Puerto Rico makes semis with victory over Argentina

GATINEAU, Canada, June 16, 2011 - Ulises Maldonado scored a tournament high 26 points on Thursday to lead Puerto Rico to a 25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 27-25 victory over Argentina and a berth in the semifinals at the Pan Am Cup men’s volleyball tournament.

Ezequiel Cruz added 21 points for the victors in a quarterfinal match that pitted the two youngest teams of the tournament.  Ricardo Archilla also had 15 points. The Puerto Ricans definitely delivered the biggest post match celebration so far.

Ivan Castellani was the top scorer for Argentina with 16 points while Agustin Ramonda added 11.

‘’Nobody expected us to be in the semifinals,’’ said Puerto Rico’s coach Ariel Diaz.  ‘’We took advantage of their mistakes and our scouting staff did a great job’’

‘’We have been practicing for only two weeks but we just keep getting better and better,’’ said Puerto Rico’s captain Edgardo Goas.  ‘’We didn’t think we had a chance to be fighting for a medal.’’

‘’It was a good match but we expected a better result,’’ said a disappointed Argentinean coach Juan Manuel Cichello.

‘’We were confident we could complete the comeback,’’ added Argentina’s captain Juan Ignacio Finoli.  ‘’Our goal now is to finish this tournament strong.’’