Local favorites Naomi Cruz and Angelica Torres ignited their home crowd with two thrilling victories at the 2025 FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Puebla. These impressive wins not only secured their own progression but also helped 14 other women`s teams clinch spots in the 24-team knockout stage, following the initial two rounds of pool play on Thursday.
The 18-year-old duo, Naomi Cruz and Angelica Torres, kicked off their championship campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 (21-13, 10-21, 15-12) triumph over Germany`s Mareet Maidhof and Sophia Neuss. This pivotal win marked the first victory for the host nation at the event. Reflecting on their performance, Cruz and Torres shared, “The game was so hard! We are incredibly happy, especially with the crowd cheering us on! It was truly an honor to secure the first Mexican victory here for our people. There are no easy opponents. Anything is possible, particularly here in Mexico. Our primary goal, and that of the entire Mexican federation, is to win a medal.”
Under the captivating evening lights of a packed center court, the Mexican pair once again delivered a three-set spectacle. Despite dropping the first set to Paraguay`s Mayra Perez and Valentina Schmeda, Cruz and Torres showcased remarkable resilience and determination, ultimately securing their second tie-breaker victory of the day with a 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-11) scoreline.
In the same Pool A, Czechia`s Katerina Pavelkova and Anna Pavelkova also achieved two straight-set wins against the identical opponents. This sets up a crucial direct confrontation between the already-qualified Mexican and Czech teams on Friday to determine the pool winners, who will advance directly to the eighth-finals. The German and Paraguayan teams, meanwhile, will battle it out for survival and a coveted spot in the sixteenth-finals.
A similar pattern emerged across most other pools, with two teams maintaining undefeated records and two remaining winless after Thursday`s matches. The sole deviation was Pool D, where Hungarian qualifiers Chiara Honti-Majoros and Stefania Kun extended their impressive winning streak.
They secured two pivotal victories: first, an arduous 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 19-17) comeback against Thailand`s Suchipha Rittila and Samitta Simarongnam, followed by a commanding 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) sweep against Costa Rica`s Aliza Aguilar and Laura Molina. While the Hungarians have guaranteed their spot in the knockout stages, they still need to claim first place in their pool to earn a direct pass to the eighth-finals. The other contenders for this direct qualification are Suchipha & Samitta and Aguilar & Molina, both of whom defeated Venezuela`s Aidana Ramirez and Valeria Figueredo and will face each other in pursuit of a second victory.
Other Pool Highlights:
In Pool E, France’s Saofe Duval & Romane Sobezalz and Canada’s Ruby Sorra & Ofure Odigie each defeated both Guatemala’s Naomi Monney & Danna Aguilar and German qualifiers Clara Dressen & Mila Jancar. They are set to clash on Friday to determine the pool winner and secure a direct spot in the eighth-finals, while the Guatemalan and German teams will compete for tournament survival.
From Pool B, USA’s Zoey Henson & Sarah Wood and Latvia’s Liva Ebere & Deniela Konstantinova advanced to the playoffs after triumphant performances against Argentina’s Morena Abdala & Victoria Sancer and Brazilian qualifiers Marcela Barbosa & Maria Clara. They will now compete head-to-head for the top position in their pool standings.
Similarly, Pool F will see Australia’s Jasmine Rayner & Jolie Du Plessis and Netherlands’ Floor Hogenhout & Mila Konink, both with two wins on Thursday, battle for first place. Their opponents – Egypt’s Mariam Saleh & Rawan Abdelmaguid and Kyrgyzstan’s Roza Rasulbek Kyzy & Aiturgan Aitbekova – will vie for third place.
In Pool C, American qualifiers Sally Perez & Avery Jackson and Poland’s Natalia Okla & Julia Radelczuk emerged from the first main draw day undefeated. They will contend for first place on Friday, while winless Sofía Izuzquiza & Adriana Serrano of Spain and Fakhr Imane & Bouysfi Fatima Zahra of Morocco face a crucial battle to secure third place and remain in contention.
After both commencing their campaigns with two victories, Switzerland’s Muriel Bossart & Leona Kernen and Brazil’s Carolina Sallaberry & Julhia Perandre will meet in Pool G to decide who takes first place. The battle for third place in this pool will unfold between Mozambique’s Nadia Julio Bango & Veronica Carlos Roque and New Zealand’s Kiana Stevenson & Tineke Hinton.
Pool H also saw two teams securing their advancement to the knockouts with two wins on Thursday. The direct passage to the eighth-finals from this pool will be contested in a decisive match between Austria’s Lia Berger & Lilli Hohenauer and Japan’s Mei Mori & Noa Utsugi. The final spot in the sixteenth-finals and the subsequent elimination will be determined in a match featuring the winless Yezet Romero & Esthephannie Castillo of Peru and Kalia Alvarado & Joaneliz Maisonet of Puerto Rico.
The women`s main draw action in Puebla is set to continue with more thrilling matches on Friday.
Oliver Wrenwick