Brazil beats Mexico to improve 2-0 at Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games

SANTIAGO, Chile, October 31, 2023. - Brazil defeated Mexico 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-20), improving their record 2-0 in Pool A of the Men’s Volleyball tournament at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

Brazil remains undefeated 2-0, is guaranteed to move into the next round and will play their final Pool A match on Wednesday against Cuba, who is also undefeated. The winner of the pool will advance directly to Friday’s semifinals. Mexico, with two losses, will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against Colombia.

This was the second straight-set victory for Brazil, who had control of the game with the offense of opposite hitter Darlan and middle blocker Judson Nunes, the top scorers with 18 and 11 points, respectively.

Mexico, despite their defensive efforts, especially in the second set, and effective kills in the third set, suffered their second loss. Outside hitter Mauro Fuentes led Mexico with 9 points.

Brazil ended with a total of 38 attack points against Mexico's 20. They also had advantages of 6-3 in blocks and 8-2 in direct service points. Both teams committed 23 unforced errors.

Darlan of Brazil, after the win said “We came with a very strong playing proposal, very consistent. In the third set, we fell short; we were very proactive in the first and second sets, but reactive in the third. We need to be patient. Now, we must analyze the errors we made and study tomorrow’s opponent. We take it one day at a time, and there’s no time for regrets, it’s all part of the process”.

Mexico’s top scorer, Mauro Fuentes, said, “I think the difference between yesterday’s match and todays was the quality of their service. They served very well and we weren’t able to respond and that was the skill which gave us a hard time”.