Cuba Defeats the United States in Four Sets and Advances

to the NORCECA U17 Final 

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, November 22, 2025.– Cuba earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory (25-22, 27-25, 12-25, 25-20) over the United States to advance to the final of the NORCECA Boys’ U17 Continental Championship. 

The United States was more effective in attacking (46-41), blocking (13-8), and serving (10-6), largely due to their performance in the third set. However, Cuba capitalized on the Americans’ 34 unforced errors, especially from the service line (21 missed serves). The Cubans committed 23 unforced errors. 

The U.S. led 22-19 in the second set, but Cuba combined strong blocking with solid defense to finish with effective attacks and take the set 27-25. Although Cuba dropped the third set, they came out strong in the fourth with effective serving that disrupted their opponent’s offense. 

Cuba’s top scorers were Víctor Contreras with 20 points, team captain Reinaldo Márquez with 13, and Dalian La O with 11. For the United States, Franklin Vincent tallied 16 points, Jackson Real added 15, and Logan Flores scored 12. 

The United States felt the absence of Noah Mbaitoloum, who left the match due to an ankle injury after a play at the net when the second set was 23-20 in favor of the Americans. Noah had already scored eleven points at the time of his injury, and his exit significantly affected the team’s performance. 

Cuba will play the final on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. against the winner between Mexico and  Puerto Rico, while the United States will battle for the bronze medal at 2:00 p.m. against the losing team. 

Liam Sem Estrada, Cuba’s Head Coach: “First, we are going to rest, analyze our mistakes, and make improvements as a team. Then we’ll think about our opponent, as both are strong teams and we respect them. These boys have been improving little by little; sometimes games get complicated due to their age, inexperience, and lack of competitive exposure, but we keep progressing. The psychological aspect was also important; we worked on how to face a team we had previously lost to, a team that appeared superior in performance and confidence.” 

Reinaldo Márquez, Cuba’s Captain: “Since we lost to the United States in the group stage, we promised ourselves that the rematch would be different. We remain focused on our goal, which is to qualify for the World Championship, a dream for any volleyball player, and even more to represent Cuba. We are now in the final; it is an honor for our country. The key was that each of us did what we had to do and tried to avoid unforced errors.”