PARAMARIBO, Suriname, September 17, 2024. – Guatemala remains undefeated in the U23 Men’s Pan American Cup after securing a 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23) victory over host Suriname at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo.
Guatemala holds a 2-0 record in Pool B, guaranteeing their spot in the next round. A win against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (0-2) on Wednesday will secure them a direct ticket to the semifinals as group leaders. Suriname and Peru, both with a 1-1 record, will face off to determine the final standings.
Guatemala’s advantage in attack (51-47) and fewer errors (22-34) were enough to overcome Suriname, who dominated in blocking (11-9) and serving (6-2).
Yeferson Zavala led Guatemala with 18 points from attacks, followed by Roberto Recinos with 16 points.
Suriname’s Jameson Shemar led all scorers with 24 points, including a match-high of 4 blocks. Lee A Leong contributed 15 points for Suriname.
Guatemala won the first set coming from behind (12-17) following Suriname errors. Jerry Duran pushed the Central Americans forward, supported by Yeferson Zavala and Christian Álvarez. Guatemala remained solid, overpowering Suriname in the second set with blocks from José Samayoa and Daniel Ralón, despite struggling with serves from Lee A Leong and Jameson Shemar. Suriname took a three-point lead in the third set (12-9) thanks to Jameson’s blocks, but the teams tied at 13. Suriname gained a four-point advantage (18-14) with powerful attacks from Lee A Leong, giving them the confidence to force a fourth set. Guatemala reached a five-point lead (17-12) with offensive plays from Pablo Pérez and blocks from Ralón and Samayoa. Suriname’s errors benefited Guatemala, but they closed the gap (20-21) with points from Jameson. Guatemala celebrated the win with a kill from Zavala, though not before losing two match points due to errors.
Yeferson Zavala, Guatemala’s captain: “I think our attitude today was a bit lower compared to yesterday. We started the match very well but lost some energy as Suriname played better and put more pressure on us. Tomorrow, we face Saint Vincent, and we hope to play well from the start and win our pool”.
Duncan Hiwat, setter of Suriname: “It was a dramatic finish. I came off the bench in the second set and the teams’ performance stabilized, we played better and really excited. I am happy that the team played well, we gave our best even if we lost”.
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