Category: Volleyball

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024. – Guatemala defeated Honduras in straight sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-20), continuing their undefeated streak in the VI Central American U-23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.

The Guatemalans won their fourth consecutive match and remain unbeaten. Alongside Nicaragua, they are the only two national teams yet to lose. This Thursday, Guatemala will face Costa Rica and will conclude their participation on Saturday against Nicaragua.

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With this loss, Honduras has a 2-2 record. They will play against Nicaragua on Friday and finish the tournament on Saturday against Costa Rica.

Guatemala outperformed Honduras in attacks (36-22) and serves (9-3), with 5 aces by Andrea Mendizábal. Honduras led in blocks, 7-3.

Naomi Monney and Andrea Mendizábal were the top scorers of the match with 13 points each, with Mendizábal scoring 5 aces. María Andrea Santa Cruz added 11 points. For Honduras, the top scorers were Rocío Duron with 7 points and Shantte Siliezar with 6.

Andrea Mendizábal commented after the game, “Today, we had a great attitude. From the start of the tournament, our goal was to win all the games, and so far, we’re doing well. Today, we defeated the host team, which makes us very happy. I feel confident that we can win the title”.

Reizel Dunechka Bruhier from Honduras said, “The game required a lot of focus. We started the sets well but lost concentration midway through. We got anxious when it came to scoring points.”

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 27, 2024.- Keisy Janeth Fuentes, born in the province of Veraguas in the Atlantic region of Panama, made her debut for the Panamanian national team at just 13 years old. Today, on June 27, she celebrates her 14th birthday while participating in the VI Central American Women’s Championship,  in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Keisy had never defended Panama’s colors in indoor volleyball before, and her debut at any level in national teams is at the U23 level. She had previously represented Panama in a beach volleyball event in Costa Rica.

We spoke with her, and through tears of joy, she shared:

“This is my first time on the indoor volleyball national team. I’m much younger than the rest of my teammates, but I feel very happy, and they have all supported me a lot. I am thrilled to represent Panama in a Central American championship.

I started playing volleyball when I was very young because my mom (Janeth Gallardo) played on a court where they would put up a net. Being so little, they wouldn’t let me play, but I loved watching my mom play and decided that I wanted to learn this sport.

Soon after, my mom began teaching me. Thanks to her academy and her connections in the volleyball community, people saw me play and invited me to train.

Playing in this category with the national team made me a bit nervous at first, but after my first game, my first point, and with the support of the coaches and my teammates, those nerves disappeared.

I want to thank my mom and my dad (Ronald Fuentes) very much for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to be here, to fulfill my dream of playing volleyball, and to represent my country”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024. – Belize secured a quick victory over Panama 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-20), extending their winning streak in the VI Central American U-23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium.

After starting the tournament with two losses, the Belizean team has been undefeated since their third match, winning their next three games. Belize now holds a 3-2 record. Meanwhile, Panama suffered its fifth consecutive defeat, remaining winless in all five of their matches.

Belize will rest this Friday, while Panama will face El Salvador in the opening match of the day.

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Belize outperformed Panama in all aspects of the game, leading in attacks (47-20), blocks (3-1), and serves (9-1). It was a match with few unforced errors, with Belize committing 16 and Panama 12.

Avianka Ávila, setter of Belize said, “Our win today was a very important one because we won it in three sets, and it helps us get a step closer to hopefully being able to bring a medal home. Tomorrow, we have a rest day so we are going to take that time very wisely, we’re going to rest and prepare ourselves for our last game against El Salvador, which we will work very hard to win. A medal for third place is possible”.

Lurianis González of Panama stated, “Belize is a very good team, and their players are quite tall. We played a good game, but we didn’t get the desired results. However, we know that with a lot of training, we have great potential. We still must play against El Salvador, and we have high hopes that we can secure the victory.”

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 26, 2024.- Nicaragua defeated Costa Rica 3-1 (25-23, 14-25, 25-21, 25-20), maintaining their unbeaten record and strong chances of winning the VI Central American U-23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

The Nicaraguan team rebounded after a challenging second set, where they were overpowered by Costa Rica’s offensive, to secure a victory that edges them closer to a medal.

The match was closely contested. Nicaragua narrowly led in attacks, outscoring Costa Rica 48-47. Costa Rica, however, led in blocks (9-6) and serves (5-2). The 33 unforced errors by Costa Rica significantly contributed to their defeat.

