Cuba crushes Guatemala in opening of U-20 Cup

LIMA, Peru, May 13, 2019 - Cuba swept debutant Guatemala and earned its first triumph In Pool B of the U20 Pan American Cup - Herbalife Cup that kicked off on Monday at the Manuel Bonilla Coliseum in Miraflores.

One hour was what Cuba needed to beat Guatemala 3-0 (25-4, 25-11, 25-10). Cuban wing spiker Ivy Vila set a new record by scoring 12 points from the serving line for her team, plus she scored 4 attack points and 1 blocking point for a total output of 17points that made her the top scorer of the match.

NORCECA Communication Director, Roosevelt Comarazamy, made the announcement from Santo Domingo, confirming that Vila broke the mark established by Puerto Rican Daly Santana, with 11 aces against Costa Rica in 2013; and by the Dominican Natalia Martínez in 2015 against Nicaragua.

In addition, the team of Tomás Fernández scored a record by scoring 29 points against only 2 of his opponent, exceeding the maximum of 22 points reached by Mexico in a duel against Costa Rica in 2015.

The winners also had ample advantage in attack (27-9) and blocking (4-0).

Thalia Moreno, captain of Cuba: We are happy to start the championship with a victory, we hope to continue maintaining the good pace and achieve our goal that is to qualify for the U20 World Championship.

Jimena Castellanos, captain of Guatemala: It's hard to start the tournament facing a rival as strong as Cuba, but we still have a great apprenticeship. Improve communication, solve problems on the court and be able to react quickly when we are at a disadvantage, for tomorrow we hope to have a better game.

The Cubans will return on Tuesday 14 to the court of the Bonilla Coliseum to face the selection of Honduras at 5:00 p.m. Two hours later, Guatemala is scheduled to meet against the local team, Peru.