Puerto Rico on the rise at NORCECA Women’s Final Six with sweep of Canada

Puerto Rico outblocked Canada 13-3 in the match.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Puerto Rico Women’s National Volleyball Team secured its second win in a row at the 2025 NORCECA Final Six on Wednesday night, sweeping Canada 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-19) in a commanding performance that reinforced its competitive momentum in the continental tournament in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Star opposite spiker Decelise Champion, who led Puerto Rico’s offense with 12 points, emphasized the team’s focus and resilience.

“We were dominant in the first two sets and had great rhythm,” she said. “I think in the third our pace dropped a bit because we got too confident, but we managed to come back and secure the win. Our defense was strong today, we scored with solid attacks and our blocking worked well.”

With the win, Puerto Rico improved to 2-1, while Canada remained winless at 0-3. The United States and Mexico sat atop the standings after Wednesday’s play, both at 3-0. The top four teams will advance out of the round-robin phase to the semifinals in a crossover format.

Thursday’s matchups were to include Puerto Rico vs. Cuba (0-3), Canada vs. the Dominican Republic (1-2), and Mexico vs. the United States.

Puerto Rico took the upper hand against Canada at the outset. In the first set, they surged ahead 18-9 with timely blocks from Alba Hernández, while Champion, Valeria Vázquez and Paola Santiago powered the offense. The second set saw continued momentum, with Diana Reyes and Dariana Hollingsworth joining the offensive charge. Canada’s Emma Boyd responded with a pair of strong spikes.

The third set was the most competitive. Canada took an early lead at 11-9, with Gabrielle Attieh and Grace Calnan joining Boyd to challenge Puerto Rico’s attack. But with key blocks from Willmarie Rivera and Champion against Maryn Boldon, Puerto Rico tied the score at 12-12. Canada regained the lead at 17-15 with Raya Surinx on the attack, but Puerto Rico rallied once more. Adriana Rodríguez blocked Boyd, Hollingsworth scored with a powerful spike, and Rodríguez sealed the win with a final attack.

Key stats from the match:

* Blocks: Puerto Rico 13, Canada 3

* Attacks: Puerto Rico 34, Canada 30

* Service points: Puerto Rico 4, Canada 3

* Errors: Puerto Rico 9, Canada 24