Tag: Afecavol

Honduras defeats Costa Rica in five sets 

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 12, 2023 – In the second match of the final day of the AFECAVOL Men’s Central American Volleyball Cup, Honduras defeated Costa Rica in five sets: 26-24, 25-21, 25-27, 19-25, 15-12. 

With a narrow difference, Honduras dominated the attack 63-62. The blocks were in favor of Costa Rica, with a difference of one, 10 over nine. The services belonged to Honduras 7-4.

The top scorer for Honduras in the match was outside hitter David Villatoro, with 27 points, 25 from attacks, and two from blocks. For Costa Rica, opposite hitter Andrey Quintero scored 18 points from attacks, two from blocks, and one from service, totaling 21 points.

Honduras and Costa Rica concluded the tournament with two wins and four losses.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Marco Sugiyama, Honduras coach: “Analyzing the tournament, there was a lot of competition between the teams, a lot of imbalances among us, but we need to start the next competition with better performance in order to compete for medals. I am happy with the boys, the competition is very good, and it has been a great joy to participate. We will be better prepared for the next competition”-

Johan Morales, Costa Rica coach: “I am disappointed in myself, I did not expect these results because we have a fairly strong selection. We came with a goal that was not achieved. It was a tournament with many ups and downs, with teams that caused surprises. We knew the two strongest rivals were Guatemala and Nicaragua, and coincidentally, we beat them. We forgot about the other teams. The blow of anxiety and happiness from beating the Champion after approximately eight years of not doing so was a double-edged sword because on the next day, when we played against El Salvador, a team we knew because they even practiced in Costa Rica, they beat us 3-0 and there the team declined psychologically. We tr

Belize dreams of reaching the podium

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 11, 2023 – Belize defeated Costa Rica 3-1 with set scores of 12-25/25-16/25-19/25-18, and their aspirations to secure a spot on the podium of the XXII Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup of AFECAVOL remain alive.

Belize has three wins and two losses in the tournament, while Costa Rica stands with two wins and three losses.

Belize dominated  44-41 in attacks, 9-6 in blocks and 5-3 in services. The home team scored 29 points from opponent errors, while Costa Ricans earned 28 points from their rival’s mistakes.

Francis Hauze was Belize’s top scorer with 14 attack points, on two block points, and two service points, accompanied by Ernest Broaster with 16 points and Karym Coleman with 15 points.

Japheth Reid, with 10 points (seven from attacks and three from blocks), was Costa Rica’s top scorer.

Belize will face Nicaragua at 7:30 pm, and Costa Rica will take on Honduras at 5:00 pm on the last day of competition.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Ernest Broaster, Outside Hitter of Belize: “We started poorly in the first set, but we recovered in the second, third, and fourth. We played a very good match. The serving pressure was good, our passing was phenomenal; when our passing is good, everything else is good, and it’s all about producing blocks. I feel that tomorrow, if we maintain our passing at a high level, we can defeat Nicaragua in three sets. We just need to come out with fast play and not start slow, apply pressure from the beginning, and finish it that way”.

Richard Smith, Outside Hitter of Costa Rica: “Happy to be in Belize, unfortunately, it wasn’t our tournament. Today’s match was exciting, a face-off, with a Belizean team that has been improving for a while. They have renewed many players and have been dedicated to preparing the players. They have players in foreign university leagues, and right now, they are showing results. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the capacity to rise. The whole week has been a roller coaster for the team, especially emotionally. Also, I think we lacked a little more preparation to get here. We congratulate Belize, who gave us a lesson on the work they’ve been doing at the Central American level”.

Guatemala reaffirms its desire for Gold

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 11, 2023 – Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-1 in the second match of the sixth day of the XXII Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup of AFECAVOL, and with this score, the dream of a fourth championship this Saturday in the tournament’s closing.

Honduras complicated the actions in the second set of the match; however, Guatemala showed its determination and won the game 25-15/22-25/25-14/25-22.

Guatemala led in all areas of the match, surpassing Honduras 51-37 in attacks, 11-9 in blocks, and 5-4 in services. Guatemalans earned 30 points from opponent errors, while Honduras scored 26 points from their opponent’s mistakes.

The top scorer of the match for Guatemala was Pablo Pérez with 17 points, including 13 on attacks and four on blocks. For Honduras, David Villatoro scored 21 points, with 20 on  attacks and one block.

With this victory, Guatemala reaches four wins and one loss, while Honduras has one win and four losses.

Guatemala will face Panama at 2:30 pm, and Honduras will compete against Costa Rica at 5:00 pm on the last day of competition.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Andy Blanco, Opposite of Guatemala: “Very happy, although it wasn’t the result we expected. Honduras came in playing very well. We’ll wait for tomorrow against Panama, and we’ll go out with a new attitude. As the team leader, I’m very content because we are very united. We are a young team, I’m the most experienced and oldest player. They are very talented young players, good camaraderie. We characterize ourselves as athletes as a whole, and I will continue supporting them, fighting every match”.

