November 28, 2006, Sendai, Japan: Puerto Rico beat Canada in straight sets on Tuesday to improve their record to 2-4 in Pool E and ensure a place in the final round.
Led by tournament top scorer Hector Soto with another dazzling performance, Puerto Rico won 25-22, 25-21, 25-16 to leave Canada at 1-5 and unsure of a place in the Tokyo playoffs.
Things were tight at the beginning of the first set and Puerto Rico went in to the first TTO just one point ahead.
Frederic Winters began hitting some hard spikes on the left that put Canada 9-8 ahead before rival spike specialist Hector Soto hit long to increase the Canadians¡Ç score.
Pascal Cardinal crashed in a big spike to put the score at 13-12 Canada, but Soto was starting to do some damage for Puerto Rico and pulled his team level before Paul Duerden got in on the act with a huge spike on the right.
By the second TTO, though, Puerto Rico had restored their one-point advantage, with Soto -- although not hitting clean winners -- the main points scorer.
Soto blocked well to put Puerto Rico 19-17 ahead and forced Canada coach Glenn Hoag to call a time out. Captain Murray Grapentine then pulled Canada level at 21-21 which forced Puerto Rico coach Carlos D. Cardona to call a TO.
The Puerto Ricans scored two quick points and another time out by Hoag was called as he sensed the set was slipping away from his team.
He couldn¡Çt stop the rot. Soto came steaming in on the right to smash home a spike for set point and Duerden served into the net to gift-wrap the set for Puerto Rico.
Duerden went some to making amends by rattling in a spike on the right to send Canada into the first TTO of the second set 8-7 in front.
Victor Rivera leveled the score at 10 apiece with a pin-point diagonal spike into space, but Canada moved two ahead when Cardinal blocked superbly from Soto.
A clever lobbed spike from Cardinal restored Canada¡Çs two-point lead at 13-11, but Puerto Rico came back and a Rivera rocket put them ahead 15-14. They kept their slender advantage going into the second technical break.
Hoag called a TO as Puerto Rico retained the lead at 21-20 and Duerden leveled the scores at the restart, but then a Soto spike and Duerden spike ruled long gave Puerto Rico a 23-21 advantage.
The set was quickly won. An Angel Perez serve trickled over the net for set point and another wayward spike from Duerden gave Puerto Rico a 2-0 lead.
A sizzling Soto spike from deep sent Puerto Rico into the first TTO of the third set with an 8-3 advantage and the game was slipping away from Canada.
The Canucks pulled back to 9-9 before Puerto Rico started pulling away again, with captain Luis Rodriguez putting his team 14-11 ahead with a flicked effort into a space and then a no-nonsense deep spike at the net.
Rodriguez was on hand again to block a Cardinal spike and the Puerto Ricans were in full control at the second TTO, with a 16-11 lead.
Puerto Rico began to run away with the match and coach Hoag was given a yellow card by the referee. The Canadian players also were upset with the official for what they thought were some bad decisions in favor of the Puerto Ricans.
Canada were not giving, though, and battled back to put the match at 20-15 Puerto Rico, but it was going to be a tall order to turn things around from this point.
It wasn¡Çt to be. A flying Soto smashed in a spike to bring match point and a brilliant block from Rene Esteves won the match.
