Tag: 2022 Afecavol Men's U21

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 24, 2022.- José Pablo Pérez, opposite of Guatemala was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship, helping his team win the gold medal, the last time was in 2015.

Pérez was the leading scorer of his team with 103 points, 83 on kills, 7 blocks and 13 “aces”. His best match was scoring 26 points against Nicaragua, one of the most challenging matches of the tournament.

Pérez also won the honors of Best Server and Best Opposite; the best receiver was El Salvador’s libero Fernando Navarro, who also was recognized as Best Libero. The Best first blocker was Hakan Godoy of Belize and the Second-Best Blocker, Kevin Acost of Panama.

The First Best spiker was handed to Emanuel Pérez of Panama, and Gabriel Vargas of El Salvador the Second-Best spiker.

The Best defense was Nicaraguan libero Axel Gutierrez, Best setter Adolfo Rivas of Guatemala. The Best scorer Dowshel Smith, of Costa Rica with 126 points.

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Pérez: “It’s an award for the team”

José Pablo Pérez said that the individual awards are the result of playing as a team. “We see ourselves like a family, not only as a team. Without them I wouldn’t achieve anything. I am glad, I was expecting one individual award, but not three, I’ve worked really hard, and this is result of that work”.

“More than a team we are a family, we are brothers and that’s the key for success, team union”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 24, 2022.- Guatemala was crowned undefeated champion at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship, while Nicaragua finished second place and Panama in third.

On Monday, the last day of the event, Nicaragua beat Belize 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-12) to finish second place. With five victories and one loss, Nicaragua was overcome by Guatemala who won the gold medal and Panama finished with bronze. In the past tournament in 2019, Nicaragua was gold, Panama silver and El Salvador bronze.

Evans Solís was the best scorer of Nicaragua with 16 points, while Víctor Cruz and Angelo Guadamuz with 6 points each. For Belize, Preston Smith with 9 and Eleazar Mejía with 8 points as well as Hakan Godoy.

Also on the last day of competition, Panama defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-09) to secure the bronze medal. Emanuel Pérez was the best player for Panama with 12 points, while Víctor Pérez and Víctor Aráuz scored 8 points each. For Honduras, Jonathan Meza and Alejandro Lobo finished with 10 points each.

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Panama was better 31-28 in attacks, 9-1 in blocks and 9-7 in serves, committing 13 errors against 28 from their opponents.  

While beat El Salvador 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-22) to finish with three wins and three losses.

El Salvador committed 27 errors that cost them the loss because Costa Rica only committed a total of 12, with advantage of 44-41 in kills and 5-2 in serves; both scored 7 in blocks.

Dowshel Smith scored 23 points and Johan Cerdas 12 for Costa Rica, while Gabriel Vargas scored 22 and Abner Cano 12 for El Salvador.

Final Positions

1.- GUA; 2.- NCA; 3.- PAN; 4.- CRC; 5.- ESA; 6.- BIZ; 7.-HON

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 24, 2022.- Nicaragua beat Belize 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-12) to finish second place at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

With five victories and one loss, Nicaragua was overcome by Guatemala who won the gold medal and Panama finished with bronze. In the past tournament in 2019, Nicaragua was gold, Panama silver and El Salvador bronze.

Evans Solís was the best scorer of Nicaragua with 16 points, while Víctor Cruz and Angelo Guadamuz with 6 points each. For Belize, Preston Smith with 9 and Eleazar Mejía with 8 points as well as Hakan Godoy.

Nicaragua did better in attacks 31-24, both teams scored one point from serves, and Beliz did better in blocks 9-1, four from Godoy, Belize committing 37 errors, against 20 of their opponents.

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Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “We accomplished our goal of reaching the podium with a generation who hasn’t won a medal. They wanted to be champions, the boys worked really hard, we failed against Guatemala, but then they recovered and focused in crucial matches like Costa Rica. We are second place, which isn’t bad, we are giving this victory to Nicaragua, we are satisfied and happy”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 24, 2022.- Panama defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-09) to win at least the bronze medal at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

With four victories and two losses, Panama will wait for the result between Nicaragua and Belize, if Nicaragua wins, they finish with the silver medal and the Panamanians with bronze, a loss from the host would grant the silver medal to Panama.

