PR beats DR to win Group A, advance to Pan American Cup semis
By THE STAR STAFF
Puerto Rico won the Caribbean clash that decided the top spot in Group A and advanced directly to the semifinals of the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1 on Tuesday night at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Puerto Rico won by set scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-19 to finish the group stage undefeated at 4-0. The Dominican Republic (3-1) took second place in the group and was to play a quarterfinal match against Cuba on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
“I’m happy with the victory,” Puerto Rico coach José Mieles said. “The girls played well and kept their cool under pressure. Unfortunately, we didn’t earn ranking points. We came here to compete, as always. Now we’re going to rest up for what’s next.”
With the match tied 1-1, Puerto Rico bore down in the third set. With Dariana Hollingsworth leading the offense and contributions from Valeria Vázquez and Ivania Ortiz, Puerto Rico established a lead that the Dominican Republic could not overcome. Hollingsworth closed out the set with a block for the nine-point win.
In the fourth set, Puerto Rico began to pull away after a balanced start. Hollingsworth remained a constant presence on the attack, while Vázquez, Ortiz and Ana Sofía Jusino also contributed offensively. The Puerto Ricans widened the gap in the second half of the set and stayed in control, winning the set by six points to secure a direct spot in the semifinals.
Puerto Rico held the advantage in key statistical areas, outperforming the Dominican Republic 59-51 in attacks, 9-5 in blocks and 5-0 in aces. The Dominicans committed one fewer error -- 25 compared to Puerto Rico’s 26.
Hollingsworth was the match’s top scorer with 30 points, tallying 26 kills and four blocks. Vázquez contributed 13 points, Ortiz added 12 and Jusino finished with 11.
Flormarie Heredia led the Dominican Republic with 20 points -- all from attacks -- and was the only Dominican player in double digits.
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