The vibrant city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is abuzz as the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup gears up for its semifinal showdowns. The Round Robin stage has concluded, and the semifinal pairings have been locked in. Unbeaten team USA is set to square off against 3rd placed Mexico in the first semifinal. Meanwhile, the hosts, Dominican Republic, are geared up for a thrilling encounter with Cuba in the second semifinal.
The competition had to adjust its schedule due to the unexpected tropical storm Franklin. In the rearranged matches, Dominican Republic showcased their dominance by vanquishing Puerto Rico. Canada, in an edge-of-the-seat 5-setter, managed to get the better of Cuba.
The preliminary phase rankings have been settled with the USA leading the chart, followed by the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico at the bottom.
Detailing one of the postponed matches, Canada made an impressive comeback against Cuba, with a scoreline of 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-13) at the iconic “Ricardo Arias” National Volleyball Palace. Sydney Grills shone for Canada, clocking in 20 points, with Nyadholi Thoktuom adding another 15. Dezirett Madan, with a commendable 21 points, led the Cuban team.
In another match, the Dominican ‘Queens of the Caribbean’ exhibited sheer dominance, as they humbled the Puerto Rican team with a 3-0 victory (25-6, 25-8, 25-11). It was the lowest-scoring match in this year’s preliminary round. Vielka Peralta and Lisvel Eve stood out for the Dominicans, each scoring 11 points. For Puerto Rico, Sofía Vega and Camila Soto were the top scorers, each tallying 4 points.