In the last tournament in 2019, Panama finished with the silver medal behind Nicaragua; their last gold medal was in 2001.

Emanuel Pérez was the best player for Panama with 12 points, while Víctor Pérez and Víctor Aráuz scored 8 points each. For Honduras, Jonathan Meza and Alejandro Lobo finished with 10 points each.

Panama was better 31-28 in attacks, 9-1 in blocks and 9-7 in serves, committing 13 errors against 28 from their opponents.  

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David de León, captain of Panama: “We are super satisfied with our performance, thank God for all the blessings, for allowing us to win and reach the podium after so many years of struggles and the sacrifices. We were united up to the end, despite the difficulties, like transportation, but we left all in Gods’ hands, we are thankful for the victory and for Panama. Not everyone knows the sacrifices and they only criticize, but we try not to pay attention, we are here, and we played for a good result”.

Jonathan Caballero, coach of Panama: “I am excited, I have no words, I am proud of the guys, they are warriors, they came to battle for a medal, without saying the color, we wanted to be medalists with young players that are the future, we hope to work to put Panamanian volleyball in high again. The guys told me, we want to take home a medal for our country and work as a team and in the past two days they did a great team effort”.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, 24 de octubre 2022.- Costa Rica beat El Salvador 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-22) to finish with three wins and three losses at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.  

El Salvador committed 27 errors that cost them the loss because Costa Rica only committed a total of 12, with advantage of 44-41 in kills and 5-2 in serves; both scored 7 in blocks.

Dowshel Smith scored 23 points and Johan Cerdas 12 for Costa Rica, while Gabriel Vargas scored 22 and Abner Cano 12 for El Salvador.

Costa Rica finished with 19 points in three victories and three losses and will have to wait for the result between Panama and Honduras to decide the bronze medal. El Salvador ended with a record of 2-4 for fifth position.

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Alberto Blanco, coach of Costa Rica: “We were playing at a strong level, but we had a rare set back against Panama, but I believe the teams’ position goes in relation to their work; Guatemala and Nicaragua are working well, Panama and we are going one step at a time. We’ve had difficulties in putting together a national team for the past years because our players are studying abroad, they’ve been playing in other countries and it’s hard to have a good team”.

Alexander Polanco, coach of El Salvador: “This has been a bitter experience, we didn’t have a setter to manage the players, but he’s young, he only has one tournament, and it wasn’t too demanding. In general, the team could’ve given more, we lost close matches and that discouraged the group and they fell, not because they are capable. The team is young, and we are satisfied with their projection”.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 23, 2022.- Nicaragua earned a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) victory over Honduras to stand with four wins and one loss, securing the bronze medal at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Nicaragua dominated 41-26 in attacks and 3-2 in serves but was outblocked 7-6 and Honduras committed more errors 24-19.

Evans Solís was the best attacker for Nicaragua with 16 points, while Víctor Cruz finished with 10. Alejandro Lobo of Honduras scored 13 tallies and Jonathan Meza 9.

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Rafael Hernández, captain of Nicaragua: “Tomorrow we’ll come out to change the color of the medal, at the beginning we played at Honduras rhythm, committing some errors, but then we recovered and got the result. Tomorrow we’ll come strong, trying to keep our rhythm and look for the victory”.

Victor Cruz, outside hitter of Nicaragua: “We secured the bronze medal, thanks to God and tomorrow we’ll play with everything for the silver medal. Personally, I have given a lot and as a team we’ve performed well, and I hope to continue like that. Thanking God, we haven’t been injured”.

On Monday, Honduras and Panamá play at 4:00 p.m. and Nicaragua faces Belize at 6:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 23, 2022.- Guatemala left no doubts, and despite falling in the first set, they recovered for a 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18) victory against El Salvador to win the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship undefeated.

