Dominican Republic defeats Puerto Rico 3-1 at U19 World Championship 

OSIJET, Croatia, August 1, 2023 - The Dominican Republic's women's volleyball team started on the right foot by securing a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-22) against Puerto Rico in Group B, during the first match of the U19 World Championship held in this city. 

The winners’ attack was led by Ariana Rodríguez with 20 points, followed by Katielle Alonzo with 16, and Salanny Puente who scored 10 points. For Puerto Rico, Chareika Carrión was the best performer with 13 points, Grace López scored 12, and Elena García contributed with 10. 

Dominican Republic will play against Germany on Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Dominican time). 

In the first set, Puerto Rico took control of the scoreboard 17-14 with strong hits from López and Valencia. The match became highly contested between both teams who didn't want to give up ground to their opponent. However, the Dominican players, led by Ariana Rodríguez and Katielle Alonzo, managed to lead a rebellion that granted the first set victory 25-21. 

The second set seemed like a copy of the first, as the Dominican team took control of the scoreboard 13-10 with strong hits from Ariana Rodríguez, Alonzo, and Ramírez. The game was tied on several occasions due to the high technical level of both teams. Puerto Rico took advantage of a poor reception from the Dominican team to take the lead 21-10 and went on to win the set 25-21, leveling the match at one set each. 

In the third set, the Dominicans allowed their opponents only 13 points and dominated the set almost entirely. The Puerto Rican players made unforced errors that were capitalized upon by their opponents to increase their advantage on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the set, Ariana Rodríguez scored several consecutive points from her serves, putting pressure on the Puerto Rican girls. 

Other players from the Dominican Republic who contributed were Puente and Katielle Alonzo, as well as Mía Liberato in setting.