JALAPA, Guatemala, October 28, 2025. –Marcela Araya and Eugenia Ramírez of Costa Rica were flawless throughout the women’s beach volleyball tournament at the XII Central American Games Guatemala 2025, remaining undefeated and not dropping a single set on their way to the gold medal. The Costa Rican duo claimed the championship title after defeating Nicaragua’s López/Lolette in the final 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) at the Jalapa Sports Complex.
This marks Costa Rica’s third consecutive gold medal in the history of the Central American Games, along with a previous silver medal. Nicaragua, on the other hand, earned their second silver and also have a bronze in their record.
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The final began evenly tied at 5 points, but Costa Rica pulled away after the eighth point (12-8) thanks to a powerful attack from Ramírez. Araya’s defensive coverage kept every play alive, while Ramírez combined short touches and strong attacks to extend the lead to 14-11. Despite Nicaragua’s effort to close the gap to 15-18, a strong finish gave Costa Rica the first set 21-16 with a decisive spike from Ramírez. In the second set, Nicaragua’s errors and the consistent play of Araya and Ramírez widened the gap to 13-4, and Costa Rica closed the match solidly in every aspect of the game.
After winning the gold medal, Eugenia Ramírez shared: “It was a very demanding tournament because we had to win nine matches to get any medal. We are very proud. We managed our energy well throughout the competition and didn’t lose a single set. We’re very happy with the result.”
Marcela Araya added: “We are very grateful to God for allowing us to be here. We’re the ‘mom team,’ and this victory is very satisfying after so many sacrifices. Now that we both have children, it’s harder, but we thank our support network that makes it possible for us to be here. This medal is for them.”
The bronze medal went to Paola Alvarado and Laura Quiñónez of Guatemala, who secured their country’s fourth-ever Central American Games beach volleyball bronze by defeating El Salvador’s Karla Tovar and Daniela Vigil 2-0 (21-17, 21-12).
Guatemala led 13-10 in the first set and maintained the advantage with Quiñónez’s defense and Alvarado’s precise block-attacks to take the lead 1-0. In the second set, effective serves and long touches from Quiñónez gave Guatemala an early 4-0 lead. Tovar and Vigil fought back to tie at 5, but Alvarado and Quiñónez regained control by exploiting open spaces on the court. An ace from Alvarado and an error from El Salvador sealed the bronze medal for the home team.
In the semifinals, Costa Rica’s Ramírez/Araya faced a tough challenge from El Salvador’s Tovar/Vigil in the second set but advanced to the gold medal match with a 2-0 victory (21-19, 21-17). After a tight first set tied at 10, Ramírez’s targeted serves and Araya’s attack and defense pushed Costa Rica ahead 13-10 and ultimately to a 21-19 win. El Salvador started strong in the second (4-1), but Costa Rica tied at 7 and remained neck-and-neck until 15-15, when Araya’s attacks made the difference to close the match.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua’s López/Lolette advanced after a dramatic 2-1 (21-14, 18-21, 15-10) win over Guatemala’s Alvarado/Quiñónez. The Nicaraguans took the first set comfortably, but Guatemala responded in the second with solid blocking and defense to level the match. In the decider, Nicaragua broke a 6-6 tie to lead 9-6, capitalizing on Guatemala’s errors. López and Socorro’s consistency proved decisive to clinch the win and reach the final.
In the fifth-place match, Shanna Rivera/Reizel Bruhier of Honduras defeated Ingrid Lezcano/Krisleen González of Panama 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).
Final Standing: 1. COSTA RICA Marcela Araya/Eugenia Ramírez 2. NICARAGUA Socorro López/Lolette Rodríguez 4. EL SALVADOR Karla Tovar/Daniela Vigil 5. HONDURAS Shanna Rivera/Reizel Bruhier 6. PANAMA Ingrid Lezcano/Krisleen González 7. BELIZE Clara Sabal/Aaliyah Pilgrim
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