Cuba opens the U19 Boys’ Continental Championship with a 3-0 win – Volleyball News
Caribbean team from Cuba got off to a perfect start in the NORCECA U19 Boy’s Continental Volleyball Championship, which is currently underway in Tijuana, Mexico.
Cuba was challenged by French Saint Martin (FSM) in the opening match of the tournament. The opponent was strongly tagged underdog in the competition, while Cuba had a lot of experience in the game. Cuba sent 25-8, 25-11, and 25-7 on board to claimed 3-0
victory in the match.
The tandem of Luis Guillermo Jimeno and Osmany Uriarte performed amazingly well and led Cuba to success. Equally talented Jimeno and Uriarte registered 11 points, apiece. Uriarte was also credited for six aces in the match.
On the other hand, French Saint Martin relied on Kareem Brooks, who could only contribute seven points in the match. Overall, the Cubans dominated the scene and did not allow the opposite team to come up.
French Saint Martin entered the court under the command of Captain Fresnet Fabre. It was the first time for FSM to play at this level. The young players looked visibly nervous, which made it quite easy for Cuba to win the match. Caribbean team opened the
match on a high note and produced powerful serves. Jimeno jumped on every little opportunity and added a flurry of points. FSM blockers seemed helpless in front of Jimeno’s swinging shots. The ball frequently landed on FSM’s half, while Cuba moved up on the
scoreboard. The first frame quickly covered its length and ended in Cuba’s favour (25-8).
Second set progressed in the similar fashion. Cuba firmly held the lead, while Saint Martin kept in chase. Better attack and solid defence of Cuban team totally hindered the performance of FSM and caused another set-back for team at 11-25.
With two sets in hand, Cuba played fast in third set and achieved the match points at 25-7. Cuba settled for victory in straight sets in the opening match of U19 Boys’ Continental Championship.
“We are also making our debut, we are a very young team with an average of 16 or 17 years old players but we have had a good preparation for our goal, that is to finish with a good place to the world championship,” Cuban captain Ricardo Calvo stated.
Stephen Thierry, coach of French Saint Martin said: “We didn’t play our best based in the fact this was our first experience at this level. We expected a match against a tough team, however we noticed that we can do it better”.
Cuba’s coach, Rodolfo Sanchez congratulated his team for a good start in the tournament
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