XALAPA, Mexico, September 8, 2024. – Nicaragua defeated Suriname 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-15) to finish in seventh place at the U23 Women’s Pan American Cup, held from September 3 to 8 at the Xalapa International Velodrome in Veracruz.
Nicaragua ended the event with two victories (both against Suriname) and four losses, while Suriname had five losses.
Nicaragua was superior in attacks (47-25), and Suriname led in blocks (4-0). Both teams scored three aces. Nicaragua only conceded 11 points on errors, while Suriname conceded 25.
Nicaragua’s middle blocker, Brittany Forbes, led all scorers with 14 points, all from kills. Joined by opposite hitter María José Rivera, who contributed 11 points, also all from kills.
Marcela Roa, captain of Nicaragua: “We wanted to finish with a victory to motivate ourselves. We know that this participation leaves us with many things to improve. We realized that this level of play motivates us to perform better in future opportunities. We need to work to improve. We are happy with what we’ve learned; we faced opponents with a very good level. We are motivated to participate in another tournament of this magnitude.”
Claudius Straal, Head coach of Suriname: “The players had no energy today, maybe they were tired and weren’t motivated enough. The team is young, most of them can play for the next two years and we must do some proper work for the future, to be much better next time”.
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