MANAGUA, Nicaragua, November 22, 2025.– Costa Rica defeated Nicaragua 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-8) and advanced to the fifth-place match of the NORCECA Boys’ U17 Continental Championship.
In the first set, the Costa Ricans took an early lead (10-2) right from the start. In the second set, mirrored the first, with a dominant Costa Rica quickly taking a comfortable 10-1 advantage over the home team.
In the third and final set, Costa Rica’s offense was far superior to Nicaragua, to the point that the Nicaraguan side did not reach double digits, with the set ending 25-8.
Moisés Watson led Costa Rica’s victory with 15 points, supported by Kenneth Quirós with 12 and Ignacio Alpizar with 11. They will face Barbados, who earlier defeated the Dominican Republic. For Nicaragua, Dominic Quezada scored 6 points.
Costa Rica outperformed Nicaragua in attacking (39-19), blocking (9-1), and serving (7-2). Nicaragua committed 20 unforced errors compared to Costa Rica’s 18.
Walter Jenkins, Costa Rica’s Head Coach: “Thank God things worked out for us today. We’ve talked a lot with the boys because this is the fifth match, and at this age it takes a toll, it’s very, very tiring. We’ve had matches like the one against Cuba that went to five sets and were exhausting. They were somewhat tired, but they had the courage and the wisdom to think about how to play our game and stay calm.”
Andy Mejía, Costa Rica’s Captain: “We are happy because we’ve continued fighting until the end and we don’t give anything up, no matter if the situation is easy or difficult, we will always keep battling to the end. They’ve always told me that you learn from defeats, and I feel that matches like yesterdays against Cuba are motivating. If you come out motivated, everything will turn out well.”
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