Mexico Earns First Victory at the Junior Pan American Games

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 11, 2025. – Mexico bounced back from a rough start to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16) in the women’s volleyball tournament of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at Arena COP.

With this result, Mexico improved its Pool B record to 1-1 and will close the group stage facing Chile. The Dominican Republic, with the same record, will play Brazil in its final match.

In the first set, the Dominicans pulled ahead from point 16 onward, thanks to the blocking efficiency of Katielle Alonzo, Ambar Hernández, and Florangel Terrero, who contained Mexico’s attack.

The second set unfolded differently: Mexico showed greater consistency and stayed ahead on the scoreboard throughout, with opposite Andrea Félix leading the offense.

The third set was an intense offensive battle. For Mexico, Marcela Herrera and Félix stood out, while for the Dominican Republic, Alondra Tapia and Alonzo shined. The set went to Mexico, who committed fewer errors (6 to 8).

In the fourth set, Mexico was dominant from the start, powered by the strong serving of María Cruz, which gave them an early lead that only grew until they comfortably closed out the match.

Mexico led in attacks 63-42 and in service points 6-1, while the Dominican Republic held the edge in blocking 14-2. Unforced errors totaled 26 for Mexico and 23 for the Dominican Republic.

Mexico’s offense was led by Marcela Herrera with 16 points, followed by Andrea Félix with 15 and Aimé Topete with 14. For the Dominican Republic, Alondra Tapia was the top scorer of the match with 22 points, supported by Katielle Alonzo (13) and Florangel Terrero (10).

Marcela Herrera, Mexico’s top scorer, said: “It was hard for us to find our rhythm at the start of the match, and we were feeling down after losing our first game. We knew how to recover; we told ourselves it’s all about attitude and that we needed to play better. We came into the final stretch very motivated because this win makes our path to the next round easier. We focused on our serving and passing, and it worked really well for us”.

For her part, Alondra Tapia, top scorer of the Dominican Republic, said: “We are a team that is still coming together, and we also have some teammates who couldn’t be here. We have our good and bad moments, like any other team. Our level of play is improving, and we hope to gain more confidence for the upcoming matches”.