Puerto Rico takes bronze at NORCECA U-17 Championship

Puerto Rico’s bronze medal was its second medal in the NORCECA Girls’ U-17 Continental Championship. The team won silver in 2023. (NORCECA)

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic in four sets (25-22, 29-27, 11-25 and 25-19) on Sunday afternoon to win the bronze medal at the 2025 NORCECA Girls’ U-17 Continental Championship at the National Gymnasium in San José, Costa Rica.

It was the second medal for Puerto Rico in the tournament, following a silver in 2023.

“It was a tremendous game, we almost lost it … but we deserved it,” Puerto Rico coach Ernesto Ricolt said after the match.

Anna Aquino, who led the team in scoring, added: “This was a team effort. I’m very proud of the team and the coaches who did an excellent job.”

“It feels amazing,” added Aquino, who sealed the victory with the final point. “I also scored the winning point in the other World Championship qualifier.”

Puerto Rico finished the event with a 3-3 record, while the Dominican Republic went 3-2. The Boricuas had the advantage in attacks (47-38), blocks (9-7) and service points (11-10), although they committed more errors (38-24).

Aquino led Puerto Rico’s offense with 19 points (17 attacks, 2 blocks), followed by Kelysha Domínguez with 15 points (11 attacks, 1 block, 3 aces) and Carinialys Román with 13 (10 attacks, 3 aces). Rayni Mondesi of the Dominican Republic was the top scorer of the match with 25 points.

Team Puerto Rico saw its 2-0 lead in sets falter as it dropped a lopsided third set. After trailing by five points in what would prove to be the decisive fourth set, Puerto Rico staged a spirited comeback, tying the score at 18 and taking control from there. Aquino closed the set and the match with a powerful kill shot that careened off Mondesi’s block.