Dominican national women’s volleyball team star player Brayelin Martínez turned in a MVP performance to guide the Dominican Republic to win gold at the Norceca Final Six Cup held in Santo Domingo 26-30 June 2024. The DR had won the cup in 2022 and 2021, yet lost to the USA in 2023.
The game was a preparatory series for the Dominican national volleyball team that will compete in the Paris Olympics.
To a cheering home crowd, the DR national senior team defeated the United States in a close match that extended to a maximum of five sets. The DR won with a score of 3-2 (25 -15, 17-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11) in the fourth edition of the Norceca Final Six Women’s Volleyball that took place at the Ricardo Arias National Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Norceca reported that the Dominicans were superior in all aspects: in attacks 55-54, in blocks 13-10 and in services 5-2.
Martínez led the Queens of the Caribbean with 25 points as the leading scorer of the match, followed by Alondra Tapia with 13, while Bethania De La Cruz and Jineiry Martínez added 11 each. For the United States, Merritt Beason had 15 points, followed by Sarah Franklin and Khori Louis who added 11 each.
In his remarks after the game, Dominican team head coach Marcos Kwiek said: “It was a close match, a technically ugly match, we went to the maximum of five sets but at the end the girls did what they had to do, and we won, which is the most important thing. Now we have to continue our preparation for the Olympic Games.”
Brad Rostratter, coach of the United States: The Dominican Republic has a great team, there is no doubt that they are going with a magnificent team for the Paris Olympics. It is a team that works and battles hard. When the United States plays like that with a team of this caliber and in a country like this with this great atmosphere, it makes me feel proud.
The USA did not send the national senior volleyball team that continued their preparations for the Paris Olympic Games. The 14 players on the roster of the team that competed in the Final Six were all current collegians. “We are treating Norceca Final 6 as the first tournament of the new Olympic cycle that eventually leads to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” U.S. Women’s Head Coach Karch Kiraly had said.
Canada also sent a B team with Canada’s senior team on a preparatory trip in Portugal.
The tournament ended with the DR taking gold, USA silver, Mexico bronze, Puerto Rico in fourth place followed by Canada and Cuba.
The Norceca Women’s Final Six Tournament is a competition that is part of the qualification process for the 2025 Norceca Women’s Pan American Cup and the 2025 Norceca Women’s Continental Championship.
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1 July 2024