USA dominates Pool B to reach semifinals unbeaten

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, November 6, 2025. – The United States dominated Cuba 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-17) to finish first in Pool B at the 2025 NORCECA Girls’ U17 Continental Championship, being held at the Gimnasio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica.

With a perfect 3-0 record without dropping a single set, the United States advanced directly to Saturday’s semifinals. Cuba (0-3) will move to the classification round for positions 5 to 8.

The United States outperformed Cuba in every scoring category, leading 38-13 in attacks, 11-2 in blocks, and 17-5 in service points, while giving away 22 points on errors compared to Cuba’s 9.

Team captain Lexi Coleman led the U.S. with 11 points, followed by Maya Ogbogu with 10, both playing in the first and third sets. Anelys Morales and Yusdely Cabrera led Cuba with 5 points each.

The U.S. jumped to an early 12-3 lead in the opening set, executing strong swings from multiple positions and serving effectively to keep Cuba out of system.

Cuba started better in the second set, taking an 8-5 lead behind Cabrera’s offense and extending it to 10-5 with help from Yacina Vizcaíno. However, Mary-Christine Crutcher’s powerful kills and serves helped the U.S. tie the score at 11. A massive spike by Julia Masselink and a Cuban error put the U.S. ahead 16-14, with Madison Middleton adding key plays as the set closed with a service ace from Kaelyn Easton.

The third set was tightly contested, tied at 11 and later 16-14 in favor of Cuba after a block from Lauren Correoso over Ogbogu. But steady serving from Mesa Jameson and a spike from Coleman turned the tide, giving the U.S. an 18-16 advantage they would not relinquish.

U.S. Head Coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park reflected on her team’s performance in pool-play, saying: “We’re very excited. I think we played some really good competition in this first round—Cuba with their big blocking, Mexico with a tremendous offense, and Puerto Rico’s incredible fighting spirit. It was amazing to see how our team adapted to each new opponent. We’re just beginning to play our best volleyball; we haven’t peaked yet. I’ve been testing several variations because I wanted everyone to feel what it’s like to compete internationally. For the semifinals and finals, we’ll probably settle into one lineup.”

Nayelis Pita, Cuba’s libero, said: “We had a good attitude against the strongest team in the group. We tried everything and for that I am very proud. We’re going to keep working to improve.”