Samantha Bricio carries Mexico into Barranquilla semifinals

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia, July 23, 2018.- Samantha Bricio carried Mexico into semifinals of  the women’s volleyball tournament at the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games of Barranquilla, scoring 27 points in her team’s quarterfinal victory over Trinidad and Tobago by  3-1 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-17).

Samantha Bricio was Mexico’s key player in stopping Trinidad and Tobago’s impetuous charge after losing the first set. Mexico finished with 6 aces, all by Bricio’s power at the service line; she also scored 19 kills. Andrea Rangel joining forces in the winning cause with 17 points.

Esdelle Kristle with 15 points, followed by Channon Thompson and Sinead Jack with 13 tallies apiece, was in charge of Trinidad and Tobago’s offense over the net, who with great effort and power, dominated Mexico up to the fourth set.

Mexico led all skills with 50-44 in kills, 10-8 in blocks and 6-4 in aces. Both teams finished with similar errors, Mexico allowed 30 points and Trinidad and Tobago 29.

“We are very happy to be in semifinals, we want to thank all the Colombian fans for their support” started saying Samantha Bricio. “We are still fighting for the gold medal and it will be a difficult match, not only because our opponent is strong but because of the humidity here that cuts your breath short, this is something that all of us have to deal with. It’s not the same to perform on a slippery wet court, it makes it tougher, it’s an obstacle for everyone, but it gives excitement. We are aiming to reach the final match” she added.

Ricardo Naranjo coach of Mexico explained his team was prepared to reach this phase, “it was our objective to be in semifinals, now we must improve several aspects to face our next opponents and win the gold medal. We want to stand out, it will be complicated, and we must play with strength and die on the court tomorrow”.

Esdelle Kristle of Trinidad and Tobago said “we lost our momentum; we stated off strong, we were in control of the actions. We put a lot of effort in performing well; but we weren’t able to complete the task because of our lack of focus. We must improve; we believe we can beat Mexico in the near future”.

Francisco Cruz coach of Trinidad and Tobago has been saying “we won’t improve if we don’t practice more. My team is stuck; they need more practice matches and the facilities back home to work harder. Winning the first set like we did, is how we should get used to perform”.