Cuba rallies to down PR in 5 sets in Women’s Final Six opener
By THE STAR STAFF
Cuba opened the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six with a comeback 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 25-19 and 15-12) victory over Puerto Rico earlier this week at the Juan Fernández Albarrán Sports Complex in Zinacantepec, in the Mexican state of Mexico.
After dropping the first set, Puerto Rico bounced back to take a 2-1 lead, but failed to capitalize on the advantage, allowing Cuba to recover in the fourth set and force a decisive fifth set.
In the deciding set, the teams were tied at 12-12 when Cuba’s Laura Suárez scored on an attack and Puerto Rico committed two attacking errors, allowing Cuba to score the final three points and secure the victory.
“I think we faltered and made key errors in the final set,” said Wilmarie Rivera, Puerto Rico’s captain. “Cuba had been playing very well, just as we had, and that is why they won the match.”
Puerto Rico outperformed Cuba 66-51 in attack points, while both teams recorded 13 blocks. Cuba held a 5-3 advantage in service aces and capitalized on Puerto Rico’s 31 errors, compared to their own 24.
Evilania Martínez led Cuba with 19 points, followed by Whitney James with 14, team captain Suárez with 13 and Yalain Regla de la Peña with 11.
Puerto Rico’s Dariana Hollingsworth was the match’s top scorer with 23 points. Valeria Vázquez scored 13 points, Adriana Rodríguez contributed 11 -- including a match-high six blocks -- and Ivania Ortiz finished with 10.
“We are very excited because we had been on a losing streak,” Suárez said. “A win always lifts the team’s spirits, especially at the start of a tournament. We knew from the beginning that Puerto Rico would be a tough opponent, and the important thing is that we managed to secure the victory.”
Puerto Rico was slated to play host Mexico on Tuesday night.
The top four teams from the round-robin stage will advance to the crossover semifinals.
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