Cuba on Way to Third Consecutive Gold Medal

Cuba advanced to the semifinals by shutting down Croatia and star hitter Barbara Jelic, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21.

Cuba, seeking an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal, established its dominance early, getting consistently easy shots from Regla Bell and Yumilka Ruiz on the left side.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-3 Regla Torres made life difficult for Jelic, the leading scorer of the preliminary matches. Jelic got only four clean kills in the opening game, when Cuba took a 4-0 lead, and when the Cuban block did let one of Jelic’s shots through, the team’s back row collected nearly every ball.