Puerto Rico Earns First Win at Women’s Final Six

GUADALAJARA, Jalisco, September 16, 2025. – Puerto Rico earned its first victory at the 2025 NORCECA Women’s Final Six with a dominant 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-22) sweep over defending champions Dominican Republic on Tuesday night at Unidad Deportiva López Mateos in Guadalajara.

With the win, Puerto Rico evened its record to 1-1, while Dominican Republic also stands at 1-1. The top four teams at the conclusion of round-robin play will advance to the crossover semifinals. Next, Puerto Rico will face Canada and the Dominican Republic goes against the United States.

Puerto Rico’s well-balanced offense, led by Diana Reyes, Valeria Vázquez, and Decelise Champion, powered them to a comfortable first-set win. Strong blocking and aggressive serving disrupted the Dominican system, keeping the reigning champions under pressure from the start.

In the second set, Puerto Rico jumped to a commanding 16-9 lead, fueled by Champion’s blocking presence and timely kills. Despite strong attacking from Florangel Terrero and Alondra Tapia, Puerto Rico held firm, with Alba Hernández’s block on Tapia and Reyes’ attack against Angélica Hinojosa closing out the set.

The third set remained tight until 5-all, when Puerto Rico pulled ahead with a combination of Santiago’s tip, a setter kill from Wilmarie Rivera, and a Dominican error to lead 8-5. Terrero’s blocking and a late surge from Madeline Guillén kept the Dominican squad close, but Vázquez and Paola Santiago pushed Puerto Rico to a 22-19 advantage. Vázquez sealed the win with a decisive kill against Samaret Caraballo’s block.

Puerto Rico led in every scoring category: attacks (36-33), blocks (9-6), and aces (4-1), while also capitalizing on 26 Dominican errors compared to just 14 of their own.

Valeria Vázquez and Decelise Champion topped Puerto Rico’s scoring with 11 points each, including four blocks from Champion. Diana Reyes added 10 points. Madeline Guillén was the only Dominican player in double figures, leading all scorers with 16 points.

Valeria Vázquez, Puerto Rico’s top scorer: “Against Mexico yesterday we didn’t have a good serve, and today that was the key to our victory. Everyone who stepped up to the service line focused on putting pressure on the Dominican Republic. Winning in three sets gives us greater confidence. Tomorrow we can’t let our guard down.”

Madeline Guillén, Dominican Republic’s top scorer: “The coach had to make changes to our lineup because we had poor reception. We tried to do our best to get a good result. We improved in some aspects, but it wasn’t enough. We need to train our serve and reception better for the upcoming matches.”