GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, October 20, 2025.– Nicaragua dominated Belize 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) to advance to the gold medal match of the men’s volleyball tournament at the 12th Central American Games Guatemala 2025, where they will face Costa Rica.
Nicaragua had not reached the podium at the Central American Games since 1990, when they won the silver medal. The Nicaraguan team has never claimed gold, with one silver and one bronze in its history. Belize, meanwhile, will play for the bronze medal against Panama; their last podium finish was in 1997, also a bronze.
From the start, Nicaragua set the pace in the first set, with Axel Gutiérrez leading the offense, supported by Jonny Zeledón and Víctor Fonseca. The effort from Belizean Francis Hauze wasn’t enough to stop the Nicaraguan momentum. Zeledón closed the set with a powerful spike past Kyron Sutherland’s block.
The second set was a close battle, with several ties on the scoreboard. From point 19 onward, Nicaragua built a two-point lead that they held to the end. With the score at 22-21, a spike by Gutiérrez that Michael Jenkins couldn’t control, followed by two Belize errors, gave Nicaragua a 2-0 set advantage.
In the third set, Nicaragua jumped to a comfortable 13-8 lead and stayed ahead until the end. Two strong kills by Zeledón and a service ace from Gutiérrez sealed the victory and a historic spot in the gold medal match.
AFECAVOL: GUATEMALA 2025 – VOLEIBOL
Statistically, Nicaragua led in attacks (52-43), service points (2-0), and committed fewer errors (13-16), while Belize was superior in blocks (7-5).
Top scorers for Nicaragua were Axel Gutiérrez with 20 points, Jonny Zeledón with 18, and Víctor Fonseca with 10. Francis Hauze was the only Belizean in double digits, scoring 18 points.
After the match, Axel Gutiérrez said: “We came in focused on winning this match; we didn’t expect a straight-sets victory. The key was our hunger and desire to win. It’s a dream to have the chance to earn a gold medal for Nicaragua for the first time in Central American Games history. Now we’ll face a strong rival, Costa Rica, but it’s not impossible to come out with the win.”
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