Senior Women’s Pan American Cup, A Significant Challenge

LEÓN & IRAPUATO, Mexico, August 17, 2024. – A significant challenge awaits the 12 teams and their coaches who will compete in the XXI Women’s Pan American Women's Volleyball Cup, to be held from August 18 to 25 in the cities of León and Irapuato in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The Pan American Cup grants FIVB World Ranking points and will kick off on Sunday in two venues simultaneously; Poo A at the Domo de La Feria in León and Pool B at the Inforum Irapuato in Irapuato.

Facundo Morando, Head Coach of Argentina: “We are bringing a very new team, in the process of renewal, aiming to score as many ranking points as possible, as well as preparing for next year’s World Championship. Argentina’s goal at this moment is to prepare the new players with the upcoming competitions in mind: World Championship, Pan American Cup, trying to earn points for the VNL, and starting a new process with an eye toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games”.

Shannon Winzer, Head Coach of Canada: “We are looking forward to this year’s PanAm Cup. It is a great opportunity for us to work with our NextGen athletes against strong national teams from the region and give them invaluable international experience that is so essential as we look towards LA2028. We arrived a week early for an exhibition series vs Mexico and this preparation will put us in a great position to have a strong showing at this event”.

Eduardo Guillaume, Head Coach of Chile: “We have been solidifying ourselves in recent years. What's coming in the Cup? Gaining more experience, solidifying our game. Last year was very positive, with historic results like fourth place in the South American Championship and fifth place in the Pan American Games, entering ranked in eighth”.

Hernán Osorio, Head Coach of Colombia: “It is clearly a very big challenge. The name of Colombia in volleyball has been building a significant history in the continent. Therefore, at this moment of change in the process, with a new coach and federation, our goal is to do it in the best possible way, in line with what the girls have developed in recent years. It is a great responsibility, both for them and for us, because of what it means to represent the country. We are making many administrative and technical efforts to fulfill this commitment and ensure that the name of Colombia is held high”.

Braulio Godinez, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “I just took over the national team, and we have a group that I feel has talent, but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to show it now. Our goal is to start preparing for the Central American Games and the Central American Cup next year. Since the level of play in Central America has become much more competitive, we want to see if we can regain the dominance we had many years ago. We are working with a mixed group of young and some experienced players, trying to build empathy between the players and me, as they have been with other coaches before. I believe the advantage is that many have gone through a process with various teams, and that helps us a lot in consolidating the group. The idea is to channel that experience."

Leivis García, Head Coach of Cuba: "We are presenting a team with some new players, including girls who haven't been able to compete this year, and some of them had health issues in the final stage, leading to a preparation deficit. We are focused on evaluating some athletes for the next four-year cycle, but with a strong desire to play volleyball. We will face opponents we've met before, and this Cup will be very exciting; we will have to give it our all to get as close to the podium as possible."

Marcos Kwiek, Head Coach of the Dominican Republic: “We have just returned from a great experience, and we are coming with a very different team. We will be testing young players who are already part of the project but will have the opportunity to play with the senior team. We hope everything goes well, and that everyone can contribute and help the team reach our goal, which is to compete for a medal.”

Nicola Negro, Head Coach of Mexico: “After winning two medals in the first events of 2024 (silver in Final 4 and bronze in Final 6), we would really like to finish the season with another medal. We know it will be much more difficult because the level of competition is higher. Very strong and good teams are coming to Mexico. We had some issues with our roster during preparation; some players won't be able to participate due to university commitments and others due to injuries, so we are not in an ideal position. We will aim for the best possible result, knowing that the strength of the opponents is significant”.

Walter Lung, Head Coach of Peru: “Professor Rizola entrusted me with the task of facing this new challenge for Peru at a time when there is a small restructuring process across all of Peru’s women’s national teams; he is committed to the U17 World Championship. We have worked with the senior team over the past two and a half months in the best way possible. The players here are giving their best. This is a test for them, as they have accepted Professor Rizola’s challenge and are eager to showcase themselves on the senior team”.

José Mieles Monge, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “We are here aiming to be on the medal stand, to end the year as it should be, which is reaching the podium. We have a fairly diverse group, with both veterans and young players trying to improve every day; we have players from the U19 team, trying to maintain continuity in our transitions, and we believe that in this tournament we can achieve that”.

Claudius Straal, Head Coach of Suriname: “Facing a new challenge will be a good contest for our girls. They are going to experience what high level means to them and how the young ones have to practice reaching that level. We are bringing three or four players who have experience”.

Bradley Rostratter, Head Coach of United States: “We’re excited. There are 12 good teams, there’s a lot of volleyball ahead of us for the next eight days. Our team is prepared. We played a lot of volleyball in the last three weeks and had a tough training block. We brought 14 athletes, and we think they will all be able to play roles on the court to help us manage such a heavy load and high volume of matches and tournament play. For USA the goal is always to bring back the gold medal and strive to be the best we can be every single day”.