USA win despite big Colombia effort

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, July 15 2012 - United States defeated Colombia 3-1 (25-27, 25-21, 25-13, 25-17) despite a surprise in the first set by the South American team at the XI Women’s Pan American Cup.

Lauren Gibbemeyer scored 22 points, 11 by blocking, while Kristin Richards finished with 12 for USA.   Diana Arrechea led the Colombian team with a total of 20 points and captain Lorena Zuleta registered 14.

“Like in all matches, this one was tough and difficult, but I feel so proud of my teammates because we showed courage and came out hungry to win. We made some mistakes but gave battle against USA,” Zuleta said about her team’s performance.

“It is always good to win. This was a positive thing. We faced a great team that showed good service and went so far. They are a great team now and I am sure they will be great in the future,” USA Captain Stacy Sykora said after playing only in the third set.

American coach Reed Sunahara felt Colombia started with a good execution. “When we watched them playing better I thought we had to stop them. We couldn’t in the first set. They showed a good execution and had a momentum. Our players woke up and started doing things correctly,” Sunahara remarked.

For Mauro Marasciulo, coach of Colombia, “It is always an honor to play USA, with professional players and a country that has won Olympic gold medals and championships. All matches are difficult and this one was good in our preparation for the South American championship. Despite the result I feel glad about it,” he concluded.