Havana, June 11 (RHC) – The Cuban men’s national team fell in three sets to the reigning champion, Poland, in their debut in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), in the first week held in the Chinese city of Linyi.
The world’s top-ranked team won 25-16, 25-20, and 25-21, according to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) website, demonstrating superiority in attack (37-33), blocking (11-7), and serving (6-3).
The team coached by Jesús Cruz committed 21 errors compared to the European squad’s 14.
Individually, Bartosz Gomulka was the top scorer with 15 points, followed by Cuban Alejandro Miguel González (14) and fellow Pole Jakup Majchrzak (12), the only two players to reach double figures.
This Thursday, the Cuban team will have a rest day and will then face Ukraine (12), Slovenia (13), and China (14), in that order.
For this initial phase, Cruz has the services of the other opposite hitter, Daniel Martínez, also from Matanzas, and the outside hitters Julio César Cárdenas (Matanzas), Nivaldo Díaz (Havana), Víctor Ramón Andreu (Camagüey), and Bryan Camino (Mayabeque).
The middle blockers are David Fiel and Alexis Wilson (Havana), Thiago Suárez (Pinar del Río), and Jakdiel Contreras (Mayabeque).
The roster is completed by setters Christian Thondike and Julio Alberto Gómez (Havana) and liberos Yonder García (Havana) and Lázaro Yudiel Arrechea (Cienfuegos).
The head coach is accompanied by assistant coaches Mario Izquierdo and Manuel Espinosa, physiotherapist Eladio Vives, and the national commissioner in charge of the delegation, Yumilka Ruiz.
In China, Martínez, Cárdenas, Andreu, Díaz, Wilson, Contreras, and Arrechea will make their VNL debuts, while Havana middle blockers Robertlandy Simón and Javier Concepción, outside hitters Marlon Yant (Villa Clara) and Miguel Ángel López (Cienfuegos), and opposite hitter José Massó (Guantánamo) will join the team on the 13th.
During the second week of competition, the Cubans will play in Orléans, France, against the United States (24th), Olympic bronze medalists in Paris 2024; France, the current Olympic champions (25th); Serbia (26th); and Iran (28th).
The Caribbean team will close out the qualifying stage in Kansai, Japan, where they will face Belgium (July 15th), Argentina (17th), Canada (18th), and Italy (19th), the reigning world champions.
The final is scheduled to take place from July 29th to August 2nd in Ningbo, China.