With six wins and no losses, Guatemala won their eighth Central American title; their previews one was in 2015, stopping Nicaragua’s winning streak of two title in a row in 2017 and 2019.

Team captain Javier Lucero topped Guatemala with 20 points, including four blocks, José Pablo Pérez added 17 and Francisco Gamboa 11. For El Salvador, Gabriel Vargas scored 12 points.

Guatemala was better in attacks 43-26, in blocks 11-8 and in serves 6-5, committing 43 errors against 35 from El Salvador.

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Javier Lucero, captain of Guatemala: “We reached our goal, which we set since day one; we thank God for making this possible. Today we were a bit confident, but we stopped El Salvador. Personally, it’s a great achievement, even more because it’s undefeated and it motivates me to keep on fighting”.

Germán Ramos, libero of Guatemala: “We feel highly motivated, we’ve been preparing since the under 23 y we feel comfortable as a team, we are united, and we are doing well as a team. At the beginning it took time to adjust, after that we’ve performed well, I think we gave a good spectacle and wining each game”.

On Monday, El Salvador plays Costa Rica at 2:00 p.m., while Guatemala has finished the event.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 22, 2022.- Nicaragua won epic five-set battle (27-25, 22-25, 32-30, 17-25, 15-10) to Costa Rica in the closing match of day four at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Neither one wanted to give in because the winners would be closer to a medal and Evans Solis, Denis Espinoza and setter Cristhoper Castillo carried Nicaragua to victory.

Nicaragua won the first set 27-25, delayed for over an hour due to weather conditions. Costa Rica was tougher in the second set, jumping to a five-set lead at mid-set.

The third set was a roller coaster, with set points for both sides, until Nicaragua’s serves helped finishing with the advantage. In the fourth, Costa Rica improved in blocking and spiking were unstoppable, mostly team captain Dowshel Smith.

Nicaragua’s 3 point lead reaching the first technical time-out (8-5) helped them close the fifth set and earning their first victory against one loss.

Nicaraguan Evans Solis scored 33 points, while Denis Espinoza contributed with 29, with Castillo coming off the bench moving pieces for his team. For Costa Rica, Dowshel Smith ended with 26 and  Jenher Denis 13 as well as Johan Cerdas.

Nicaragua was better in attacks 70-55, in serves 10-2, while Costa Rica was superior in blocking 14-5; Nicaragua committed 28 errors, against 44 from their opponents.

Cristhoper Castillo, setter of Nicaragua: “I am excited, I came off the bench, did mi job, I contributed with blocks and mostly I followed my coaches’ insctructions. The game was difficult, but we won; I am in the junio team and Costa Rica beat us 3-0 and now we are even”.

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “I always say that the winner is that who’s strategy is best, not the one who strikes harder. We made a change in the fifth set which Costa Rica missed, and it worked well. You can also win with the bench, Denis Espinoza was outstanding during todays’ practice, and I decided to put him as a starter, also the change in setter helped us well”.

On Sunday, Costa Rica faces Panama at 4:00 p.m. and Nicaragua plays Honduras at 6:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 22, 2022.- Guatemala continues undefeated in five outings and is one step away to the title after defeating Panama 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-12) at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Guatemala remained calm despite Panama´s pressure in the second set and reaching an even 19 and with effective blocks by the middle to win the set in route to victory.

Guatemala’s leading scorer was José Pablo Pérez with 16 points, Francisco Gamboa and Javier Lucero ended with 10 each. David de León was the best scorer for Panama with 12 points and Emanuel Pérez with 11.

Guatemala was better in attacks 38-29, in serves 6-1 and both scored 5 points on blocks; but Panama committed 26 errors against 18 from their opponents.  

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Adolfo Ariel Rivas, setter of Guatemala: “I am happy for the win, we just need to do well tomorrow to be the champions. Today we played well, I trust my team and things went well. Defending is really important for me to do my job, it’s a team effort, because the attack needs the rest, and we have all been doing a good job”.

