Dominican Republic defeats Costa Rica and advances undefeated to the semifinals of the U-21 Pan American Cup

COLUMBUS, Ohio, USA – The Dominican Republic’s U-21 women’s national team secured its spot in the semifinals of the U-21 Pan American Cup after defeating Costa Rica 3-1 this Friday, finishing the group stage undefeated with a 3-0 record.

You might be interested in; Santo Domingo Oeste receives the Torch of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games

The Dominicans prevailed with set scores of 24-26, 25-17, 25-14, and 25-19 in an intense Group B match held at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. With this victory, the Quisqueyanas advance to the final four of the tournament and await their opponent this Saturday in the semifinals.

The Dominican team showed resilience after dropping a hard-fought first set. From the second set onwards, the Caribbean side raised their offensive and defensive level to control the remainder of the match against a combative Costa Rican team.

The Caribbean Princesses‘ offense was led by Rayni Mondesí, who finished with 21 points, followed by Virelys Rivera with 19. Ámbar Hernández and Cristal Mercedes contributed 12 units each, while libero Génesis Santos stood out with an outstanding defensive performance, making important receptions and saves that provided stability to the Dominican team.

For Costa Rica, Nhya Barley was the top scorer of the match with 26 points, followed by María Venegas, who added 10, although their efforts were not enough to avoid the defeat.

The statistics reflected the dominance of the Dominican Republic, which outperformed its rival in attacks (57-45), blocks (8-7), and serves (9-4).

In the second set, the spikes from Hernández, Rivera, and Mondesí allowed the Dominicans to pull away 17-12. A consecutive three-point rally by Mondesí proved decisive in leveling the match at one set apiece.

During the third set, the Dominican block began to make a difference. After an initial 6-4 lead, the Quisqueyanas went on a nine-point streak that broke the Costa Rican resistance and paved the way for the victory.

In the fourth and final episode, Rivera and Hernández led the offense in a balanced start. However, the Dominican Republic took control with a 17-14 lead thanks to attacks from Rivera, Hernández, and Mondesí, securing the victory and a spot in the semifinals.