of the Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic contest. Mari Steinbrecher had 13 points for Brazil and Caroline Gattaz added 11, including 7 kills in 10 attempts. Verania Willis, who led all the scorers with 17 points, was once again the best attacker of Costa Rica, who ended in sixth place with 0-5 mark. Spanish

Gordon carried Canada to second triumph

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- Stacey Gordon had 17 spikes and four aces good for 21 points in the easy triumph of Canada over Mexico in straight sets. The score was 25-14, 25-19, 25-16. Tiffany Dodds, who had four blocks and 13 points, and Tara Smart with 10 points also helped Gordon with the load of the Canadian offense. The Canadians serves caused many problems to the Mexican side whose reception was below par. Canada finished in fourth position in Pool A with a 2-3 record and Mexico ended in fifth place with 1-4 mark Spanish

Argentina got first victory in Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 3, 2006.- The attack of Argentina was too much for Barbados and finally the South Americans won their first match in the Women’s Pan American Cup. In just 54 minutes, Argentina won the match by score of 25-13, 25-6, 25-19. The Argentineans were positive in 46 of 74 kills tries led by Melisa Callo who went 13-for-16 in route to 19 points. The splendid overall match of Callo included 4 serving aces and two blocks. Antonella Bertolozzi contributed to the victory with 12 points and Julieta Lazcano and Natalia Espinosa each had 8 points. Coach Carlos Di Lonardo kept regulars Mirna Ansaldi and  captain Viviana Dominko on the bench during the third set. Spanish

Puerto Rico is unbeaten in four outings

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Puerto Rico improved its record to 4-0 in Pool A of the Pan American Cup with a triumph in straight sets over Costa Rica by score of 25-14, 25-20, 25-11. The taller Puerto Ricans used their size to establish a high wall at the net and also showed more experience than their Central Americans opponents. The Costa Ricans presented a good fight in the second set but the host team recovered from some serving problems and made an impressive comeback in the late stage. Karina Ocasio, Aury Cruz and Alexandra Oquendo had 14, 13 and 12 points respectively for Puerto Rico, and Verania Willis led Costa Rica with 11 points. Spanish

Cuba beat USA in duel of giants

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- The strong serves helped Cuba to win the battle between the two giants of NORCECA Confederation in defeating USA 3-1 to maintain the perfect record in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The score was 27-25, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24. Yaima Ortiz and Yumilka Ruiz, with 20 and 19 points, led five Cuban players in double figures. Nancy Carrillo had 12 and Zoila Barros and Daimi Ramirez each had 10.“We are almost in the Grand Prix but we had to battle against a very strong team like USA,” said Luis Felipe Calderon, the Cuban coach. Heather Bown and Nancy Metcalf each had 16 points and Katherine Wilkins and Tayyeba Haneef added 12 and 10 respectively. Spanish

Brazil had no signs of fatigue

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 206.- Less than 20 hours alter losing to Puerto Rico in five sets, Brazil played text book volleyball in their victory over Canada in straight sets by score of 25-22, 25-21, 25-12. The Brazilians came back fully recovered and established their game pattern. The Canadians battled during the first two sets but could not keep the rhythm in the last one. “The serves and the relation blocks, defense and counterattacks was pretty good today,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. Mari Steinbrecher was the top Brazilian scorer with 15 points, Fabiana Claudino followed with 12 and Valeska Menezes had 10. Stacey Gordon was the only Canadian in double digits and led all the scorers of the match with 16 points. Spanish

Dominicans relied on serves and blocks to beat México

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Dominican Republic relied on good blocking and serves to defeat Mexico 3-0 and improve to a 3-1 record in Pool A. One day after beating Canada in four sets, the Dominicans came back strong and dominated the first two sets but needed to work hard to prevail in the third. The score was 25-17, 25-16, 27-25. Cosiris Rodriguez, who had four serving aces, was the top scorer for Dominican Republic with 16 points. Milagros Cabral added 13 and Cindy Rondon scored 11, including four blocks. Claudia Rodriguez and Migdalel Ruiz each had 10 points for Mexico and Bibi Candelas added 9. “I feel good with the way the team performed today and I hope to have a good match tomorrow against Puerto Rico,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. Spanish

