The Cuban women's volleyball team concluded their participation in the Norceca Continental Olympic Qualification with a decisive victory over Puerto Rico in straight sets —25-22, 25-18, and 25-21— securing third place in the tournament held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The match took place at the Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace, where the Cuban team asserted their game from the start and did not concede any sets to the Puerto Ricans, according to the official site JIT.
In statistical terms, Cuba clearly dominated in blocks (12-7) and made significantly fewer 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 opposite Yalain Regla de la Peña from Cuba was the standout player of the match, scoring 12 points to lead both teams in scoring. The captain and middle blocker Laura Suárez contributed 10 points, while outside hitter 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 came after Cuba's defeat in the semifinals against the Dominican Republic, with a score of 3-1, with sets of 25-20, 19-25, 17-25, and 15-25. In the final, Canada defeated the Dominicans 3-1 and secured the only available Olympic berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Cuba, finishing in third place, did not obtain the ticket.
Despite not securing an Olympic spot, the tournament confirmed the progress of the Cuban team under the guidance of the Brazilian Luizomar De Moura, the first foreign coach in the history of women's volleyball on the island, who took on the role in August 2025.
The result in Santo Domingo adds to another recent achievement of the Cuban team: just days before, 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 secured the Olympic passport.
The context of the Olympic Qualifier was marked by the absence of the United States, which participated in the Norceca Continental but was excluded from the qualifying tournament due to being the host country for LA28 and already securing its spot. Only the champion earned a place, and it was Canada that took advantage of this opportunity.
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