COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 8, 2026. – Costa Rica rallied from a first-set loss to defeat Belize 3-1 (19-25, 25-11, 25-9, 28-26) on Wednesday, the second day of competition at the 2026 NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup.
Costa Rica improved to 2-0 in Pool B, while Belize dropped to 0-2.
After dropping the opening set, Costa Rica took control of the match by outscoring Belize in attacks (52-34), blocks (9-7), and service aces (7-4). Both teams benefited from 25 opponent errors.
Nhya Barley and María Venegas shared match-high honors with 21 points each, while Charlotte Martínez added 13 points.
For Belize, Nisaan Martínez finished with 16 points and Akili Jones added 10.
Ciro Zoratti, Costa Rica’s coach: “It was a very difficult match with many ups and downs. We didn’t start well, struggled with the fundamentals, and allowed Belize to attack comfortably because they were playing very well. Then we recovered, raised our level of play, and secured the victory.”
Nelissa Ramírez, Belize’s coach: “We fought hard in every aspect of the game and gave everything we had on the court. Credit to Costa Rica for coming back and winning the match.”
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