Peru finished Barbados in just 59 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- Peru dominated Barbados in every phase of the game and had an easy win in the match of Pool B that lasted 59 minutes. The Peruvians blocked and played better defense than the Caribbean opponents and won by score of 25-18, 25-17, 25-21. The Bajans improved in the third set and showed their physical talent but could not match the experience of Peru. Natalia Romanova and Sara Joya led Peru with 13 and 10 points respectively and Yulissa Zamudio contributed with 9. For Barbados, Julia Lewis made 16 points and Shari Matthews added 12. Spanish

Venezuela prevailed in long match against Argentina

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 2, 2006.- In a long battle of two young South Americans squads, Venezuela edged Argentina in five sets by score of 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 15-10. The stronger attack of the Venezuelans allowed them to prevail against the taller Argentineans. It was the second win for Venezuela against the same amount of losses and Argentina is still looking to taste the flavor of a victory. Desiree Glod and Jayce Andrade had 20 and 19 points respectively for Venezuela. Others in double figures were: Veronica Gomez (12), Jessica Paz (11) and Aleoscar Blanco (10). Yamila Nizetich led Argentina with 17 points and Antonela Bertolozzi, Marcela Re and Mirna Ansaldi had 12, 11 and 10. Spanish

Historic victory for Puerto Rico over Brazil

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Puerto Rico scored a historic victory over Brazil in a seesaw five-setter to maintain an unbeaten record in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. It was the first time ever that Puerto Rico defeated the Brazilian’s first team. The score was 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13. Karina Ocasio and Aury Cruz carried out the load of the Puerto Rican attack with 23 and 21 points and Alexandra Ocasio and Sheila Ocasio each scored 9. Mari Steinbrecher was the top Brazilian scorer with 22 points, followed by Fabiana Claudino with 16 and Valeska Menezes and Joyce Silva each with 12. “It was match of great intensity and I am very happy with the win, but the goal is to qualify for the World Grand Prix, and we still have two matches to play,” said Juan Carlos Nunez, the Puerto Rican coach. Jose Roberto Guimaraes, coach of Brazil, said: “It is the first time I have the chance to see Puerto Rico playing and is a good team. They blocked well at the key moments and we couldn’t execute our serves.” Spanish

Dominicans netted emotional triumph over Canada 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- The solid blocking carried out Dominican Republic to a emotional win over Canada in four sets of battle between these two sides competing in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Dominicans, backed by fellow countrymen living here, won by score of 26-24, 18-25, 25-13, 25-22 with veteran Cosiris Rodriguez leading the way with 19 points followed by 15 of Prisilla Rivera and 13 of Cindy Rondon. Rondon had 4 blocks and Bethania de la Cruz blocked for the last point of the tough contested match. Stacey Gordon led three Canadians in double figures with 17 points and Emily Cordonier and Lies Reimer scored 12 and 10 respectively. “The key was that we executed the blocks at the crucial moments and some of my players responded very well,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. “The match was won at the net with great defense.” More Spanish

Serve and block was the trademark of Cuba

AN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Cuba improved its record in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup to 3-0 with a victory in straight sets over Venezuela by score of  25-16, 25-17, 25-21. The blocking and serves of Cuba were the key ingredients for the win. The Cubans had 11 points in blocks and 8 aces. Venezuela showed flashes of brilliance but could not be consistent and the experience and athleticism of the Cubans marked the difference. Dulce Tellez and Zoila Barros had 13 and 11 points, and Yumilka Ruiz and Daimi Ramirez each had 7.  Tellez went 8-for-14 in killings attempts. For Venezuela Veronica Gomez scored 10 points and Jessica Paz followed with 9. Spanish

