Brasilia, Brazil. The Brazilian women’s sextet, ranked number two in the world, secured their second consecutive victory this Thursday by defeating the Dominican Republic national team 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-11, and 25-15) in a match corresponding to Group 2 of the preliminary round of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
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The Brazilians reacted after losing the first set and showed all their offensive and defensive power to prevail against a young and combative Queens of the Caribbean, who now place their record at 0-2 in the tournament.
Brazil’s attack was led by Taimara Lemus with 19 points, followed by Julia Bergmann with 16 units and Julia Gambetto with 10 points, leading an aggressive game that ended up tipping the match in favor of the hosts.
For the Dominican Republic, Katielle Alonzo was the top scorer with 12 points, while Florangel Terrero and Flormarie Colón contributed eight points each. Yonkaira Peña also collaborated with six units.
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The Reinas del Caribe started the match showing a high competitive level, especially in the first set, where they combined good defense, effective blocks, and powerful attacks from Flormarie Colón, Katielle Alonzo, Yonkaira Peña, and Jineirys Martínez to prevail 25-23.
Coach Marcos Kwiek once again gave rest to star players like Brayelin Martínez and Gaila González, betting on the development of young talents who continue to gain international experience at the highest competitive level.
During the second set, Brazil considerably increased its offensive intensity and took advantage of several consecutive rallies to take control of the scoreboard. From then on, the South Americans dominated the match with powerful spikes, solid blocks, and a fierce defense that neutralized the Dominican attack.
In sets three and four, Brazil maintained wide leads thanks to the versatility of its attackers and constant pressure from the serve, preventing any attempt at a reaction from the Caribbean team.
After the match, coach Marcos Kwiek acknowledged Brazil’s superiority, although he valued the performance of the young Dominican players positively.
“We are playing with very talented athletes who are going through an important learning process at this level. All of this will be of great benefit to the future of Dominican volleyball,” expressed the coach.
The Dominican team will return to the court this Friday when they face Bulgaria, number 25 in the world ranking, on the third day of the 2026 Nations League.
