Tag: AFECAVOL U17 Women Championship

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 25, 2024.- Nicaragua needed four sets, 3-1 (25-6, 17-25, 25-11, 25-15), to defeat a battling Honduras in the closing match of the second day of the First AFECAVOL U17 Central American Girls’ Championship.

After a dominant first set for Nicaragua, 25-6, Honduras started the second set strong, leading 7-1 thanks to their effective serving, which disrupted the defense and attack of the home team. Honduras’ lead was enough to survive several comebacks from the Nicaraguan side, who fell short and lost the set 17-25.

In the third and fourth sets, Nicaragua regained their strength, particularly with their serving, achieving double digits in aces (outscoring Honduras 18-6 in serves) for the second consecutive match, while also leading in attacks 35-19 and blocks 8-4.

The top scorer was Nicaragua’s Lucía Columna with 15 points, followed by Emely Gutiérrez with 13 (including six aces) and María Ebank with 10 (five blocks). For Honduras, Luna Janania had 7 points and Virginia Herdocia 6.

On Thursday, on day three, Honduras will play El Salvador at 4:00 p.m., and Nicaragua will face Belize at 6:30 p.m.

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Denixa Zeledón, captain of Nicaragua: “I’m very satisfied with the work we did. It was a tough match because Honduras has strong defense and attack, which made things difficult for us, but we were able to get the result. We’ve improved a lot in reception and defense thanks to our coaches”.

Claudia Noguera, Head coach of Nicaragua: “It was a good win, and it’s important to secure victory even if we lose a set. I think the girls became anxious and lost concentration, but in the end, we regained the rhythm of the game. We’ve been focusing on our serving, which is fundamental in this sport, and things are going well”.

Cistiam Rodríguez, Head coach of Honduras: “Today’s match was very satisfying; we played better than yesterday, won a set, but unfortunately didn’t secure the victory. However, I think it shows progress as a team despite missing a key player. The level of competition in this tournament is high, and sometimes the girls can’t control their emotions because they’re so young, but it’s gratifying to see them improve with each match”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 25, 2024. – Costa Rica earned their second victory by defeating El Salvador 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-19) on the second day of the First AFECAVOL U17 Central American Girls’ Championship.

At times, El Salvador put pressure on Costa Rica, staying tied until the second technical timeout (16), but from then on, Costa Rica maintained composure and relied on their serve, which once again made the difference.

Costa Rica led in attacks 44-24, in blocks 4-1, and in serves 11-3, with seven aces from Nicole Leiva and three from Nadia Granados, though they committed more unforced errors with 23 to El Salvador’s 16.

Leiva was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 14 points, and Campos added 13, the same as Charlotte Martínez. For El Salvador, Tatiana Gómez finished with seven points.

On Thursday, on day three, Costa Rica will play Guatemala at 1:30 p.m., and El Salvador will face Honduras at 4:00 p.m.

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Kareem Richard, Head coach of Costa Rica: “Thank God we were able to get the victory. It was a bit difficult, but we understand that this is normal at this level. The positive thing is how the girls managed to bounce back after hitting a rough patch. Now we need to keep growing, and that’s what this age group is for – to keep learning and developing our future national team athletes”.

Pedro Rivas, Head coach of El Salvador: “We thought we were better prepared to compete a bit more against Costa Rica. We made a lot of mistakes in the first set, which cost us, but we tried to turn things around. The girls gained confidence and shook off their nerves by the third set. We know they’re young, for some this is their first event, so it was a good result. I’m proud of the girls for putting Costa Rica, a well-prepared team, under pressure”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 25, 2024.- Belize secured their first victory by defeating Guatemala 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 26-28, 25-21) at the start of the second day of the AFECAVOL U17 Central American Girls’  Championship.

Belize showed more organization and strength in attack, especially with captain Akili Jones, who scored 27 points, six of them from serves. Emaun Marín finished with 19 points, four of them from blocks and 14 from attacks. For Guatemala, Melissa Guerra ended with 13 points, and Natalia Pérez with 9.

Belize outperformed in attack 41-34, in blocks 10-4, while Guatemala took the advantage in serves 13-11. Belize committed 39 errors compared to Guatemala’s 36.

