United States Finishes Final Six Preliminary Round Undefeated

ZINACANTEPEC, Mexico, September 25, 2026.- United States completed the round-robin stage of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six undefeated after defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 25-13) on Friday at the Unidad Deportiva Juan Fernández Albarrán in Zinacantepec.

United States finished atop the standings with a perfect 5-0 record, while Puerto Rico closed the round robin at 2-3. Both teams advanced to the semifinals.

The Americans held a 56-46 advantage in attacks, while both teams recorded six blocks and two aces. The teams also finished with similar numbers in errors, with United States committing 27 and Puerto Rico 29.

Puerto Rico challenged the undefeated Americans from the start. After United States took a closely contested first set 25-22, Puerto Rico responded strongly in the second, controlling the set 25-18 to even the match.

United States adjusted and regained its rhythm in the third. Puerto Rico remained within striking distance, but the Americans were more effective down the stretch to take the set 25-21. USA then took complete control in the fourth, steadily pulling away before closing the match with a commanding 25-13 win.

Claire Hoffman led the United States with 15 points, Samantha Francis contributed 11 and Caitlin Baird added 10.

Nataly García led Puerto Rico with 14 points, followed by Leandra Mangual with 13.

Claire Hoffman, top scorer of United States: “I think we struggled to adapt in the first two sets. They came out with a different lineup than we were expecting, and I don’t think we adjusted quickly enough. They’re also a really scrappy team and they’re not going to let the ball hit the ground. Some of the things that had worked for us against other teams weren’t working against them, and it took us those first two sets to find our rhythm. I’m proud of how we were able to turn it around and, by that last set, really take control. It feels good going into tomorrow.”

Nataly García, top scorer of Puerto Rico: “We’re extremely happy to advance to the semifinals. We’re going to keep working on what we showed today so we can come back tomorrow with fewer errors. At the beginning of the match, we were in control offensively and defensively, but later I felt that, at least on my part, the energy dropped a little.”