It couldn’t be. Cuba’s main couple failed to maintain its victorious pace in the World Championships this Thursday. beach volleyball and was on the verge of being included among the eight best pairs of the tournament.
However, although painful, his farewell leaves a bittersweet taste.
After breaking the spell of previous competitions and advancing for the first time to the round of 16, Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo fell in two sets against the experienced Americans James Shaw and Chaim Schalk.
The defeat is not entirely surprising, even though the Cubans arrived undefeated and with a better position than the Americans in the world ranking. In that list – and until its next update after the World Cup – Díaz and Alayo occupy tenth place, ten places above their now perpetrators.
But it is already known that in sport it is not the rankings but the terrain that has the last word. And this time the balance tipped in favor of Shaw and Schalk.
In this way, those from Cuba saw their possibility of continuing in the fight based in the Australian city of Adelaide and dreaming of what would have been a historic medal cut short. However, even with the setback, they achieved their best result in world events by placing themselves in ninth place along with other pairs and confirmed themselves in the elite of this competitive sport.
A close defeat
On the sands of Australia, the island’s tandem faltered in the crucial moments of the duel, a factor that the Americans took advantage of to impose their law with tight scores of 21-19 and 22-20. as reflected the tournament website.
#BVWC2025 MORE QUARTERFINAL SPOTS SECURED!
Nuss/Brasher 2-1 Stam/Schoon
Schalk/Shaw 2-0 Diaz/Alayo
Carol/Rebecca 2-0 Ittlinger/Grüne
Melissa/Brandie 2-0 Dani/Tania☀️ #BeachVolleyball #Adelaide2025 pic.twitter.com/95Wubl3x6T
— Beach Volleyball World (@BeachVBWorld) November 20, 2025
The boards clearly show the high tension experienced on the court, natural at a level in which the differences on both sides of the net are minimal, and in an instance that converts each pulse into the equivalent of any final in the world circuit.
The numbers would be enough to demonstrate parity, perfectly balanced in attack (26-26) and unforced errors (10-10), almost equal in blocks (2-1), and slightly out of phase in service (5-2).
Matches like this are often defined by slip-ups that at the time seem like part of the game, but end up like a big slab weighing on the outcome.
As expected, Schalk and Alayo put their power to the test to sign 20 and 18 cards, respectively, but the Cuban, the main person in charge of the custody of the maya in the formation, could barely stop one of the northerner’s “missiles.”
Díaz and Alayo break the spell at the Beach Volleyball World Cup
Farewell, but…
The loss to Shaw and Schalk marked the farewell of Díaz and Alayo from the World Championship and also from the current beach volleyball season. But, despite their latest defeat, what they have achieved both in the competition and throughout the year cannot be minimized.
In addition to complete the preliminary stage undefeated and surpass their historical record in World Cups – their best previous position was 16th place -, the Cubans added 800 points to their accumulated value for the world ranking, and captured a prize pool of 11 thousand dollars.
The island couple thus closes one of their best international campaigns, which had them on several occasions as tenants of the top ten in the global ranking.
In addition to its unprecedented location in the universal competition that continues on the island continent, the 2025 season will be remembered for its first coronation in an Elite 16 tournament of the world Pro Toura feat they achieved at the stop held in the Mexican town of Quintana Roo.
To this they added other podiums and good placements in world circuit events and also in several tournaments held in Russia.
As a pending issue, they still have to surpass Cuba’s best result in a World Championship. It is still in the possession of Oney Hernández and Francisco Álvarez Cutiño – the coach of Díaz and Alayo – who occupied fifth place in the edition held exactly two decades ago.
The duo formed by debutants Damián Gómez and Eblis Veranes also performed in Adelaide, covering their journey through group J with three setbacks. However, specialists and fans celebrated their performance against much better ranked couples and considered their performance as hopeful.
