GUATEMALA, September 4, 2024. – Nicaragua began the Men’s Final Four with a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-20, 25-12) in the historic opening match of this first edition of the tournament organized by AFECAVOL.
The Nicaraguans fought hard to win the first set, but from the second set onward, they were far superior to the Salvadorans, who could no longer find their rhythm.
Nicaragua greatly outperformed El Salvador in blocks 13-3 and attacks 13-3, while El Salvador led in serves 3-1.
Nicaragua’s Axel Gutiérrez was the top scorer of the match with 23 points, 20 of which came from attacks, 2 from blocks, and one from a serve. Emilio Andrews supported Nicaragua’s offense with 14 points, making him the best blocker of the match with 7 points.
Rodrigo Chávez scored 11 points for El Salvador, along with Abner Itiel Cano and Manuel Platero, who each contributed 9 points each.
Nicaragua’s Axel Gutiérrez, the top scorer of the match, stated, “We came hungry, thirsty for victory; we want to achieve what we have dreamed of for so long, which is the gold medal. El Salvador showed a good level of play, but in the end, we secured the victory”.
Rodrigo Chávez, El Salvador’s top scorer, commented, “I believe the team’s sporting maturity came through. We are a fairly renewed team with many young players who have little experience in this category. Nicaragua took advantage of those weaknesses, and they were more decisive. We will gradually develop a better game and give a stronger performance against the other two teams”.
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