Mexico won for the first time

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- Mexico recovered from losing the first set and defeated Costa Rica 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16) for its first victory in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Three veterans contributed to the success of Mexico who overcame a spectacular performance of Costa Rican’s captain Verania Willis. Claudia Rodriguez, Bibi Candelas and Yendy Cortinas scored 19, 18 and 10 points respectively while Willis was the only Costa Rican in double figures with 25 points. The Costa Ricans started very strong but could not keep the pace and the experience of the Mexicans was the factor to win the key points. Rodriguez was positive in 17 of 24 killing attempts and Candelas was 14-for-24. Willis had 23 spikes in 35 tries. Mexico now has a 1-2 record and Costa Rica fell to 0-3. Spanish

Peru is 2-1 after defeating Argentina

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- The spikes of Mirtha Uribe sent Peru to a victory over Argentina in four sets (25-20, 25-18, 29-31, 25-21). It was the second victory against one loss for the Peruvians –both against South Americans Teams- in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. They had beaten Venezuela the day before also in four sets. Uribe had 18 points and was helped in the attack by Patricia Soto and Natalia Romanova who had 14 and 12. Argentinean Mirna Ansaldi led all the scorers of the match with 20 points and Antonela Berttolozzi (17) and Marcela Re (11) also scored in double digits. Despite the win, Coach Carlos Aparicio was not completely satisfied with the performance of the Peruvians saying “they committed too many errors” but also gave credit to Argentina (0-3) which he considered a good rival. Spanish

USA beat Barbados in 54 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 1, 2006.- USA needed just 54 minutes to score its third victory without losses in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup overwhelming Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11. Nancy Metcalf and Jane Collymore scored 12 and 11 points to lead the Americans. Coach Lang Ping used the match to test some new young players and rest some of the veterans in the team. Setter Samantha Tortorello, just out the college ranks, made her debut in the tournament replacing Robyn Ah Mow-Santos during the third set. Collymore landed 9 of her 13 spike attempts and Katherine Wilkins serves for 4 aces. Spanish

Brazilian towers blocked Mexican way

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The blocking of Brazil proved to be too strong for Mexico and the South Americans won for second time in as many days in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. In getting their victory, the Brazilians consumed only 62 minutes and Mexico suffered its second loss of the tournament. The score was 25-8, 25-12, 25-19. Fabiana Claudino and Thaisea Menezes, the two Brazilian towers, had five and three blocks respectively and Mari Steinbrecher led the offense with 14 points. Claudino finished with 13 points of her own and veteran Valeska Menezes ended with 12, including a couple by blocks. Spanish

Cindy Rondon led easy Dominican triumph

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The Dominican Republic had an easy victory over Costa Rica in straight sets (25-12, 25-11, 25-19) and evened its record in Pool A of the Women’s Pan American Cup. Coach Miguel Beato Cruz rotated his players in the lopsided match and everyone saw action in the contest of only 66 minutes.Cindy Rondon and Annerys Vargas, the only who played in the three sets, led the scoring with 15 and 11 points. Rondon had a 70 percent of effectiveness in the attack with 12 kills in 17 tries and she also served for two aces. Nurys Arias, Milagros Cabral and Cosiris Rodriguez had 8, 7 and 6 respectively for the Dominicans and  Angela Willis was the best scorer of Costa Rica with 10 points. Spanish

Finesse of Peru bested Venezuelan power

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- The power of Venezuela was not enough to prevail in a close battle, and a more controlled Peru at the key moments won the duel between South American rivals by score of 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21 in Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup. The Peruvians took advantage of the opponents’ mistakes but also showed offensive poise with Patricia Soto and Luren Baylon leading their side with 18 and 17 points respectively and Natalia Romanova chipping in 13. Five Venezuelan scored in double figures with Desiree Glod and Jayce Andrade with 17 and 16 points and Veronica Gomez, Jessica Paz and Aleoscar Blanco with 12, 11 and 10. Spanish

