GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 1, 2024.- Costa Rica finished seventh place at the Girls U17 Pan American Cup after defeating Guatemala 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22) at the Multi-sports Dome in Guatemala City.
Costa Rica concluded with a 2-4 win-loss record and Guatemala 0-5.
Costa Rica and Guatemala had also faced in pool-play where Costa Rica also won in four sets.
The 13-4 advantage in service points was crucial for Costa Rica’s victory; they also outperformed in attack points 48-39. Guatemala held an 8-6 advantage in blocks and committed fewer errors 29-35.
Three players led Costa Rica’s victory, outside hitter Michelle Arias with 18 points (17 attacks, one service), middle blocker Amelie Jenkins with 11 points (5 attacks, a match-high of 4 blocks, two services), and opposite Amanda Campos with 10 points (8 attacks, one block, one serve).
On Guatemala’s side, opposite Melissa Guerra scored 16 points on 11 attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 direct service points. She was joined by outside hitter Andrea Garces with 11 attack points.
Argentine Christian López, coach of Costa Rica, began by saying, “playing these matches is very difficult because you come with objectives and only have one win”. Regarding how he motivated his team, he said, “I told them this was a final, it’s not easy because they are young girls, there’s fatigue because they are not used to playing at this pace, there are ups and downs”. He considered that Guatemala played a much better match than their first clash.
Celeste Cifuentes, Guatemala’s coach, said her team played with more order, but unfortunately the refereeing decisions “killed” their rhythm. She added that there are aspects to improve, but “leaving aside the result, the players found their level of play and showed what they can do”.
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