USA Wins U21 gold; Puerto Rico silver  

Toronto, Canada. June 30, 2024:  The United States won the gold medal of the Women’s NORCECA U21 Continental Championship at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

The USA swept the final 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-16) over Puerto Rico today.

USA dominated in attacking points 46-24, blocks 9-2, aces 7-3, but USA made two more errors 15-13 than its opponent.

Middle blocker Andi Jackson scored a match-high 14 points; Brookly DeLeye, who was also tournament MVP, contributed 11 points.

Outside hitter Chareika Carrión contributed 13 points for Puerto Rico.

This win is also significant as it gives USA a NORCECA berth to the 2025 U21 World Championships (Women).

Team USA’s head coach, Heather Olmstead, said: “I think our team has done a great job; everyone has been ready to play at any time. Our offense was great all the tournament. It was exciting to see us play well against Puerto Rico. Also, congrats to Puerto Rico, I thought they played a great tournament.

“I’m happy for the USA U21 team to win the gold and get the bid for the World Championships. All these players are eligible for next year’s U21 and they set a great tone. They worked hard and did everything that we asked them to – they were all-in for the team all the time.”

Andi Jackson, USA player, said: “We just did an amazing job coming together and working with our differences … . Our week of training before the tournament was very rigorous but I think everyone handled it really well.  I think the relationships that we built at the training before this really helped lead us to victory. We were one on the court. The relationships that we have and how we support each other as teammates are our foundations.”