Cuba beat Barbados in just 52 minutes

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 30, 2006.- Cuba once again was very effective in the attack landing 41 of 68 attempts needing only 52 minutes to beat Barbados. Rosir Calderon and Daimi Ramirez each had 13 points and Kenia Carcaces added 10 for Cuba, while Shari Matthews scored 8 for Barbados. Ramirez was positive in 9 of 14 killing attempts and Carcaces scored in 8 out of 14 times.Cuba also showed its blocking and service talent with 8 and 7 points in those scoring categories, with Nancy Carrillo serving for 3 aces Spanish Pic: Rosir Calderón (CUB)

Puerto Rico and Cuba won in first day of action

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- Host team Puerto Rico recovered from losing the first set and defeated Mexico 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19) in Pool A, with the big help from two pairs of siblings. Aury and Eva Cruz totaled 41 points with Aury leading all the scorers with 22 and Eva coming from the bench to add 19. Other two sisters in the Puerto Rican team, Sheila and Karina Ocasio had 12 and 11 respectively. Claudia Rodriguez had 13 points for Mexico and Bibi Candelas added 9. In the final match of Pool B, Cuba blanked Argentina in only 59 minutes by score of 25-19, 25-12, 25-16. Zoila Barros and Daimí Ramirez had 14 and 12 points respectively to lead the powerful Cuban offense. Barros was effective in 9 out of eleven spike attempts and Ramirez landed 8 out of 11. Melisa Callo and Antonela Bertolozzi each had 8 points for Argentina. Spanish

Brazil beat Dominican Republic with effective blocking

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- Brazil beat Dominican Republic 3-1 using good blocking and taking advantage of the mistakes committed by its rival, especially in reception and serves. The score was 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19.Fabiana Claudino was effective in 11 of 22 attacks and added six blocks to lead the Brazilians with 17 points. Three other teammates had double figures with Marianne Steinbrecher, Renata Colombo and Caroline Gattaz adding 16, 14 and 10 respectively. Milagros Cabral was the top scorer for the Dominicans with 17 points, Cosiris Rodriguez had 11, Annerys Vargas 10 and Prisilla Rivera 8 points. “I knew the match was going to be tough,” said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. “I am very happy with our reception and blocking but not with our counterattacks. More Spanish

USA defeated Peru 3-0 in the first match of Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- USA defeated Peru 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20) in the first match of Pool B of the Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix. Heather Bown scored 13 points and Nancy Metcalf and Tayyiba Haneef each added 12 to lead the American attack. Captain Patricia Soto had 10 points and was the only Peruvian in double figures. “We had a slow start but our offense improved with the match,” said Lang Ping, the American coach. “We still need to keep working in our defensive game.” “We made our debut this year and while I am not satisfied with the result, I feel good because we are going to reach our goal of getting the team together,” said Carlos Aparicio, the coach of Peru. In the first match of Pool A, Venezuela crushed Barbados 3-0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-7) with captain Jayce Andrade leading the scorers with 10 points and Veronica Gomez and Suyika Oropeza cooperating to the offense with 9 points each. In the second match of the same pool, Canada defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-6) with the North Americans dominating their rivals both in technique and size. Spanish

Women’s Pan Am Cup begin today in Puerto Rico 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- The Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup starts today in the capital of Puerto Rico and eight of the twelve teams participating are already qualified for the next World Championships in Japan. “That says a lot about the high level of this competition where twelve squads are beginning the battle to qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix, but also shaping up their teams for the Worlds in Japan,” said Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA during his welcome words to the participants of the General Technical Meeting prior to the event. “What we are having in Puerto Rico is like a preview of the Teams from the Americas in route to the World Championships,” said Marte. “So, all the people in love with our sport have the chance to watch the action here before it takes place in Japan next November.”“Never, during the past four editions, we had such quality players and teams,” said Marte. “It guarantees a spectacular show of volleyball for the next ten days and the fans of Puerto Rico deserve it.” More Spanish

