Cuba Picks Up Fifth Place at Junior Pan American Games

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 15, 2025. – Cuba picked up fifth place in the women’s volleyball tournament of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025 with a convincing 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-12) victory over Costa Rica at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee Arena (COP).

Cuba closed the event with a 4-2 record, while Costa Rica finished at 2-4.

The Caribbean team’s blocking proved decisive, dominating 17-3 in that category. They also held the edge in attacks (33-20) and service aces (8-3). Cuba committed 11 unforced errors compared to Costa Rica’s 14.

Lianet García led Cuba’s offense with 16 points (7 attacks, 5 blocks, 4 aces). Yalain De La Peña contributed 11 points, while Whitney James added 10. Yensy Kindelán excelled at the net with 5 blocks, and Lisbeysis Hernández recorded 4.

For Costa Rica, Ivanny Blackwood was the top scorer with 10 points, followed by Melina Abarca with 9.

Cuba’s coach, Norka Latamblet, valued her team’s performance during the tournament, saying, “We started from less to more. I think the team played well, although we didn’t reach the goals we had set for ourselves. If the competition had been a little longer, I believe we would have been among the four finalists. The team is young, most of them are U19, and we hope that through their development they will help us achieve the results we expect for the Cuban team.”