Cuba will face United States in U21 NORCECA Semifinals

Nogales, Mexico, June 14, 2024. - Cuba will face the United States in Saturday’s semifinals of the Men’s U21 NORCECA Continental Championship, being played in Nogales, Mexico.

Cuba advanced to the semifinals after defeating Suriname in straight sets 25-18, 25-22, and 25-22 in their quarterfinal match. Suriname will compete for positions 5-8.

Cuba dominated all match statistics, leading with 43-31 in attacks, 9-4 in blocks, and 4-2 in aces. Suriname committed 19 errors compared to Cuba's 25.

The leading scorer of the match was Cuba’s opposite hitter Daniel Martínez, who stands at 2.15 meters tall, capitalizing on 13 attack points, 2 blocks, and 4 aces for a total of 19 points. Kelly Oviedo also reached double figures, contributing 11 attack points.

Once again, Mesón Anakaba led Suriname's scoring with 9 points from kills.

Suriname took an early lead in all three sets. In the first set, with the score tied at 7, two serves by Martínez and two attack points by Larrea and Morejón allowed Cuba to pull ahead. In the second set, Suriname reached a four-point advantage on kills from Ritfeld and Lee A Leong, but after the second technical timeout, Cuba never trailed. In the third set, the teams were tied at 21 points, but two errors from Suriname gave Cuba the necessary push, ending with the win on a kill point by Martínez.

Daniel Martínez, Cuba’s top scorer, said, “The team played to Suriname’s level, but we won with strength. We trust  our game despite some players lacking court time; there are those who haven't had international competitions, and those of us with experience are supporting them. Everyone had the chance to play today to be better prepared for tomorrow and come out stronger against the United States”.

Middle blocker Jahmit Jambo or Suriname said, “Today we played slow, we weren’t at our full potential, and we needed to pass the ball better. They were tall and it was hard. We made a lot of mistakes in blocking, we could have done better”.