PICKING itself up from a stunning loss to Portugal, Cuba kept its hopes alive in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship with a much-needed 25-22, 25-21, 25-20 sweep of Colombia on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The world No. 11 Cubans, who absorbed a 25-20, 22-25, 19-25, 19-25 defeat to Portugal last Saturday, leveled their record to 1-1 and now have three points, sitting in solo third place in Pool D.
They trail the 1-0 teams USA and Portugal, who are set to face each other later in the day at 9 p.m.
“It was a very important victory. It’s crucial to keep our aspirations of advancing to the next round,” said Cuba head coach Jesus Angel Cruz after the 91-minute win.
While most of the scoring departments were tight, the Cubans held a major advantage in the attacking category, outscoring Colombia 43-31.
Setter Christian Thondike made full use of Cuba’s arsenal, spreading the offense efficiently with a 43.86 percent setting success, helping five players score at least seven points each.
Outside spiker Osniel Mergarejo led the way with 14 points, including a hyper-efficient 12-of-16 in attacks, followed by Jose Masso with 12 points.
Marlon Yant added 10 points, while middle blockers Javier Concepcion and Robertlandy Simon contributed seven apiece.
Cuba now turns its focus to world No. 5 USA, which it will face on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in a do-or-die matchup.
For Mergarejo, the win provided a boost of confidence heading into that crucial clash.
“Today was a good game. I’m happy we got the win. Colombia is a good team, and this will help us mentally for our next game against the USA,” he said.
While Cuba spread the scoring, Colombia relied heavily on Miguel Angel Amaranto, who scored 18 points, with the next highest scorer, Andres Piza, contributing just six points.
World No. 42 Colombia, eliminated from the competition with a 0-2 record, will close its pool play schedule on Wednesday against No. 24 Portugal.
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