BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 23, 2025.- Guatemala secured a place on the podium and remained undefeated at the 7th AFECAVOL U23 Central American Women’s Championship after defeating Panama 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-16) in the opening match of the fourth day of competition.
Guatemala now holds a flawless 3-0 win-loss record and faces a crucial match against Belize on the final day, which will determine the medal colors for both teams. Meanwhile, Panama concludes the tournament winless in four matches.
María Santa Cruz led Guatemala’s offense with 14 points, supported by Dulce Trigueño with 11. For Panama, Diana Osorio scored nine points, and Ekaterina Ureña added eight.
Guatemala dominated in attack points 46-22 and in blocks 8-5 but gave away more points through unforced errors 23-14. Both teams were even in service points at 7-7.
Following the win, Guatemala’s captain Jimena Castellanos said, “We’re very happy with the result. In the last U23 championship, we finished in fourth place, so we already see this participation as a win. We’re going all out in our next match against Belize. Panama is a team that defends very well; they made us work hard. It wasn’t an easy match, despite the score.”
Panama’s captain Ruth Rivas stated, “I leave feeling proud of my team because they’re a very talented group, despite the youth of many of its members. We couldn’t get past Guatemala in our final match, but we gave it everything we had. I think we lacked a bit more maturity, and even though we didn’t win a match, the girls gained valuable experience.”
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