Mexico heading to U19 World Championship

BURNABY, Canada, May 15, 2026:  Mexico swept Puerto Rico in their quarterfinal match on Friday at U19 NORCECA Boys’ Continental Volleyball Championship at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

The final score was 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-21) with Puerto Rico putting on pressure until the last point, but Mexico’s offense (57-37 attack points), blocking (7-3) and 3 aces were too much for the Puerto Ricans too handle. Puerto Rico, however, did gain more points from its opponent’s errors (19-12).

Mexico’s Head Coach Jose Eduardo Millan Lanz was proud of his team’s effort today: “We are very happy with the great result. It was a very important match for us. There was no tomorrow; there wasn’t going to be another opportunity. The players came out with a lot of character and determination, very disciplined tactically. It wasn’t easy to defeat Puerto Rico. We are very happy to have qualified for the World Championship.”

Mexican opposite David Preciado Maytorena led scoring with 20 points (17 kills, 2 blocks and an ace) followed by teammate Francisco Sebastian Merino Romero with 18 points

Mexico advances to the semifinals and is one of four teams (USA, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica) to qualify for the U19 World Championships in 2027 from this tournament.

In the semis, Mexico plays USA at 8 pm Pacific time on Saturday.