MORELOS, Mexico, August 14, 2026.- Costa Rica bounced back after dropping the first set to defeat Curaçao 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-13, 25-17) and advance to the seventh-place match of the 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup.
Costa Rica will play for seventh place against the winner of the match between Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago, while Curaçao will face the loser for ninth place.
After a tight opening set that went to Curaçao, Costa Rica took control of the match and dominated the next two sets, both by 25-13. In the fourth, Curaçao stayed close until 14-14, but Costa Rica pulled away down the stretch to close out the match 25-17.
The Central American side held the advantage in all three scoring skills: attacks (50-36), blocks (12-3), and serves (4-1). Curaçao committed one fewer error than Costa Rica (26-27).
Four Costa Rican players scored in double figures. Ignacio Morales Sánchez led the team with 15 points, followed by Jhostin Varela with 13, Gilberth Solano with 11, and Jeremy Vanega with 10.
Marlison Kleinmoedig led Curaçao with 12 points.
Jhostin Varela of Costa Rica, who made the transition from beach volleyball to indoorvolleyball and is competing with the indoor national team for the second time, said: “I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to play indoor volleyball, and I have made the most of it. I’m learning little by little so I can contribute to the team in the best way possible.”
About the match, Varela added: “We relaxed at the beginning and fell into their game; we weren’t controlling the action. We were able to make adjustments as a team, and in the end, we got the job done.”
Raynold Marchena of Curaçao said: “We started with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which helped us win the first set. As the match went on, our energy dropped and we came up short. Tomorrow we’ll come back at 100 percent to win the match.”
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