NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup
- July 8-14, 2018
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Schedule/Results
- Pool C: Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico
After falling behind 2-0, Brazil rallied for a five-set win over Columbia to remain atop Pool C, while Mexico won every statistical category in a sweep of Argentina to wrap up Day 2.
Brazil def. Columbia 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-23, 15-13)
Twenty blocks, including seven by Thaisa Daher de Menezes, helped lift Brazil in the comeback victory.
The Brazilians overcame 35 errors in the match thanks to a 63-55 lead in kills, a 20-11 advantage in blocks and a 4-2 edge in aces. Columbia stayed in the match by limiting its errors to 20.
“It was a tough match,” Brazilian coach Wagner Fernandes said. “Colombia has been working to get better. We are going to suffer because we only trained for four weeks and during the matches I have to look for the ideal team. Today Fernanda did a good job coming off the bench.”
Bruna Honorio Marques posted a match-high 22 points (16 kills, 3 block, 3 aces), while Daher de Menezes added 13 putaways and seven blocks for 20 points. Fernanda Tome (12), Francynne Jacintho (11) and Maira Claro (11) also posted double-digit scoring efforts. Tome downed 10 kills, while Claro and Francynne put up three blocks apiece.
Amanda Coneo paced Columbia with 16 points (15 kills, 1 block), while Maria Margarita Martinez (13), Melissa Rangel (12) and Dayana Segovia (12) followed. Martinez and Segovia turned in 12 and 11 kills respectively, while Rangel added seven putaways and a team-best five blocks.
“We are showing evolution as part of a process,” Columbia coach Antonio Rizola said. “We couldn’t close due to inexperience. Brazil has many players with international experience in age group tournaments and during the match they were able to adjust to our game. That was the key.”
Mexico def. Argentina 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-20)
With help from 28 Argentine errors, Mexico registered a sweep to move to 1-1 in Pan American Cup action.
The Mexicans also boasted a 33-25 lead in kills and 7-2 advantage in blocks. Both teams managed seven aces.
“We never thought about a 3-0 victory,” Mexican coach Ricardo Ponce said. “We prepared the match to play against a strong rival with a lot of experience. Playing point by point was important to keep the focus.”
Andrea Rangel and Samantha Bricio tallied 12 points apiece to pace Mexico. Rangel tallied 11 kills and a block, while Bricio turned in nine putaways and a team-best three aces. Jocelyn Urias added eight points, including a match-high four blocks and four kills.
Paula Yamila Nizetich and Julieta Lazcano posted seven points each to lead Argentina. Nizetich downed a team-best seven putaways, while Lazcano chipped in three aces, three kills and a block. Elina Rodriguez added six points on five kills and an ace.
“We are playing below our level. Yesterday for two sets we were close to it,” Argentine coach Guillermo Orduna said. “We need to keep working and find out the reasons for this kind of performance. It looks to me like lack of confidence.”
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