The Dominican Republic will field its strongest squad for the first week of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League in Brazil, where they will also play Bulgaria on June 5. Head coach Marcos Kwiek announced a group of 15 players, and among the chosen are all the big stars of the "Caribbean Queens".
Among the names are the legendary libero Brenda Castillo, sisters Brayelin and Jineiry Martinez, as well as the experienced Yonkaira Peña. All of them have serious international experience and have played in the Brazilian championship.
The match between Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic is the second for the "Lionesses" in the tournament in the capital Brasília, Brazil. The matches will be played in the "Nilson Nelson" arena between June 3 and 7.
Dominican Republic squad for VNL 2026 in Brazil:
Setters:
Niverka Marte, Camila de la Rosa
Opposites:
Gaila González, Alondra Tapia, Hatiele Alonso
Outside Hitters:
Brayelin Martinez, Yonkaira Peña, Massiel Matos, Flormarie Heredia
Middle Blockers:
Jineiry Martinez, Géraldine González, Florangel Terrero
Liberos:
Brenda Castillo, Yaneirys Rodríguez, Larismer Martinez
This will be a serious test for the young Bulgarian squad, as the Dominican Republic is traditionally among the most physically powerful teams in the world and possesses immense attacking strength, especially through Brayelin Martinez and Alondra Tapia. On the other hand, Bulgaria has already shown that it can be an uncomfortable opponent for the team from the Caribbean, having beaten them in VNL 2025 with a score of 3:1 (25:21, 30:32, 25:19, 31:29).
Photo:volleyballworld.com
