Havana, Aug 25 (RHC) – The Cuban national team will face the undefeated Canada in the semifinals this Tuesday, having secured a direct ticket to the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship at the Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace in Santo Domingo.
The team coached by Brazilian Luizomar De Moura achieved both objectives in the quarterfinals, defeating Mexico in straight sets of 25-21, 25-19, and 25-20.
The Cuban women dominated with a more effective attack (45-40), blocking (8-6), and service points (2-1), coupled with fewer errors (13-20), which is encouraging given that errors are one of the most persistent weaknesses in Cuban teams.
Individually, opposite hitter Yalain de la Peña was the top scorer of the match with 17 points, followed by outside hitters Eviliana Martínez and Diaris Pérez, both with 12.
“Tactically, we played very well. Mexico is a very well-trained team, with great technique on the court and very fast. For me, the key was the strategy we used. I am very proud of my girls,” De Moura told the press.
Nicola Negro, coach of the Mexican team, commented, “Cuba dominated us. They played very well, and we had a lot of difficulties on offense. We had positive feelings going into this match, but today we deserved this lesson from Cuba. I congratulate Luizomar, who in less than a year has managed to bring Cuba back to its previous level of play.”
With this victory, the Cuban women also secured a spot in the Olympic qualifier for Los Angeles 2028, which will take place at the same venue on the 28th and 29th of this month. They will compete against the top four teams in the NORCECA tournament, excluding the United States, which is the host country.
The other semifinal match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. between the undefeated Dominican Republic and the United States, which defeated Puerto Rico with straight scores of 26-24, 25-15, and 25-17.
