Cuba Rallies Past Dominican Republic to Advance

to Santo Domingo 2026 Semifinals
 

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 28, 2026. – Defending champion Cuba overcame a slow start to defeat host Dominican Republic 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19) and advance to the semifinals of the men's volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026.

 

Cuba will face Colombia for a place in the final, while Mexico will take on Puerto Rico in the other semifinal.

 

After dropping the opening set, Cuba raised its level in attack and blocking to seize control of the match and complete the comeback.

 

Cuba held the advantage in attacks (52-46), blocks (9-7) and service aces (7-1). The teams were nearly even in unforced errors, with Cuba committing 28 and the Dominican Republic 30.

 

Cuba's libero Yonder García admitted the team needed time to settle into the match. “Unfortunately, things didn't go our way at the beginning. We lost our focus a little, and the Dominican Republic took advantage of it with the support of its home crowd. The important thing was that we bounced back to win the second set, and from that point on we stayed in control of the match.”

 

Looking ahead to the semifinals, García added: "Now we have a tough match against Colombia. They are a strong team, but we are the Central American and Caribbean champions, and we'll give everything we have. If they beat us, let it be in five sets.”

 

Dominican setter Francisco Arredondo said his team's inability to capitalize on counterattacks proved decisive after taking the opening set. “After winning the first set, we needed to be more effective in transition. We defended well, but we lacked the finishing touch to turn those plays into points.”

 

Looking ahead to the classification matches, Arredondo said: “We'll go into our next match determined to win and finish fifth. We'll keep a cool head because finishing fifth is not the same as finishing sixth.”

 

Opposite hitter Daniel Martínez led the Cuban offense with 19 points, followed by Marlon Yant with 17 and Miguel Ángel López with 11.

 

For the Dominican Republic, captain Henry Tapia scored a team-high 16 points, while outside hitter Wilfrido Hernández and middle blocker Moisés Ortiz added 11 points apiece.