Dominican Republic Comeback and Defeat Serbia in Exciting Nations League Debut
Ottawa, Canada – The Dominican Republic women’s volleyball team, known as the Queens of the Caribbean, staged a spectacular comeback this Wednesday by defeating Serbia in a thrilling five-set match (26-28, 19-25, 25-20, 25-15 and 18-16). This match marked their debut in the 2025 Nations League, Group 1, organized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).The Dominican Republic team, currently ranked 11th in the world, showed their mettle by reversing a 0-2 set disadvantage. The attack of the ‘Queens of the Caribbean’ was led by Brayelin Martínez, who scored 17 points, followed by Jineirys Martínez with 16, Gaila González with 15, and Cándida Arias with 10.
The national team displayed character and experience in the decisive fifth set, withstanding the pressure from a Serbian team, ranked 10th in the world, that never relented in intensity. For Serbia, Aleksandra Uzela was the top scorer of the match with 29 points, followed by Vanja Bukilic (15) and Dengubic (14).
Debutantes Arianna Rodríguez and Samaret Caraballo offered solid performances, excelling in defense, services, and tactical delivery, key elements in the Dominican resurrection.
Coach Marcos Kwiek started the match with Rodriguez as the setter, betting on a combination of youth and experience. Despite losing the first two sets by a narrow margin, the Dominicans did not give up and reacted strongly from the third set onwards, driving a 5-0 rally that allowed them to take the lead.
In the fourth set, the team play was consolidated thanks to a forceful offense by Yonkaira Peña, effective combinations through the middle with Jineirys Martínez and Cándida Arias, and a renewed defensive leadership.
With this victory, the Caribbean Queens begin their participation in the Nations League on the right foot. This Thursday at 4:00 p.m. (local time), they will face Bulgaria, number 20 in the world ranking, in search of their second consecutive victory.
