Men NORCECA Challenge Cup Day 4: Cuba Wins to Remain Atop the Table

2018 MEN NORCECA CHALLENGE CUP – ROUND ROBIN PLAY

• June 3-10, 2018
• Pinar del Rio, Cuba | Sala
• World Rankings: #16 Cuba, #29 Puerto Rico, T-#41 Guatemala, T-#41 Costa Rica, T-#50 Trinidad & Tobago
• NORCECA Challenge Cup Homepage

The 2018 Men NORCECA Challenge Cup is underway, as day four is now in the books. The event’s format, standings and results from the day with some analysis can all be seen below.

FORMAT:

• What’s on the line?
  • 1st place not only gets Gold Medals, but also qualifies for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League Challenge Cup Finals, which is the final tournament to get qualified for the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League
• The host, Cuba, plus seven other nations qualified based on NORCECA ranking. However, Mexico, Martinique and the Dominican Republic will not be in attendance.
• With three less teams than intended, all five teams are placed into one group. Everyone will play each other, turning into a total of four matches in pool play.
• The top four teams from round robin action will advance to the semifinals, with #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3.
  • There will be a championship and third-place match following the semifinals.

STANDINGS:

Note: Order of teams determined in this order: W-L, points, point ratio, set ratio, head-to-head. Points for W-L’s will be as follows:

• 3-0 or 3-1 win = 5 points
• 3-2 win = 3 points
• 2-3 loss = 2 points
• 0-3 or 1-3 loss = 0 points
• Forfeit = 0 points (and 0-75 in points for match)

RESULTS:

Round Robin/Group Play

GUATEMALA DEF. COSTA RICA, 3-1

• Guatemala Def. Costa Rica 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-17)
• Guatemala improves to 1-2 (5 points); Costa Rica falls to 0-3 (1 points)

Costa Rica came up with the early set as they looked to garner their first win, but then crumbled apart as Guatemala dominated the final three sets by a combined score of 75-47. That puts Costa Rica in a tough position to advance on, with the last place team in pool play not making the elimination round.

Leading the way for the winning side was Carlos Lopez, who had a match-high 23 points and was unstoppable. Wagner Chacon and middle blocker Brandon Chinchilla also combined for 23 more points. The three-headed monster was more than enough to overcome Costa Rica, who did see Gilberth Solano notch 15 points, but with no other player reaching double-digits.

Guatemalan captain Carlos Lopez: “In the initial set we lacked concentration, but we made several changes to adjust and when we entered the next one we recovered and maintained the rhythm to win. Our goal at this tournament is to prepare us for Barranquilla.”

Costa Rican captain Andres Araya: “Although we have a short process of preparation and this almost entirely a new selection, but our general feeling is one of joy, we showed in the first set that we can achieve more because we resisted Guatemala consolidated by its experience.”

CUBA DEF. PUERTO RICO, 3-0

• Cuba Def. Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20)
• Cuba improves to 3-0 (15 points); Puerto Rico falls to 3-1 (15 points)

Cuba and Puerto Rico set up a clash of undefeated teams, but Cuba proved to be the stronger side with a sweep victory. Still, as the top two teams in the pool, there’s a good chance these two meet again in the championship match.

Leading the way for Cuba was a quartet of double-digit scorers in Miguel Ángel López (14 points), Liván Osoria (12 points), Miguel David Gutiérrez (12 points) and Osniel Melgarejo (10 points). Eddie Rivera did total 11 points for Puerto Rico, but was the only one to reach double figures as his team couldn’t match the Cuban’ balance.

Cuban captain Liván Osoria: “We went from less to more, the goal was fulfilled and tomorrow we win to Costa Rica we have the opportunity to go to another tournament that allows us more preparation for the Central American and Caribbean Games of Barranquilla , where we aim to conquer the gold, playing more than 20 games the six that we were in professional leagues has contributed to having more confidence, to forgetting about the public and its pressure, in short, it has been vital.”

Puerto Rico head coach Manuel Acevedo: “Cuba reduced the number of errors that characterized them and tightened very well after point 20. In the three sets we played fairly even, but in the end the experience of them and something paradoxical, was supposed that we were the defensive team, on the other hand they did it well and we got complicated in the transition, we were not effective in something that we depend on that, to lift balls and the passes were extended, we could not and that is why they prevailed. Cuba is a team with and I am pleased with the balance of the tournament and the way the team played, the illusion was the ticket, but we came to this meeting with the possibility and it was fought.”

Full Schedule:

No.

Date

Time

Teams

SCORES

Set

1

2

3

4

5

Points

Time

FORMS

1

5-June

15:30

PUERTO RICO

vs

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

LIVE

3-0

25-15

25-14

27-25

77-54

1:31

P-2

P-3

2

5-June

18:30

CUBA

vs

GUATEMALA

LIVE

3-0

25-10

25-16

25-16

75-42

1:19

P-2

P-3

3

6-June

15:30

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

vs

COSTA RICA

LIVE

3-0

25-12

27-25

26-24

78-61

1:28

P-2

P-3

4

6-June

18:30

GUATEMALA

vs

PUERTO RICO

LIVE

0-3

11-25

15-25

21-25

47-75

1:22

P-2

P-3

5

7-June

15:30

COSTA RICA

vs

PUERTO RICO

LIVE

0-3

17-25

12-25

12-25

41-75

1:01

P-2

P-3

6

7-June

18:30

CUBA

vs

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

LIVE

3-0

25-21

25-13

25-11

75-45

1:12

P-2

P-3

7

8-June

15:30

GUATEMALA

vs

COSTA RICA

LIVE

3-1

22-25

25-15

25-15

25-17

97-72

1:43

P-2

P-3

8

8-June

18:30

CUBA

vs

PUERTO RICO

LIVE

3-0

25-18

25-22

25-20

75-60

1:21

P-2

P-3

9

9-June

15:30

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

vs

GUATEMALA

LIVE

P-2

P-3

10

9-June

18:30

CUBA

vs

COSTA RICA

LIVE

P-2

P-3