Puerto Rico to Play for 5th–8th Place at the Pan American Cup

Puerto Rico to Play for 5th–8th Place at the Pan American Cup

LEÓN, Guanajuato, August 29, 2025. – Puerto Rico secured its place in the battle for positions 5 to 8 of the Senior Men’s Pan American Cup after defeating the Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) on Friday at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

The Puerto Ricans will continue fighting for fifth place in the tournament, while the Dominican Republic will compete between 9th and 12th.

Puerto Rico took control of the first set from point seven, with Jamal Ellis and Pelegrin Vargas leading the offense. In the second set, the lead grew to six points (13-7), thanks to contributions from Ellis and Pedro Molina, along with consecutive errors by the Dominican side. Although Ronny Molina responded with kills, Puerto Rico held on firmly to the advantage.

In the third set, the Dominicans rallied after trailing 13-16, cutting the gap to 15-16 with attacks from Rafael Burgos, Bryan Turbides, and Luther Rosario. However, Puerto Rico regained control with Vargas and Ellis, pulling ahead 23-17. After a long rally, Ellis put his team at match point, and Omar Hoyos sealed the victory with a spike that deflected off the Dominican defense.

Puerto Rico dominated in attack (43-30) and service (6-1), while the Dominican Republic held a slight edge in blocking (6-5). Errors were nearly even, 20 for Puerto Rico and 21 for the Dominicans.

Ellis led Puerto Rico with 18 points (14 attacks, 4 blocks), followed by Vargas with 13 (11 attacks, 2 aces). For the Dominican Republic, Luther Rosario scored 11 points (8 attacks, 3 blocks).

Puerto Rico’s middle blocker Angle Rivera said about the match: “We had a good level of play in the first and third sets; I feel we dropped it a little in the second. We go out to play hard no matter what position we are playing for or who our opponent is; we always give our best to represent our country.”

Dominican Republic libero Eliander Jiménez commented: “We had a good opponent in front of us, but I think the defeat was due to a problem of confidence in ourselves.”