by Bill Kauffman
USA Volleyball

Cuba defeated the U.S. women’s national volleyball team 27-25, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24 in a battle of undefeated teams in Pan American Cup Pool B action played Sunday night at Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente Coliseum. Cuba improves to 4-0 in Pool B, while the U.S. falls to 3-1.

The U.S. team closes out pool play action on July 3 versus Venezuela at 4 p.m. ET. Cuba concludes pool action versus Peru at 6 p.m. ET.

Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) and Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) garnered team-high 16 points in the loss. Katie Wilkins (Lakeside, Calif.) added 12 points, while Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills, Calif.) tacked on 10 points.

Cuba was led by Yamia Ortiz’s match-high 20 points.

"I feel pretty good about the match, despite losing," U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach ‘Jenny’ Lang Ping said. "The match was pretty close, especially in the first and fourth sets. We entered some young players into the match late, and they did well. We had lots of service errors, which is a concern of mine, especially at the critical times they occurred."

Sam Tortorello (Shorewood, Ill.) and Jane Collymore (Englewood, Colo.) both entered the match late in the fourth set and contributed positively, according to Lang Ping. Tortorello was credited with a key block late in the match.

"We are passing and defending much better than last," Lang Ping said. "I can see we are improving from last year."

In the most recent battle between the U.S. and Cuba, the Americans had captured a five-set victory (25-13, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-10) over the Cubans in the title match of the NORCECA Continental Championship title on Sept. 11, 2005. Earlier in that tournament, Cuba won a three-set match over the U.S. on Sept. 8.

The U.S. women’s team entered its match against Cuba having won all three matches of Pool B play without dropping a set. Pool B consists of the U.S., Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela. Pool A is comprised of Brazil, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.

The winner of each pool automatically advances to the semifinals and the teams placed in second and third in their respective pools will meet in crossed matches in the quarter finals round.

The U.S. finished fourth at last year’s Pan American Cup at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The 2005 squad won its first four matches in pool play, but lost to Cuba 28-30, 24-26, 22-25 in the final pool play contest.

Additional match details and tournament results will be posted later tonight on the USA Volleyball web site.

To view stats, go to: www.usavolleyball.org/national/wstats.asp.

For additional information on the tournament, go to: www.norceca.org/endex.htm or www.norceca.org/V%20Panamerican%20Women´s%20Cup_2006.htm.

For more information about USA Volleyball, go to: www.usavolleyball.org.

USA Women’s National Team Roster for Pan American Cup
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif.)
5 – Sarah Drury (L, 5-5, Louisville, Ky.)
6 – Elisabeth Bachman (MB, 6-3, Lakeville, Minn.)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif.)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif.)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif.)
10 – Jane Collymore (OH, 6-0, Englewood, Colo.)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore.)
16 – Sam Tortorello (S, 5-11, Shorewood, Ill.)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn.)

USA Pool B Matches
June 29: def. Peru 25-18, 25-17, 25-20
June 30: def. Argentina 25-9, 25-14, 25-12
July 1: def. Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11
July 2: vs. Cuba, 6 p.m.
July 3: vs. Venezuela, 2 p.m.

V Pan Am Cup Pools
A: Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico
B: Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, Peru, USA, Venezuela

Standings through Day 3 (day 4 results not available)
Pool A
Puerto Rico 3-0
Brazil 2-1
Dominican Republic 2-1
Canada 1-2
Mexico 1-2
Costa Rica 0-3

Pool B
United States 3-0
Cuba 3-0
Peru 2-1
Venezuela 1-2
Argentina 0-3
Barbados 0-3

Pan American Cup Schedule
June 29
USA def. Peru 25-18-25-17, 25-20
Cuba def. Argentina 25-19, 25-12, 25-16
Brazil def. Dominican Republic 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19
Puerto Rico def. Mexico 18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19
Venezuela def. Barbados 25-10, 25-20, 25-7
Canada def. Costa Rica 25-15, 25-20, 25-6

June 30
Peru def. Venezuela 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21
Brazil def. Mexico 25-8, 25-12, 25-19
USA vs. Argentina 25-9, 25-14, 25-12
Puerto Rico def. Canada 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-25
Cuba def. Barbados 25-7, 25-22, 25-9
Dominican Republic def. Costa Rica 25-12, 25-11, 25-19

July 1
Peru def. Argentina 25-20, 25-18, 29-31, 25-21
Cuba def. Venezuela 25-16, 25-17, 25-21
Dominican Republic def. Canada 26-24, 18-25, 25-13, 25-22
Puerto Rico def. Brazil 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13
USA def. Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11
Mexico def. Costa Rica 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16

July 2
Argentina vs. Venezuela, 2 p.m. ET
Brazil vs. Canada, 4 p.m. ET
Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica, 6 p.m. ET
Cuba vs. USA, 8 p.m. ET
Peru vs. Barbados, 1 p.m. ET
Dominican Republic vs. Mexico, 3 p.m. ET

July 3
Canada vs. Mexico, 2 p.m. ET
USA vs. Venezuela, 4 p.m. ET
Cuba vs. Peru, 6 p.m. ET
Puerto Rico vs. Dominican, 8 p.m. ET
Argentina vs. Barbados, 1 p.m. ET
Brazil vs. Costa Rica, 3 p.m. ET

July 5
Quarterfinals

July 6
Semifinals

July 7
Championship

* Eight of the 12 teams competing in the Fifth Pan American Cup are qualified for the next World Championships in Japan. "That says a lot about the high level of this competition where 12 squads are beginning the battle to qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix, but also shaping up their teams for the Worlds in Japan," said Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA during his welcome words to the participants of the General Technical Meeting prior to the event. "What we are having in Puerto Rico is like a preview of the Teams from the Americas in route to the World Championships. So, all the people in love with our sport have the chance to watch the action here before it takes place in Japan next November."

* Brazil, Cuba, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru are the teams from the Americas qualified for the tournament in Japan. The other contenders here are Canada, Venezuela, Argentina and Barbados.

* Host Puerto Rico, already qualified for the World Championships, is seeking qualification into the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Puerto Rican captain is Aury Cruz, who earned three AVCA All-American awards while playing at the University of Florida.

Brazil is the ranked second in the world, according to the latest rankings released Oct. 1. Cuba is ranked fourth in the world rankings, while the USA is ranked fifth.