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With this win, Nicaragua now has a 4-0 record. They are set to play against Honduras on Friday and will wrap up their schedule on Saturday against Guatemala. Costa Rica, with a 2-2 record, will face Guatemala on Friday and conclude their participation against Honduras on Saturday.

Brittany Forbes led Nicaragua with 13 points, while Brisa Pérez contributed 12 points. The top scorer of the match was Costa Rica’s Ana Victoria Rojas, who scored 14 points, followed by Ester Abarca with 11 points.

Reflecting on the game, Brittany Forbes from Nicaragua said, “Costa Rica is a very tough opponent. We knew they were coming strong, but we were determined to win, and in the end, we did it. We still have two games left, and we know they will be tough, against Guatemala and Honduras”.

Ester Abarca of Costa Rica remarked, “It was a very challenging game for both teams. I feel we gave our best, but we made too many mistakes which weakened us. However, I am confident that we will go all out in the next matches and aim to climb back up the standings”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024.- Belize defeated Honduras 3 sets to 1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, and 25-22) in the final match of the fourth day of the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

In the second set, Honduras made a comeback from a 13-21 deficit to win the set 25-23. In the third set, history almost repeated itself as Honduras quickly closed the gap with Belize, but the Belizeans managed to secure the final points to close out the set.

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Belize found their rhythm and secured their second consecutive victory, now holding a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. Meanwhile, Honduras lost their undefeated record and ended the day with 2 wins and 1 loss.

This Thursday, Belize will play against Panama, and Honduras will face Guatemala.

Belize outperformed Honduras in all areas of play, 52-33 in attacks, 9-6 in blocks, and 9-3 in serves.

For Belize, three players scored in double digits, Fatoumata Camara with 23 points, Nisaan Martínez with 18 points, and Gareth Bruce with 13 points. For Honduras, Rocío Duron and Andrea Aceituno each scored 10 points.

“In the second set I think we got comfortable the game, we were up a lot, we had it in the bag and that’s why we lost in the second set. Our coaches talked to us very well and told us we shouldn’t lose our confidence in ourselves no matter what is happening. We’ve trained so hard for a good outcome and that was what motivated us to come back in the third and fourth set and fight really hard”, said Gareth Bruce of Belize.

Rocío Duron from Honduras expressed, “We lacked that extra push in the game; we were giving it our all, but we still fell short. We have tough matches ahead, and we’re going to fight and achieve our goal”,  she emphasized.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024.- The Costa Rica National Team returned to the victory path after defeating El Salvador 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-22) in the second match of the fourth day of the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

Following yesterday’s painful defeat against Belize, Costa Rica is back on track and remains in contention for the top position in the tournament. The Ticas now have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. On the other hand, El Salvador suffers its fourth consecutive defeat, remaining winless with a 0-4 record.

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This Thursday, Costa Rica will face Nicaragua in the first match of day five, a crucial game for the tricolor team if they want to keep their title hopes alive. El Salvador will rest on that day.

Costa Rica outperformed El Salvador in attacks 34-18 and was much more effective in serving with a 14-3 advantage. El Salvador held their ground well at the net and was better in blocking with a 5-4 edge.

Ester Abarca of Costa Rica was the top scorer of the match with 11 points, two of them from serves. Ana Victoria Rojas and Bennet Blackwood supported the attack with 10 points each. For El Salvador, their captain Daniela López was the top scorer with 8 points, and Silvia Inés Juárez assisted with 7 points.

“Today, the team was very good. After yesterday’s match, it brought us closer together and motivated us to focus on each game and keep winning the remaining matches to achieve our ultimate goal, which is the title,” said Bennet Blackwood from Costa Rica after the match.

Meanwhile, Daniela López, the captain of El Salvador, commented: “We congratulate Costa Rica on the victory. In the first sets, we were a bit unfocused and weren’t fulfilling our roles on the court. It wasn’t until the third set that we started scoring points. I hope we can continue like this for the rest of the tournament.”

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 26, 2024.- Guatemala secured a 3-0 victory over Panama a score of 25-22, 25-15, and 25-12, kicking off the fourth day of the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

With this win, Guatemala achieves its third consecutive victory, remaining undefeated. In their next match, they will face the host team, Honduras. Meanwhile, Panama is still searching for its first win, with a 0-3 record, and will play against Belize on day five.

