The Cuban men’s volleyball team qualified for the League of Nations for the first time, the elite tournament of this sport, by achieving the only place in dispute in the Challenger Cup with a 3-1 victory in the final of the tournament against the team from Turkey.
The Cuban team only lost one set during the entire event, precisely during the final, with a score of 25-17, 23-25, and identical scores of 25-20 in the third and fourth sets. The Caribbean squad was superior in all aspects of the game, except receiving.
In the final against the Turkish team, Cuba lined up with passer Adrián Goide, assistants Miguel Ángel López and Osniel Mergarejo, opposite Jesús Herrera, center backs Roamy Alonso and Javier Concepción and Yonder García as libero, they report official media.
Miguel Ángel López and the opposite Jesús Herrera assumed the offensive weight with 20 and 19 points, respectively, while central defender Roamy Alonso with 12 points and 11 Mergarejo (four aces), were the highest scorers for the winning squad.
WELCOME TO THE #VNL CUBA!
? Congratulations to Cuba on winning the 2022 #ChallengerCup! This victory books them a spot in the 2023 VNL!#volleyball fans can’t wait to see the mighty Cubans to #BePartOfTheGame next year!
? Watch the full match replays on VBTV. pic.twitter.com/N49D7Kkmq9
– Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) July 31, 2022
Mergarejo himself and Miguel Ángel were service leaders in the Challenger Cup, with six aces each. Similarly, Miguel Álngel finished third among the best scorers in the contest with 50 points and third also among blockers (7).
Qualifying for the 2023 League of Nations will be the debut of a men’s volleyball team in this type of tournament, as well as the main result of a Cuban squad in this sport since its presence in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Cuba finished fourth in the 2018 Challenger Cup edition and second in 2019, while in the current edition rose undefeated with victories against teams from Chile, Czech Republic (in the semi-finals) and Turkey in the final of the tournament.
