MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 16, 2026.– Costa Rica maintained its unbeaten record at the AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Final Four Championship with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-14) victory over Belize in the opening match of the second day of competition at the Volleyball Gymnasium of the Nicaraguan Sports Institute (IND).
With the result, Costa Rica improved to 2-0 and moved closer to securing a spot in the final, while Belize (1-1) suffered its first defeat of the tournament.
Costa Rica set the pace with an effective offense and solid blocking. Belize put up stronger resistance in the second set, leveling the score at 21-21, but Costa Rica responded with four consecutive points to take a two-set lead. The Costa Ricans extended their dominance in the third set to seal the victory in one hour and 14 minutes.
María del Sol Venegas led Costa Rica with 17 points, followed by Tannia Carazo with 13 and Sofía Marín with 11. For Belize, Fatoumata Camara was once again the team’s leading scorer with 14 points, while captain Nelisa Ramírez added six.
Costa Rica held a commanding advantage in attacks (42-26) and blocks (8-3), while both teams recorded five aces. Costa Rica committed 19 unforced errors compared to Belize’s 20.
On Saturday, Costa Rica will face host Nicaragua at 7:00 p.m. in a crucial match for its hopes of advancing to the final. Belize, meanwhile, will look to bounce back against Guatemala at 4:30 p.m.
José Miguel Briceño, Costa Rica assistant coach: “We are very happy with today’s result. We focused heavily on what we had studied about our opponent and executed our tactical instructions as planned. We knew Belize was a very difficult team with a powerful offense, so we tried to make the most of our strengths while limiting theirs. We managed to secure a quick victory. That doesn’t guarantee anything in this type of tournament, but it gives us confidence to continue working hard for tomorrow’s match.”
Tatiana Sayles, Costa Rica captain: “Compared to yesterday, we played much more smoothly from the first set. We were able to execute our game plan. We knew Belize had two major strengths in its outside hitters, and we managed to neutralize them with our blocking and defense. Fortunately, we also performed well in attack and serving. We hope to have a good match against Nicaragua and secure qualification. Mathematically, we still haven’t guaranteed first or second place, so it’s a match we absolutely have to win.”
Lawrence Bennett, Belize head coach: “We came out very flat today. We expected yesterday’s performance to simply carry over, but that’s not how it works. Every day you have to come out and bring a new game; you can’t rely on what happened yesterday. We didn’t bring our game today. We started well but then fell apart. It was a combination of a lack of concentration and technical mistakes. This was our worst match of the tournament. Tomorrow, we have another opportunity, and we need to improve.”