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The Cuban duo of beach volleyball, consisting of Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz, achieved a historic qualification for the round of 16 at the 2025 Adelaide World Championship this Tuesday, defeating the Americans Miles Partain and Andy Benesh in a thrilling match, old acquaintances on the international scene.
Although Cuba arrived with slight favoritism due to their ranking, facing a pair from the United States —regardless of which— is never easy. This was clearly demonstrated in a match filled with ups and downs, tension, and comebacks.
A first set that almost slipped away
According to the specialized page CubanSp1ke on Facebook, the Cubans clearly dominated the start of the match and took a 15-10 lead, but lapses in concentration towards the end nearly cost them the set. Still, they managed to close it out better and won 21-18, a crucial victory to secure the tie-break in case of complications.
Partain and Benesh, despite their numerous unforced errors, demonstrated offensive power and superiority in various technical fundamentals, forcing the Caribbean duo to play with precision.
United States comes back in the second set
Cuba started strong again in the second set, taking a 12-9 lead at the technical timeout. But then everything changed: the Americans tightened their serve, capitalized on defensive lapses, and scored four consecutive breaks to take the set 21-19. The ghosts of previous eliminations—Paris, Rome, Tlaxcala—began to linger once more.
A character tie-break
The venue itself revealed that instead of succumbing to pressure, Alayo and Díaz emerged with determination in the decisive set. They took a lead of 6-4, extended it to 13-10, and although the United States tried to respond, a final spike from Noslen Díaz secured the victory at 15-12 and marked their historic advancement to the round of 16: their first time reaching this stage in a World Cup.
The match statistics
Jorge Luis Alayo: 25 points (21/35 attack – 60%), 2 blocks, 2 aces, 1 defense
Noslen Díaz: 14 pts (14/20 attacking – 70%), 13 defenses
Unforced errors: Cuba 6 – United States 16
The next challenge: another American duo
In the round of 16, the Cubans will face Chaim Schalk and James Shaw, the only American pair still in the tournament and ranked 20th in the world. They arrive after winning their group and eliminating the Argentinians Capogrosso.
It will be an even more complex challenge: Schalk and Shaw are powerful in the net, consistent in attack, and tactically very solid. Cuba will have two days to prepare for a match that will undoubtedly be a closely contested battle.
Date and time of the game:
November 20
3:00 a.m. (Cuba time)
9:00 a.m. (Europe)
Alayo and Díaz are just one step away from entering the world's top eight, something unprecedented for Cuba in the current format. Four more finals ahead.
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