Colima, Mexico.- The Dominican Republic’s women’s volleyball team, known as the “Reinas del Caribe,” punched their ticket to the semifinals of the XXII Pan American Cup with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Canada on Wednesday evening. In a match that lasted four hours and four minutes, the Caribbean squad prevailed by set scores of 25–19, 15–25, 25–14, 28–26 and 25–15, closing out the preliminary round with a flawless 4–0 record atop Group B.
Head coach Marcos Kwiek shook up his starting lineup to give younger players valuable court time, a decision that paid off handsomely. Outside hitter Jinerys Martínez led all scorers with 16 points, while Madeline Guillén contributed 14, Geraldine González added 12 and Samaret Caraballo chipped in 10. For Canada, Sidney Grills topped the stat sheet with 14 points and Jasmine Rivest added 11.
The Reinas del Caribe seized an early lead by cruising through the first set, but Canada rallied in the second to level the match. The Caribbean squad’s defense, bolstered by timely blocks and digs, stifled Canada in the third, limiting them to just 14 points.
Canada again fought back in a marathon fourth set, eking out a 28–26 win, only to see the Reinas regroup and dominate the final set 25–15—calling back several of their veteran stars to close out the victory.
The Dominican Republic now enjoys a rest day as quarterfinal matchups conclude. They will return to the court for their semifinal showdown, carrying momentum from an undefeated preliminary performance.
