Cuba qualify onto the semifinals at NORCECA Women’s

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, September 14, 2011 – Cuba advanced to the semifinals of the NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship after defeating an injury-decimated Dominican Republic team in straight sets (25-15, 29-27, 25-22) to win  Pool C on Wednesday.

Cuba’s Yoana Palacios and Yanelis Santos collected 14 and 13 points respectively to lead the winners while Rosanna Giel and Yusidey Silie added 9 and 8. Dominicans Bethania de la Cruz, Dahiana Burgos and Candida Arias each recorded 7 points.

Both teams scored with five blocks but Cuba had a 7-3 advantage in points from the service line.

Three regular players of Dominican Republic – Prisilla Rivera, Milagros Cabral and Annerys Vargas- didn’t see action on Wednesday. Rivera is nursing a tender left knee, Cabral has a minor right plantar problem and Vargas is reportedly with a bad right shoulder.

“We are very happy for the victory but we expected another type of game,” Cuba’s Silie said. “They didn’t play their regular side for some reasons. We played our game.”

“We lost 3-0 and are thinking about tomorrow’s match,” Cabral said at the post-game pres conference.

“There is not very much to say about this match. We are happy with the victory,” Cuba’s coach Juan Carlos Gala said.

Dominican Republic’s coach Marcos Kwiek said: “It was not a good game for us and the injuries of Rivera and Cabral make me worry and now another player (Sidarka Nuñez) injured the hamstring.”