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GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 8, 2010 – Cuba and
the United States clashed today in a
high-voltage confrontation that yielded a
victory for the islanders in three close sets
(27-25, 25-23, 25-20) on the last day of the
preliminary round for the NORCECA Continental
Boy’s Sub 19 Volleyball Championship.
The confrontation between two of the tallest
teams (average height 1.95m) turned bitter from
the very start and peppered by the cheer
commanded by the performance of Wilfredo Leon,
one of the world’s best players despite being
just 16 years old.
In both the first and second sets, Cuba stayed
ahead from beginning to end thanks to their
spectacular attacks and effective blocking.
Nevertheless, the Cuban selection met a rival
that forced them to work harder toward the end
of each set before clutching the final
victory. Americans wouldn’t give up to the
bitter end and even took the advantage during
the initial technical time (8-7) to lose later
in the14th point. At that point, Cuba applied
its lethal brand of power.
In a celebratory atmosphere, Wilfredo de Leon
delighted cheering fans who were sure to applaud
for every outstanding action delivered by both
teams. Leon contributed a respectable 26-point
score, 22 from jaw dropping attacks and the rest
from solid blocking.
The Cuban leader was supported by corner players
Denny Hernandez (12) and Lazaro Fundora (10),
while on the opposing team, the biggest scorers
were Matthew Tarantino (12) and Aaron Russell
(10).
Rodolfo Sanchez, Cuba’s Technical Director,
congratulated the American team for their
resilience on the court and also praised his
team for a job well done though lamenting that
two or three players “have yet to adapt to this
level of competition.”
“In any case, independently of Leon being key,
we have other good players much like the United
States does, such as Matthew Tarantino among
others who work hard” remarked Coach Sanchez.
Alexis Lamadrid, Team Captain for Cuba,
expressed “we will keep aiming for the title
though without underestimating anyone.”
On his part, Leon praised the United States for
their skill level, saying that they are “very
strong and on an even keel with us, and
personally, I’m not completely pleased; we must
always want more but I feel that I made a solid
contribution for this victory and that makes me
happy.”
Gary Sato, American Technical Director, thanked
Cuba for “respecting our team and putting up a
strong fight. That’s how I expected it to be,
though I also expected the possibility of
winning.”
Micah Christenson, American Team Captain, said
“Cuba showed off impressive blocking.”
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