CHITRÉ, Panama, October 14, 2024.- Nicaragua blocked Honduras (21-7) all the way, earning 3-1 victory (27-29, 25-23, 25-19, 25-15) in their second win at the 20th AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Central American Championship on Monday at the Papa Francisco Gymnasium in Chitré, Panama.
After four days of competition, Nicaragua has a 2-1 record, while Honduras is 0-3.
On Tuesday, October 15, Honduras will face Belize at 5:30 p.m. and Nicaragua will face Panama at 8:00 p.m.
Nicaragua’s blocking was crucial (21-7) in securing the victory, building a wall that prevented Honduras from scoring easily. Nicaragua also outperformed Honduras in serves, 5-3. Both teams scored 49 attacking points and committed 27 errors.
Six Nicaraguan players contributed to blocking points, with middle blocker Edwin Humphreys leading the way with a match-high of 8 blocks. Outside hitter Evans Solís was the top scorer of the match with 22 points. Edwin Humphreys added 17 points, opposite hitter Yader León scored 14, and outside hitter Kenneth Martínez contributed 10 points.
For Honduras, Fernando Herrera led with 19 points, followed by Leonardo Villegas and Jonathan Meza, each with 14 points.
Osmar Peralta, libero of Nicaragua: “The game was very tough, but we managed to pull through with the help of the coaches. At the beginning, things weren’t going well, but we knew how to take control of the team. We are thankful to God for the victory”.
Alejandro Funez, libero of Honduras: “Today we had a good match against Nicaragua. We lost our momentum, couldn’t finish, and in the end, we lost. We made mistakes that cost us the second set, and we couldn’t get out of certain rotations to close the game”.
English 
Spanish