Cuba's Diaris Perez (3) spikes for one of her 15 points in the victory over Costa Rica on Thursday
Havana, Cuba, March 20, 2015 - Cuba claimed a ticket to the FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship in Peru next August by defeating Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-2, 25-6, 25-11) on day three of the age-group Pan American Cup in Havana on Thursday. As winners of Pool B, Cuba have advanced directly to the semifinals of the event, which take place next Saturday at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum.
Diaris Perez (15) and Allama Cese (10) were Cuba’s best scorers in the 53-minute match. Allison Font finished with 8 for Costa Rica.
The last day of the preliminary phase saw three matches extend to the five-set limit, including a 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-5) victory for the Dominican Republic over Argentina to claim the top place in Pool A and the other direct ticket to the semifinals. Natalia Martinez scored a tournament-high 25 points, including seven aces, to lead the Dominicans, followed by Massiel Matos with 20. Lisbeth Rosario contributed five blocks among her 14 points, while Vielka Peralta added 13 in the victory. Argentina’s Anahi Tosi and María Corbalán had 21 and 20 in the loss.
In the other Pool B match, Puerto Rico edged Chile 3-2 (25-21, 29-31, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13). Puerto Rico’s Ivania Ortiz and Paola Salas each tallied 19 points in the winning effort, while Dariana Hollingsworth and Joscelyn Coronel added 13 and 11 points respectively. Josefa Marti had 17 points for Chile and Amalia Carvajal added 12.
In Pool A, Mexico outdueled Peru 3-2 (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 15-13) for their first victory of the preliminary phase. Karla Mireles topped Mexico with 15 points, followed by Karina Flores and Kathya García with 11 points apiece and Alondra Amaro with 10. Peru’s Katherine Regalado had a match-high 20 points. Diana De la Peña and Nicole Abreu finished with 15 apiece, while Maricarmen Guerrero had 14 points in the losing cause.
Preliminary phase final positions:
Pool A:Dominican Republic, win-loss ratio 3-0, 13 points
Argentina 1-2, 7 points
Peru 1-2, 7 points
México 1-2, 3 points
Pool B:Cuba 3-0, 14 points
Puerto Rico 2-1, 9 points
Chile 1-2, 7 points
Costa Rica 0-3, 0 points
Friday’s quarterfinals14:30 Puerto Rico v Peru
16:30 Argentina v Chile