USA forces Puerto Rico to stay winless in the Women’s Pan Am Cup – Volleyball News
USA defeated Puerto Rico in the second match of XI Women’s Pan American Cup on Friday by sending 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-14) on board.
It was most essentially a one-sided affair as US team dominated the scene from start to end. More than five hundred people showed up at the Gimnasio UACJ in Cd. Juarez, Mexico to witness the action. US team played in its usual style and swept the opponents with an outstanding performance.
It was Stacy Sykora’s second match after her accident in Brazil that kept the amazing setter away from the court for a few months. However, she took the charge of young American team and entered the XI Pan Am Cup with an ambition of success. So far everything has worked according to the plan and USA has claimed two victories in the tournament.
In the match against Puerto Rico, two American player Kristin Richards and Laura Gibbemeyer went into double digits. They tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. Puerto Rico had only one player with double-figure score and she was none other than Stephanie Enright with 10 points.
Puerto Rico made strong opening in the match and added a couple of early points. Gradually, the US paced things off and took over the charge. Once US team went up, the Puerto Ricans could not catch up with the opponents and lost first set with 10 points.
Second set also came successful for USA and Puerto Rico seemed to have lost its form. US musketeers ended the affair in third set and settled for match victory.
Puerto Rican captain Jetzabel del Valle was upset about the second straight loss in the tournament. She shared her thoughts after the match in the following manner. She stated: “It was a very erratic match for us. Our block, pass and serve did not work. We could not take control over the USA attacks and they used their best players in the middle. We hope to improve tomorrow.”
On the other hand, US Captain Stacy Sykora was overjoyed with the back-to-back wins of her team. She commented: “Puerto Rico are a very good team. It is always good for us to play against them. Despite the 3-0 score, they are a great team. This was a positive victory for us and we expect to play better.”
Next up, USA is counting on third straight win in the tournament. The team will be challenged by Cuba in the next fixture on Saturday. Caribbean team will be tough competitor for Americans. Nevertheless, the ladies around captain Sykora are determined to win the next game.
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