China defeats Dominican Republic 3-1 in U-17 World Championship; Rayni Mondesí shines with 31 points

ANDES, CHILE.- The Chinese national team defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-19, and 25-17) this Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Girls’ U17 Volleyball World Championship, in a match where the Dominican Rayni Mondesí stood out once again by scoring 31 points.

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Mondesí delivered an outstanding performance despite the loss and reached 30 or more points for the second consecutive game, an unprecedented feat for a Dominican player in this World Cup category. Last Tuesday, she had scored 30 points against Puerto Rico.

China took control of the first set thanks to effective defense and a constant attack. However, the Dominican Republic reacted in the second set, driven by the spikes of Mondesí, Leandry Almonte, and Crisbel Payano, as well as a solid defense, to tie the match.

In the general statistics, the Dominicans slightly dominated the attack with a 50-49 advantage, while China prevailed in blocks 6-3. The Asians’ defense, both at the net and on the floor, was decisive in tilting the match in their favor.

After the tie, China regained control in the third and fourth sets and managed to close out the match to advance to the next phase.

Chen X.Y led the Chinese attack with 15 points, followed by Chen R.H, with 13, and Zhao Y.H, with 10.

For the Dominican Republic, in addition to Mondesí’s 31 points, Leandry Almonte contributed 13 units, while Crisbel Payano finished with five.

Dominican Republic will seek to finish in the top nine

After being left out of the fight for the first to eighth place spots, the Dominican team will continue in competition to define its final position in the championship.

The Creole team will face the Czech Republic this Thursday at 2:00 PM, at the start of the competition for the 9th to 16th places in the U-17 World Cup.