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Guatemala outperformed Panama in attacks, blocks, and serves. They were dominant in attacks with a 42-20 lead, had a comfortable 4-0 advantage in blocks, and also led in serves 5-3.

María Andrea Santa Cruz was the top scorer of the match with 12 points, followed by Andrea Mendizábal with 10 points. For Panama, Ekaterina Ureña was the leading scorer with 6 points.

“We are very united and have worked hard to aim for the title. We are strong and determined. Panama is a team that defends a lot and well, and we had to adapt to their game,” said Ivana Sopegno from Guatemala.

Breyska Pinzón, Panama’s libero, commented, “It was a very close game. We gave it our all on the court. Our biggest strength is our defense, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on to improve as a team. We’re going to keep giving our best; we want to win and we are working towards that.”

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 25, 2024.- Honduras earned a huge win over El Salvador 3-0 (25-15, 25-19 y 25-12) on Tuesday, to remain undefeated in two matches at the VI U23 Women’s Central American Championship at Gimnasio Jorge Galeano in Tegucigalpa.

Honduras fought every point against El Salvador, who continued to show their great defense. With this result, Honduras has 2 wins and no losses, while El Salvador lost their third match and has yet to know victory.

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Honduras dominated every area of the game, they led El Salvador in attacks 35-17, i blocks 4 to 1 and in serves 8 to 6.

Andrea Aceituno of Honduras led all scorers, with 15 points, on 2 blocks and three serves. Also from Honduras, Andrea Duarte and Marcela Laguardia supported Aceituno and their team with 7 points each.

From El Salvador, Daniela Lopez was their top scorer with 9 points and Monserrat Joachin reached 5 points.

Andrea Zúñiga, libero of Honduras commented, “We ended up winning the match, but we were a bit low, I think we can perform better on court, we can play better, more successful. I hope tomorrow will go differently and have better results”.

Gabriela Portillo, libero of El Salvador said “We started off slow, we got together, but in the third set we lost focus and Honduras took advantage of our mental errors. In the next matches we are going to try more unity and work as a team to improve in each match”.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras. June 24, 2024.- Nicaragua defeated Panamá 3-0  (25-11, 25-14, 25-20) in the second match of day three at the VI U23 Women’s Central American Championship at Gimnasio Jorge Galeno in Tegucigalpa.

Once again Panama showed to have one of the best defenses in the tournament, Nicaragua prevailed thanks to their experience and smart play on the court. In the last set, Nicaragua had to make a great effort to finish the match in three sets.

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Nicaragua benefited from Panama’s unforced errors (28) to finish the match in their favor, in addition to dominating every skill of the match, 32-24 in attacks, 5 to 2 in blocks and 10 to 3 in service aces.

Ekaterina Ureña of Panama led all scorers with 11 points, among them one block and one ace. Six players led Nicaragua’s offense, with 8 points Masiel Brenes and Marcela Martínez; and  Norma Brenes, Samantha Vargas, María José Rivera and Brittany Forbes with seven points each.

Masiel Brenes of Nicaragua explained “Panama worked hard in defense and receiving, that made the match difficult, but we were able to reach the result we were aiming for, not like we expected, but we won. We think we are still on time to keep improving and doing things better in every match”.

Ekaterina Ureña of Panama said “the match was well disputed, but our errors didn’t allow us to win sets. Little by little we are improving. Nicaragua is a great team; we have good players”.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 24, 2024.- Belize surprised Costa Rica at the start of the third day of the VI Central American U-23 Women’s Championship, winning 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 25-16).

The Belizean team showed strength in blocking and serving throughout the game. After taking a 2-0 set lead, they relaxed, allowing Costa Rica to take one set. In the fourth set, Belize again displayed their attacking and serving power and blocking skills to secure the match.

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Belize dominated Costa Rica in blocks, 9 to 5, and slightly edged them in serves, 11 to 10. Although Costa Rica led in attacks, 45-40, Belize capitalized on the 36 unforced errors committed by the Costa Rican team.

Nisaan Martínez of Belize was the top scorer of the game with 18 points, including 2 blocks and 1 ace. She was supported offensively by Gareth Bruce with 16 points, who also contributed significantly with 5 service aces, and by Fatoumata Camara with 13 points.

For Costa Rica, the top scorers were Ana Victoria Rojas with 16 points and Nhya Barley with 12 points.

