CHITRÉ, Panama, October 13, 2024.- With a 13-3 blocking advantage, Costa Rica dominated Honduras 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-17) for their first victory in the 20th AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Central American Championship on Sunday night at the Papa Francisco Gymnasium in Chitré, Panama.
Costa Rica improved their record to 1-1, while Honduras remains winless at 0-3.
On the fourth day of the event, Honduras (0-3) will face Nicaragua (1-1) at 3:00 pm, and Costa Rica (1-1) will play against El Salvador (0-3) at 5:30 pm.
In addition to their superiority in blocking, Costa Rica also held a 38-33 margin in attacks. Honduras outperformed in service points, 6-1. Costa Rica committed 16 errors, while Honduras had 23.
Outside hitter Johan Cerdas led Costa Rica with 16 points (14 attacks, 2 blocks). Middle blocker Jeremy Vanega added 9 points, including a match-high of 5 blocks.
Fernando Herrera scored 16 points for Honduras (13 attacks, one block, 2 aces), and Leonardo Villegas contributed 13 points (8 attacks, 2 blocks, 3 aces).
Costa Rica tied the first set at 11 points after recovering from a four-point deficit (7-11) with the offensive efforts of Jeremy Vanega, Dennis Jenher, and Johan Cerdas. From point 15 onwards, Costa Rica pulled away from Honduras to win the set. Although Honduras led the second set up to point 21, thanks to the attacks of Fernando Herrera and Leonardo Villegas, Costa Rica came from behind again to take a 2-0 lead, relying on their strong blocking. Costa Rica controlled the third set with their effective blocking, with Venega scoring 5 of the team’s 9 total blocks.
Johan Cerdas Badilla, top scorer Costa Rica: “We started off a bit slow, but fortunately, we managed to lift our spirits and improve our technique. We achieved a great result, finishing as a strong and united team. If we continue like this, staying strong and confident, I expect us to win a medal”.
Leonardo Villegas, outside hitter of Honduras: “It was a very dynamic and entertaining match for the crowd. It was definitely a back-and-forth game; each team had their moments. Costa Rica was better than us, more consistent, but we’re still eager to win tomorrow”.
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