Cuba to Face Colombia in Men’s Volleyball Semifinals at Central American and Caribbean Games

The Cuban men’s national volleyball team secured a 3–1 victory over the Dominican Republic (23–25, 25–22, 25–16, 25–19) and will face Colombia this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in the semifinals of the Central American and Caribbean Games volleyball tournament. In the other semifinal, Mexico and Puerto Rico will compete for the remaining berth in the final.

Facing a fervent home crowd, head coach Jesús Cruz’s squad struggled considerably, dropping the first set against a clearly inferior opponent. However, from the second set onward, Cuba regained control of the match, though not without leaving occasional openings that allowed the local fans to celebrate. Cuba, which is defending its crown from San Salvador 2023, outperformed the Dominicans in attack (52–46), blocks (9–7), and service aces (7–1). Both teams committed a significant number of errors, with Cuba registering 28 and the Dominican Republic 30.

Opposite hitter Daniel Martínez led the Cuban offense with 19 points, followed by Marlon Yant with 17 and Miguel Ángel López with 11. Libero Yonder García acknowledged that the team was slow to find its rhythm. “Unfortunately, things did not go well for us at the start. There was a bit of a lack of concentration from the entire team, and the Dominican Republic knew how to take advantage of that, buoyed by their home crowd. The important thing was that we recovered to win the second set, and from there on we kept control of the match,” García said.

Regarding the semifinal clash, García added: “Now we have a tough match ahead. Colombia is a strong rival, but we are the champions and we are going to give it our all. If they manage to beat us, let it be in five sets.” In the other semifinal, Mexico defeated Venezuela 3–1 (25–18, 25–19, 23–25, 25–21) to earn its place in the next round.