After the game, Nisaan Martínez of Belize said, “Honestly, I am super proud of my team for the win.  Ultimately what we did was watch the blocking because they are around the same height as us, so we just tried to get around the block and make block touches. Our service-receive was what got us through the game.  Overall, I am very excited about what we have in store because we started the tournament slowly, but we have the potential to finish this tournament very strongly. We are a strong team; we are a big blocking team, and I am excited to show what we have in store for this tournament”.

Ana Victoria Rojas of Costa Rica explained, “Belize is a very tall team and quite strong in attack and blocking. At the beginning, we were a bit low in attitude, but we managed to take the third set as our attitude improved. We have the mentality to defend the championship. We need to keep preparing; maybe we didn’t win today, but the tournament is not over yet, and we still have a chance”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 24, 2024. – Guatemala defeated El Salvador 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, and 25-23) in the final match of the second day of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

The Salvadoran team maintained strong defensive play, forcing the Guatemalans to give their maximum effort to secure the victory.

Guatemala outperformed El Salvador in attacks, with a 32-24 advantage, and in serves, leading 6-1. However, El Salvador excelled in blocking, leading 5-2.

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Daniela Alexandra López from El Salvador was the top scorer of the match with 12 points, including 2 blocks and 1 service ace. For Guatemala, Naomi Monney and Andrea Mendizábal both reached double digits, each scoring 10 points.

William Fernández, the coach of Guatemala, said “Today, we weren’t perfectly in sync, but we gave the new players an opportunity, and I believe all of them managed to score at least one point, which was our goal for this game. Tomorrow, we rest, then we face Panama, and we finish with tough matches against Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua”.

Noe Fabian, the coach of El Salvador, expressed “Congratulations to Guatemala, they are a very strong opponent and made it a great match for us. We started a bit nervous, but we improved our reception and by the end, we were playing much better. There is still some inexperience among our players, as this is their first tournament, but we hope to continue improving throughout the rest of the tournament”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. June 24, 2024. – Nicaragua needed four sets to defeat Belize, with scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-18, and 25-15, in the fifth match of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

The first two sets saw alternating dominance between the teams, but from the third set onward, Nicaragua managed to control Belize’s attacks, securing victory in both sets and the match.

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Nicaragua outperformed Belize in attacks with a 50-38 lead and in serves with a 6-2 advantage. Belize was stronger in blocking, leading 10-5, despite committing 22 errors.

Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 20 points, including one block. María José Rivera supported the attack with 12 points. For Belize, Fatoumata Camara led the scoring with 15 points, followed by Nisaan Martínez with 14 points, including 3 blocks, making her the top blocker of the game.

Claudia Noguera, head coach of Nicaragua, explained “It was a significant victory for us. Belize is a strong team in attack and blocking, so it was a game that required a lot of focus, and the players executed the strategy perfectly. Defense was crucial in this game”.

Lawrence Bennett, assistant coach of Belize, said “We lost our fundamentals, especially in blocking. We were not blocking properly, and our defense fell a little weak at the end of the game. I know we could have done better, but we are here to try and improve every day we play”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 24, 2024.- Costa Rica secured a comfortable 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-8, and 25-11) over Panama at the start of the second day of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

After a first set where Panama tried to challenge the Costa Rican team, Costa Rica managed to maintain effective net attacks to comfortably overcome Panama in the 2nd and 3rd sets.

Costa Rica dominated Panama in all aspects of the game, with a 41-13 advantage in attacks, 4-1 in serves, and 7-1 in blocks. The match saw few unforced errors from both teams, with Panama committing 23 and Costa Rica 15.

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Nhya Barley from Costa Rica commented: “I think we played quite well and were very motivated. We had a lot of strength in our attacks and achieved our goal of starting the championship with a win. The Panamanian team is very tenacious; they don’t give up and always fight for every point until the very end”.

Keisy Janeth Fuentes from Panama said: “The game was a bit intense; we started off playing well but gradually dropped our level of defense, which affected us. The Costa Rican team is taller, stronger, and has more experience than us. I think it was a good match.”

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024.- The Honduran Women’s National Team secured a challenging 3-0 win (25-11, 25-14, 25-11) against Panama in the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

Despite the wide point margins in each set, Honduras had to work diligently for every point as Panama’s defense improved throughout the game.

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A highlight for Panama was when Janeth Fuentes, just 13 years, 11 months, and 27 days old, scored her first point in the U23 category, making her the youngest athlete to play in this tournament. Fuentes finished the game with 2 points, one from a spike and the other from a block.

