Cuban volleyball team

Havana, July 27 (RHC) - The Cuban men's volleyball team will seek from Thursday the only ticket in dispute for the Nations Volleyball League (VNL), at the Challenger World Cup, to be held in South Korea.

In their debut, the Cubans will face Chile, a rival they last defeated at the Pan American Games in Lima-2019 and in theory the most affordable rival of all the contenders.

The team at the helm of Nicolás Vives recently won the Norceca Final Six held in Mexico, but traveled to the Korean capital without centerbacks Robertlandy Simón and Liván Osoria, both positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, two of their starters, Roamy Alonso and Marlon Yant, are recovering from injuries.

If the Cubans triumph against the Chileans, they will face the winner between the Czech Republic and Tunisia in the second match.

In the other match of the opening day, the hosts will face South Korea and Australia.

Prior to the tournament, the Cubans played a preparatory match against the host South Korea, in which they lost 0-3.

The tournament awards only one berth for the 2023 VNL.

Cuban DT, Nicolas Vives, announced to the island's TV that for the opening match he will line up with center backs Roamy Alonso and Javier Concepcion, as auxiliary attackers Miguel Angel Lopez and Osniel Mergarejo, as opposite Jesus Herrera, passer Adrian Goide and as libero Yonder Garcia.