Arturo Durán, Outside Hitter of Honduras: “We had a very interesting match against the current Central American champions. It was a quite intense duel for us since we have quite a few rookies in the team. Even in this case, we put up a good fight. We hope that for the next process, this team continues to be formed with young and tall players, and we can put Honduras back on the podium”.

El Salvador closes tournament with victory

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 11, 2023 – El Salvador won in three consecutive sets over Nicaragua, completing their six matches in the XXII Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup of AFECAVOL.

With set scores of 25-21/25-14/25-21, El Salvador dominated the match. With a 10-point difference, El Salvador dominated in attacks 45-35, blocks 14-4, and services 4-1. Nicaragua scored 16 points from opponent errors, while El Salvador earned 12 points from unforced errors.

The top scorer of the match for El Salvador was outside hitter Rodrigo Chávez, who tallied 20 points for the victory on19 attacking points and one blocking point. On the other hand, for Nicaragua, opposite Dennis García scored 13 points, 12 on attacks and one from a block.

El Salvador finished the event with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. Nicaragua will face Belize tomorrow at 7:30 pm. Nicaragua stands with 2 wins and 3 losses.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Franklin Flores, Opposite of El Salvador: “This was an important match because we were fighting for a medal here, and the result had to be 3-0. We entered the match fighting, playing good volleyball just like yesterday against Costa Rica. We’re happy with the result and hope that everything goes well, and nothing takes away our medal. Grateful to the coaching staff for their trust in me, we leave with a good feeling and happy with our performance in the tournament”.

Tito Valdivia, Corner for Nicaragua: “Things didn’t go as planned and trained in the morning. We didn’t enter with a good attitude, so we’ll have to wait for the results and the match tomorrow.”

Guatemala stifles Belize’s shout of victory

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 10, 2023 – In the final match of the day, Guatemala, in straight sets 25-19/25-19/26-24, stifled Belize’s shout of victory in front of hundreds of fans at the Belize City Civic Center, to keep leading the standings of the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.

Guatemala dominated in attacks 35-30 and in service points 10-4. The blocks were in favor of Belize 10-4. Guatemala earned 26 points from unforced errors, while Belize scored 18 points from their opponent’s errors.

The top scorer for Guatemala was Andy Blanco with 14 points, 8 from attacks and 6 from services. For Belize, Karym Coleman converted 10 points from attacks, three from blocks, and two from services, totaling 15 points.

Guatemala holds three wins and one loss, while Belize has two wins and two losses.

The tournament’s excitement continues on Friday at 5:00 pm with Guatemala facing Honduras and at 7:30 pm Belize taking on Costa Rica.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Erik Flores, Opposite of Guatemala: “We knew it was a very tough opponent because they were playing at home and had the support of the crowd; we knew this place would be packed. Our goal was to win, and we achieved it. Given how the competition has gone, with some countries losing matches and dropping sets, we knew it was important. We were coming off a loss against Costa Rica, but that didn’t affect us because we knew we could fight for the championship. Costa Rica’s loss today gives us even more possibilities, and the closest rival was Belize, so we had to win for the ultimate goal”.

Ernest Broaster, Outside hitter of Belize: “This was a shaky night. We faltered in passing, and the attack wasn’t working for us; our service also failed us. We didn’t reach our goal, which is the gold medal, but we’re still in contention for the silver medal; we can win it, but we just need to win the next two matches”.

Panama secures second victory of the tournament

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 10, 2023.- Panama needed four sets to defeat Honduras 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 27-25, 25-18) on the fifth day of competition in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.

Honduras started by winning the first set 26-24, however, the Panamanians claimed the next three 25-18/27-25 and 25-18. Panama was superior with dominance in attacks 57-49 and blocks 14-6.

Both teams tied at 3 in services. Honduras earned 29 points and Panama 27 from opponent’s errors.

The top scorer for Panama and the match was Jason Quintero with 20 points, 19 on attacks and one from blocks. For Honduras, David Villatoro scored 16 points, 15 on attacks and one from blocks.

Panama secured their second victory in the tournament, with a balance of two wins and three losses. Meanwhile, Honduras has one victory and with today´s match, they accumulated three losses.

The event taking place at the Belize City Civic Center continues with the schedule on Friday at 5:00 pm, with Honduras facing Guatemala and Panama is the team with the day off.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Miguel Medina, Libero of Panama: “The match was quite challenging for us in the first set. We had been in the lead and didn’t maintain the advantage, which cost us the set. The guys focused more and pursued the goal of winning because it puts us in a position to dream about the medal table. Thanks to God, the perseverance of our young team helped everyone contribute their bit and secure the victory. Honduras fought hard and didn’t let us pull away until the last set”.

