TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, November 13, 2026. – Nicaragua defeated Honduras 3-0 (29-27, 32-30, 25-23) in a thrilling encounter to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 21st AFECAVOL Central American U21 Women’s Championship, where they will face El Salvador for a place in the final.
It was a nail-biting match from start to finish, with neither team willing to give an inch. All three sets remained tightly contested until the final points, with Nicaragua showing greater composure and precision in the decisive moments.
Nicaragua had three opportunities to close out the opening set, but Luna Janania and Sasha Kawas, with seven points each, kept Honduras in contention. After an intense exchange of points, an attack by Ixtchel Talavera and a block by Karen Bird sealed the set for Nicaragua. Bird and Lucía Ruiz led the offense with six points apiece.
The second set was even more closely contested, with Nicaragua having three set points and Honduras two. Valeria Aquino kept the hosts’ hopes alive with a successful attack, but Talavera responded with a kill before Bird sealed the set with a block. María Victoria Ebanks also played a decisive role with two blocks in the closing stages.
In the third set, Honduras built a four-point lead, but Nicaragua fought back to level the score. With the teams tied at 20, Melissa Dávila stepped up to the service line and delivered a series of four serves that troubled Honduras’ reception, helping Nicaragua gain the upper hand and secure the straight-set victory.
Honduras held a 48-41 advantage in attacks, but Nicaragua dominated the blocking category 14-4, with María Victoria Ebanks contributing seven blocks and Karen Bird adding five. Both teams finished with four service aces, while Nicaragua committed 24 unforced errors compared to Honduras’ 27.
Karen Bird led Nicaragua’s offense with 17 points, followed by Ixtchel Talavera with 14 and Lucía Ruiz with 12. For Honduras, Sasha Kawas was the match’s top scorer with 21 points, while Luna Janania contributed 15.
Nicaragua will face El Salvador in Saturday’s first semifinal at 4:30 p.m., while Costa Rica and Guatemala will meet in the second semifinal at 7:00 p.m.
Nicaragua head coach Claudia Noguera highlighted her team’s concentration in the decisive moments.
“The key was staying focused in the final points and knowing how to close out the sets. Tomorrow, we face El Salvador in the semifinals. We need to work with the girls; some are dealing with minor injuries, but we will try to bring out our fighting spirit and reach the final,” Noguera said.
Nicaragua captain Franchesca Viera emphasized the team’s smart play and collective effort in overcoming the hosts.
“I believe concentration was very important, and the key was playing intelligently because we knew where to place the ball at crucial moments when we needed to keep a cool head. We were determined to defend everything and fight for every ball until the end, and our defense helped me a lot in setting up our offense,” Viera said.
Honduras head coach Marvin Andino regretted his team’s missed opportunities in the closing stages of the sets.
“We lost the match in the closing moments of the sets. It was very difficult for us. We had four opportunities to close out the first set and four in the second. In the third, we were ahead by three or four points, but four poor reception plays ultimately cost us the match,” Andino said.