SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 13, 2026.– Belize remained unstoppable in the third edition of the AFECAVOL Men’s Final Four, earning its second consecutive victory with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-21) win over Nicaragua, a result that leaves the team very close to securing a place in the championship match with one preliminary-round contest remaining.
Belize is the only undefeated team in the tournament, while Nicaragua moved to a 1-1 record.
Belize will close the preliminary round against Panama and will then await the results of the final day to determine whether it will play for the title or the bronze medal. Nicaragua, meanwhile, will face host Costa Rica in its final match.
Although all three sets were closely contested, Belize showed greater consistency in the decisive moments. It led Nicaragua in attacks (44-30) and blocks (12-10), while Nicaragua held the edge only in opponent errors (24-19).
Kaelen Ingram once again led Belize’s offense with 15 points, followed by Francis Hauze with 14 and Ernest Broaster with 13. For Nicaragua, Axel Gutiérrez was the only player to reach double figures, finishing with 15 points.
Following the victory, Belize head coach Albert Humes said: “This is a great victory for Team Belize. Our players had been preparing for this tournament for a long time. We already had a clear idea of the quality of the teams from the Central American Games, and we also knew that we could beat them.”
Nicaragua´s head coach Jorge Mena said: “It was a very difficult match. We knew Belize had come into this tournament very strong. We tried to win at least one set to get back into the match and extend it, but things did not go our way. We still have one match remaining; if we do not get the result we need, we will go for the third place because our goal is not to leave empty-handed.”
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