SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, July 11, 2025.- Guatemala came from behind to snatch a 3-2 victory (21-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 15-12) over Nicaragua in the opening match of the Second AFECAVOL Men’s Senior Final Four.
Nicaragua took an early lead by winning the first two sets but couldn’t sustain their momentum against a Guatemalan team that steadily improved and walked away with an important win.
Guatemala led in attacking points 63-58, was more effective in blocking 12-10, and outperformed in serving 5-3, although they conceded 33 points from unforced errors compared to Nicaragua’s 30.
Carlos López led Guatemala’s offense with 26 points, supported by Andy Leonardo who contributed 23 points.
For Nicaragua, Axel Gutiérrez was the top scorer with 25 points, while Jonny Zeledón and Denis García each added 17 points.
On the second day of action, Saturday, July 12, Nicaragua will face El Salvador, while Guatemala takes on Belize.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match. Nicaragua has managed to put together a group of players with a good level of play. This match could have gone either way. Despite being down 0-2, our guys knew how to grow and turn the match around,” said Guatemala’s head coach Reider Lucas after the game.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua’s head coach Jorge Mena commented, “We had a 2-0 advantage in the match and were even leading in the third set, but we didn’t know how to capitalize on it. After that, the team collapsed, and we couldn’t keep up the spirit.”
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