Argentina advances to the semis of Pan Am Cup – Volleyball News
Argentina booked a slot in the semi-final stage of the VII Men’s Pan American Cup on account of an outstanding performance in the prelims.
Argentina played its last pool-play match against hosts Dominican Republic on Wednesday and settled for 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 15-13) victory. The team in ‘sky blue and white’ outfits concluded the preliminary round-robin with an impeccable 3-0
record and moved straight into the semis, which will take place on Friday.
The home team had the competitive edge of playing under familiar conditions, but still failed to overcome the tough opponent. Ricardo Arias sports hall in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic hosted the match, where 1,000 spectators witnessed the action. Dominican
Republic suffered the first loss in the tournament and moved to the quarter-finals.
Elvis Contreras and Elnis Palomino fought a great battle for Dominican Republic. They added 22 and 21 points respectively, but could not lead their team to success. Moreover, Jose Caceres of Dominican Republic also went into double-figure score with 19 points.
Argentina was led by Mariano Giustiniano, who contributed 21 points. He was followed by Gonzalo Quiroga with 19.
Victory slogans of local fans encouraged the home team to take a good start in the match. With better combination of attack and defence, Dominican Republic put off the Argentineans with 25-21 win in set-1.
Visitors started the counter strike in the following set and struggled to break the rhythm of hosts. They proved their potential and managed to push Dominicans behind in the second set. Home team dropped the second frame with a margin of only two points
(23-25).
Argentina further extended its lead to 2-1 by winning third set of the match. Dominican Republic created the dead-lock of 2-2 by capturing fourth set, but Argentina ended the affair with success in the final set. Argentina sent 15-13 on board in the fifth
decisive set and seized 3-2 victory.
Jose Caceres, captain of Dominican Republic: "It was a good game. We never had played before such close match against Argentina. We could pull the upset, the surprise, and now we have to concentrate in our next rival. Mexico owes us something. I have a nailed
spine. They put us aside of the bronze medal in Mayaguez and also in a Pre-World.”
Maximiliano Cavanna, player of Argentina: "It was a long hard game. Dominican Republic rose to the occasion. Fans helped and motivated enough, that's always an extra. We were able to exploit some errors to come out winners. We resisted their serves, and
that was the key of the game.”
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