On Thursday, on the third day of competition, Guatemala will face Costa Rica at 1:30 p.m., and Belize will play against Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.

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Akili Jones, captain of Belize: “We enjoyed today’s match. We are very excited, it’s our first win of the tournament, and we’re really hoping to win more. Yesterday we were off our game; we didn’t play at our best level. Today, we regrouped and played harder”.

José Fontés, Head coach of Belize:   “Yes, it was a hard-fought victory, but it’s a very important one, especially because, as I’ve said from the beginning, the goal is to keep growing and improving our game. Today, we did very well in the first two sets, the first one was played well and very effectively with our serve. Afterward, we dropped off a little, but that’s normal in these types of events and at this age. A very important factor is that we played with two athletes, one aged 15 and the other 13, on the court, and that makes me very happy with how they handled the situations at such a young age”.

Julio Dominguez, Head coach of Guatemala:   “This tournament was created to develop the level in the region, and that’s how it is: you win some, you lose some. But today, we saw a very high level for this age group. I believe the team needs to make more tactical adjustments, become more disciplined, so they can keep fighting for the medals. We have a situation with the players where emotions play a very important role. But we’re going to keep fighting, trusting in God that we’ll stay strong because we still have more matches ahead”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 24, 2024. – Nicaragua opened with a 3-0 victory (25-12, 25-09, 25-19) against El Salvador in the closing match of the first day of the AFECAVOL U17 Central American Girls’ Championship.

The home team took advantage of their strong serve, scoring 16 points, with Brisa Bermúdez contributing 5 aces and Emely Gutiérrez adding three more. Nicaragua dominated in serving 16-2, in attacking 32-20, and 3-1 in blocking, also benefiting from 24 opponent errors, compared to their own 17.

Gutiérrez finished with nine points for Nicaragua, while Lucía Columna, Brisa Bermúdez, and Karen Bird each tallied eight points. For El Salvador, Tatiana Gómez scored five points.

On Wednesday, during the second day, El Salvador faces Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m., and Nicaragua will play against Honduras at 6:30 p.m.

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Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “At the beginning, the girls were a bit nervous, but that’s normal in this age group. Later, they started to focus well, began doing their job, and played as they are used to. This victory is important because it’s positive for the team to get a good result on the first day. This game gave us the opportunity to see what options we have for the upcoming matches. We know this age group is very evenly matched, and we will always focus on each game”.

Pedro Rivas, coach of El Salvador: “Honestly, the work we did with the girls paid off. We started with an advantage against Nicaragua, but like all the teams in this tournament, these are girls playing for the first time, almost 80% of the team, and in the end, it takes its toll. The anxiety of the Salvadoran girls caused them to make mistakes, but I think the first and third sets were of a good level. In the second set, our team dropped a lot emotionally, but we managed to lift it in the third set, almost forcing a fourth”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 24, 2024.- Guatemala earned an important 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Honduras thanks to an effective serve, in the second match of the opening day of the First AFECAVOL U17 Central American Girls’ Championship.

Honduras maintained pressure throughout the match, but Guatemala responded at key moments with their strong serving, earning 12 points, including five from Katherine Vaughn and four from Natalia Pérez.

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Guatemala outperformed in attack 35-24 and in serving 12-4, although Honduras led in blocking 5-2. Guatemala made 30 unforced errors, compared to 26 by Honduras.

Andrea Garcés scored 12 points, Vaughn contributed 10, and Melissa Guerra added 9 for Guatemala; meanwhile, Honduras had Nicole Velásquez with nine points.

This Wednesday, on the second day of competition, Guatemala faces Belize at 1:30 p.m., and Honduras takes on Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.

Regina Porres, captain of Guatemala: “We are very happy with this result, we have been working hard for a long time, and we must keep pushing, always putting in full effort. We knew how to handle the pressure from Honduras, especially with our serves, which are very effective, and that helped us maintain the lead”.

Julio Domínguez, coach of Guatemala: “Starting off like this is important for the team because, first, it’s a new category, and traditionally, the first game in any tournament is always unpredictable. But thank God the girls showed the tactical discipline that was needed, along with a positive attitude to secure a 3-0 win. The inconsistencies were expected because they are young but thank God, we were able to control the game”.

