Canada inflicted the first defeat on the USA at the NORCECA Women's Continental Championship and won Group A after a dramatic five-set battle in Santo Domingo. The Canadians and the Dominican Republic finished as winners of both groups and qualified directly for the semifinals. USA, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico advance to the quarterfinals, while Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago are out of the title race. Today's quarterfinals areUSA – Puerto RicoandCuba – Mexico.
Canada – USA 3:2 (22:25, 26:24, 22:25, 25:23, 15:13)
Canada won the big clash of the day and finished Group A with three wins from three matches. Giovanni Guidetti's team took first place and qualified directly for the semifinals, while the USA remained second and will have to go through a quarterfinal.
The Americans twice took the lead in sets and had a 2:1 advantage, but Canada snatched the fourth set 25:23. The tie-break went point for point until 13:13, when an attack error by Stephanie Samedy gave the Canadians a match point, and Alexa Gray finished the next rally for 15:13.
The two teams finished with an absolutely equal number of attack points – 67:67. The USA had a minimal advantage in blocks – 11:10, and in aces – 8:7, but Canada made two fewer errors – 24 against 26. Kiera Van Ryk was the top scorer for the winners with 21 points, Alexa Gray added 20, and Logan Eggleston finished with 24 for the USA.
The match had a special context due to the qualification for Los Angeles 2028. The USA already has an Olympic quota as hosts and will not participate in the separate NORCECA qualification tournament on August 28 and 29, but continues its normal participation in the continental championship. After its conclusion, the four highest-ranked teams, excluding the USA, will be eligible to play in the qualification tournament for NORCECA's only Olympic quota. Therefore, the results of the Americans can directly influence which four opponents will reach the decisive battle for Los Angeles.
Mexico – Trinidad and Tobago 3:0 (25:4, 25:10, 25:0)
Mexico achieved the most impressive result of the day in terms of numbers and finished third in Group A, securing a place in the quarterfinals. The Mexicans recorded26 aces, with Karen Rivera alone scoring16 direct points from serve. Trinidad and Tobago collected only 14 points in the three sets, and the last one ended with the extremely rare25:0. NORCECA confirms these figures but does not define them as historical records, so we do not present them as such without further confirmation.
Cuba – Costa Rica 3:0 (25:7, 25:11, 25:6)
Cuba left no chances for Costa Rica and finished the preliminary phase with two wins and one loss. The Cubans had a huge advantage in attack – 33:11, in blocks – 9:1, and in aces – 9:0. Claudia Tarin was the top scorer with 13 points, and Whitney James added 12. Cuba finished second in Group B and will meet Mexico in the quarterfinal today.
Dominican Republic – Puerto Rico 3:1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:21, 25:23)
The Dominican Republic made a comeback after losing the first set and closed the match with three consecutive sets won. The hosts had an advantage in attack – 65:56, in blocks – 11:9, and in aces – 4:2. The fourth set was the most contested, in which Puerto Rico remained in the fight until the end, but the Dominicans reached 25:23. With this success, the Dominican Republic won Group B and qualified directly for the semifinals, while Puerto Rico finished third and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Thus, after the end of the preliminary phaseCanada and the Dominican Republic are already in the semifinals. Today, August 24,USA meets Puerto Rico, and Cuba – Mexico. The winners will complete the semifinal quartet, and the losers will continue in the matches for 5th–8th place along with Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica. The Continental Championship concludes on August 26, after which the four highest-ranked teams excluding the USA will proceed to a separate Olympic qualification on August 28–29, whose winner will receive the NORCECA quota for Los Angeles 2028.