PARAMARIBO, Suriname, September 20, 2024. – Costa Rica defeated the host Suriname in a dramatic game 3-2 (25-17, 25-27, 25-22, 29-31, 20-18) to advance to the match for fifth place at the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo.
Costa Rica will play the fifth-place match on Saturday against the winner between Saint Vincent and the Dominican Republic; Suriname will face the loser for positions 7/8.
In a match that lasted over two hours (2:24), with the tie-break nearly resembling a regular set, Costa Rica claimed victory by leading in attacks (74-67) and committing fewer errors (24-34). Suriname held the advantage in blocking (15-12) and serving (9-4).
Five Costa Rican players scored in double digits, with standout performances from middle blocker Luis Eduardo Solano and outside hitter Harold Rodríguez, who scored 24 and 20 points, respectively.
The top scorer of the match was Suriname’s Lee A Leong with 28 points, supported by Carlo Huisden (17), Gianni Ritfeld (15), and Shemar Jameson (14).
Costa Rica started strong, winning the first set while always staying ahead on the score, with four players leading the attack. The second set saw several ties, until Gianni Ritfeld and Lee A Leong pressed to level the match 1-1, with Ritfeld scoring the set-winning block. Costa Rica and Suriname were tied up to 21 points in the third set, but Costa Rica won despite Suriname leading the attack (14-9). After two consecutive errors by Costa Rica near the end, Harold Rodríguez sealed the set with a kill. In a dramatic fourth-set finish, Suriname lost a set point (24-23) after a powerful attack from Costa Rica’s Juan Delgado. Costa Rica then missed a match point after a kill from Lee A Leong, and Suriname forced a fifth set by scoring two consecutive points to close it out 31-29. In the fifth set, both teams traded leads, extending the set to nearly a regular one, but Costa Rica clinched the win with a final kill from Rodríguez.
Luis Eduardo Solano, top scorer of Costa Rica: “It was a tough match. Both teams got carried away emotionally; at times one team was ahead, and then the other would take the lead, switching roles throughout the game. Thankfully, we were able to pull through and now we’re aiming for fifth place, which is a good position for a new team like ours in tournaments of this level”.
Lee A Leong, top scorer of Suriname: “We had a good game. We need to finish the sets. We all committed a series of errors. We played a good game, and we showed that we can compete with these teams. We must work to improve more”.
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