GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 28, 2026. – Guatemala closed its campaign at the 2026 Men’s U21 Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-16) victory over Nicaragua to finish in seventh place at the tournament, held at Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium in Guatemala City.
Guatemala controlled the match with advantages of 31-22 in kills, 10-6 in blocks and 6-1 in aces, while also capitalizing on 28 unforced errors by Nicaragua and committing 17 of its own.
Gerson Carranza led Guatemala’s offense with 15 points, followed by Christian Álvarez with 11. Álvaro Quesada was Nicaragua’s top scorer with 12 points.
Guatemala took control of the opening set after an even start. Breaking a 4-4 tie with a run that gave them an 11-6 lead, the hosts extended their advantage behind Christian Álvarez, who first scored on an attack for a 12-6 lead before recording a block on Bryan Quesada to make it 15-7. Guatemala maintained the pressure with an efficient offense and comfortably closed the set 25-17.
The hosts once again dictated the pace early in the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead and extending it to 11-2 behind a strong blocking performance highlighted by Diego Carranza and José Samayoa. Guatemala appeared to be cruising after opening a 14-4 advantage, but Nicaragua answered with a five-point run to close the gap to 14-9. Guatemala quickly regained control, guided by Zúñiga’s distribution and a balanced offensive attack, and secured the set 25-13 to move within one set of seventh place.
Nicaragua offered greater resistance in the third set and even took a 7-6 lead. Guatemala responded with a decisive run sparked by Diego Carranza’s serving to pull away 14-7. Later, Diego Asencio’s service turn helped the hosts extend the margin from 16-8 to 21-8 before they comfortably closed out the set 25-16 to secure the victory.
Reider Lucas, Guatemala head coach: “Nicaragua didn’t play the way they had in the previous days, which made things a little easier for us. The players’ confidence was a bit low because, despite yesterday’s loss, they fought hard and I believe they could have given a little more. Throughout the tournament, we were able to give everyone an opportunity to play. We’ll take valuable lessons from this tournament”
Jorge Mena, Nicaragua head coach: “We knew what we were coming for. We have to keep working. We played our most important match poorly; there was no character and no determination from the players. We need to improve. This tournament helps us identify which players have the potential to join our national teams for future competitions”.
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