CUERNAVACA, Morelos, July 10, 2025 .– Suriname booked their place in the quarterfinals of the U19 Boys’ Pan American Cup after defeating Panama in four sets 3-1 (16-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-13) in their final Pool B match at the Gimnasio de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).
With the win, Suriname secured third place in Pool B and will face Venezuela in Friday’s quarterfinals. Panama, finishing fourth in the group, will compete for positions 5 to 8.
Both teams came out energized, knowing a win would advance them to the next stage. The match featured intense rallies, dynamic net play, and strong crowd engagement. Panama took the opening set with aggressive attacking and solid defense, but Suriname responded adjusting their block and defensive structure in the second set.
The turning point came in the fourth set, where Suriname stormed to an 11-3 lead, capitalizing on Panama’s errors and maintaining control through strong blocking.
Suriname’s blocking proved decisive, outscoring Panama 11-2 in that category. Panama committed 30 unforced errors, while Suriname had 22. Panama led in attacks 52-47, and both teams scored three aces.
Outside hitters Javier Nasibdar and Gianni Ritfeld were Suriname’s top scorers with 17 points each, while middle blocker Jahmit Jambo added 10. Panama’s captain Kendrieck Newby led his team with 17 points, supported by Wen Downer with 14.
Suriname head coach Furgil Ong-A-Fat reflected on the victory: “We had a tough start against Chile, then Mexico, and today we finally got a win. To keep the momentum for tomorrow’s quarterfinal, we must continue with our blocking, that was the key today, along with solid defense”.
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