Cuban duo Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo kicked off their campaign at the Gstaad Elite 16 tournament—part of the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Pro Tour—with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Brazil’s Loyola Stein and Santo Maior Wanderley.

Competing in Group F, the Caribbean pair dropped the first set 23-25 but rallied to take the next two (21-18, 16-14) in a tightly contested match. The Cubans edged their opponents in attacking (37-34) and blocking (6-5) while committing fewer errors (14-15), though the Brazilians held the advantage in service aces (5-2).

Alayo delivered a standout performance, scoring a match-high 31 points (24 spikes, 6 blocks, and 1 ace), matching Stein’s total (24-4-3). Díaz contributed 14 points (13 spikes, 1 ace), while Wanderley added 13 (10 spikes, 1 block, 2 aces).

Currently ranked 26th in the world, the Cuban pair will next face Switzerland’s Luini and Immers on Thursday as they aim to advance in the prestigious tournament.