Cuba advances to Semifinals after beating Dominican Republic in the Men's Pan American Cup

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 18, 2024.- Cuba defeated Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-13) on Thursday and finish the preliminary round without defeats to claim first place in Group B at Pan American Men's Volleyball Cup that is held at the “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Pavilion.

Cuba was dominant in all aspects over the Dominicans, in attacks 54-45, in blocks 10-7 and in serves 9-5.

With the victory, Cuba advances directly to the Semifinals, while the Dominican Republic will have to play in the Quarterfinals with Chile. In Group A, Canada achieved a direct ticket to semifinals, while the United States and Colombia will battle in quarterfinals for a place in the Semis.

Mario Izquierdo, coach of Cuba: It was a very important match for us because we knew that first place in the group was at stake, so the boys came out to give their all and although we had difficulties in the second set, we were able to achieve our goal .

José Gutiérrez, coach of the Dominican Republic: The team played hard and although we failed in some technical aspects of the game, the first sets were battled, but in the fourth set the scoreboard opened a lot and the match got out of reach, now  we’ll concentrate on our quarterfinal match.