CHITRÉ, Panama, October 15, 2024.- Guatemala swept Costa Rica 25-13, 25-14, 25-16 to remain unbeaten in the XX AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Central American Championship on Tuesday at the Papa Francisco Gymnasium in Chitré, Panama.
After five days of competition, defending champion Guatemala remains unbeaten with a perfect 4-0 record and 20 points, without dropping a set. Costa Rica holds a 2-2 record with 10 points.
Costa Rica will face Nicaragua on Wednesday at 5:30 pm, while Guatemala will play Panama at 8:00 pm.
Guatemala was dominant and had no complications in controlling Costa Rica with advantages of 45-20 in attacks, 7-5 in blocks, and 3-1 in serves. Guatemala scored 20 points from Costa Rica’s errors, against 20.
Guatemala’s opposite hitter Jerry Durán scored 16 points (13 attacks, 3 blocks), as the top scorer of the match. Outside hitter Yeferson Zavala added 12 points, all on attacks. Roberto Recinos finished with 10 points.
Denzel Jiménez and Ignacio Morales each scored 6 points for Costa Rica.
Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “I thought the match would be a bit more difficult, but it was one-sided. Fortunately, the boys knew how to stay focused and did their job on the court. We are very happy with the positive attitude within the team, and the boys are very focused on the competition. We still have two matches left, and we hope to achieve the results we came here for”.
Roberto Argüello, coach of Costa Rica: “I feel like nothing we planned worked. We knew where Guatemala’s serves were going. We tried to build a foundation for our game, but Guatemala pressured us with their serve, and we couldn’t set in the middle. It was also very difficult to play on the outside of the net. Of the three matches we’ve played, two went to five sets, and the load has been heavy. It’s not an excuse, but we’ve been working to help the boys. We really struggled with reception and decision-making while attacking”.
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