USA is playing in Puerto Rico but focusing in Japan 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2006.- USA will test new setter and libero during the Pan American Women’s Cup that begin here on Thursday, announced coach Lang Ping. In her second year coaching the American Team, the former Chinese star announced that a new group of players from the college ranks will receive here the opportunity to learn how to deal with the pressure of the international competitions. On the eve of the start of the tournament, most of the coaches adopted the position of “wait and see” and “playing one game at a time.” However, the general feeling of those attending the meeting with the media was that the coaches of the big teams are focusing on the later part of the year and using the present as a laboratory to test new formulas. More Spanish...Click Picture to enlarge

They are good looking girls seeking a medal

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 28, 2006.- Their goal is to step up one notch higher than last year and qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix. Only that yesterday, they appeared more ready to enter a beauty pageant. The Puerto Rican Women’s National Team was introduced to the media on Tuesday during a press conference organized by its National Federation two days before the start of the competition at the Fifth Pan American Cup. And dressed with casual and somehow attractive attire, the slender members of the team looked more like models preparing for a fashion show than the good athletes they actually are. But even with all the necklaces, earpieces, rings and suggestive skirts, they pronounced themselves ready for the ultimate gem. Aury Cruz, the captain of the team, talked about their objectives of finishing among the top three teams of NORCECA Confederation and thus qualifying for the next year’s World Grand Prix, the premier annual women’s competition of FIVB. More Spanish

Puerto Rico trained in Spain and Mexico for Pan Am Cup

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 27, 2006.- Following two weeks of intensive training in Spain, the Puerto Rican National Team went to Monterrey, Mexico for its final phase of preparation for the Fifth Pan American Cup. In their last match against the Mexican Team, the Puerto Ricans won 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 25-17) with Shannon Torregrosa as the top scorer with 15 points, followed by Alexandra Oquendo and Aury Cruz with 13 and 12 points respectively. Claudia Rodriguez was the best Mexican with 12. In other news, Graciela Marquez, well known in Puerto Rico where she studies and plays, will be part of the team of Venezuela for the first time since the 2003 Pan American Games.It was also announced that Stacey Gordon, who plays in the Puerto Rican League, will play for the first time with the Canadian Team. Other members of Team Canada are Melissa Raymond, Anne Marie Lemieux and Annie Levesque. The new coach is Japanese Naoki Miyashita. Spanish

Yumilka and Zoila lead Cuban Team to Pan Am Cup

HAVANA, Cuba June 27, 2006.- Led by Olympian Champions Yumilka Ruiz and Zoila Barros, Cuba will take part in the Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico starting Friday, looking for the qualification for the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Cuban side, which is scheduled to travel to San Juan today, is in Pool A with Argentina, Barbados, Estados Unidos, Peru and Venezuela. The Pool B is formed by Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Ruiz and Barros, stellar attackers of Cuba, are the only veterans of the triumph during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The rest of the team is completed by attackers Rosir Calderon, Yaima Ortiz and Kenia Carcases, midle blockers Nancy Carrillo, Rachel Sanchez and Dulce María Téllez, setters  Daimi Ramirez, Anniara Munoz and Gisselle Cabrera, and the libero Lisbet Arredondo. Eugenio George, the Cuban coach, explained to the media on Monday that “the group followed a preparation that will take us in good shape to Puerto Rico and Cartagena (Central American and Caribbean Games).” George, who coached the team to three Olympic titles in 1992, 1996 and 2000, along a bronze medal in 2004, considered “beneficial” the friendly matches placed last week with Dominican Republic. Spanish

