The Women’s U23 Pan American Cup has a new Champion, Cuba

The Women’s U23 Pan American Cup has a new champion after Cuba’s victory in the gold medal match over the Dominican Republic 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20) at the Xalapa International Velodrome, Veracruz.

This is the first time in the history of the U23 Pan American Cup, since its inception in 2012, that a team other than the Dominican Republic has claimed the championship. In addition to this first gold medal, Cuba has won three bronze medals (2014, 2016, 2018).

Cuba dominated the match in attacks (55-42) and serves (8-4) but gave away more points on  errors (36-29). The Dominican Republic led in blocking (8-6).

Opposite hitter Lisania Grafort led Cuba with 24 points. Outside hitter and captain Whitney James scored 15 points. Yensy Kindelan and Yalain De La Peña also contributed to the victory with 9 points each.

For the Dominican Republic, opposite hitter Alondra Tapia led all scorers with 25 points, while middle blocker Florangel Terrero added 11 points.

Cuba started strong, winning the first set after stealing a set point from the Dominican Republic with Lisania Grafort, followed by Yalain De La Peña sealing the set, both with kills. Cuba also benefited from 13 Dominican errors. The Dominican Republic tied the match after exchanging leads in the second set, pulling away at point 22, and closing with a block by Alondra Tapia and a kill in the middle with Florangel Terrero. In the third set, Cuba quickly jumped to a three-point lead, mostly through strong serving, with Grafort leading the way alongside Whitney James in the attack. Cuba didn’t allow the Dominican Republic to gain ground, despite their effective blocking in the fourth set.

Whitney James, Captain of Cuba: “We focused on our side, on our game, and not on what they were doing. We knew we could win the gold medal; it was our goal from the start of the event, and we knew we had the level. Our discipline today made the difference with the Dominican Republic”.

Leivis García, Coach of Cuba: “It was a cautious match. The Dominican Republic undoubtedly has a great history; their name carries weight, and they had players who competed in the Olympic Games, which commands respect. Our success came from tactical discipline; when we made mistakes, they grew, but when we maintained discipline, everything fell into place. We talked in the morning practice session that the game would depend on intelligence and strength.”