Honduras capitalized on Panama’s 30 unforced errors while committing only 15 themselves. They led in every statistical category, in attacks (29-16), blocks (6-3), and serves (10-2).

Andrea Aceituno of Honduras was the only player to reach double digits, scoring 10 points, including 3 from serves. Other significant contributors for Honduras were Natalia Reyes with 9 points and Shantte Siliezar with 7 points.

For Panama, the top scorers were their captain Ekaterina Ureña and Lurianis González, each with 6 points.

After the match, Andrea Aceituno, captain of Honduras, commented, “It was a game where we could show our strengths. Panama is a team that defends very well. We managed to overcome that and gave our best. I hope we can continue winning; the tournament has just started, and starting with a win is good for us”.

Ekaterina Ureña, captain of Panama, remarked, “The game was very close. We made errors that helped Honduras win the match. Gradually, we improved, and it was evident in the consistency with which we ended up playing.”

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024. – The Nicaraguan Women’s National Team secured a decisive 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-12, 25-12) over El Salvador in the VI Central American U23 Women’s Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

Nicaragua dominated El Salvador across all aspects of the game, leading in attacks (37-19), blocks (6-0), and serves (7-4). El Salvador committed 25 unforced errors compared to Nicaragua’s 16.

Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua was the top scorer of the match with 14 points, while María José Rivera contributed 10 points. Naomi Méndez was the only Salvadoran player to reach double digits, scoring 10 points.

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María Marcela Roa, libero and captain of Nicaragua expressed, “We saw El Salvador as always, very tenacious. They possibly struggled to find their rhythm today, but I believe they will improve with each game. Our team includes eight players who just won the Final Four last week, bringing the excitement and enthusiasm from that title. We also have new generations joining with very high skill levels”.

Daniela Alexandra López, the captain of El Salvador, commented, “I congratulate the Nicaraguan team on their victory. They are a strong team. Unfortunately, we didn’t achieve the win today, but I hope we perform better in the next match. We are a young team, not as experienced as Nicaragua”.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 23, 2024.- The Guatemalan National Team struggled to overcome Belize, winning 3 sets to 2 (17-25, 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, and 16-14), in the opening match of the VI Central American Women’s U23 Championship, at the Jorge Galeno Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

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The first set was quite balanced up to the 6-point mark, after which Belize took control, doubling Guatemala’s points 16-8. In the second and third sets, the Guatemalan team regained control. In a thrilling fourth set, Belize once again dominated, but ultimately, in another gripping set, Guatemala secured the game.

Guatemala outclassed in attack points 51-37, while Belize outperformed Guatemala in blocks 15-10 and in aces 10-8.

María Andrea Santa Cruz and Naomi Monney were the offense leaders of Guatemala’s attack, each scoring 22 points. Santa Cruz’s points included one block and 3 aces, while Monney contributed 3 blocks and one ace.

For Belize, Gareth Bruce and Nisaan Martínez scored 13 points each. Martínez was spectacular with 5 blocks, while Bruce had 3 successful serves.

María Andrea Santa Cruz said, “The game was very close; we didn’t expect to play 5 sets, but in the end, we made it. It was a team effort; we were all ready to help each other. Belize  is very strong; they are quite tall players and have a very tight block, which complicated things for us a lot. Thank God we managed to get the victory”.

Gareth Bruce from Belize commented, “I think both teams played very well, played very hard. We’ve played Guatemala a couple of times, and they have a faster game than us. I think our team fought to the end and we did our best”.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 22, 2024. – Honduras is set to host the 6th Central American U23 Women’s Championship from June 23 to 29 at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium, following the preliminary meetings and registration of the seven Central American teams.

All the coaches agree that the level of all the teams is quite balanced, and they anticipate a highly competitive tournament with a high standard of play.

Here are the insights shared by the coaches regarding the tournament and their teams and competitors.

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José Donaldo Ureña, Coach of Panama commented, “We have very high expectations for the tournament. Our team is a young group that we have been preparing for competitions more aligned with their age. We are very happy to be competing again in such tournaments to continue growing in our area”.

Laurence Bennett, Assistant Coach of Belize, said, “We have been working hard for this tournament. Our goal is to guide the players. We want them to develop and achieve good results”.

Noe Fabian, Coach of El Salvador, expressed, “I want to thank Honduras for resuming the U23 tournament, allowing the athletes to maintain their competitiveness. Regarding El Salvador, we come with great enthusiasm and the desire to perform our best”.

