Cuba succumbs to USA on day two of the NORCECA Championships

QUEBEC CITY, Canada. August 30, 2023 : Team USA’s strong offense was too much for a young Cuban squad today at the 2023 NORCECA Senior Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship in Quebec, Canada, which runs from August 29 to September 3 at the PEPS’ Amphithéatre Desjardins-Université Laval.

USA won 3-0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-14) – earning 43 points on attack; compared with 20 by Cuba. Cuba led in blocking 5-2, but USA led in aces 6-1. USA picked up 24 points from Cuba’s errors, compared with 13.

US opposite Andrea Drews led scoring with 15 points and was named “player of the game.”

USA is 2-0 in Group B with one remaining match vs Dominican Republic on Thursday night; Cuba is 0-2 and faces Costa Rica next.

Karch Kiraly, head coach of USA: “Every point of every match is important here, but our team is doing a nice job of controlling the things that we’ve been working on in terms of our first ball touch and our service pressure … We are looking forward playing Dominican Republic – we have a lot of respect for them; it’s a great team, one of the great teams in our zone. We’ve played them a lot in the last 10 years plus.. it’s wonderful to face the challenge that they present.”

Osmani García, head coach of Cuba: “We knew we would face the Olympic champion, one of the best teams in the world, and our athletes brought an individual commitment for technical-tactical development. The first set was played with a lot of insecurity; they entered feeling a lot of pressure. Later, as the game dynamic progressed, there was some improvement, not as much as desired, but the players’ mood improved, and they started gaining confidence. Some blocks worked, which was what we had planned. The counterattacks were varied. We’re not happy, we’re not satisfied, but the team continues to grow little by little.”