Mexico Advances to U21 Pan American Cup

Quarterfinals with Authority

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 9, 2026. – Mexico advanced to the quarterfinals of the NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup with a straight-set victory over Venezuela 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-19) on Thursday at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Mexico controlled the match from start to finish and used the opportunity to rotate its lineup, giving playing time to several players while maintaining its rhythm ahead of the knockout phase.

Although Venezuela stayed close in parts of the third set, Mexico responded with composure and closed the match without complications to secure its place in Friday’s quarterfinal round.

Aitana Tanguma led Mexico with 12 points, followed by Mariana Contreras with 9 and Brenda Esquivel with 7.

For Venezuela, Ainhoa Molleja was the top scorer with 13 points, while Marcela Carmona added 8.

Mexico led in attacks (43-30) and blocks (6-2), while Venezuela held the edge in service aces (4-3).

Eduardo Murguía, Mexico head coach: “I’m happy; it was a decisive result. We had very clear objectives regarding rotation and giving playing time to those who hadn’t yet seen action, and they did quite well. Now the tournament essentially starts over; we need to prepare and wait to see who our opponent will be tomorrow.”

Iván Márquez, Venezuela head coach: “Mexico is a good team. We knew we would have the opportunity to compete, but they came out very organized. In the first set, when we tried to execute our tactical plays, they were always well positioned, making it difficult for us to respond. They ultimately closed out the match, but I think the team played better than yesterday, and we will continue to improve.”