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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 22, 2016 – It was a historic day for
volleyball in Puerto Rico as its women’s national team achieved
on Sunday something never done before: Qualifying to the Olympic
Games.
The members of this team probably will be catapulted to the
category of heroines in this small island in the Caribbean Sea
with their names indelibly carved in the minds of those who
watched them battling for the last berth available to the Rio
Olympic Games.
“The 22nd of May will go to the history of the sport in Puerto
Rico and the credit goes to all the coaches and support
personnel who worked in favor of this achievement, this feat,”
said an emotional coach Juan Carlos Núñez following the
straight-set 3-0 (25-8, 25-23, 25-15) victory over Kenya on
Sunday evening in front of a partisan crowd at Roberto Clemente
Coliseum of San Juan.
The wild celebration began even before the first whistle with
the fans chanting and dancing in the stands to the beat of Latin
rhythms and when the match started they roared and cheered for
every point until the conclusion of the actions when Karina
Ocasio sealed the triumph with a bomb from the back court in the
third set.
The victory earned Puerto Rico the last ticket available to the
12-team Olympic tournament joining hosts Brazil, China, Serbia,
Russia, Argentina, United States, Cameroon, Japan, Italy,
Netherlands and South Korea.
Karina Ocasio was the lone Puerto Rican in the well distributed
offense who reached double figures with 15 points. Yarimar Rosa,
Stephanie Enright and Lynda Morales each contributed 7 points in
the victory. Kenya’s Noel Murambi finished with 12 points in the
losing effort while Everlyne Makuto and Bracksides Khadambi
added 9 and 8 points, respectively.
“We are going to stop for the next three days to give the
players a break but start working again on Thursday and leave to
Poland on Monday for the Grand Prix,” Nuñez said. “Now we have
to act as Olympians. While I am at the coaching position I will
continue pushing. Everybody have to sweat in there.”
Ocasio, who is retiring from the national team after Rio, said
to be proud of the achievements but at the same time admitted it
is about time to move aside.
“I still can’t appreciate what we have done but we did it at
home,” Ocasio said. “I am going to retire because I have a
daughter and I want to dedicate quality time to raise her.”
Aury Cruz, the eldest member of the group at 34 years-old and 18
years in the national team, is also giving way to the new breed
of talent.
“It is a big achievement,” Cruz said with watered eyes. “After
playing in foreign leagues for the past eleven years I have had
the chance to play alongside many Olympians and I felt that my
career was incomplete.”
Earlier on Sunday, Colombia stormed past Algeria in straight
sets 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-18) in the first match of Sunday to
keep alive their chances of earning the ticket to Rio. Their
hopes vanished away when Puerto Rico won the first set against
Kenya.
Colombia finished with a 2-1 win-loss record and Algeria
finished winless. Kenya concluded with a 1-2 mark.
Amanda Coneo was the top scorer for Colombia with 9 points,
followed by Madeleine Montaño and Melissa Rangel each recorded
three aces and both finished with 8 points.
Yasmine Abderrahim had a match-high 14 points for Algeria. |
