TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, November 13, 2026. – Guatemala prevailed in a thrilling five-set battle against Belize 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-12) to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 21st AFECAVOL Central American U21 Women’s Championship, ending the defending champions’ hopes of retaining their title.
The match was filled with excitement, comebacks and tense moments, culminating in a dramatic finish in which Guatemala displayed determination and resilience to remain in contention for the Central American crown.
Guatemala took the early lead by claiming the opening set against a Belizean side that fought for every ball. Belize responded in the second set, breaking a 19-19 tie by capitalizing on four unsuccessful attacks from Guatemala to take control and level the match.
Guatemala produced its best performance in the third set, overcoming a three-point deficit to draw even at 20 before turning the score around with effective attacks from Fernanda Orozco, Andrea Garcés and Natalia Pérez.
Belize refused to back down and forced a fifth set with a commanding performance in the fourth, powered by six points from Kailee Godfrey and four from Emaun Marín, under the direction of setter Mira Blood.
The decisive set remained tightly contested until the final moments. With the score tied at 12, Andrea Garcés delivered two consecutive kills before Marisol Castillo sealed the victory with a service ace, sparking celebrations for Guatemala.
Fernanda Orozco and Andrea Garcés led Guatemala’s offense with 18 points apiece, while Natalia Pérez contributed 16. For Belize, Emaun Marín was the match’s top scorer with 20 points, followed by Kailee Godfrey with 15 and Jamielee Espejo with 10.
Guatemala held a 56-43 advantage in attacks, while Belize led in blocks 8-4 and service aces 11-7. Guatemala committed 45 unforced errors compared to Belize’s 35.
Guatemala’s Andrea Garcés highlighted the team’s unity in overcoming the most challenging moments of the match.
“I feel great and very grateful because this team fought hard. It was an extremely stressful moment, but I believe we really came together as a team, showed all the determination we had and managed to pull through. The hardest part was definitely not letting ourselves fall apart, continuing to push and keeping our momentum. When we fall behind in points, it also affects us mentally, and we need to stay strong to keep going,” Garcés said.
Guatemala head coach Julio Domínguez praised his players’ progress throughout the championship.
“We are very happy. Winning is always good, especially at this stage of the competition. The team has improved match by match. Even though we lost yesterday, we showed significant progress, and today we were able to finish strong at the right moment. We have a very good team, and everyone involved in this process has contributed to its development. Of course, there is still room for improvement, but our focus is already on tomorrow’s semifinal. We are very pleased with how these young women have performed,” Domínguez said.