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “We haven’t reached our goal, we are still in the competition, nothing is decided, we have our last game tomorrow against El Salvador. Our goal was to battle one match at a time and that’s what we’ve doing. The boys have been able to win, which is important, despite losing focus on occasions and their energy”.

On Sunday, Guatemala meets El Salvador at 2:00 p.m and Panamá plays Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 22, 2022.- Belize (1-4) earned their first tournament win defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17) on day five at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Eleazar Mejía led Belize with 23 points and Preston Smith with 9. For Honduras, Alejandro Lobo scored 12 points, in one of the lowest performances in the tournament.

Despite battling every set, Honduras fell to Belize’s strength in attacks to close every set.  Belize led in kills 39-21, in blocks 7-3 and Honduras was better in serves 6-5, committing 24 errors against 29 from the winners.

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Eleazar Mejía, best scorer of Belize: “Some of us were in the tournament in Copan (U19), which was different. Here we started slow, we advanced little by little and earned today’s victory. Two players couldn’t come, it would be better with them, but without them we must take the responsibility and do a better job with what we have here. I am satisfied with my performance, but we can do better. We have one match left, against Nicaragua and we will put up fight, we will come out to look for the win”.

Nicanor Requena, captain of Belize: “It feels good to win, thanks to our team’s unity. That’s what helped us win, unity and good energy as a team. The previous games were difficult, we did everything to win, we just need a bit more and today we were able to do so”.

On Sunday, Panama plays Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m. and Belize rests.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 21, 2022.- Guatemala (4-0) kept their undefeated streak after a 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-15, 25-14) win over Nicaragua (2-1) to close day four at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Guatemala’s effective blocking stopped Nicaragua’s attacking with a 15-blocking margin against five.

After winning the first set 25-23, Guatemala gave in with a 14-22 deficit in the second set and pressured to move 21-22 but Nicaragua won 22-25.

In the third and fourth sets, Guatemala reached the second technical time-out 16-10 advantage, thanks to their effective blocking, mostly by José Pérez who finished with 26 points, 5 from blocks; captain Javier Lucero ended with 19 points (3 blocks), Yeferson Zavala included 4 blocks from his 10 points total, as well as Franciso Gamboa.

Nicaragua’s best scorer was Evans Solís with 22 points, Josué Blandón with 13 and 12 from Víctor Cruz.

Guatemala was better in kills 59-50 but scored fewer serves 2-3, committing 19 errors against 21 from Nicaragua.

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José Pablo Pérez, best scorer of Guatemala: “Today’s key was our attitude, we were motivated as a team, and everything turned out perfectly. We did well in blocking, we observed they were spiking only diagonally, and we adjusted. We achieved to win two of the most difficult matches, we still have Panama and El Salvador to finish, and we hope to win”.

Javier Lucero, captain of Guatemala: “It was an important match for our goals, we continue to battle, and we had great energy to win. The key was over the net, blocking, we put on a mark, and we remain battling the rest of the tournament. The coaching staff pointed out their weaknesses and we executed what they had planned”.

On Saturday, Guatemala plays Panama at 4:00 p.m. and Nicaragua faces Costa Rica at 6:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 21, 2022.- Panama (2-1) left all on the court in an exciting 3-2 (22-25, 25-17, 10-25, 26-24, 15-11) victory over El Salvador (2-2) at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

El Salvador was on its way to a solid win after taking the third set by a 25-10 huge margin, after a roller coaster first two sets, but the Panamanians battled with courage in winning the fourth to a close 26-24. In the tie-break, Panama controlled by a slim advantage despite the pressure from El Salvador.

Emanuel Pérez was crucial for Panama with 20 points, with teammates David de León scoring 19 and Victor Pérez with 14 to the winning cause; as well as the great performance in defense by libero Jeremy Casasola in the final sets.

For El Salvador, Gabriel Vargas topped with 22 points, Abner Cano with 20 and Julio Jiménez added 11.

Panama led by one point 54-53 in attacks and 13-12 in blocking, with De León and Kevin Acosta with five effective blocks. Panama dominated in serves 4-1, committing 36 errors against 27 from its opponent.

