U19 NORCECA finals: U.S. vs. Cuba (6/10)

[vinnielopes]

Here we go tonight -- United States vs. undefeated Cuba for the U19 NORCECA championship. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the U19 World Championship and now they are playing for a gold medal. Here's all the U19 NORCECA Continental Championship matches to follow today and the links to follow them live: www.offtheblockblog.com/2018/06/u19-norceca-championship-matches-to-follow-today-4/

[Gilmoy]

#14-5th: Costa Rica [phone] Nicaragua. They won a match!

#15-3rd: Guatemala [phone] Puerto Rico, just finished a couple minutes ago.

#16-1st: Cuba-USA, teams are stretching on-court now. Looks like first serve around 17:30 PDT.

[Gilmoy]

19o Alexei Ramirez Masso 4s Aidan Knipe
16h Victor Ramon Andreu Flores 13h Alex Knight
11m Reynier Ibar Menendez 19m Nathaniel Gates
2s Christian Manuel Thondike Mejias 18o Scott Solan
1h Jose Miguel Gutierrez Suarez 5h Akhil Tangutur
14m Luis Vidal Allen Serrano 15m Ethan Hill
7L Alonso Ricardo Gomez 3L Mason Briggs

Cuba-USA, G1: Same Cuba. We start Knipe, Tangutur, Gates.
00-00 Ramirez js offspeed, Gates 1 off block straight up, joust out on our side -- off us
01-00 Ramirez js offspeed, Knight left stretch sidearm line long
02-00 Ramirez js, Solan D line touched deep, Ramirez C seam dug into net, no 2nd
03-00 Ramirez js long
03-01 Knipe jf, Andreu left line off block high, Knight left line tool deep
03-02 Knipe jf, Ibar (back?-)2 not dug
04-02 Andreu js, Knight right line long -- touched
04-03 Long pause ... Knight drops ball, goes for a short walk. Knight js long
05-03 Ibar jf, Solan right cross off block, Thondike hit on 2 dug , Tangutur inside left roll seam, ..., Thondike left roll, Gutierrez left cross dug (Briggs) over, Gutierrez left roll short, ..., Allen 1 turn right bomb shanked left (Briggs). Long rally!
06-03 Ibar jf overpass, Allen dunks
07-03 Ibar jf bad pass (Tangutur straight up), Briggs helpset Tangutur left cross bounce
07-04 Gates jf, ..., Knight 6m pipe roll saved free, Tangutur left cross bounce
07-05 Gates jf, blown 1 Allen lands-and-pushes over, Tangutur inside left seam roofed (Thondike, Allen)
08-05 TT1. A better start -- they're earning their points on kills, instead of us playing scared.

[Gilmoy]

08-05 Thondike js, Solan 2m right cross, Ramirez right cross blocked, _ pipe tape dug, CUB chase left save but fault. s/Godbold?/Knipe/
08-06 Solan js, Allen 3 sidearm dug, Tangutur inside left line blocked he covers, Solan right cross, Gutierrez right tip line pancake, Tangutur left roll CUB block net?
08-07 Solan js, Gutierrez right line dug (Briggs) low to left sideline, Knight can't get down. s/Karlous/Solan/ -- a slo-mo double-sub
09-07 Gutierrez js, Godbold left seam squeeze down
09-08 Tangutur js just long
10-08 Allen jf tape over, Godbold inside right line tool down
10-09 Hill jf, Andreu left cross squeeze down, not saved (Gates)
11-09 Ramirez js, Gates 3 push, Andreu left cross tool wide right
12-09 Ramirez js, Godbold right seam tool high way left. s/Knipe, Solan/Godbold, Karlous/
12-10 Knipe jf, Andreu left cross shanked low left (Briggs was there)
13-10 Andreu js, Knipe jump 1h Solan left off block, ... we net?
14-10 Tu1. Cuba look like they've been lifting for years, and training for a thousand hours

[Gilmoy]

14-10 Andreu js offspeed long
14-11 Knight js right line overpass (Gutierrez diving left), Solan right seam bounce (vs 1)
14-12 Knight js, Gutierrez left seam touched long. He just hits over the top
15-12 Ibar jf, Knight bic centerline dug -- foot fault, he landed across centerline
16-12 TT2

[Gilmoy]

16-12 Ibar jf, Knight helpset Tangutur inside left roll seam, Ramirez D line dug over, Gutierrez left line tool into left stands
17-12 Tu2

[Gilmoy]

17-12 Ibar jf, Tangutur left line tool to 3m mid-right, Cuba just watch it drop -- that's them, too
17-13 Gates jf, Ramirez 4m D line blocked right
18-13 Thondike js, Hill 1 off block wide right
18-14 Solan js pass right, Allen 3 turn center bounce
19-14 Gutierrez js right line ace (Tangutur shanked low left not saved)
20-14 Gutierrez js overpass left, Ramirez/Allen dunk
21-14 Gutierrez js offspeed bad pass right, Knipe scoop-hook -- called for lift. s/Deluzio/Tangutur/
22-14 Gutierrez js long
22-15 Deluzio js, Ramirez inside right cross bounce
23-15 Allen jf, Knight tight left lefty push cross, Andreu left cross dug (Briggs), 2nd shanked wide left 3rd kick-save nowhere
24-15 Allen jf long
24-16 Hill jf, Ibar 2 blocked off a chest deep (Gates)
24-17 Hill jf net
25-17 = 1-0. We're physically overmatched, so it's a matter of keeping our heads in it.

