BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 21, 2025.- Belize faced little resistance on its way to a second victory at the VII Central American U23 Women’s Championship, closing out Monday’s action with a commanding 3-0 (25-5, 25-10, 25-11) win over El Salvador.
Belize now has two wins in as many matches and will rest during the tournament’s third day. El Salvador, on the other hand, suffered its second loss and will face Panama in its next match.
Belize used its height advantage to dominate, racking up 44 attack points compared to El Salvador’s 11. They also led with service points 16-0 and shut down El Salvador’s limited attempts to fight back with a 2-1 edge in blocks.
Khaya Gordon, Fatoumata Camara, and Nisaan Ramirez each tallied 14 points for Belize. For El Salvador, Allison Méndez contributed four points.
After the win, Belize coach José Fontes said, “It was a relatively easy victory, but what I take away from this match is the attitude of our captain (Gareth Bruce), who is dealing with the emotional loss of a loved one. She’s still doing a great job in this tournament. We know our next two matches will be more demanding, so we need to prepare and not let confidence get the better of us.”
El Salvador coach Dany Calderón commented, “I think the lack of attention that some countries give to national team development processes often comes at a high cost, and that’s affecting us now. Generational changes also play a role, we’ve brought 11 players who are U19, and among them some are U15 and U17. The experience they lack can only be gained in competitions like this, so this is the only way forward.”
English 
Spanish