Claudia Noguera, Coach of Nicaragua affirmed, “We believe it will be a very close competition. We’ve seen that some teams have a very good level. It’s going to be a strong contest at the Central American level with several teams vying for the podium. Our team is quite young; we have refreshed some players and consider we have a team to contend for the title”.

Carlos Quezada, Coach of Costa Rica, explained, “We are very happy to be in Honduras. It’s a new opportunity to compete. It’s good to have these chances for the girls to stay active. Our team has worked very well. I feel our team is strong. We have a lot of hope, and we aim to do our best to represent well”.

Marcus Sugiyama, Coach of Honduras, stated, “Thank you for the invitation to the U23 Championship. Our team is prepared because it will be a very tough competition. We will take it step by step, as there are very strong teams in the tournament. We aim to achieve our goals”.

William Fernández, Coach of Guatemala, said, “I thank Honduras for hosting this event, which is the foundation for the senior teams. It will be a very even tournament in terms of level, as everyone has prepared extensively for this event. We come to fight for a place among the top positions”.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 20, 2024.- The VI Central American U23 Women’s AFECAVOL Championship is fast approaching. The event will take place at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in the Tegucigalpa Sports Complex, Honduras, from June 23 to 29, 2024.

This is the second consecutive occasion that Honduras hosts this age-group championship, where Costa Rica has dominated since its inception in 2012.

In the previous edition held in 2022, Costa Rica clinched their fifth consecutive title defeating Honduras, with both teams progressing into the final match of the event undefeated.

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Throughout the history of the Central American U23 Women’s Championship, Guatemala has won two silver and two bronze medals. Honduras and Nicaragua are tied, each having one silver and one bronze medal. Belize reached the podium in 2022, earning the silver medal. El Salvador has secured one bronze medal.

The sixth edition of the tournament will feature all seven countries in the region, competing in a round-robin format starting Sunday, June 23.

Year by Year Podium

Year      Gold      Silver     Bronze

2012      CRC        GUA        HON

2014      CRC        NCA        GUA

2016      CRC        GUA        ESA   

2019      CRC         BIZ          NCA   

2022     CRC        HON      GUA

Competition Schedule

June 23

2:30pm               Guatemala vs Belize

5:00pm               Nicaragua vs El Salvador

8:00pm               Honduras vs Panama

June 24

2:30pm               Costa Rica vs Panama

5:00pm               Nicaragua vs Belize

7:30pm               Guatemala vs El Salvador

June 25

2:30pm               Costa Rica vs Belize

5:00pm               Nicaragua vs Panama

7:30pm               Honduras vs El Salvador

June 26

2:30pm               Guatemala vs Panama

5:00pm               Costa Rica vs El Salvador

7:30pm               Honduras vs Belize

June 27

2:30pm               Costa Rica vs Nicaragua

5:00pm               Belize vs Panama

7:30pm               Honduras vs Guatemala

June 28

2:30pm               El Salvador vs Panama

5:00pm               Costa Rica vs Guatemala

7:30pm               Honduras vs Nicaragua

June 29

2:00pm               El Salvador vs Belize

4:30pm               Guatemala vs Nicaragua

7:30pm               Costa Rica vs Honduras

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – Nicaraguan player Dalia Conto Calero was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the first edition of the Central American Women’s Final Four.

Conto Calero received the award during the closing ceremony after Nicaragua was crowned champion by winning all three of their matches. She was also named the Best Opposite.

Other awards were given to recognize individual performance based on statistical data during the event.

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From Costa Rica, Tatiana Sayles received the award for Top Scorer, Tamara Espinoza was awarded Best Server and Second Best Spiker, and María José Castro was named Best Receiver and Best Libero. Yuliana González was honored as the Best Setter of the tournament.

For Honduras, Ana Gabriela Marcelin received the award for Best Blocker.

Among the champions, Brittany Forbes was named Best Spiker, Josefat Diaz was recognized as the Second Best Blocker, and Marcela Roa was awarded Best Defense, joining the tournament MVP in the honors.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – Costa Rica claimed the silver medal by defeating Honduras 3-1 (14-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19) in the final match of the inaugural Central American Women’s Final Four Championship held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Costa Rica lost the first set to a dominant Honduras. However, starting in the second set, the Costa Rican players found new energy and comfortably outplayed Honduras, which, despite excelling in blocks, could not match the experience of the Costa Rican side.

