Brazil grab spot in U21 Men’s World Championship

Fort McMurray, Canada, May 17, 2017 - Brazil clinched the South American ticket to the FIVB Volleyball U21 Men’s World Championship up for grabs at the Pan American Cup as a result of the elimination of Chile from contention in Pool A on Wednesday.

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The chances of the Chilean side for the South American vacancy suffered a big blow when they lost to Puerto Rico 3-1 (23-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-10) to finish with a 0-2 win-loss record which handed Brazil, the only other South American team in the tournament, the free pass to the World Championship in the Czech Republic from June 23 to July 2.

Gabriel Garcia registered 19 points, including five blocks and one ace, while Pedro Molina and Ivan Fernandez added 13 and 11, respectively, to lead the Puerto Rican win. Bastian Fuentes scored 15 points for Chile, including a match-high six blocks.

Meanwhile, Brazil and Canada secured spots in the quarterfinals of the Pan American Cup after victories over Guatemala and Barbados, respectively, improving to 2-0 marks in Pool B. Both losing teams dropped to 0-2 records.

Guatemala was overwhelmed by Brazil 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-11) at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre at Keyano College.

Brazil’s Victor Cardoso led a strong full-squad effort with 11 points, followed by Felipe Roque with eight points. Erik Flores again was the top scorer for the losing side, with seven points.

Canada again thrilled its home crowd with a win over Barbados 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-16).

The Canadians got off to a strong start, but faltered a bit later in the match. Barbados led at the first technical time out of the third set, but the home team tied the set at 10, and then was buoyed by Eric Loeppky’s strong serving to score six in a row.  Loeppky ended up with 17 points as Canada’s top scorer.

In Thursday’s actions, Cuba meets Puerto Rico and Canada faces Brazil for top spots of their respective pools and direct passes to the semifinal phase.

Top Scorer by Day
21- Miguel Gutierrez of Cuba v Chile on May 16
19- Gabriel Garcia of Puerto Rico v Chile on May 17

Best Scoring Performances
21- Miguel Gutierrez of Cuba v Chile on May 16
19- Gabriel Garcia of Puerto Rico v Chile on May 17
17- Eric Loeppky of Canada v Barbados on May 17

Best Blocking Performances
4- Victor Cardoso of Brazil v Guatemala on May 17
3- McCarthy Fynnian of Canada v Barbados on May 17

Best Serving Performances
11- Miguel Gutierrez of Cuba v Chile on May 16
6- Bastian Fuentes of Chile v Puerto Rico on May 17
5- Gabriel Garcia of Puerto Rico v Chile on May 17
4- Matheus Goncalves of Brazil v Guatemala on May 17

Best Team Blocking Performances
10- Brazil v Barbados on May 16
10- Brazil v Guatemala on May 17
8- Puerto Rico v Chile on May 17

Best Team Serving Performances
15- Cuba v Chile on May 16
10- Puerto Rico v Chile on May 17
8- Canada v Guatemala on May 16
8- Chile v Puerto Rico on May 17
8- Brazil v Guatemala on May 17

Highest Scoring Sets
25-23 Chile v Puerto Rico (1st Set) on May 17

Highest Scoring Matches
166- Puerto Rico d Chile 3-1 (23-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-10) on May 17