Peru qualified undefeated to the semifinal

LIMA, Peru, August 16, 2018 - Peru qualified undefeated in the semifinal of the IV U23 Pan American Cup after defeating Cuba 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 27-25) in the last match of Pool A of the tournament at the Manuel Bonilla Coliseum in Miraflores.

The host team, who secured their place among the first four of the competition, will fight for their place in the final on Saturday 18 at 6:00 p.m.

The attacker Brenda Lobatón was the figure of the match tying the record of 35 points for Peru, followed by Maricarmen Guerrero with 11 units. On the Cuban side, Ailama Cese, Diaris Pérez and Thalia Moreno stood out with 19, 17 and 11 points, respectively.

Lobaton tied the mark of 35 points established in 2016 by her compatriot Angela Leyva and equaled this year by the Mexican Uxue Guereca.

Despite the solid Cuban barrier, the red and white managed to take advantage in attack (59-52); however, they were edged in blocking (7-14) and service (4-5). Cuba committed 28 unforced errors, while Peru reduced them to 21.

Peru's top scorer, Brenda Lobatón, said: "I'm very grateful to my teammates because each one played hearts out, but I think the fan's encouragement was a key element, it's always nice to feel the warmth of our fans. We are in semis, but we know that the matches ahead will be harder and we will not put our arms down until we get the gold."

The captain of Cuba, Diaris Pérez: "I think that Peru studied us very well, although it was a match where we made many mistakes and we did not know how to maintain the advantage in the scoreboard. For the match that comes with Colombia will go out very strong, because we are still focused on our goal of fighting for the first place"