Dominican Republic Defeats Costa Rica to Finish Fifth at the NORCECA Girls’ U19 Continental Championship

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 24, 2026. – The Dominican Republic defeated Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-13) to claim fifth place at the NORCECA Girls’ U19 Continental Championship.

The Dominican team set the pace from the opening set with solid play in every aspect of the game. Although Costa Rica rallied in the second set and tied the score at 17-17, the Dominican Republic responded with a decisive run to regain control and move closer to victory. They once again imposed their superiority in the third set to close out the match comfortably.

With the result, the Dominican Republic finished fifth in the championship, while Costa Rica placed sixth.

Rayni Mondesí led the Dominican offense with 18 points, followed by Leandry Almonte with 16 and Shanty Pérez with 12. For Costa Rica, Esmeralda Ugalde was the team's leading scorer with nine points, while Luciana Vargas added eight.

The Dominican Republic held the advantage in every statistical category, leading in attacks (42-24), blocks (7-4), and aces (9-1). They also committed fewer unforced errors than Costa Rica (14-17).

After the match, Dominican Republic head coach Marcelo Cezarano said: "Fifth place is not a bad result, especially considering that most of our team was made up of U17 players. What I liked most about this team throughout the tournament was the players' ability to adapt. Whenever we lost key matches, they came back to practice the next day highly motivated. That is something that leaves me very satisfied with this group."

Costa Rica captain Charlotte Martínez commented: "It was a very tough competition. Every team had a lot to offer, just as we did. This tournament taught us a valuable lesson: we need to keep working to improve. Costa Rica showed great energy throughout the event; even when we were behind on the scoreboard, we always maintained a positive attitude."