At last week`s NORCECA U23 Women`s Volleyball Pan American Cup held in Leon, Mexico, the teams from Canada and Mexico secured silver and bronze medals, respectively. The USA team, making its debut appearance in the competition, triumphed as the cup winners.
Volleyball Canada has received a total of USD 1,391,000 in coaching support for their senior national volleyball teams, along with an additional USD 75,000 for volleyball equipment. Mexico`s national volleyball and beach volleyball teams have benefited from a total of USD 1,328,000 in coaching support. Furthermore, their volleyball department has acquired USD 115,000 worth of equipment. Junior and youth national teams from both countries also leverage the expertise of coaches assigned to their senior counterparts.
In the initial stage of the U23 Women`s Pan American Cup, Mexico and Canada secured second and third places respectively in Pool B, behind undefeated Cuba, thus progressing to the quarterfinals. There, Canada triumphed 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 12-25, 25-21, 15-9) over the Dominican Republic, who finished third in Pool A. The host nation, Mexico, achieved a decisive 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-13) victory against Pool A`s second-placed team, Costa Rica.
In the semifinals, Canada once again demonstrated resilience in a five-set match, completing an impressive 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-9) comeback against Cuba. This victory not only avenged their pool-stage loss but also secured Canada`s first-ever medal in the history of the U23 Women`s Pan American Cup. Mexico put up a strong fight against the undefeated Pool A winners, the USA, becoming the first team to take two sets from them in the tournament. However, in the end, the Americans celebrated a 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10) victory in the fifth set.
Mexico also avenged their pool-stage loss to Cuba, securing a 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 25-15, 15-11) victory in Friday`s bronze medal match tie-breaker to clinch a podium spot. In the subsequent gold medal showdown, the USA claimed a decisive 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-19) win over Canada.
The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Suriname secured positions from fifth to eighth in the final standings.
Ifennamaka Cos-Okpalla, a 21-year-old middle blocker from the United States, was honored as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and selected for the Dream Team of the 2025 U23 Women’s Pan American Cup. The tournament`s ideal lineup also featured setter Isabella Noble (Canada), opposite Ivanny Blackwood (Costa Rica), outside hitters Aime Topete (Mexico) and Raya Surinx (Canada), middle blocker Lianet Garcia (Cuba), and libero Emily Klika (USA). Klika also received accolades for Best Receiver and Best Digger. Mexico`s Topete earned the Best Scorer award, while her teammate Aitana Rettke was recognized as the Best Server.
Full results, statistics, and standings of the 2025 NORCECA U23 Women`s Pan American Cup are available.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood