Cuba Overcomes Chile for Fourth Place in Pool B

IRAPUATO, Mexico, August 22, 2024 - Cuba secured fourth place in Pool B by defeating Chile 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-18) in the XXI Women's Pan American Volleyball Cup, thanks to a strong blocking game that limited their opponents' options.

Cuba finished the group stage with a 2-3 record, while Chile ended with 1-4. Both teams will compete in the matches for positions 7 to 10.

In total, Cuba achieved nine effective blocks, limiting Chile's offense, with setter Thalia Moreno scoring 5 of them, and opposite hitter Yalain de la Peña contributing three.

Cuba dominated in attack (48-27), blocking (9-5), and serving (3-2), with 17 unforced errors compared to 15 from their opponents.

The top scorer of the match was opposite hitter Dezirett Madan with 11 points for Cuba, while her teammate Laura Suárez also had 11, and De la Peña added 10. Beatriz Novoa, captain of Chile, finished with 10 points.

On Friday at 5:00 p.m., Cuba will face Canada, fifth place in Pool A, while at 8:00 p.m., Chile will take on Peru, fourth place in the other group.

Laura Suárez, captain of Cuba: “It was a very good match for us, we were very disciplined, and our plan came through. Each one of us contributed, and we got the result. We studied the opponent well, but the main thing was that each of us did our job. We were more focused because we knew we needed this victory”.

Leivis García, Head Coach of Cuba: “We knew that Chile is a team with a very important rhythm of play and a well-organized combination of attacks and tips, and the girls paid attention, they were attentive, and they recovered many balls. They adapted to Chile’s game, read it, and interpreted it, using blocking as the main weapon”.