BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 7, 2023. – The current Central American champions, Guatemala, made their debut with a 3-2 victory (22/25, 25/19, 18/25, 25/20, 15/9) over El Salvador in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.
The sets alternated between the two countries, leading to a decisive fifth set. El Salvador started by winning the match, but Guatemala bounced back to claim the second set, setting the stage for a highly contested challenge.
Guatemala was powerful in their attack, tallying 68 points against 45. Both teams scored 15 points from blocks, and Guatemala led in service points with 8 against 2. El Salvador earned 36 points from Guatemala’s errors, while Guatemala capitalized on 14 errors by their opponent.
Andy Blanco propelled Guatemala to victory as the top scorer of the match, contributing 28 points with 23 attacks, 2 blocks, and 3 service points. On the other side, El Salvador’s outside hitter Rodrigo Chávez achieved 22 points, with 19 from attacks, 2 from blocks, and one from service.
This Tuesday, August 8, Guatemala will face Nicaragua at 5:00 pm, and El Salvador will play against Panama at 2:30 pm.
INTERVIEWS
Carlos López, Captain of Guatemala: “We started off in good energy, but throughout the game, we lost focus and made many reception errors, which complicated our journey and led us to extend the match. However, in the end, we achieved the result, which is to win”.
Juan Carlos Vargas, Captain of El Salvador: “We didn’t secure the victory, but we put up a fight. A quite extended 3-2 match, a lot of passion on the court because we were playing against the reigning Central American champions of the past years, and that always motivates us to play well and better. We had a player injured in the fourth set, which made it difficult for us to close the fourth and fifth sets properly. Our spirits are high, there are still four games to go, and we’re looking forward to giving our best performance tomorrow with the goal of winning”.
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