|
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 23, 2022. -
Puerto Rico dominated Dominican Republic in four
sets 3-1 (26-28, 25-21, 25-20, 25-16) on day one
of the Boys’ U19 Pan American Cup in Guatemala
City.
Pool A started with Puerto Rico recovering from
falling in the first set to a spirited Dominican
Republic but pulling off their first tournament
win with a huge margin in every skill, 49-25
in attacks, 14-8 in blocks and 12-3 in service
points. Dominican Republic handed out 49 points
from errors, while Puerto Rico committed a total
of 26.
Outside hitter Diego Lopez of Puerto Rico led
all scorers with 21 points on 17 kills, one
block and 3 aces. Middle blocker Ramon Rosado
added 16 points, leading with 4 points on serves
and middle blocker Yann Colon scored 15 points,
including the most blocks with 5 points.
Opposite hitter Franklyn Reyes was the only
player with double figures for Dominican
Republic with 14 points.
Pool A matches on day two of the event feature
Puerto Rico against Honduras and Dominican
Republic facing host Guatemala.
Ramón Rosado, Captain Puerto Rico: “Our
nerves influenced us in the beginning; it’s our
first time at an international tournament so
big. Once we stabilized our passing and
organized our blocking, we had faster balls to
dominate Dominican Republic that always presents
a strong team, added to our rivalry”.
Romer González, Captain Dominican Republic: “The
team was much more united and animated at the
start of the match, which made a big difference
for winning the first set. We must improve in
passing and receiving to have more options for
scoring”.
Francisco Negron,
Head Coach Puerto Rico: “We
committed too many errors in the first set
because of our jitters, the boys had never
performed in a venue like this, in addition that
Dominican Republic had a great game and our
expectations of our performance were higher”.
Amaury Martínez, Head Coach Dominican
Republic: “We
were really motivated, we adjusted our receiving
to help our passing, which made the difference
in the first set. They played well for their
first international appearance; we hope the next
matches will be better”. |
