Puerto Rico wins five-set thriller at NORCECA Men's Final Six

PONCE, Puerto Rico, October 6^th, 2025.- Puerto Rico won a five-set thriller match against the Dominican Republic (25-23, 25-19, 19-25, 26-28, 15-7) in their opening match at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.

The Dominican Republic took an early lead in the first set by six points (11–4), but Puerto Rico gradually gained control and won the set 25–23. Puerto Rico dominated the second set, winning 25–19. The Dominicans held a three-point advantage in the third set (16–13) and went on to win it 25–19. They continued their momentum in the fourth set, edging out Puerto Rico 28–26 to decide the match in a tie-break. Puerto Rico responded strongly, taking the fifth set 15–7

Puerto Rico led the Dominican Republic in attacks (67-51) and serves (8-2), but the Dominicans controlled the blocking (10-6) and committed fewer unforced errors than Puerto Rico (29-39).

Puerto Rico’s offense was led by outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas, who scored 29 points (27 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace), followed by team captain Pedro Molina with 19 points (15 attacks, 1 block, and 3 aces). For the Dominican Republic, opposite hitter Adrian Figueroa and middle blocker Moises Ortiz were the top scorers with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Pedro Molina, captain of Puerto Rico: “It's always good to start our first match of the tournament well. We know the Dominican Republic always gives us a great game, and we expected nothing less. It was a very long match but thank God we took the win. It's a new season, we have some veterans helping us with experience and leading us, and it's a great combination. For tomorrow, we need to make fewer mistakes, close out the sets, and not rely on the other team.”

Wilfrido Hernández, Captain of Dominican Republic: “First, I want to congratulate Puerto Rico for the victory. It was a hard-fought match, and in the end, the team that was more consistent and made fewer errors won. They were much better with their aggressive serve, and I think that was the difference, although in the end, I believe we performed quite well regardless of the result. We just have to keep moving forward and try to do well on the next matches.”

On the second day of the NORCECA Men’s Final Six, Puerto Rico will play Mexico, and the Dominican Republic will face Suriname.

Before the match, a small inauguration ceremony took place with the presence of the Mayoress of Ponce, Marlese Sifre; Ponce’s Senator, Marially González; First Executive Vice-President of NORCECA, Ariel Sainz; and the President of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, Dr. César Trabanco.

The Mayoress welcomed the fans and teams, stating that they were very happy and proud to host this international event at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium. She also thanked NORCECA and the Puerto Rican Federation for selecting Ponce as the host of such an important tournament.