Cuba Secures Its Spot in the Pan American Cup Quarterfinals

LEÓN, Mexico, September 15, 2026.- Cuba finished third in Pool B and secured its spot in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup with a straight-set victory over Costa Rica on Tuesday at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

Cuba defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-15) to finish with a 2-2 record and take third place in Pool B. Costa Rica closed the preliminary round winless at 0-4 and will continue in the classification matches for positions 7-10.

The Cuban team took control from the first set and built an early lead that allowed it to manage the score. Cuba maintained its dominance in the second set, while Costa Rica put up its strongest resistance in the third.

Costa Rica took a 12-11 lead in the third set and stayed level with Cuba through 13-13. From that point on, the Cubans regained control and pulled away to complete the straight-set victory.

Cuba held a huge advantage in attacks 38-20, while also leading in blocks 11-4 and aces 6-1. The Cubans committed 22 errors compared to 20 by Costa Rica.

Whitney James led Cuba’s offense with 16 points and Dayana Martínez added 12. For Costa Rica, Krystel Vargas and Joselyn Moraga scored six points each.

Whitney James of Cuba: “The important thing in this match was to get the win and advance to the next round. We used all the players so they could get a little more rest and be able to help the team achieve better results. We’re already in the next round.”