In a nail-biting five-set battle, Mexico clinched its second victory in Pool A of the XXI Women’s Pan American Cup, defeating Canada with scores of 19-25, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24, and 15-12. The win improved Mexico’s record to 2-1, while Canada fell to 1-2. Mexico led in attacks (58-53) and blocks (11-10), while both sides scored 7 direct service points each. Notably, Mexico committed fewer errors (32) compared to Canada’s 25.
Grecia Castro was the standout player for Mexico, leading with 27 points, the highest of the tournament so far. Uxue Guereca and Jocelyn Urías also made significant contributions, with Guereca adding 16 points and Urías scoring 6 blocks out of her 15 points. For Canada, Avery Heppell led with 17 points, supported by Jasmine Rivest (14 points), Nyadholi Thokbuom (13 points), and Abagayle Guezen (12 points).
The match started with Canada taking the first set thanks to effective blocking by Thokbuom and Heppell. Mexico bounced back in the second set, leveraging strong performances from Castro, Urías, and Guereca to level the match. Canada won the third set with a crucial block from Heppell and a couple of errors by Mexico. Mexico then secured the fourth set to force a decisive tiebreaker, where they capitalized on Canadian mistakes to win 15-12.
In other matches, the United States defeated Cuba 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-10), with Verónica Perry leading the Americans with 15 points. Colombia maintained their perfect record with a 3-0 victory over Peru, while Argentina stayed unbeaten by defeating Puerto Rico 3-0. Chile earned its first win of the tournament with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic also secured a win against Suriname, improving their record to 2-1.
