TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 1, 2026. – Guatemala secured first place in Pool A and a direct berth to the semifinals of the II AFECAVOL Girls’ U17 Central American Championship with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 26-24) victory over Costa Rica, completing a remarkable nine-point comeback in the third set to finish the pool stage undefeated without dropping a set.
Costa Rica will face the third-place team from Pool B in Thursday’s quarterfinals, with that position to be decided between Belize and Nicaragua.
Guatemala dominated the opening set 25-12. In the second, they broke a 20-20 tie behind a strong serving run by Angie Villatoro and Ximena Chew, who sealed the set with an ace for the 25-22 win.
Guatemala produced a spectacular nine-point comeback in the third set to complete the sweep. Costa Rica built a commanding 10-1 lead and later extended it to 23-14, moving within two points of forcing a fourth set. However, Guatemala’s head coach Julio Domínguez made several substitutions that energized the team. With Appril García at the service line, Guatemala put constant pressure on Costa Rica’s reception, collected two aces, and tied the score at 24-24. Isabel Herrera then finished the comeback with the winning kill for the 26-24 victory.
Guatemala held the advantage in attacks (32-19) and aces (9-6), while Costa Rica edged the blocking category (2-1). Guatemala also capitalized on 34 Costa Rican unforced errors while committing 31 of their own.
Appril García, Isabel Herrera, and Andrea Grijalba led Guatemala’s offense with eight points each. Costa Rica’s leading scorer was Jimena Rodríguez with six points.
Julio Domínguez, Guatemala head coach: “We’re very happy to qualify undefeated. The way we reacted in the third set shows the depth of this team. The players who came off the bench changed the rhythm of the match. Every player is ready to compete, and today they proved it. Our tactical discipline and the work done throughout the development program were key to this result.”
Appril García of Guatemala: “When I went to the service line, I was very nervous, but I tried to stay calm and execute what the coaches had asked me to do. We knew we could still come back if we did our job well. We never stopped believing, and that confidence allowed us to turn the set around.”
Kareem Richards, Costa Rica head coach: “This wasn’t the result we expected. We never found our rhythm in the first set, and although we responded in the second and third, we couldn’t finish when we had the advantage. Guatemala played a great match and deserves credit. Now we have to learn from this experience and focus on the quarterfinals.”
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