Mexico defeats Puerto Rico in their NORCECA opener

WINNIPEG, Canada, September 2, 2019 - Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (28-26, 25-18, 25-22) at the Men’s 2019 NORCECA Continental Championships today in Winnipeg, Canada.

Puerto Rico did have an early lead, and were up 21-17 in the first set, but let Mexico come back and control the match after that.

Opposite Maurice Torres and Puerto Rican captain led all scorers with 17 points.  Daniel Vargas of Mexico led the winning side with 15 points.

The match was significant for both teams, as this event also serves as a pre-qualifier for the zonal Olympic continental qualifier next January.

Mexico head coach, Jorge Miguel Azair Lopez: “We are very happy. We have been trying a new lineup, and I’m very happy with the way they performed.  We had very good teamwork and good communication on the timing of our blocks. And overall the players worked well together.  It’s a good to win 3-0.”

Puerto Rico, captain, Maurice Torres: “We didn’t play well.  We can play a lot better and we’ve shown we can play a lot better than that. To lose to a team 3-0 at this stage is really crucial for us. There’s going to be a lot of learning between today and tomorrow, and the day after that. We let too many outside factors, such as the referees, control this game and affect our play. So it’s pretty disappointing to lose to a team that we know we can beat and should beat. We will re-group and get ready for Canada next.”