The Cuba women's volleyball team concluded its participation in the Norceca Continental Olympic Qualifier with a convincing victory over Puerto Rico in straight sets —25-22, 25-18, and 25-21— to secure third place in the tournament held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The match was played at the Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace, where the Cuban team dominated from the start and did not drop a single set against the Puerto Ricans, according to the official site JIT.
In statistical terms, Cuba clearly dominated in blocks (12-7) and made significantly fewer unforced errors than their opponent (13 compared to 25). The Cuban team also had a slight edge in attacks (36-35), although Puerto Rico outperformed them in service points (6-2).
The opposing player Yalain Regla De La Peña was the standout figure of the match, scoring 12 points to lead both teams in scoring. The captain and middle blocker Laura Suárez contributed 10 points, while the outside attacker Diaris Pérez added nine. On the Puerto Rican side, Decelise Champion was the most productive with 11 points, followed by Adriana Rodríguez with 10.
The third place was secured after Cuba's defeat in the semifinals against the Dominican Republic by 3-1, with scores of 25-20, 19-25, 17-25, and 15-25. In the final, Canada defeated the Dominicans by 3-1 and claimed the only available Olympic spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Cuba, finishing in third place, did not obtain a ticket.
Despite not securing an Olympic spot, the tournament confirmed the team's progress under the leadership of the Brazilian Luizomar De Moura, the first foreign head coach in the history of Cuban women's volleyball, who took the position in August 2025.
The result in Santo Domingo adds to another recent achievement of the Cuban team: days earlier, the Caribbean Morenas returned to the podium of the Norceca Continental Championship by defeating the Dominican Republic 3-0 in the bronze medal match, marking their first continental medal in 15 years, since 2011.
That bronze also secured Cuba's qualification for the 2027 Women's Volleyball World Championship, making this cycle one of the most promising for the team in the last decade, despite not having achieved an Olympic passport.
The context of the qualifier was marked by the absence of the United States, which participated in the Norceca Continental but was excluded from the qualifying tournament since it is the host country for LA28 and already secured its spot. Only the champion of the qualifier would obtain a spot, and it was Canada that took advantage of this opportunity.
Related videos:
Filed under: