Volleyball: Peru's national team heads to the U20 World Championship in Mexico

Kill and done. The Peruvian national volleyball team, youth category, left for Veracruz, Mexico, to participate in the U20 World Championship of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), which will take place between Friday, July 14 and Sunday, July 23, in Boca del Río and Córdoba, Mexico.

The Peruvian team, directed by coach Marco Antonio Queiroga, is made up of the following players:

Attackers: Leslie Leyva (captain), Nicole Abreu, Ysabella Sánchez, and Kiara Montes.

Centers: Maricarmen Guerrero, Flavia Montes, and Aixa Vigil.

Setters: Yadhira Anchante and Nayeli Vílchez.

Opposites: Katherine Regalado and Thaisa Mc Leod.

Libero: Andrea Villegas.

After competing in the U20 Pan American Cup in Costa Rica, the national youth team went on a preparation tour through Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, and France. Upon returning to Lima, the team trained at the Voleibol CEAR Videna, in preparation for their participation in Group B of the World Championship. In their group, they will face the Dominican Republic, China, and Poland. Group A is composed of Russia, Mexico, Egypt, and Bulgaria. Group C is composed of Brazil, Serbia, Cuba, and the United States, and finally, Group D is composed of Japan, Italy, Turkey, and Argentina.

In the first phase, which will be played under a round-robin system, Peru will make their debut on Friday against China at 1:00 p.m. On the following day, they will face the Dominican Republic, and on Sunday, July 16, they will play against Poland. Peru's national team has participated in the U20 World Championship 11 times, winning the silver medal in 1981. Their best results since then have been in the 2011 edition in Trujillo and the 2015 edition in Puerto Rico, where they finished in sixth place.

The top two teams from each group will be divided into two groups of four (Groups E and F), and the bottom two teams from the first round will also be divided into two groups of four (Groups G and H). The top two teams from Groups E and F will advance to the semifinals and finals, and the top two teams will compete for fifth to eighth place. The winners of Groups G and H will have a playoff for ninth to twelfth place, with the bottom two teams from the same series going to a playoff for thirteenth to sixteenth place.

"We were on tour for almost a month, playing 26 matches in 23 days of work. It was a very intense and fruitful trip. We have been improving, the girls are very confident, and the expectations are very good because the team is in good physical and technical condition. We know that the group is difficult, but we will take it one step at a time. We will give our all to win the first match," said Brazilian coach Marco Quiroga.

Meanwhile, experienced player Katherine Regalado commented, "Unlike our last participation in the Pan American Cup in Costa Rica, the tour in Europe has allowed us to become more united. The work of the coaching staff has helped us a lot, and we are excited and prepared to face the challenge of the World Championship."