Vazquez Gomez Leads Puerto Rico at NORCECA Final Four
6/22/2022 9:14:00 AM
PITTSBURGH – Redshirt junior Valeria Vazquez Gomez helped lead Puerto Rico to a 1-2 finish at the International League NORCECA Women's Final Four in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico last weekend.
Puerto Rico dropped its first match to Cuba, before defeating Costa Rica, 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-20), before an 11-point effort from Vazquez Gomez. The 6-1 outside hitter tallied another 11 point outing in her team's final match against eventual champion Mexico.
"Words can't capture what it feels and means but it's always an honor for me to represent my island," said Vazquez Gomez. "Whenever I get a chance to it's a YES from me. Wearing the flag on my jersey and hearing Puerto Rico's national anthem before every match is very emotional and a special moment for me and for the other girls."
"During this recent experience in Mexico, I got to see other girls from Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico that I played against in 2016 when I was playing for the youth national team, so it was amazing when I got to see and play against them six years later," Vazquez Gomex continued. "The level internationally and the environment is unmatched and it's very different in comparison to college in the U.S. Getting this experience playing against girls that play at a higher level before the season here at Pitt was definitely beneficial because it has helped my game in different areas."
Vazquez Gomez helped Pitt earn its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's first NCAA Final Four appearance last season. She finished the season with 95 kills, 107 digs, 16 blocks and 14 service aces as the Panthers posted a 30-4 record overall.
The competition calendar runs from June 17-19 with teams arriving June 15 and departing on June 20. Teams will play against each other for one single match with the top ranked team earning the ticket to the FIVB Challenger.
The Volleyball Nations League is the premier tournament of FIVB with the participation of the top 16 teams. The FIVB Challenger offers the opportunity to qualify to the top two teams replacing the two bottom teams of the VNL in the previous year.
Recaps, results and more from the NORCECA Final Four are available at http://www.norceca.net/Index.htm.
Puerto Rico dropped its first match to Cuba, before defeating Costa Rica, 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-20), before an 11-point effort from Vazquez Gomez. The 6-1 outside hitter tallied another 11 point outing in her team's final match against eventual champion Mexico.
"Words can't capture what it feels and means but it's always an honor for me to represent my island," said Vazquez Gomez. "Whenever I get a chance to it's a YES from me. Wearing the flag on my jersey and hearing Puerto Rico's national anthem before every match is very emotional and a special moment for me and for the other girls."
"During this recent experience in Mexico, I got to see other girls from Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico that I played against in 2016 when I was playing for the youth national team, so it was amazing when I got to see and play against them six years later," Vazquez Gomex continued. "The level internationally and the environment is unmatched and it's very different in comparison to college in the U.S. Getting this experience playing against girls that play at a higher level before the season here at Pitt was definitely beneficial because it has helped my game in different areas."
Vazquez Gomez helped Pitt earn its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's first NCAA Final Four appearance last season. She finished the season with 95 kills, 107 digs, 16 blocks and 14 service aces as the Panthers posted a 30-4 record overall.
The competition calendar runs from June 17-19 with teams arriving June 15 and departing on June 20. Teams will play against each other for one single match with the top ranked team earning the ticket to the FIVB Challenger.
The Volleyball Nations League is the premier tournament of FIVB with the participation of the top 16 teams. The FIVB Challenger offers the opportunity to qualify to the top two teams replacing the two bottom teams of the VNL in the previous year.
Recaps, results and more from the NORCECA Final Four are available at http://www.norceca.net/Index.htm.
"four" - Google News
June 22, 2022 at 08:25PM
https://ift.tt/8L5Q2fr
Vazquez Gomez Leads Puerto Rico at NORCECA Final Four - Pitt Panthers #H2P - PittsburghPanthers.com
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/ZBfw5P6
https://ift.tt/0UIoDQt
No comments:
Post a Comment