Cuba Finishes Third at NORCECA Women’s Olympic Qualifier

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 29, 2026 – Cuba defeated Puerto Rico in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) to secure third place at the NORCECA Women’s Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament at the “Prof. Ricardo Gioriver Arias” Volleyball Palace in Santo Domingo.

Cuba held a 36-35 edge in attacks and outperformed Puerto Rico 12-7 in blocks, while Puerto Rico led 6-2 in aces. The Cubans committed only 13 errors compared to Puerto Rico’s 25.

Yalain Regla De La Peña led Cuba with 12 points, followed by captain Laura Suárez with 10 and Diaris Pérez with 9.

For Puerto Rico, Decelise Champion scored 11 points, while Adriana Rodríguez added 10.

In the third set, Cuba jumped out to a 4-0 lead and remained in control, extending its advantage to 19-13. Puerto Rico cut the deficit late in the set, but Cuba held off the comeback attempt to close out the match 25-21.

Luizomar De Moura, Cuba’s coach: “I’m very happy with the entire process we’ve gone through in the Dominican Republic. Seeing my team stronger and more capable of handling different game situations gives me great satisfaction. I’m pleased with how things have gone for us here in the Dominican Republic. It has been two months of hard work and, above all, a lot of learning.”

Juan Carlos Núñez, Puerto Rico’s coach: “Cuba imposed its game from the beginning, putting a lot of pressure on us from the service line and with its attacks at the net, and we simply couldn’t find an answer. We have to congratulate Coach Luizomar for the great work he has done with this team in less than a year.”