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David de León, captain of Panama: “We are glad for the victory against a team like El Salvador; I have no words to explain our opponents’ game level and what we lived today. This is just the beginning; we must continue to effort ourselves. Thank God, this puts us in a better position and we must continue improving”.

Emanuel Pérez, top scorer of Panama: “I am super excited, I thank God for this victory and to my team who left everything on the court. The last points were exciting, and we thank God all he has given us. We had a great connection as a team, we are improving every day, we are elevating”.

On Saturday Panama faces Guatemala at 4:00 p.m. and El Salvador has the day off.  

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 21, 2022.- Costa Rica earned their second victory while overcoming a resilient Belize (0-4) in consecutive sets 3-0 (25-15, 29-27, 24-23) on day four of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

The game was decided in the second set because both teams had a chance to win the set, but Costa Rica benefited with their blocking strength. In the third, Belize never stopped pressuring, Costa Rican serves marked the difference complicating their opponents’ attacks, allowing them to counterattack more effectively.  

Costa Rica’s captain, Dowshel Smith ended with 21 points and Johan Cerdas with 12. For Belize, Eleazar Mejía continued to be effective with 15 points and Prestin Smith with 12.

Belize held advantage in kills 37-32, 8-7 in blocks and both teams scored on 3 serves; but Costa Rica scored 37 points on Belizean errors against 17.

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Johan Cerdad, outstanding player of Costa Rica: “It was hard, but we are very happy, I hope we continue like this in the rest of the tournament and have good results. This is my first time in the national team, I am happy because I’m performing well; with every match we’re looking more like a team, unfortunately we didn’t have many games to prepare, but we are trying to do our best”.

Juan Calderón Chanto, setter of Costa Rica: “It’s a great experience, in 2019 I had a similar experience, and you learn a lot. It’s the first time for many, we prepared to do the best we can, and I believe we’re doing well. The sets were too close, we lacked concentration in some moments, but in the end, we won”.

On Saturday Belize faces Honduras at 2:00 p.m. and Costa Rica against Nicaragua at 6:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 20, 2022.- Costa Rica defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-16) on day three at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

With difficulties and recovering from two-set points, Costa Rica won the second set thanks to blocking and Doswel Smith powerful kills, that made the difference the entire match.

Smith scored 23 points, 10 of them in the third set, and Johan Cerdas contributed with 12. For Honduras, Alejandro Lobo registered 14 points a Jonathan Meza 12.

Costa Rica’s attacks produced 42 points against 30 from their opponents; both scored 6 in blocks and Honduras did better in serves 5-4, while committing 26 errors to 22 from their opponent.

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Dowshel Smith, captain of Costa Rica: “Yesterday’s match was in our hands, but small details stopped us from winning, but we corrected what we were lacking, and we were able to win today. We were relaxed, things were a bit difficult, but we were focused on improving errors in our past performance and played more calm, less stressed”.

Alberto Blanco, coach of Costa Rica: “The team had no preparation matches back in Costa Rica, so we are improving some aspects with each game. Tomorrow will be another “practice” against Belize and we’ll go on improving little by little. We must add with each match, we still have options to fight for the gold medal, anything can happen”.

On Friday, Belize faces Costa Rica at 2:00 p.m. and Honduras has the day off.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 20, 2022.- Guatemala prevailed 3-1 (25-21, 25-11, 19-25, 25-10) against Belize to start day three at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.  

Guatemalan Francisco Gamboa and José Pérez collected 12 points each and Javier Lucero 11; for Belize, Eleazar Mejía finished with 13 tallies and Preston Smith with 10.

Guatemala was better in attacks 36-25 and 8-7 in serves; Belize did better in blocks 8-4, mostly in the third set, Hakan Godoy was effective with three blocks. Belize committed 46 errors and Guatemala 27.

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Francisco Gamboa, top scorer of Guatemala: “We are doing well, in the end the team recovered from falling a set to Belize, with good energy, always high. I think the five sets we played against Costa Rica affected our physical condition a little and we’ve been performing coming from behind, because we are tired”.

