Mexico tops PR in 5-set thriller to win bronze at NORCECA Final Six

Diego González Castañeda (7) scored 16 points and helped propel Mexico to the bronze medal against Puerto Rico at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six in Ponce on Saturday.

By THE STAR STAFF

Mexico won the bronze medal at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six volleyball tournament at Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium on Saturday, defeating host Puerto Rico in a match that went the full five sets.

The set scores were 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 24-26 and 15-12.

Puerto Rico rallied after losing the first two sets but could not clinch the victory after forcing a fifth set, ultimately finishing in fourth place after winning the silver medal in the 2025 edition of the tournament.

Leading Mexico’s offense were Yasutaka Sanay Heredia and Franky Adrián Hernández Milantony with 18 points each, followed by Diego González Castañeda with 16 points and Axel Manuel Téllez Rodríguez with 13.

Puerto Rico’s Pelegrín Vargas led all scorers with 27 points, followed by Klistan Lawrence Vidal with 11 points and Ismael Alomar with 10.

Mexico outperformed Puerto Rico 65-60 in attacks, 15-7 in blocks and 8-3 in service aces. Puerto Rico committed 22 errors, while Mexico recorded 32.

The victory marked Mexico’s fourth medal in the Final Six: gold in 2021 and bronze in 2023 and 2024.

“I feel we deserved it; we’ve put in a lot of work, and Puerto Rico has always been our arch-rival,” González Castañeda said. “We’re now even at one win apiece, and we really wanted to win here on their home turf, since they’ve beaten us on ours. It wasn’t exactly about getting even, but I’m happy. Everyone did their job; we got a little overconfident, which is why it went to a fifth set, but I feel we did well.”

In the third set, Puerto Rico tied the score at 15 with an attack by Ismael Alomar, setting the stage for a tight finish that extended the match to a fourth set. Puerto Rico broke a 20-20 tie with three consecutive points: a service error by Hernández, a block on González Castañeda and an error by González Castañeda while attacking from zone two. Puerto Rico closed out the set 25-23 with a block on Víctor Manuel Parra Valenzuela.

The fourth set looked much like the previous one. Puerto Rico tied the score at 19 with a block on Sanay Heredia, who was attacking from zone four.

The teams traded points until the score reached 24-all, when Puerto Rico’s Vargas attacked from zone four. Puerto Rico then extended the match to a deciding set following an attack error by Mexico’s Hernández from zone four.

In the fifth set, Puerto Rico jumped out to a 4-1 lead but could not hold it. Mexico evened the score at 4 with an ace from Miguel Ángel García Reséndiz.

From that moment on, both teams engaged in a fierce head-to-head battle for the bronze medal.

The final tie was at 12, following an attack by Vargas from zone four. Mexico proceeded to close out the match with three consecutive points.

Lawrence, Vargas earn individual awards for PR

Puerto Rico’s Lawrence and Vargas stood out among the tournament’s best. Lawrence was named Best Scorer after amassing 98 points. Vargas was recognized as the Second Best Spiker.

U.S. setter Tread Rosenthal was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He led the U.S. offense as the Americans ran the table and earned their fourth consecutive Final Six title.

The United States claimed several additional technical awards:

Sean Kelly, Best Spiker; Parker Tomkinson, Best Blocker; and Troy Gooch, Best Receiver.

Guatemala also had a strong showing among the award winners: Andy Leonardo Blanco, Best Opposite; Adolfo Rivas, Best Setter; and Josué González, Best Defender.

The Dominican Republic secured two awards: Héctor Cruz, Best Server; and Moisés Ortiz, Second Best Blocker.

Silver medalist Canada’s Darian Picklyk was named Best Libero.

Puerto Rico’s Klistan Lawrence Vidal was named the tournament’s Best Scorer after amassing 98 points.