Mexico Secures Quarterfinal Spot in Asunción

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 12, 2025. – Mexico defeated Chile 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-17) on the final day of the women’s volleyball group stage at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, securing their place in the quarterfinals.

Mexico closed Pool B with a 2-1 record, while winless Chile will compete in the classification matches for positions 5 to 8.

Middle blocker Arleth Márquez, along with Aimé Topete, played key roles in helping Mexico rally from a six-point deficit (12-18) in the first set, a lead built by Chile through the offensive efforts of Florencia Aguilera, María Véliz, and Esperanza Basualto. Mexico adjusted and took the tightly contested opening set.

In the second set, the Mexican squad dominated with authority and extended the gap without major trouble. The third set was tied at 16 points apiece before Márquez and setter Jimena Salinas, from the service line, pushed Mexico ahead to seal the straight-set victory.

Mexico held the advantage in attacks (42-29) and serves (12-5), while Chile led in blocking (11-7). Both teams committed a similar number of errors, Mexico 11, Chile 14.

Márquez led Mexico with 12 points (6 attacks, 3 blocks, 3 aces). Coming in as a substitute in the first set, Topete contributed 11 points (9 attacks, 2 aces). Salinas stood out with a match-high of 5 service aces.

For Chile, captain Florencia Giglio led all scorers with 17 points, while outside hitter Aguilera added 11 (5 attacks, 3 blocks, 3 aces).

At the end of the match, Mexican captain María Ximena Cruz said: “We never believed the first set was lost, because we kept fighting until the very last point. We are known for our grit and battling until the end. We listened to our coach’s instructions, and, for the second set, we corrected our mistakes, paid close attention, and found areas for improvement. We are already in the quarterfinals, now it’s about continuing to improve, fine-tuning details, and going for more.”

Chilean middle blocker Esperanza Basualto commented: “We are a young team, with an average age of 17, and that’s why we lack a bit of grit and experience. We’ve had ups and downs, but we are satisfied with what we are building. Due to our age, we need more consistency and the ability to recover after losing a point.”