José Pérez, outstanding player of Guatemala: “We finished with victory, but we aren’t happy because it wasn’t 3-0, earning five points was important, but that’s done, now we must continue adding points. We were too confident; things didn’t go well in the third and we lost it”.

On Friday, Belize faces Costa Rica at 2:00 p.m. and Guatemala meets with Nicaragua at  6:00 p.m.

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Managua, Nicaragua, October 19, 2022.- Guatemala gave another demonstration of courage recovering from a two-set deficit to win 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-15, 25-17, 15-13) to Costa Rica in the last match of the second day of competition at the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

After a two-set lead, Costa Rica conceded to Guatemala who scored 5 consecutive points in the third set moving ahead 19-14 and onward to win the set and catch their breathe to win the match.

Javier Lucero finished with 18 points, Francisco Gamboa with 16 and Jose Perez 15, while Costa Rica Dowshel Mc Donald added 24 points despite suffering an injury and not performing in the fifth decisive set. Johan Cerdas finished with 11.

Guatemala was better in attacks 55-48 and serves 5-2, but Costa Rica overwhelmed in blocks 15-1, but committed 44 errors against 30 from their opponents.

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Javier Lucero, captain of Guatemala: “We’ve been taught to come from behind, I am excited of what we’ve achieved, we showed we can execute what we’ve taught. We lacked attitude in the first two sets, then we gained confidence and recovered. We gave a huge step and we continue to fight”.

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “It was a nice display of volleyball, ups and downs from both teams and kudos to Costa Rica, a combative team. They started strong, with great rhythm, we had difficulties in the first two sets. At the beginning they didn’t commit much less errors, they had a stable performance, but we were able to win the third with less errors, and it was crucial that the boys were able to improve their attitude”.

On Thursday, Guatemala faces Belize at 2:00 p.m. and Costa Rica meets Honduras at 4:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 19, 2022.- Panama swept Belize (25-16, 25-19, 25-17) on day two of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Víctor Pérez scored 15 points for Panama and Emanuel Pérez ended with 10, while Eleazar Mejía finished with 13, four on aces and Smith Preston with 10, for Belize.

Panama led 28-22 in attacks but was overcame with a 6-4 margin in blocks and 6-2 in serves; Belize committed 41 errors against only 18 by the winners.

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David de León, captain of Panama: “I am very happy because we came out on top a difficult opponent like Belize who has a great level. We continue to put pressure, this is just starting, I believe we have more to give and with a three-set victory we are in a higher position”.

Jonathan Caballero, coach of Panama: “First I want to congratulate Belize, a tough team and I am super happy with my team that’s been working hard for these results, which are good for our country, this victory motivates us a lot”.

On Thursday, Guatemala faces Belize at 2:00 p.m. Panama rests.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 19, 2022.- El Salvador recovered from losing the first set to win 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-14) over Honduras in the first match of day two of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

In the first set, Honduras was better in attacks and serves, jumping ahead which the Salvadorians couldn’t catch up, but everything changed from the second set on when El Salvador improved in attack as well as in blocks.

Team captain Abner Cano for the second match in a row was El Salvador best scorer with 24 points on 21 kills, followed by Gabriel Vargas with 15 points. Alejandro Lobo scored 15 points for Honduras, with 12 from Jonathan Meza.

El Salvador was better in attacks 43-32, both teams scored 3-3 on serves and Honduras led 6-5 in blocks but committed 44 errors against 35 from their opponents.

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Abner Cano, captain of El Salvador said “unfortunately we didn’t start the match well, our energy was low, but thank God we recovered our force as a team to beta a tough opponent Honduras. Normally we fight every match, with Honduras we are similar, but now we have a 3-0 and a 3-1 win, which motivates us to reach the podium”.

Alexander Polanco, coach of El Salvador: “There are no small team in this category, it’s a close competition and every match is different. We must continue to work; we have to correct what we failed today for a better match tomorrow against the home team”.

