Santiago was crowned champion of the U17 Men’s National Volleyball Tournament by defeating Santo Domingo 2-1 in a final held at the Leo Tavárez sports complex in Higüey, with set scores of 21-25, 25-20, and 15-12; Ronald Rodríguez led the champion’s offense with 13 points and Alejandro Morales contributed 6, while for the capital team Jesús Polanco added 10 and Sneider Díaz 5.
The bronze went to Hermanas Mirabal, which came from behind against Barahona after dropping the first set 22-25 and winning the next two sets 25-18 and 15-11, in a tournament played for the Copa Vermont.
The all-star team and individual awards went to Ronald Rodríguez (Santiago), Alejandro Morales (Best Blocker), Álvaro Rodríguez (Setter), Feliz Toribio (Best Defense and Best Libero), Rosario “Charo” Herrera (Best Coach), Franklin Seguro Jr. (Barahona, Top Scorer and Best Attacker), Adrian Reinemann (Santo Domingo, Best Server), and Rouel Helena (Elías Piña, Best Receiver).
The Santiago Volleyball Association, presided over by José “Yeyé” Aybar, thus concluded an outstanding performance—a week earlier it finished third in the women’s division—in a championship dedicated to the bishop of the Diocese of La Altagracia, Bishop Jesús Castro Marte, and endorsed by Fedovoli, presided over by Alexis García.
