LEÓN, Mexico, September 17, 2026.- Nicaragua finished ninth at the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) on Thursday at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.
Nicaragua concluded the tournament with a 2-4 record, while Guatemala finished tenth with a 1-5 record.
Nicaragua took control early, racing to a 7-0 lead in the opening set before winning it 25-18. Guatemala put up more resistance in the second set, but Nicaragua prevailed 25-20 to take a two-set lead.
In the third set, Guatemala moved ahead 12-10, but Nicaragua responded with five consecutive points to take a 15-12 advantage. With Nicaragua leading 23-17, Josafat Díaz sealed the victory with two consecutive blocks.
Nicaragua held advantage in attacks (38-27), blocks (8-4), and aces (4-3). The winners also committed fewer unforced errors, 21 to Guatemala’s 25.
Josafat Díaz led Nicaragua with 13 points, including nine kills and a match-high four blocks. María José Rivera contributed 12 points on ten kills and two blocks, while Brittany Forbes added 11 points, all on kills.
For Guatemala, Melissa Guerra was the only player to reach double figures, finishing with ten points.
Claudia Noguera, Nicaragua’s head coach, emphasized the importance of closing the tournament with a victory while acknowledging that her team still has areas to improve.
“We finished with a win, but we are aware that there is a lot to improve for upcoming competitions, especially the Central American Final Four. The players recognized our weaknesses and realized that we need to work hard. These competitions are very important for Central American countries because they allow us to compete at a higher level and identify what we need to improve to raise the level of volleyball in our region.”
William Fernández, Guatemala’s head coach, pointed to his team’s emotional state as a factor in its performance.
“The team is in a very difficult emotional state and has not been able to recover. When they face a team of a similar level that they know they can beat, they become very afraid. Once they overcome that fear, they perform differently. The responsibility of winning weighs heavily on them. As they gain more experience, they will improve. We will keep working.”
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