Chile claims tough victory over Puerto Rico

HAVANA, Cuba, March 28, 2017 – Chile controlled better the emotions in a very tight match to score a 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 23-25, 25-16, 18-16) victory over Puerto Rico in the first match of the U18 Girls’ Pan American Cup at Sports Palace of Ciudad Deportiva in Havana.

After the first set, the Puerto Ricans reacted with a fluid defense that caught the South Americans off balance.

Chile showed more harmony at the end while recovering from a 4-10 deficit in the tie-breaker to claim the victory and prepare for a match against Argentina on Wednesday.

Eduardo Guillaume, coach of Chile: “This is a category with very young players and they need to see a very calmed coach who can transmit the confidence. At the end the attacks of Maike was crucial because the team put things together and played very well.”

Julio Meléndez, coach of Puerto Rico: “We knoe Chile is a very competitive and we tried to prepare for them. We had a wide advantage but the experience of some of our players did not come out. The tournament is just starting so we will work harder to achieve our goal of a ticket to the worlds.”

Maike Bartens, captain of Chile: “We suffered a lot over the course of the match but in the fourth we loosened up and showed our real game. Obviously, the victory allows us to take the road to our dream of qualifying to the worlds.”

Sofia Garcia, captain of Puerto Rico: “We lost the concentration for some moments and maybe it was the nerves or the pressure, but we need to overcome this and play hearts out in the match.”