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MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 22, 2016.- Cuba made their debut at the
XI Men’s Pan American Cup beating Costa Rica with impressive
blocking 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-18) at Olympic Gymnasium Juan de
la Barrera in Mexico City.
Cuba held a huge blocking advantage of 14-1 in blocking, 7-1 in
serves and 38-24 in spikes. Costa Rica committed 16 unforced
errors and Cuba 19. Costa Rica scored several points with strong
spikes despite Cuba’s effectiveness. In Pool B, Cuba earns five
points in their first win, while Costa Rica finishes the
preliminary round with 0-2 win-loss record.
Opposite Dariel Albo topped Cuba’s scorers with 16 points,
outside hitter Osniel Melgarejo added 10 points, while middle
blocker Livan Osoria and outside hitter Abrahan Alfonso tallied
9 points apiece. Costa Rica was led by outside hitter Alberto
Blanco with 8 points.
Cuba will play against Canada to decide Pool B winner.
Captain Ricardo Calvo of Cuba said “we are very glad and excited
to be preparing hard for the Olympic Games. Our goal is to win
this tournament, despite who we have to face. The team has young
players, but very talented, we have a lot more to show here”.
Captain of the Central American team, Esteban Araya said “we are
aware of the differences between Cuba and us, but we are
extremely happy with today’s presentation. We weren’t able to
penetrate their blocking in the first set, so after that, we
performed our own style and began to enjoy the match while
adjusting our line-up. We are very satisfied with this learning
experience, we are growing while facing stronger opponents”.
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