BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 20, 2025. – Belize delivered a dominant performance in their opening match of the VII AFECAVOL U23 Women’s Central American Championship, earning a convincing 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-6, 25-17) over Panama.
Belize showcased their powerful blocking and solid attacking game, leaving Panama with no chance to recover.
The home team controlled every aspect of the match, outscoring Panama in attack points 37-9, blocks 13-0, and service aces 5-2, although they committed more unforced errors, 26 to Panama’s 20.
Khaya Gordon led Belize’s offense with 16 points, followed by Nisaan Martinez with 12. For Panama, Ekaterina Ureña contributed 6 points and Janeth Fuentes added 5.
Commenting on the victory, Belize’s head coach José Fontes said, “A win is always important. We weren’t satisfied with our performance in the first set, but that’s normal for an opening match of a tournament. We improved significantly in the second set, and in the third, we had some good moments, although we slowed down a bit. We made some changes to give our younger players a chance, but the key takeaway is the win and getting the team into rhythm to achieve our ultimate goal.”
On the other side, Panama’s coach Eric Lucero shared, “The girls were a bit nervous; most of them have very little international experience. Belize’s blocking surprised us more than we expected. We knew we were up against a team with good height, strong blocking, and a powerful attack, and I think that had a psychological impact on our players due to their lack of experience.”
English 
Spanish