Costa Rica nearly doubled Honduras in attack points over the net (52-37). While Honduras led in blocks (10-7), both teams scored 4 aces.

Tatiana Sayles of Costa Rica was the top scorer of the match with a total of 23 points, including 2 blocks and one ace. She was supported by Lakysha Nicolle Thompson, who scored 14 points, 4 of which were blocks (more than half of Costa Rica’s blocks in the match). Tannia Carazo also contributed with double-digit points, scoring 11.

For Honduras, the top scorer and the only player with double-digit points was Ana Gabriela Marcelin, who scored 19 points, including 4 blocks.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 15, 2024. – The Nicaraguan women’s team defeated El Salvador 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) to become the champions of the first AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four.

The Nicaraguan team claimed the title undefeated, having won their first two matches against Honduras and Costa Rica. They needed to win against El Salvador on Saturday to secure the championship, regardless of the later match between Honduras and Costa Rica.

AFECAVOL FINAL FOUR FEMENINO

Nicaragua was dominant in attacks and serves, outscoring El Salvador 41-26 in attacks and 7-2 in aces. El Salvador led in blocks, 5-4.

Nicaragua’s attack was led by Brittany Forbes, who scored 14 points, including 3 from serves, and Hellen Traña, who scored 12 points, with 2 from serves and 1 block, causing significant trouble for El Salvador.

El Salvador’s offense was weakened from the beginning of the second set when Tatiana Menjívar was injured. Marcela Alejandra Soriano and Daniela Alexandra López each scored 6 points.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 14, 2024. – Honduras’ 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-20, 25-17) over El Salvador keeps them alive in the first Central American Women’s Final Four Championship.

With the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium nearly full, the crowd witnessed Honduras’ first victory in this tournament. This Saturday, Honduras will face Costa Rica to determine the final standings of the round-robin event. Depending on the result of the match between Nicaragua and El Salvador, there could be a tie for first place. Honduras needs Nicaragua to lose their match.

Honduras outperformed El Salvador in all areas, with advantages in attacks (31-21), blocks (5-3), and serves (9-4), and also benefited from 30 unforced errors by El Salvador compared to the 25 made by Honduras.

Honduras’ Sasha Kawas and Andrea Aceituno were the top scorers of the match, each with 11 points. Both had 2 service aces, and Sasha also had one block point.

On the other hand, Tatiana Menjívar and Marcela Soriano were the top scorers for El Salvador with 5 points each.

Sasha Kawas of Honduras said, “We defended very well, and our setter (Gabriela Gómez) was incredible. We did what we needed to do. We came in with a lot of energy, and although sometimes that hurt us a bit, we managed to resolve it well”.

Tatiana Menjívar of El Salvador explained, “It’s been a very tough tournament. I am just coming back from knee surgery. We are a fairly young team and started training about a month ago. I think we have had a good tournament. Our opponents have been challenging and have more experience than us”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 14, 2024. – Once again, Nicaragua bounced after losing the first set to defeat Costa Rica 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17), remaining unbeaten in the first AFECAVOL Senior Women’s Final Four Championship.

Costa Rica managed to win the first set, but not without a tough fight. In the second set, Nicaragua reached a 21-15 lead, and although the Costa Ricans leveled the score, they ended falling 25-23.

In the third and fourth sets, the Nicaraguan dominance was evident from the start of each set, leading to a victory in the match.

Nicaragua now holds a 2-0 record and will face El Salvador this Saturday. A win would secure them the Gold Medal in the tournament. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, with a 1-1 record, will play against Honduras in the final match of Saturday.

Nicaragua outperformed Costa Rica in attacks (62-57) and blocks (7-4), while Costa Rica was more effective in serving (5-4).

Tatiana Sayles of Costa Rica and Dalia Conto Calero of Nicaragua were the top scorers of the match, each with 20 points. Tamara Espinoza of Costa Rica tied with Brittany Forbes of Nicaragua, each scoring 18 points.

Dalia Conto Calero of Nicaragua said, “I am very excited about the victory; it’s something we’ve been striving for since previous tournaments where we came close to beating them. It was a very tough game. Costa Rica is a very good team and quite tactical, but in the end, we did it, and now we need to focus on tomorrow’s match”.