Cristiam Rodriguez, coach of Honduras: “It’s challenging to be at this stage with such young girls. We know there can be many errors in this age group, but I am very pleased despite the loss, as I can see their development, and I know things will improve even more in the future. We know they’re not immune to mistakes; we missed key points at the end of each set, but we will improve as the tournament progresses”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 24, 2024.- Costa Rica started strong with a 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-16, 25-23) against Belize in the opening match of the First Central American U17 Girls’ Championship by AFECAVOL. 

The Costa Rican team showed solid blocking and attacking, and although Belize put pressure in the third set, Costa Rica finished strong with good defense to secure the match point.

Amanda Campos was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 18 points, eight of them in the first set, while Michelle Arias added 10. For Belize, Akili Jones recorded 12 points. 

Costa Rica outperformed Belize in attacks 37-28, also in blocks 4-0, while both teams were tied in service points with six each. Belize committed 28 unforced errors compared to Costa Rica’s 19. 

On Wednesday, during the second day of competition, Belize will face Guatemala at 1:30 p.m., and Costa Rica will play against El Salvador at 4:00 p.m. 

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Nadia Granados, captain of Costa Rica: “We are super excited because this was our goal, to win. We are very motivated because we’ve worked hard for this. Now we have more matches coming up, and we will keep working hard. I think we handled the nerves and anxiety of the first match well, we were able to control our emotions and close out the game”.

Kareem Richard, coach of Costa Rica: “It’s always extremely important to start with a win. Belize is a good team, with a great coaching staff, and they always have good physical conditions. Our technique and tactics made the difference because, at this age, the first game is always challenging, even for a coach. But the girls responded well, and we have an excellent group.” 

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “Our goal is to grow, and I believe we did that because the team looked different between the first and third sets. We had some issues in defense, but I’m satisfied, especially with what we did in the third set, as we were up against Costa Rica, a great team.”

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 23, 2024. – The first Central American U17Girls’  Championship, organized by the Association of Central American Volleyball Federations (AFECAVOL), offers a great opportunity to witness emerging talents and the ongoing development of youth volleyball in the region. 

The coaches of the six competing teams emphasized the importance of such a tournament for this age group, as it marks the first competitive steps for these players. 

José Fontes, Head coach of Belize: “Belize’s expectations are to see our players grow, as they don’t have much competitive experience. The first thing we will demand is that they improve and have the right attitude both on and off the court. It’s a great opportunity for all of them to grow and start learning what competition is about”.

Julio Dominguez, Head coach of Guatemala: “This is a very important category because it forms the foundation for our federations, as athletes for future national teams will come from here. We are eager and enthusiastic to begin this competition, which we expect to be very balanced. We thank AFECAVOL for taking the initiative to launch this age group”.

Pedro Rivas, coach of El Salvador: “This is a new tournament for the region, and we are very happy that AFECAVOL decided to host this event for girls in this age group. We are prepared to compete, and we hope to surprise other teams. We know all the countries are strong, but we will do our best”.

Cristiam Rodríguez, Head coach of Honduras: “We’ve come with a solid process, and we hope to perform well and secure a spot on the podium. I believe this category is very important because the development of girls at this age is more challenging. There are more mistakes, and more corrections are needed, so being in competition will help us a lot. We all want to perform well, and it’s going to be a great tournament”.

Claudia Noguera, Head  coach of Nicaragua: “Our goal is to represent our country with dignity. We have a group of talented young players, and we hope to be fighting for a spot on the podium. This age group is essential because it marks the beginning of an athlete’s career, and their development at this stage is key to achieving a good playing rhythm as they transition to adulthood”.

Kareem Richard, Head coach of Costa Rica: “Our expectations are very high. Costa Rica always strives to be a reference point, and we have worked on both technical and tactical aspects to ensure a good performance in this inaugural tournament for this age group. The girls are excited, as is the coaching staff, and we are eagerly waiting for the event to start”.

The tournament will be held from Tuesday to Saturday at the Volleyball Gymnasium of the Sports Institute (IND) in Managua, with matches starting at 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday, the opening ceremony will take place before the third match (6:30 p.m.), with local authorities in attendance.