Puerto Rico falls to Mexico in 4 sets, drops to 2-1 at Final Six

Lawrence Vidal (2) of Puerto Rico attacks against Mexico during their match at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six in Ponce on Tuesday. Mexico won in four sets. (Lynibel Ferrer – FPV)

By THE STAR STAFF

Mexico notched its second victory at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six on Tuesday by defeating host Puerto Rico in four sets at Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.

The set scores were 17-25, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-22.

With the match tied at one set apiece, Puerto Rico (2-1) and Mexico (2-1) were even at 19 points in the third set following an attack error from Zone 2 by Mexico’s Diego González Castañeda. The score was last tied at 20, at which point Mexico pulled ahead 22-20 thanks to a service error by Puerto Rico’s Pelegrín Vargas and an ace by Miguel Ángel García Reséndiz, then maintained control for the remainder of the set.

The fourth set was virtually a replay of the previous one, with the teams neck-and-neck until the final stretch. Antonio Feliciano tied the set at 21 with an ace for Puerto Rico, but Mexico closed with a 4-1 run to seal the victory.

Mexico’s top scorers were Yasutaka Sanay with 13 points, Axel Manuel Téllez Rodríguez with 12, González Castañeda with 11 and Franky Adrián Hernández Milantony with 10.

Klistan Lawrence and Pedro Molina scored 14 points each for Puerto Rico, while Ismael Alomar added 13 points and Vargas contributed 11.

Puerto Rico outperformed Mexico 49-44 in attacks and 7-6 in aces; both teams recorded seven blocks. Mexico committed 22 errors, while Puerto Rico racked up 35.

“It feels great to beat Puerto Rico on their home turf, because there have been times when they’ve beaten us in Mexico, so winning here is very satisfying,” Mexico setter García Reséndiz said. “Both teams had ups and downs, but we managed to stay a bit more consistent -- strong and united.”