Canada won their first NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship title after defeating USA in five sets on Wednesday, while Cuba returned to the podium for the first time in 15 years as two Volleyball Empowerment-supported teams marked significant achievements in Santo Domingo.
Canada completed an unbeaten campaign with a 3-2 (25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 15-10) victory over USA at the Prof. Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace, finishing the tournament with a 5-0 record. The gold was Canada’s 14th medal in the competition, following two silvers and 11 bronzes.
Canada won two closely contested opening sets by identical 25-23 scores before USA forced the final into a fifth set with 25-20 and 25-18 wins in the third and fourth.
Canada opened the deciding set with three consecutive points, but USA recovered to draw level at 9-9. From that point, Canada won six of the final seven points to take the set 15-10 and complete the championship with a 5-0 record.
Anna Smrek led Canada with 20 points from 14 attacks, five blocks and one ace. Andrea Mitrovic added 16 points, all on attacks, while Abagayle Guezen scored 14 and Nyadholi Thokbuom 12. Canada finished with 54 attacks to USA’s 53, 16 blocks to 15 and seven aces to four.
Jordan Thompson led USA with 15 points, followed by Chiaka Ogbogu with 14 and Dana Rettke with 13. USA finished the tournament with a 4-2 record, with both defeats coming against Canada in five sets.
Canada libero Kacey Jost was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after helping her team win their first continental title. Jost was joined among the individual award winners by Guezen, who was named Best Receiver.
Cuba claimed bronze with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-18) victory over hosts Dominican Republic, earning their first NORCECA medal since 2011 and their 23rd overall. Cuba finished the championship with a 4-2 record, while Dominican Republic finished 3-2.
The bronze medal match opened with Dominican Republic leading 23-21 late in the first set. Cuba drew level at 23-23 before the hosts moved ahead again at 24-23, but Cuba tied the score and went on to take the set 26-24.
The teams were tied at 14-14 in the second before Cuba moved ahead 21-15 and won the set 25-17. In the third, the score was level at 9-9 before Cuba went ahead 15-10 and later 21-14 on the way to a 25-18 finish.
Yalain Regla De La Peña led Cuba with 17 points, all on attacks, while Laura Suárez scored 13 on eight attacks, four blocks and one ace. Cuba led 46-34 in attacks and 11-7 in blocks, with both teams recording 18 unforced errors. Yonkaira Peña led Dominican Republic with 15 points, while Gaila González added eight.
The individual awards reflected performances from across the championship. Alongside Jost, Simone Lee of USA was named First Best Spiker, while Puerto Rico’s Decelise Champion received Second Best Spiker and Best Scorer honours. Dominican Republic’s Geraldine Gonzalez was named First Best Blocker and Ogbogu Second Best Blocker.
Cuba’s Gretell Moreno was named Best Setter, De La Peña received Best Opposite, and Yanisleidis Sanchez was recognised as both Best Libero and Best Digger. Guezen was named Best Receiver, while Mexico’s Paola Rivera completed the individual awards as Best Server.
The conclusion of the championship also confirmed NORCECA’s three <a href="https://absafricatv.com/tanzania-set-to-host-africas-rising-stars-in-the-icc-u19-womens-t20-world-cup-africa-qualifier/” title=”TANZANIA SET TO HOST AFRICA’S RISING STARS IN THE ICC U19 WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP AFRICA QUALIFIER”>qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup. Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico secured the available places and will join co-hosts USA and Canada in the competition.
Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will continue their campaigns in Santo Domingo on 28-29 August, when the NORCECA qualification place for the LA28 Olympic Games will be decided. USA already have an LA28 quota place as hosts, with the four highest-finishing teams excluding USA advancing to the separate semifinal and final phase.
All four teams competing for the NORCECA Olympic berth have benefited from support through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme.
Canada have received USD 1,533,500 in coaching support, including the appointment of Giovanni Guidetti as head coach and technical director through the 2026 season. The federation has also received USD 75,000 in equipment support and USD 12,000 for knowledge transfer initiatives through 2025.
Cuba have received USD 177,000 in coaching support for the appointment of Luizomar de Moura as head coach for 2025-2026.
Dominican Republic have benefited from USD 1,260,000 in coaching support, with Marcos Kwiek at the helm of the women’s national team since 2021. The programme has also received USD 78,000 in equipment support and USD 6,000 for knowledge transfer through 2025.
Puerto Rico have received USD 84,000 in coaching support, bringing assistant coaches Carlos Nunez and José Mieles into the women’s senior national team programme for 2025-2026. The federation previously received USD 93,000 in equipment support through 2023.