[Gilmoy]

Left to right, skip Ramirez.
19o Alexei Ramirez Masso 2s Joseph Karlous
16h Victor Ramon Andreu Flores 13h Alex Knight
11m Reynier Ibar Menendez 19m Nathaniel Gates
2s Christian Manuel Thondike Mejias 18o Scott Solan
1h Jose Miguel Gutierrez Suarez 5h Akhil Tangutur
14m Luis Vidal Allen Serrano 15m Ethan Hill
7L Alonso Ricardo Gomez 3L Mason Briggs

Cuba +17 USA, G2: Karlous for Knipe.
00-00 Karlous jf, bad pass left Thondike punches on 2 blocked, no cover
00-01 Karlous jf tigh tpass, Gates blocks too softly still tight, Ibar(?) tips short right like a back-1
01-01 Andreu js net
01-02 Knight js, Gutierrez left over seam dug (Knight) way high, Tangutur left line roofed cover fails (Thondike?)
02-02 Ibar jf, Solan right line blocked covered, Solan right cross bounce
02-03 Gates jf, Allen 1 hook right just wide
02-04 Gates jf, Gutierrez left seam roofed vertically (Hill, Solan)
02-05 Gates jf, Ramirez D line, Solan inside right seam roofed into his shoe, bounces under net
03-05 Thondike js, Tangutur 3m left roll seam to deep mid-left, two Cubans both pull out and shank it deeper -- inexplicable
03-06 Solan js, Gutierrez right line tool deep right. Pause to wipe floor thereat
04-06 Gutierrez js offspeed, Tangutur 2m left line tool left. Cuba HC
04-07 Tangutur js, Andreu left line bounce
05-07 Allen jf, Karlous dump short center no dives
05-08 TT1. Cuba don't have great floor defense because they never need it, and it atrophies. Make them think and get horizontal, and they look like ... kids.

[Gilmoy]

05-08 Hill jf tape over, Ramirez right lien off block, block net
06-08 Ramirez js, Solan D line tool right
06-09 Karlous jf, Andreu left cross tape bounces wide right
06-10 Karlous jf, Ramirez D seam dug tight center, Allen(?) blocks before it straddles. Called point for Cuba, pause for some discussion? No, s/10h Gustavo Bolaños Vera/16h Andreu/
07-10 Bolaños jf, ... they dig, Ramirez D line
08-10 Bolaños jf bad pass, ..., Gutierrez left tip short mid-left
09-10 Bolaños jf, Solan 2m left line blocked up line
10-10 Tu1

[Gilmoy]

10-10 Bolaños jf, Knight right slap cross, pass way left blown helpset into right antenna. s/Andreu/Bolaños/
10-11 Knight js, Thondike power-dump on 2, dive-scoop fails. Pause to wipe our court
11-11 Ibar jf long
11-12 Gates jf, Gutierrez left cross not dug (Gates)
12-12 Thondike js, Tangutur left tip covered (Allen), Gutierrez left over seam shanked deep right
13-12 Thondike js net
13-13 s/Godbold/Karlous/. Solan js tape not over. s/Knipe/Solan/
14-13 Gutierrez js offspeed, Hill low 1 sidearm blocked (Allen) mid-left no cover
15-13 Gutierrez js pass right, Tangutur 3m C roll line dive-saved, Gutierrez D(?) off block or tape, drops just behind block, no dives
16-13 TT2

[Gilmoy]

16-13 Gutierrez js, Godbold left through seam, Ramirez wide right cross roofed (Godbold?)
16-14 Tangutur js way long -- to endboard
17-14 Allen jf, Godbold right hang tip cross, Ramirez right roll line, ..., Ramirez right line bounce
18-14 Allen jf, (bad replay) USA kill. s/12h Deluzio/15m Hill/
18-15 Deluzio js net
19-15 Ramirez js, Knight left line blocked up line (Ibar)
20-15 Tu2

[Gilmoy]

20-15 Ramirez js offspeed, Gates compressed-right 1 facing right bounce wide -- didn't compensate enough
21-15 Ramirez js offspeed, Tangutur B roll deep mid-left but huge foot fault -- R2 couldn't even believe he was back row, late call
22-15 Ramirez js, Gates 1 blocked, cover overpass block dug saved free, Andreu left cross dug saved free, Ramirez right cross not dug (off Knipe). Now we look shaken
23-15 Ramirez js, Godbold right cross wide
24-15 Ramirez js long
24-16 Godbold js long but Cuba rotation error!
24-17 Godbold js longer
25-17 = 2-0.

