Dominican Republic blocks the road to Puerto Rico

HAMAMATSU, Japan, October 3, 2018 - Bethania De La Cruz and Yonkaira Peña scored 15 points each to lead the Dominican Republic past Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) in Pool D action at the FIVB Women's World Championship on Wednesday afternoon.

Prisilla Rivera contributed 13 points in the win for the Dominicans. Daly Santana was the highest scorer for Puerto Rico with 10 points in the loss.

The winners held a huge advantage of 11-5 in the blocking category with Peña and Annerys Vargas leading the way each with three blocks.

The victory gives the Dominicans a 2-2 record, while Puerto Rico is also 2-2 after the defeat.

The veteran core of the Dominican team utilized their experience to dominate Puerto Rico. They passed and defended well and excelled on attack. They displayed both power and finesse in the win.

Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek: We are happy to get the win and the three points. This was an important game for us. We knew we needed to concentrate because Puerto Rico knows us well. Our blocking was good in the center though are attacking was not. We attacked effectively on the wings.”

Dominican Republic captain Bethania De La Cruz: “We are happy with the victory. Our combinations worked well and that is why we could win today.