MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 24, 2024.- Costa Rica started strong with a 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-16, 25-23) against Belize in the opening match of the First Central American U17 Girls’ Championship by AFECAVOL.
The Costa Rican team showed solid blocking and attacking, and although Belize put pressure in the third set, Costa Rica finished strong with good defense to secure the match point.
Amanda Campos was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 18 points, eight of them in the first set, while Michelle Arias added 10. For Belize, Akili Jones recorded 12 points.
Costa Rica outperformed Belize in attacks 37-28, also in blocks 4-0, while both teams were tied in service points with six each. Belize committed 28 unforced errors compared to Costa Rica’s 19.
On Wednesday, during the second day of competition, Belize will face Guatemala at 1:30 p.m., and Costa Rica will play against El Salvador at 4:00 p.m.
Nadia Granados, captain of Costa Rica: “We are super excited because this was our goal, to win. We are very motivated because we’ve worked hard for this. Now we have more matches coming up, and we will keep working hard. I think we handled the nerves and anxiety of the first match well, we were able to control our emotions and close out the game”.
Kareem Richard, coach of Costa Rica: “It’s always extremely important to start with a win. Belize is a good team, with a great coaching staff, and they always have good physical conditions. Our technique and tactics made the difference because, at this age, the first game is always challenging, even for a coach. But the girls responded well, and we have an excellent group.”
José Fontes, coach of Belize: “Our goal is to grow, and I believe we did that because the team looked different between the first and third sets. We had some issues in defense, but I’m satisfied, especially with what we did in the third set, as we were up against Costa Rica, a great team.”
English 
Spanish