Cuba defeats Jamaica to continue undefeated

HAVANA, Cuba, June 25, 2016 – Hosts Cuba breezed past Jamaica 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-23) to remain undefeated in Pool B of the NORCECA Boys U-19 Volleyball Championship at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum.

The opposite hitter, José Carlos Romero (14) and the outside hitter Christian Rojas (10) led again the attack by Cubans who improved their pool record to 2-0 before Sunday’s match against Mexico to determine the pool winner who qualifies directly to semi-finals.

The left-handed player, Rojas, stated: “Essentially it was a tense match, in particular the third set. We should put more emphasis on concentration as we sometimes lose focus on the rival and make errors. Nevertheless, what matters is to keep on fighting and winning”.

For the Jamaicans, who really enjoyed the 23-25 final set as if they would have dominated throughout the match, the outside hitter Shavar James (12) was the only one who had double-digits.

Jovan Thomas, the captain, highlighted the local team’s quality “but it was a better match where we were technically superior from yesterday’s when we lost to Mexico”.

Nicolás Vives, local coach, recognized “my boys were some overconfident as Jamaica is a weak opponent, but in the end we reacted. We must be careful with it as we will meet stronger rivals”.

Steve Davis, Jamaican coach, said “my team is inexperienced, although as the tournament goes on we hope to keep on improving which we are pleased to have been able to demonstrate it today against Cuba; a marvellous, potent and technical squad”.