Cuba +17+17 USA. We'd have to go to a full-(multi-)year residency program with zero distractions, and intensively drill vb like Chinese acrobats. That's probably what Cuba do at this age group.

[Gilmoy]

19o Alexei Ramirez Masso 2s Joseph Karlous
16h Victor Ramon Andreu Flores 13h Alex Knight
11m Reynier Ibar Menendez 10m Ethan Smith
2s Christian Manuel Thondike Mejias 16o Clarke Godbold
1h Jose Miguel Gutierrez Suarez 5h Akhil Tangutur
14m Luis Vidal Allen Serrano 19m Nathaniel Gates
7L Alonso Ricardo Gomez 3L Mason Briggs

Cuba +17+17 USA, G3: Smith for Hill, Godbold for Solan.
00-00 Ramirez js, Smith 1 mid-right
00-01 Karlous jf, Thondike spike on 2 onto left sideline
01-01 Andreu js, Godbold left push line, Ramirez D cross not dug. Colossal gap in our hitting power -- they think this is normal for boys
02-01 Andreu js long
02-02 Knight js, Ibar curl 1 turn mid-right
03-02 Ibar jf, Smith back-1 tip short right no dives
03-03 Smith jf, tight pass Thondike back-dump high, Gates 1 turn left power-push no dives
03-04 Smith jf bad pass deep saved free, Godbold right line off block, Ramirez D seam, Tangutur left seam roofed (Allen, Thondike)
04-04 Thondike js, Godbold inside right cross shanked deep left, chase to bench fails
04-05 Godbold js long
05-05 Gutierrez js offspeed pass left, Tangutur left roll line, Ramirez right line tool down
06-05 Gutierrez js net
06-06 Tangutur js offspeed, Allen huge 1 steep mid-right bounce
07-06 Allen jf, AKarlous dump blocked up (Ibar), bad pass right not saved = 4
07-07 Gates jf, Andreu left line bounce wide
07-08 TT1. Cuba seem to hover on the edge of not-caring ... that's them, too

[Gilmoy]

07-08 Gates jf, Andreu left sharp cross bounce. Cuba fault? He landed in the net? R1 explains to them, but I didn't grok it
07-09 Gates jf, Andreu left line bounce -- in anger
08-09 Ramirez js offspeed, Godbold D palm-drop short center dug deep, saved free but lands wide right!
08-10 Karlous jf, Ramirez 3m D over seam chop-dug wide right (Tangutur)
09-10 Andreu js offspeed, Knight right cross wide
10-10 Andreu js offspeed, Karlous 3m twist-shoot Hill 3 tip short left, dive-save dug deep free, Godbold(?) shoot-set right line on 1, dive-shanked to left sideboard not saved
10-11 Knight js overpass (or Thondike tips over on 2), Knight bic deep mid-right
10-12 Knight js low pass right, Gutierrez left line tool left
11-12 Ibar jf, Hill 1 right dug into net saved, Allen(?) 2 tool left into pole
12-12 Ibar jf, Godbold right cross wide
13-12 Ibar jf, Godbold right line shanked right into sideboard (Ibar? kneeling)
13-13 Smith jf low pass left, Gutierrez left fake-huge hang tip short mid-left dug, _ roll Cuba block net
13-14 Smith jf, Ramirez D line outside-in bounce
14-14 Thondike js bullet pass, Karlous jump-set Gates 1 power-throw short left bounce -- lift
15-14 Thondike js, Gates 1 push mid-left dug, Ramirez tight wide D tip high short center -- USA block net
16-14 TT2

[Gilmoy]

16-14 Thondike js, Gates 1 high push mid-right, Cuba lift?
16-15 Godbold js, Gutierrez right over seam not dug
17-15 Gutierrez js, Knight bic centerline twist-fouled deep
17-16 Deluzio js long
18-16 Allen jf net. s/14h Hartley/19m Gates/
18-17 Hartley js net. s/Gates/Hartley/. Pause while R2 chats with table ... illegal sub? We see they have old-school flip-scores at the table, just in front of the electronics stats console No problem, resume
19-17 Ramirez js net
19-18 Karlous jf, Andreu left sharp cross bounce
20-18 Andreu js offspeed, Karlous twist-shoot Smith 1 cross net
21-18 Tu1. Andreu saunters to bench -- nobody does the not-giving-a-care saunter like Cuba