Cuba Earns First Win at the Pan American Cup

MORELOS, Mexico, August 10, 2026.- Cuba earned its first victory in Pool B of the 19th Men’s Pan American Cup after defeating Curaçao 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-19) at Poliforum 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).

Cuba will have a rest day on Tuesday, while Curaçao will face Guatemala on the third day of competition.

Cuba outperformed Curaçao in attacks 32-21, blocks 7-4 and aces 5-1. The Cubans conceded 27 points from unforced errors, while Curaçao gave up 31.

Cuba’s Carlos Pereira Larrea and Curaçao’s Marlison Kleinmoedig were the match’s leading scorers with 9 points each.

Cuba took control of the first set after a relatively even start. The Cubans gradually widened the gap and entered the closing stretch with a 20-13 advantage before taking the set 25-18.

In the second set, Cuba jumped out to a 5-0 lead and extended it to 7-2. Curaçao managed to cut the deficit as the set progressed, but Cuba remained in control and widened the margin again down the stretch to win 25-16.

Curaçao stayed closer for much of the third set. Cuba gradually pulled away to take a 16-9 lead and later went ahead 22-16. Curaçao closed the gap to 22-19, but Cuba scored the final three points to finish the match 25-19.

Carlos Pereira Larrea of Cuba: “We improved compared to yesterday’s match against the Dominican Republic, when we missed many serves and made a lot of errors overall. Today we also improved our reception. The win gives us confidence, and we want to keep adding victories.”

Marlison Kleinmoedig of Curaçao: “It wasn’t a good match for us. We made too many errors, and that is our problem. We can play, but we haven’t been able to show it. We need to limit our errors tomorrow when we face Guatemala and bring more energy onto the court.”