Tamara Espinoza of Costa Rica commented, “It was a very complicated match for us. Nicaragua gave us a lot of trouble with their defense. The defeat is definitely a credit to the great game played by Nicaragua. Volleyball is a team sport; if we are struggling with spikes, serves, and receptions, it’s very hard to win”.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 13, 2024.- Nicaragua pulled off a spectacular comeback to secure a 3-2 victory (21-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-12, 15-09) over Honduras in the closing match of the first day of the I AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four.

After narrowly losing the first two sets, the Nicaraguans managed to dominate the next three sets, showcasing their superiority over a Honduran team that seemed to lose its way on the court.

Nicaragua outperformed Honduras in net attacks with a significant margin, scoring 72 against 47 from Honduras. Both teams were evenly matched in blocks, each with 7, but Nicaragua had a slight edge in serving, leading 5 to 4.

Dalia Conto and Brittany Forbes were the standout attackers for Nicaragua, contributing 28 and 20 points respectively. Hellen Traña also made a double-digit contribution, finishing with 13 points.

For Honduras, the attack was more distributed among four players,  Andrea Aceituno with 13 points, Ana Gabriela Marcelin with 12, Rocio Duron with 11, and Cecille Johnson with 10.

Rene Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, commented, “We realized we were struggling with blocking, so we changed our tactics to neutralize their attack, allowing us to counterattack. This helped us take control of the game. I’m not sure what happened to Honduras, but their level of play dropped significantly after the first two sets”.

Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras, said, “Nicaragua played a great match against us. We lost our focus after the second set. Our serving faltered, we lost our blocking, and we left openings for Nicaragua’s middle attackers. This is just the start of the tournament, and we still have two matches to improve and get back in the fight for the top positions.”

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 13, 2024.- Costa Rica kicked off the inaugural AFECAVOL Women’s Final Four Tournament with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-12) over El Salvador in the opening match of the event.

Costa Rica dominated El Salvador in all aspects of the game. Costa Rica outperformed in attacks (42-26) and serves (5-0), in blocking the teams were balanced but they led 5-3 over El Salvador

Tamara Espinoza and Tatiana Sayles were key players in Costa Rica’s attack, each scoring 14 points. Espinoza scored 3 aces, while Tannia Carazo added 8 points to Costa Rica’s victory.

For El Salvador, Marcela Alejandra Soriano led the team with 8 points, followed by Daniela Alexandra López with 7 points.

Tatiana Sayles, captain of Costa Rica, commented after the match “El Salvador is a very tough team; they challenged us a lot with their defense in the first two sets. It wasn’t until the third set that we managed to focus on what we wanted, and that’s why there was such a difference in the third set.”

Carmen Chávez, captain of El Salvador, said “We played really well in the first two sets, but in the third set, we struggled a bit with our reception. Our setter got hit in the face with the ball, which distracted her for a few moments. By the time we regained our focus, the gap was too wide to close.”

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 12, 2024. – The Jorge Galeano Gymnasium will host the inaugural Central American Women’s Final Four Championship, taking place from June 13 to 15.

The event kicked off with the preliminary interviews and registration of the four participating national teams (Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador).

Both the organizing committee and members of the control committee are thrilled to host this first tournament, which brings together the top four teams in the region.

The four coaches expressed their satisfaction with the tournament, as it offers senior teams an annual competitive event. This Final Four will be held every two years, alternating with the Central American Senior Championships, which are also biennial.

AFECAVOL FINAL FOUR FEMENINO

Carlos Quezada, coach of Costa Rica, commented, “It’s a great opportunity to keep our senior teams competitive. I believe all the teams are quite evenly matched. We have prepared well, coming from the NORCECA Final Four, and for us, it’s imperative to aim for the top spot. We are here with the mindset of winning the tournament”.

Japanese Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras, stated, “t’s a very challenging competition for us because we are striving to reach a high level. We have trained extensively to perform well and win the title”.

René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua, remarked, “This tournament is a first experiment by AFECAVOL. We hope this format continues so that our teams have events to participate in every year, whether even or odd years. Nicaragua always arrives as well-prepared as possible. We have some absences because a few players couldn’t make the trip, but we are committed to making a strong showing”.

Noe Fabian, coach of El Salvador, said, “This tournament is very beneficial for our AFECAVOL competition because it keeps the senior teams active every year. Last year, we finished fourth in the Central American Championship, and this year we made a significant generational shift in our team. We are bringing a very young team, possibly the youngest senior team El Salvador has had since 2014, and we want to build confidence and gain experience”.