Argentina beats Costa Rica in straight sets to kick off Pan American Cup

IRAPUATO, Mexico, August 18, 2024. - Argentina opened with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-22) victory over Costa Rica in Pool B of the XXI Women's Pan American Volleyball Cup, which is taking place simultaneously from August 18 to 25 in the cities of León and Irapuato in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Defending champion Argentina gave Costa Rica few opportunities, taking the lead in attack 41-26, in blocking 8-2, and in serving 8-3, while committing 18 unforced errors compared to 21 from the Central Americans.

Bianca Cugno was the top scorer for Argentina with 12 points, followed by Bianca Farriol with 10. For Costa Rica, Tatiana Sayles scored 12 points.

Argentina will play Chile on Monday at 5:00 p.m. local time, while Costa Rica will face Cuba at 2:00 p.m.

Facundo Morando, Coach of Argentina: “I think the first two sets were very good, but in the third, we rotated the team quite a bit, as we had been doing throughout the game, but we dropped off a little with very young players, some of them experiencing this for the first time, and nerves played a role. In the end, it was an important 3-0 win that allows us to accumulate valuable points.”

Victoria Mayer, Captain of Argentina: “Obviously, we are happy with the win; it’s about breaking the ice in the first match, and I think we did that together as a team. We all played, and we worked hard. The important thing is being on the court, getting used to the stadium and everything new, and I think the 3-0 win gives us confidence to continue in the tournament, which is very long.”

Braulio Godínez, Coach of Costa Rica: “For us, I think it’s positive because we’ve been trying new outside hitters, new positions for some players, but overall, we did what we set out to do against a very strong team like Argentina, the defending champion. Obviously, we have a lot of areas for improvement, a lot of things to work on, and we could also include players in other events, but this is the first step in evaluating the entire process.”