On Thursday, Honduras will face Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m. while El Salvador meets Nicaragua at 6:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 18, 2022.- Guatemala’s national team showed their strength beating Honduras 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-12) in the opening match of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

With an 8-2 advantage in the first set, Guatemala impressed their opponents and never stopped pressuring to earn their first victory thanks to the performance of Jose Perez who scored 17 points, six from serves and 11 on kills. Team captain Javier Lucero finished with 9 points. For Honduras, Alejandro Lovo scored 9 points.

Guatemala was superior in attacks with a 34-16 margin, and 9-1 in serves, but Honduras was better in blocks 5-4; however, they committed 28 errors against 17 from the winners.

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Javier Lucero, captain of Guatemala: “We feel well prepared, we’ve made a great effort to be here, we’ve trained a lot, it was a good match that will help us to continue battling to reach our goal”.

José Pérez, top scorer of Guatemala: “I have worked for a long time to be in good conditions, it’s good that everything went well, even more because we won five points. Now we must rest for our next match, we adapted well to the court, and all went well”.

Guatemala will face Costa Rica on Wednesday, the second day of competition, at 6:00 p.m. while Honduras has committed against El Salvador at 2:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 18, 2022.- Nicaragua defeated Panama 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 16-25, 25-13) in the last match of the first day of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Evans Solís, with 19 points was Nicaragua’s best scorer, and Victor Cruz added 10 points. For Panama, Víctor Pérez finished with 14 points, David Leon and Emanuel Perez with 12 points each.

Nicaragua was better in serves 5-0, with 3 aces from Solis, crucial at the beginning of the fourth set. Panama led in attacks 37-35 and 15-7 in blocks, but they committed 44 errors against 23 from their opponents.

In the third set, Panama registered 12-8 in attacks and 6-0 in blocks, committing fewer errors (7-8) than in the previous sets, but in the fourth set Nicaragua’s serves were lethal, which in the end made a difference.

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Rafael Hernández, captain of Nicaragua: “We hope for more victories like this one, we will continue to work hard to make it happen. In the third set we were too confident, without energy, not wanting to do anything, we lost concentration. In general, we did well, and we’ll improve little by little during the tournament”.

Evans Solís, top scorer of Nicaragua: “It was a tough match, we hope for a more effective result in three sets, but we were too confident. We had problem in receiving, on of the most important elements and we lost energy. Thank God we came out on top, and we are glad, but we hope to do better”.

On Wednesday, Panama will play against Belize at 4:00 p.m. while Nicaragua rests.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 18, 2022.- El Salvador defeated Belize in straight sets 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-20) in the second match of opening day of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Abner Cano, captain of El Salvador, led his team to victory scoring 13 points, 12 on kills, joined by Julio Jimenez Hunter with 11. For Belize, Preston Smith ended with 10 and 8 by Eleazar Mejía.

El Salvador scored on a 28-22 advantage in attacks, 6-3 in blocks and were down 1-3 in serves, but they also scored 40 points on opponent errors, committing 23 errors.

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Abner Cano, captain of El Salvador: “I am proud of my team, of the victory we achieved, and we have high expectations in the tournament. We want to be among the medalists, we are aware we must defeat the other teams, but we are strong, with young but experienced players”.

Julio Jiménez, top scorer of El Salvador: “I am happy because it was what we came to do, we are aware this is one step at a time, in the end we reached the first goal, six more to go, so we must continue forward. We trusted our abilities with respect to our opponents (Belize), but we knew we could win”.

El Salvador will face Honduras at 2:00 p.m., while Panama will play against Belize at 4:00 p.m.

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 17, 2022.- The seven Central American countries are in Managua to compete at the nineteenth U21 Men’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship that starts on Tuesday at Alexis Argüello Gymnasium.

Nicaragua has won two consecutive titles (2017, 2019) and everyone says they are the opponent to beat, while hosting the event, but they concur it will be a tournament with strong battles and none of them will be easy.

