Cuba will face Dominican Republic for fifth place

DURANGO, Mexico, May 25, 2019. - Cuba beat Honduras 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-16) to face Dominican Republic for fifth place of the U18 Girls’ Pan American Cup in Auditorio del Pueblo of Durango, Mexico.

Cuba´s height and strength were key elements in taking down the Central American team in straight sets. On the last day of competition, Cuba and Dominican Republic will meet for fifth place; Honduras and Guatemala will play for seventh.

Cuba outnumbered Honduras in every skill; with huge 38-14 margin in spikes, 6-3 in blocks and 9-2 in aces. Cuba committed more errors (28-22) than Honduras.

Claudia Tarin and Yalain De La Peña led Cuba with 11 points apiece; underlining that De La Peña came from the bench during set two. Rocio Duron scored 6 points for Honduras.

About this match, Cuban Yaimaris Garcia whose visible leadership on the court said “this was a preparation match for tomorrow’s match against Dominican Republic; it will be intense because they always face us with strength. We hope for the best, it’s for fifth place”. When asked about her presence on the court she indicated “it’s because I have good attitude and I am very competitive”.

Coach Jaime Luis Echevarria said about having to play this match, “it wasn’t the position I expected and neither the competition. I expected to be more competitive and that wasn’t the case. I believe the previous competition affected their performance here, 50% of the team is coming from Peru. There were deficiencies in passing, we didn’t take advantage of our height, nor our physical characteristics; we must improve”.