Cosiris Rodriguez optimistic for Pan American Cup

HAVANA, Cuba, June 26, 2006.- The team work and the winning  attitude will be key factors for the Dominican Republic Women’s Team during the Fifth Pan American Cup starting in San Juan, Puerto Rico next Thursday 29 and the Central American and Caribbean Games next July in Colombia, said the team’s captain. Cosiris Rodriguez said that her team has just completed a week of preparation in Cuba prior to the Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Dominicans play in Pool B with Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Pool A consists of Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, USA, Peru and Venezuela. “We played seven friendly matches against the Cubans which are our main opponents in our area. That was very beneficial, it helps us to improve and attain good cohesion,” said the 28 years-old attacker. “The strength of the team is the attitude, the disposition, the unity and the desire to obtain a title,” added Rodriguez. More Spanish

Canada giving assistance to Costa Rica

WINNIPEG, Canada, June 26, 2006.- The Manitoba Therapists Association is donating medical equipment to be used by the Women’s Costa Rican National Team, that will participate in the Fifth Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico and also in the World Championships in Japan. Dr. Lorne Sawula, who is coaching the Costa Ricans under an agreement between the NORCECA’s Confederation and the FIVB, said this assistance will continue until the big event in Japan. The veteran coach also informed that Team Canada is donating 12 pair of ankle braces to the Central American squad and also mini-volleyball posters and videos for the promotion of the sport in Costa Rica. Dr. Sawula also informed that contacts have been made with manufacturer Asics, who will help the entire team with new shoes and equipment when they arrive to Tokyo for prior to the Worlds. Spanish

USA Women’s National Team Prepares for Pan American Cup COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 16, 2006.- Entering into the second year of the Olympic Quadrennial, USA Women’s National Team Head Coach “Jenny” Lang Ping will be looking to expand on the late-season successes of 2005, her first year with the team. The next competition step will be the V Pan American Cup, to be held June 27-July 8 at Puerto Rico. Lang Ping and her staff are still working on the final roster for the Pan American Cup, but she said many of the younger players will be given an opportunity to play. “It will be a hard decision to set the roster,” Lang Ping said. “We need to give the young players a chance to play, and for many of the players just out of the university system, it will be their first international experience.” Potentially, the American roster for the Pan American Cup at Puerto Rico could have as many as five players who competed in the 2004 Olympics. Outside hitter Tayyiba Haneef , opposite Nancy Metcalf , setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, middle blocker Heather Bown and middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman all competed in the last Olympics. More Spanish

Dominicans and Cubans training and playing in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba, June 19, 2006.- The Dominican Republic Women’s National Team is training and playing here along with their Cuban counterparts in preparation for the next Fifth Pan American Cup and the Twentieth Central American and Caribbean Games. Dominicans and Cubans are qualified for the 2006 World Championships, so these tournaments are also part of their camp toward the quadrennial event. Both sides are formed by well known international players and young athletes with ample projections. The teams are carrying out training sessions in the morning and playing during the afternoons. Last Friday, the Cubans prevailed in three of four sets and on Saturday the sides split two sets apiece. During the past five years Cuba and Dominican Republic have sustained a big rivalry in women’s volleyball. Spanish

Women’s Pan American Cup will be at Clemente Coliseum

SANTO DOMINGO, February 18, 2006.- The Fifth Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier for the 2007 World Grand Prix, will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from June 29 to July 7. Mr. Carlos Beltran, president of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, presented a complete report on the event during the meeting of the NORCECA’s Sport Organization Commission. Beltran informed the event will be staged at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, the main indoor facility of the island with a seating capacity of 12,000. Some matches will be at Pedrin Zorrilla Coliseum, an adjacent building. Four training courts will be available and teams are going to be lodged at the Marriott Hotel in the area of Isla Verde next to San Juan Airport. The twelve participating countries are: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela. All Puerto Rico matches will be on national TV and radio. Spanish Pic: Roberto Clemente Coliseum