Puerto Rico Opens NORCECA Girls' U19 Continental

Championship with Victory

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 20, 2026. – Puerto Rico opened its campaign at the NORCECA Girls' U19 Continental Championship with a 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-17, 25-15) victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands on the second day of competition.

With the result, the U.S. Virgin Islands completed Pool B play with a 0-2 record, finishing in third place and now awaiting the outcome of the final day of pool play to determine their opponent in the next stage.

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, remains in contention for the top spot in Pool B, which will be decided in its next match against Mexico.

After dropping the second set, Puerto Rico responded immediately, regained control of the match in the third, and closed it out convincingly in the fourth to secure its first victory of the championship.

Puerto Rico held the advantage in the match's key statistical categories, leading the U.S. Virgin Islands in attacks (50-32), blocks (9-2), and aces (11-6), although it also committed more unforced errors (31-26).

Anna Aquino and Carinialys Román led Puerto Rico's offense with 18 points each, while Camila Colón contributed 16. For the U.S. Virgin Islands, Brielle Nestor finished with a team-high 18 points.

After the match, Puerto Rico captain Daniela Echeandia said: "Even though it was our first match, we played really well and showed all the hard work we've put in during practice. Most importantly, we played together as a team. We're facing Mexico next, and we're highly motivated and confident that we can earn the victory."

U.S. Virgin Islands captain Brielle Nestor commented: "We approached this match with a positive mindset and fought with everything we had. The second set was the best we've played so far in this tournament. Playing against Puerto Rico showed us how we need to compete and proved that our team is capable of achieving great things."