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Albert Humes, coach of Belize

“We are continuing with the U19 program, we have a good young team, we are mentally prepared for the tournament, I believe we can have a good result and reach the podium”.

Miguel Pagoaga, coach of Honduras

“We have a young and enthusiastic group that have been preparing during the year in different tournaments. We are here to work and battle to reach the podium, we have prepared for that, and we hope we can do it”.

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala

“We will try to have a good competition; our boys eager to play. It’s a category in development and we believe some players will have a good performance. We will play with a positive attitude and will battle one game at a time”.

Alexander Polanco, coach of El Salvador

“We are coming to give a fight, good games, hoping for excellent results and to battle for a medal. We have several experienced players that have played in under 23 national teams, where we finished third place, and we have three youngsters who are competing for the first time and others who were in Honduras for the under 19”.

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua

“We are going to try to top the podium, or finish among the top three places and climb positions. We are the current champions, and we will defend the title with our soul, life and heart, even more because we are at home”.

Alberto Blanco, coach of Costa Rica

“This is a tournament we take seriously; we have prepared well, we are aware it wont be easy, the teams have prepared strongly, better than previous years, especially Nicaragua who competed at the Pan American Cup in Cuba, and despite knowing every team is difficult, Nicaragua is the one to beat”.

Jonathan Caballero, team manager of Panama

“We have boys with a lot of courage, eager to win a place at the podium. They are young players, with high expectations and motivated to do things well and represent our country well”.

The tournament starts on Tuesday at 2:00 pm with the match between Honduras and Guatemala. At 4:00 pm Belize faces El Salvador, at 6:00 pm the opening ceremony, followed by Nicaragua against Panama.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 14, 2022.- Nicaragua will aim to become three-time champion of the nineteenth U21 Men’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship to be held at the Multisports Alexis Argüello Gymnasium in Managua from October 18 to 24.

Nicaragua was crowned AFECAVOL champion in the past two editions of the tournament (2017, 2019), both undefeated and will aim to repeat the feat to win their third title in a row. They also won the championship in 2003.

During the past edition, Panamá won the silver medal and El Salvador completed the podium with the bronze medal.

Other winners of the event have been, Guatemala in seven occasions, Costa Rica with three titles and El Salvador alongside Panama on two occasions each.

Members of the AFECAVOL control committee and delegations arrive in Managua on October 16, the preliminary inquiry and court recognition are on the 17 and the competition starts on the 18 with three daily matches.

Competition Schedule:

Tuesday October 18:

14:00     Honduras v Guatemala

16:00     Belize v El Salvador

18:30     Nicaragua v Panama

Wednesday October 19:

14:00     El Salvador v Honduras

16:00     Panama v Belize

18:00     Guatemala v Costa Rica

Thursday October 20:

14:00     Guatemala v Belize

16:00     Costa Rica v Honduras

18:00     El Salvador v Nicaragua

Friday October 21:

14:00     Belize v Costa Rica

16:00     Panama v El Salvador

18:00     Nicaragua v Guatemala

Saturday October 22:

14:00     Honduras v Belize

16:00     Guatemala v Panama

18:00     Costa Rica v Nicaragua

Sunday October 23:

14:00     El Salvador v Guatemala

16:00     Panama v Costa Rica

18:00     Nicaragua v Honduras

Monday October 24:

14:00     Costa Rica v El Salvador

16:00     Honduras Panama

18:00     Belize v Nicaragua

AFECAVOL Podium

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1981	GUA	CRC	NCA
1986	PAN	GUA	NCA
1988	CRC	PAN	NCA
1990	ESA	HON	PAN
1992	GUA	CRC	PAN
1994	HON	NCA	GUA
1996	CRC	GUA	PAN
1999	CRC	PAN	HON
2001	PAN	CRC	ESA
2003	NCA	CRC	GUA
2006	GUA	HON	CRC
2007	GUA	HON	CRC
2009	GUA	HON	ESA
2011	GUA	CRC	HON
2013	ESA	NCA	GUA
2015	GUA	CRC	HON
2017	NCA	CRC	GUA