Puerto Rico starts the U17 Pan American Cup beating Venezuela

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 27, 2024.- Puerto Rico defeated Venezuela 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 25-21) in their opening match of the Girls U17 Pan American Cup being held at the Multi-sport Dome in Guatemala City.

On the second day in Group B, Puerto Rico (1-0) will face Costa Rica and Venezuela (0-1) will play against the host country, Guatemala.

In a match that lasted a little over two hours (2:13), Puerto Rico managed to overcome Venezuela with a significant advantage in blocks (11-3) and attack points (57-47). Venezuela held an advantage in aces (5-3) and scored 32 points through Puerto Rico’s unforced errors while giving up 22 points on their own errors.

Puerto Rico’s outside hitter Annalee Champion led all scorers with 22 points on 20 attacks and 2 blocks. Outside hitter and team captain Kalia Alvarado contributed 20 points on 17 attacks, 2 blocks, and one ace. Additionally, Sara Lozano added 14 points on 11 attacks and 3 blocks.

Opposite hitter Valeria Ochoa and outside hitter Gabriela Noguera led Venezuela with 12 points each.

Kalia Alvarado, captain of Puerto Rico, said that at the beginning of the match they were a bit tense, “as we gained confidence, we were able to perform well”. Regarding what she thought they did well, she said, "our focus and spirit were the best aspects for today’s victory, but we need to improve on reception and decision-making”.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s captain, Gabriela Noguera, expressed that they did a good job today. “Considering it was the first match, we did well”. She said that the set they won was because they had a better attitude, “our attitude must be consistent throughout the match, but we need to limit the number of errors”.