TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 29, 2026. – Guatemala opened its campaign with a convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-12) victory over El Salvador on the opening day of the II AFECAVOL U17 Girls’ Central American Volleyball Championship.
Serving was one of Guatemala’s biggest weapons, as the team recorded 15 service points, including five by Angie Villatoro and four by Velinda Valenzuela.
Although all three sets started evenly, Guatemala gradually imposed its technical superiority and solid defensive play to pull away on the scoreboard. Guatemala also held a 31-15 advantage in attacks.
El Salvador was unable to capitalize on Guatemala’s 22 unforced errors, committing 27 of its own. The Salvadorans also finished with five aces and no blocking points, while Guatemala registered two blocks.
Captain Isabel Herrera led Guatemala’s offense with 11 points, followed by Appril García and Andrea Grijalva with eight points each. For El Salvador, Giselle Landos was the team’s top scorer with seven points.
Julio Domínguez, Guatemala’s head coach: “Thank God this team is very complete from a technical standpoint, and we have been working together with coaches from all the departments under the guidance of the Federation. Today we showed that we have the potential to keep improving match by match, both technically and tactically. We are very happy with this team; the players are very united and excited to be competing in their first tournament”.
Isabel Herrera, Guatemala’s captain: “I’m very happy because, as a team, we were able to win this match. At the beginning we didn’t play the way we wanted, but little by little we improved until we reached our best level. We were prepared to play a good match, although they caught us a little off guard at the start. The important thing was that we managed to respond because we stayed united and supported one another throughout the match”.
Gabriela Funes, El Salvador’s head coach: “Our girls are making their debut; this is a completely new team. The lack of competition at home affected us because we don’t have active leagues for this age group. This tournament gives us the opportunity to gain experience and begin developing these generations from now on. Everything is a learning experience, and I believe we will continue improving throughout the tournament”.
Giselle Landos, El Salvador’s captain: “Since this was our first match, I’m happy because we played well, and tomorrow we’ll try to do even better. I think we needed more communication, especially in serve reception, but that’s something we’ll continue working on”.
On Tuesday, June 30, El Salvador will face Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m. at Jorge Galeano Volleyball Gymnasium, located at the Simón Azcona Sports Complex. Guatemala will have the day off.
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