Dominicans will get final touch training in Japan 

SANTO DOMINGO , Dominican Republic , October 11, 2006.- The Dominican Republic Women’s Team will travel to Japan next Saturday to complete their training before the World Championship.

On Tuesday, the team received the National Flag presented by Mr. Felipe Payano, the Minister for Sports and Physical Education of the country, during a ceremony at his offices in Santo Domingo .

“Our goal is to finish in third place in our pool in the preliminary phase and then see which will be our opponents in the next phase and set a realistic target,” said Miguel Beato Cruz, the Dominican coach. “But with no doubt, we are not going there just to compete. In every match our goal will be to win it.”

The reining Pan American and Central American and Caribbean Games champions are part of Pool B in Sapporo , with Russia , China , Azerbaijan , Germany and Mexico .

The Dominicans took the gold medal in the XX Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia this year defeating Cuba and also won the TV Azteca Cup in Mexico beating Peru . They finished in third place, behind Brazil and Cuba in the V Pan American Cup and placed eighth in the FIVB World Grand Prix.

“We have been training very hard and the results are starting to show,” Cruz said. “Our team has a combination of experience and youth and we are very optimistic in this phase of our preparation for the World Championship.”

The starting team is one that has Cosiris Rodriguez, Annerys Vargas, Milagros Cabral, Nurys Arias, Cindy Rondon and Juana Gonzalez.

The team is completed by Evelyn Carrera, Rosa Caso, Yudelkys Bautista, Bethania de la Cruz, Karla Echenique, Kenia Moreta, Prisilla Rivera and Altagracia Mambru.