Cuba qualifies in fourth position

LIMA, Peru, September 23, 2016 – Cuba beat Trinidad & Tobago in straight sets 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-12) to claim the fourth place in the standings at the conclusion of the preliminary round of the U23 Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup on Friday afternoon at Manuel Bonilla Coliseum of Miraflores.

Cuba finished in fourth place with a 2-3 record in the preliminary round and will meet the top ranked team in the semifinals to be played on Saturday at Cañete Coliseum. Trinidad & Tobago remained winless at 0-5.

The Trinidad & Tobago team was not able to solve the strong Cuban serves in the one-sided contest as the winners landed 15 aces.

Diaris Pérez led Cuba with 18 points, including five aces, and Elizabet Vicet had 13 points, including 6 aces. Dalila Palma and Yelennis Diaz marked 9 and 8 points, respectively.

Roberto Garcia, coach of Cuba: “Since our arrival to the tournament we thought about the semifinal because of the level of the teams, and that’s the reason we are focused on the final ranking. The important thing in these championships is to be prepared to face any opponent. Our team is a work in progress and we will work hard to reach the world championship next year with solid preparation and efficiency for the time of the competition.”

Nicholson Drakes, coach of Trinidad & Tobago: “These five days of round robin matches leave the lesson that this is not an easy sport, especially when on the other side you have such strong teams with a work so disciplined. We need to work more consistently with the selection in order to reach a level that allows us to compete in the future against teams like Peru, Argentina or Cuba. We still have one more match to play that we will try to win since the first minute.”