U-20 Pan Am Cup in Havana next Monday

HAVANA, Cuba, March 14, 2013 – The Women’s U-20 Pan American Cup, where one last ticket to the FIVB Junior World Championship is available, will take place at Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum from March 18 to 23.

Four teams already qualified to the world event in Czech Republic next June –Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic and Mexico- are grouped in Pool A while the non-qualified Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and hosts Cuba compose Pool B.

The top ranked team of the preliminary round in Pool B will be granted the ticket to the world championship, following a decision of the Volleyball Pan American Union.

The top two ranked teams in Pool A will advance directly to the semifinals while the third and fourth placed sides will meet in the quarterfinals with the top two ranked teams in Pool B.

The organizing committee of the tournament is presided over by Eugenio George Laffita, president of the Cuban National Federation, assisted by Ariel Sainz, recently appointed as volleyball national commissioner.

The members of the control committee are expected in Havana next Friday with teams and referees arriving one day later.

The first edition of the U-20 Pan American Cup was held in Lima, Peru in 2011 with Peru, Dominican Republic and Cuba finishing on the podium in that same order. Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and El Salvador were the others participants.

The schedule for the preliminary round is the following:

March 18

14:00    Chile v Puerto Rico

16:00    Mexico v Colombia

18:00    Dominican Republic v Peru

20:00    Cuba v Costa Rica

March 19

14:00    Peru v Colombia

16:00    Dominican Republic v Mexico

18:00    Costa Rica v Puerto Rico

20:00    Cuba v Chile

March 20

14:00    Dominican Republic v Colombia

16:00    Costa Rica v Chile

18:00    Mexico v Peru

20:00    Cuba v Puerto Rico