GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 23, 2026. – Canada opened its Men’s U21 Pan American Cup campaign with a dominant 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-15) victory over Nicaragua in Pool B, at Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium in Guatemala City.
Canada dominated the match statistics, outscoring Nicaragua in attacks (34-16), blocks (11-5), and service aces (8-0). Both teams recorded a similar number of errors, with Canada committing 21 and Nicaragua 22.
Canada will face Costa Rica on the second day of Pool B action, while Nicaragua will take on host Guatemala.
The Canadians imposed their rhythm from the start of the match. In the opening set, they built a comfortable 20-10 advantage led by Ethan Baraniuk. Later, Owen Harris contributed with a kill and a block on Bradly Cordón to extend the lead to 24-12 before Baraniuk closed the set with an attack.
Canada also seized control early in the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead. Nicaragua attempted to respond behind the efforts of Inti Zapata but could not find a way to close the gap. The Canadians maintained pressure from the service line, with at least four players recording aces, to take a two-set lead.
In the third set, Canada maintained its pace with Matthew Siebenga excelling at the net and William Basilio contributing offensively. The North Americans extended their advantage to 20-13 and moved toward their first victory of the tournament with a block by Marcus Barrett on Nicaragua’s Rayfield Hodgson.
Canadian middle blocker Matthew Siebenga led all scorers with 13 points on six attacks, six blocks, and one ace. William Basilio added 10 points, all on kills. For Nicaragua, Inti Zapata led the offense with nine points.
Canada captain William Basilio: “It’s very exciting. We’ve worked hard over the last two weeks, so it feels great to start the tournament with a win. More than any specific skill, I think our biggest strength today was our fighting spirit. That was a key part of our preparation, competing for every point and pushing until the end. We showed that on the court today, and that’s the identity of this team. We’re fighters.”
Álvaro Quesada, Nicaragua captain: “Canada is a very tough opponent. We did what we could and made several changes to our lineup. Now we will prepare for tomorrow’s match against Guatemala, a Central American rivalry in which we hope to achieve a better result”.
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