Peru rallied and defeated Cuba 3-2 in a thriller

LIMA, Peru, September 6, 2018 - Peru fought and rallied to beat the Cuban national team 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 17-15), in its first match in the 2nd edition of the Final Four U20 held at the Manuel Bonilla Coliseum in Miraflores.

Peru started the game with an advantage on the scoreboard, however the Cubans came back taking advantage of the errors in the Peruvian defense. This would lead to the fifth set, where the host team went from 5-8 to win by a tight 17-15.

The red-and-white team dominated the serve (11-6), but was outscored in attack (50-58) and blocking (10-12). Cuba committed 38 unforced errors, while Peru reduced them to 27.

The top scorers in Peru were: Kiara Montes (19), Claudia Palza (12), Ariana Arciniega (10) and Flavia Montes (10); On the side of Cuba they led Vila Wittingham (23), Jessica Aguilera (15), Ailama Cese (12) and Evilania Martínez (11).

DT of Peru, Marco Queiroga: "In the fifth set the match was practically closed, but with teamwork we turned the tables, the dedication of the girls was very important, but we need to keep pace, we must play with intensity and know, how today, take advantage of opportunities to recover and win."

DT of Cuba, Tomás Fernández: "Despite the defeat, we achieved the goal, having a match in which the girls played five sets, and that leaves us a great lesson. Both teams made many mistakes, but the foundation that we more work is the serve and today it did not work."

The Peruvian team will play its second match on Friday 7 at 7:00 pm against Argentina, which today made its debut with a 3-0 victory over the Dominican Republic. For its part, Cuba will face the Dominicans at 17:00 Peruvian time.