With a Dramatic Finish, Colombia Defeats Peru to Remain Undefeated 

LEÓN, Mexico, August 20, 2024. – With a dramatic finish, Colombia defeated Peru 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 35-33) to maintain their undefeated record in Pool A of the 21st Women’s Pan American Cup being held in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. 

Colombia has a 3-0 record in Pool A and Peru is now 1-2.

Colombia (3-0) and the Dominican Republic (2-1) will face off on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. (local time), and at 8:00 p.m., Peru (1-2) will play against Mexico. 

Colombia secured the victory with a 62-43 advantage in attacks. Peru held a slight margin in blocks 6-5. Both teams scored one ace. Peru conceded fewer points from errors (17-21). 

Colombian Ana Karina Olaya was the top scorer in the match with 21 points (19 attacks, one block, one ace). Laura Grajales added 19 points, all from attacks. Valerin Carbali contributed 11 points, and Dayana Segovia 10. 

Ysabella Sánchez led Peru with 14 points (13 attacks, one block), and Karina Ortiz finished with 13 points (12 attacks, one ace). 

Colombia started the first set strong, gaining a comfortable lead (5-1) with effective kills from Ana Karina. Dayana Segovia joined the Colombian offense, overcoming the Peru’s efforts with  Aixa Vigil, Karina Ortiz, and Ysabella Sánchez. Once again, in the second set, Colombia stayed ahead, with Laura Grajales as the top scorer, contributing to the significant lead over Peru. In the third set, Peru recovered from a four-point deficit to tie the score at 16 points with the offense led by Ysabella and María Rojas. What followed was a point-for-point battle, where Peru capitalized on 11 Colombian errors, but in the end, Colombia sealed the set with a dramatic 35-33 finish. 

Hernan Osorio, Head Coach of Colombia: “The finish was dramatic because they are a strong opponent who always challenges and demands a lot from us. Peru has experienced and competitive players. We knew it was going to be tight, but we had to stay calm and resolve it well. We have very good players who are maturing with these challenges, and that allows us to stabilize our game and gain confidence to fulfill our task in the competition”.

Walter Lung, Head Coach of Peru: “In the third set, we tried to get the team to click, we moved pieces around, and the team was bolder in their play. In yesterday's match, the injury to our setter had a negative impact on us mentally, so we had to change the lineup today, and the team is coming together”.