Puerto Rico Claims First Victory and Stays

in Contention for the Next Round

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 3, 2026. – Puerto Rico earned its first victory in Pool B of the women's volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, defeating Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-9).

The victory improved Puerto Rico's record to 1-1 and kept the team in contention for a place in the next round, while Costa Rica dropped to 0-2.

On the final day of pool play, Puerto Rico will face the Dominican Republic, while Costa Rica will take on Cuba.

After an even start to the opening set, Puerto Rico broke a 12-12 tie with a decisive 13-2 run to take control of the match. The Puerto Ricans maintained their momentum in the second set, pulling away again midway through the frame to claim another 25-14 victory.

The third set was completely dominated by Puerto Rico. Behind strong serving and effective blocking, they built an 11-4 advantage before closing out the match with a convincing 25-9 win.

Puerto Rico led in every scoring category, holding a 39-18 advantage in attacks, an 11-2 margin in blocks, and a 5-0 edge in aces. Puerto Rico committed 17 unforced errors while benefiting from 20 by Costa Rica.

Decelise Champion led Puerto Rico's offense with 14 points (10 attacks, 4 blocks), followed by Valeria Vázquez with 13 points (11 attacks, 2 blocks) and Paola Santiago with 12 (7 attacks, 2 blocks, 3 aces). Costa Rica's Nhya Barley finished as her team's leading scorer with 12 points.

Wilmarie Rivera, Puerto Rico's setter, said about the match: "We knew this was a match we had to win, and we stepped onto the court ready to compete and give our best, just as they did. Today was a good day for us, and we're going to build on this victory as we continue moving forward in the tournament."

Nhya Barley, Costa Rica's leading scorer, spoke about what they must improve : "The team looked a little flat. They came out very strong, and we struggled to respond. We need to improve our attitude, learn from this experience, and continue approaching every match with the same sense of responsibility we've always had."