Canada Returns to NORCECA Gold Medal Match

for First Time Since 1989

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 25, 2026.- Canada advanced to the gold medal match of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship with a straight-set 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-17) victory over Cuba at the Prof. Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace.

Canada will play for NORCECA gold for the first time since 1989 and will seek its first-ever title in the competition. The Canadians will face the winner of the other semifinal between the Dominican Republic and the United States.

Cuba will play for the bronze medal.

Canada took control after a competitive opening set. With the second set tied at 5-5, the Canadians began to pull away, building a 14-8 advantage before extending the lead to 20-10 on their way to a commanding 25-13 win. Canada carried that momentum into the third set, opening a 20-10 lead before closing out the match 25-17.

Canada held the advantage in all scoring categories, leading in attacks (42-28), blocks (8-2), and aces (7-2). The teams committed a similar number of errors, with Canada conceding 17 and Cuba 18.

Kiera Van Ryk and Hilary Howe led Canada with 14 points each, while Abagayle Guezen added 11.

For Cuba, Yalain Regla De La Peña scored 8 points, followed by Diaris Pérez with 7 and Evilania Martínez with 6.

Giovanni Guidetti, Head Coach of Canada: “I think we did our job, and Cuba played hard as always. We expected a lot from them because they are a team that has improved a lot recently, but we were able to play with our fundamentals and close out the match.”

Luizomar De Moura, Head Coach of Cuba: “It was a very positive experience to play against teams at this world-class level because it is good for Cuba’s rebuilding process. I hope we can play against teams like this more often so we can continue raising our level.”