Peru edges Argentina in South American duel

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 3, 2016 – Peru outdueled Argentina in five sets to claim the triumph in the classic South American battle at the XV Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup on Sunday night.

Angela Leyva recorded 29 points to spark Peru to the 3-2 (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 20-25, 15-11) victory in Pool B. Both teams are now tied with 1-1 records. Carla Rueda (15), Maguilaura Frias (12) and Mirtha Uribe (10) also finished in double figures for the winners.  

Emilce Sosa and Paula Nizetich each registered 18 points for Argentina while Lucia Fresco and Florencia Busquets added 14 and 10, respectively.

Argentina gave away 32 points via unforced errors while leading in blocks 15-3. Peru led in attacks 65-56 and aces 9-7.

“Peru played better than us and was able to control the ball and counterattack,” said Guillermo Orduna, coach of Argentina. “A fifth set can go either way, and Peru played better.”

“We feel proud of playing a team like Argentina and our team is in a good moment in its process of development,” said Mauro Marasciulo, coach of Peru.

“It was a great match for the fans to enjoy,” Peru’s captain Mirtha Uribe said. “These two teams know each other very well. Today we took advantage of our qualities like playing as a team and using the power of Leyva.”

“We couldn’t press with our serves and the quality level of our attack was low,” said Nizetich. “We have to improve that part of our game in the next matches.”