Dominican Republic secures the semi-final spot after beating Mexico – Volleyball News
Following a loss in the previous match against Argentina, the hosts Dominican Republic bounced back in the game with 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 30-28) win over Mexico in the quarter-final match, which took place on Thursday.
Totally packed-up Ricardo Arias sports hall in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic hosted the match. Victory not only allowed Dominican Republic to advance to the semis of Men’s Pan Am Cup, but also awarded the team with a ticket to the playoffs of the FIVB World League.
Two players from Dominican Republic added the double-digit score. Elvis Contreras and Jose Miguel Caceres charted 24 points apiece, which played a big role in the success of home team.
Daniel Vargas was the best scorer on Mexican side. He contributed 16 points, while Ismael Guerrero added 14, in the loss.
Mexico caught a good start in the match and gave a tough competition to the hosts in first set. Opening stanza continued for 30 minutes and eventually Mexico emerged successful with two-point lead, 25-23.
Dominican Republic dropped the set-1, but managed to return in the game in the following set. They posted 25-19 on board to claim the second set that brought the game to even point. The hosts also captured the third and fourth sets, which led Mexico to 1-3 defeat in the match.
“To play at home and win is always a big thrill. I think my team played well but our lack of physical preparation hurt us. We lowered the level of our serves and attacks, especially the speed, but I must admit that the Dominicans played better than us,” said Mexican mentor Jorge Miguel Azair after the match.
Osiel Vásquez said: “I am very glad because the doors are open for the first time to a Dominican team to play in the World League,” he said. “We prepared for this moment because in the last two matches with Mexico the team lost after winning the first two sets.”
Next up, the local heroes are ready to clash with US team which is still undefeated in the tournament. USA finished the preliminaries with outstanding 3-0 record and directly advanced to the semi-final stage. American team got enough time to practice for the semi-final match. Hence, it will be a tough challenge for Dominican Republic to cope with the resilient rivals. The match between USA and Dominican Republic is set to be opened at 1900 (local time). Home team is hoping to get enough support from local fans, in order to perform well in the match.
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