Colombia defeats Puerto Rico to remain

unbeaten at the Pan American Cup

LEÓN, Guanajuato, August 27, 2025. – Colombia defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20) to remain unbeaten at the Men’s Pan American Volleyball Cup, taking place at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

Colombia and Canada both hold perfect records (2-0) and will face each other on Thursday to decide the top spot in Pool B. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, will play against Guatemala, with both teams still searching for their first win.

Puerto Rico controlled the first set comfortably. At set point (24-14), Colombia responded with three kills from Ronald Jiménez and a block by Juan Castañeda against Jamal Ellis, before Ángel Rivera sealed the set with a powerful spike, 25-18.

Colombia answered back in the second set, taking a five-point lead (10-5), with Castañeda, Andrés Piza, and Jiménez effective on offense, and Leandro Mejía contributing at the net with blocks. Puerto Rico pushed back and denied three set points, but Piza leveled the match with a decisive attack.

In the third set, Colombia maintained a three-point lead throughout. Mejía’s blocking was key down the stretch, while Puerto Rican errors allowed Colombia to close the set in their favor.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern, with Puerto Rico committing 11 errors and Colombian middle blocker Daniel Aponza dominating at the net to secure the win.

Colombia held the edge in all aspects of the game: 52-49 in kills, 10-5 in blocks, and 5-4 in service aces. Errors were nearly even, with Colombia committing 23 and Puerto Rico 26.

Five Colombian players scored in double figures: Ronald Jiménez, Leandro Mejía, and Juan Castañeda with 13 points each, and Daniel Aponza with 10. Puerto Rico’s Pelegrin Vargas was the top scorer of the match with 15 points, followed by Pedro Molina and Jamal Ellis with 14 apiece.

Colombian libero Roosvuelt Ramos said: “It’s not easy to be in a high-level tournament with so little preparation, and beating Puerto Rico is a big step because they have a Professional League, unlike us. We had great focus and strong determination to go out and win. We gave everything, we took risks, because if you don’t take risks, you don’t win.”

Puerto Rican setter Kevin Rodríguez commented on his team’s loss: “I think Colombia improved their serve, they adjusted, and we couldn’t execute ours. They stayed calm, while we got a little desperate because we knew this was a very important match. You learn from this loss, and there will always be another opportunity.”