Dominicans claim first victory at U20 Final Four

LIMA, Peru, October 16, 2014 – Dominican Republic claimed their first victory in the U20 Final Four Women’s Volleyball Gatorade Cup by defeating Cuba in straight sets 25-16, 25-20, 25-19 at Eduardo Dibos Coliseum on Thursday.

In the match that lasted 1 hour and four minutes, Natalia Martinez was the top scorer for the Dominican side with 16 points while Carmela Massip stood out for the Cubans with 10 points. The Dominicans held advantages in attacks (32-30), services (5-4) and blocks (9-5).

Brazilian Alexandre Ceccato, coach of the Dominican Republic said to be very glad with the first victory and added: “We played and attacked well. It was a good match for us today. We had a big expectation for the match against Cuba and were able to defeat them. Now we have to continue working to improve our game.”

Yocaty Perez, the captain of the winners said: “We have been working step by step and felt a little bit pressed, quite nervous. We were able to adjust and that was the most important to move forward and get the first victory.”

Tomás Fernández, coach of Cuba, said: “The players were nervous since they are so young. They were out to give their best and the Dominicans did the job. Now we are thinking about tomorrow’s match and we have to go hard against Peru to get the win.”

Carmela Massip, the captain of Cuba, said: “We lost because we lost the concentration and let the Dominicans play their game. For moments we had the advantage in the score but could not keep it. Tomorrow we need more concentration and do what we practice in the training session.”