Irvin Reyes, middle blocker of Honduras: “We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities in the match, but we need to keep working and have the confidence that things will start going better for us”.

El Salvador defeats Costa Rica comfortably

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 10, 2023.- El Salvador defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in the first match of day five of competition in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup with scores of 25-13/25-18/25-13.

The match was dominated by El Salvador in all areas, with 35 attacks to 26, 13 blocks to 5, and 4-2 in serves.

El Salvador scored 23 points from opponent errors, while Costa Rica scored 11 points from unforced errors.

El Salvador improved their win-loss record to 3-2. Costa Rica has a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

The top scorer of the match was Rodrigo Chávez with 17 points, 13 on attacks and four on  blocks, his teammate Franklin Flores was close behind with 16 points.

For Costa Rica, Gilbert Solano scored six points from attacks and one a block for a total of 7 points, being the top scorer, followed by Richard Smith with 6 points.

The event taking place at the Belize City Civic Center continues Friday at 2:30 pm with El Salvador facing Nicaragua and at 7:30 pm Costa Rica will compete against the hosts.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Rodrigo Chávez, outside hitter of El Salvador: “This was a complicated match from a tactical point of view, our coaches read the other team very well, at this stage of the tournament, we’ve had time to study our opponents and that makes the matches more competitive. In this case, we found the key. Costa Rica stood up well, but perhaps the fatigue from last night’s game affected them, however, they are a very strong team and El Salvador showed a very different face from the previous matches. We are very grateful to the guys and coaches for boosting our spirits and we hope to maintain this rhythm of play”.

Oscar Ramírez, outside hitter of Costa Rica: “It was a very emotional match, unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for us. El Salvador read us very well on the court. Now, we need to prepare for tomorrow’s match, it’s another final to aim for the medal we came for”.

Guatemala defeats Nicaragua in three sets 

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 8, 2023. Guatemala only needed three sets to secure victory against Nicaragua with scores of 31-29, 25-19, and 25-14 in the second match of the third day of competition at the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup. 

The first set was the most thrilling of the game, with both teams going point by point in pursuit of victory. Eventually, it was Guatemala who emerged victorious, dominating in attacks 45 to 36, in blocks 10-7, and in services 10-2. Both teams committed a similar number of unforced errors, with Nicaragua recording 16 and Guatemala 17. 

With 18 points for his country, outside hitter Carlos López led Guatemala to victory with 15 points from attacks, one on blocking, and two on serves. On the other hand, Tito Valdivia contributed 11 points from attacks, one point from blocking, and one point from serving, totaling 13 points as the highest scorer for Nicaragua. 

On Wednesday, August 9th, Guatemala will face Costa Rica at 7:30 PM, and Nicaragua will play against Panama at 2:30 PM. 

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS

Carlos López, Outside hitter of Guatemala: “Today we managed to play a better game as a team, correcting many mistakes. We had better team cohesion, which helped us achieve a favorable result and giving us confidence for the what’s left of the competition”. 

Álvaro Solís, Setter of Nicaragua: “Guatemala is a tough opponent that pressured us from the beginning with their serves. In 2021, when we won the bronze, we lost to the same two teams: Costa Rica and Guatemala. So, we still aspire to make it to the medal podium and will continue working for the upcoming matches, which I believe will be within our reach. This is not over, and all countries are at the same level”.  

Leaders succumb to El Salvador

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 7, 2023. With a score of 3-1, El Salvador claimed victory against Panama, who had been leading the standings until today, in the first match of the third day of competition in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.

With closely contested sets of 26-24, 23-25, 25-21, and 26-24, El Salvador secured the win in a match led slightly in the attack by the winners, 61-57.

Panama dominated in blocks, 12-10, and both teams were tied at 3 in serves. El Salvador gathered 26 points from their opponent’s errors, while Panama earned 22 points on El Salvador’s errors.

From El Salvador, Rodrigo Chávez once again stood out, contributing 17 points on attacks, two on  blocks, and two aces, totaling 21 points.

Uriel Batista continued to lead Panama’s scorers, as he converted 19 attacking points and three blocks, for a total of 22 points.

On Wednesday, August 9th, El Salvador will face Honduras at 5:00 PM, and Panama will play against Nicaragua at 2:30 PM.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Diego Cerón, Libero of El Salvador: “We’re still in the fight for what we came for. The possibility of winning gold is still alive; we don’t lose sight of that mindset. The team has very high expectations. Since we left our country, we knew that this tournament would present a lot of challenges, but we Salvadorans are known by not giving up, and we will keep fighting until the end”.

Oswald Marschall, Outside hitter of Panama: “Unfortunately, we faced a defeat today that shouldn’t have happened. It put us in a tough spot for the medal tally, but we have a team with both youth and experience, which I know will serve us well in tomorrow’s game. Congratulations to El Salvador for putting up a good match”.

Belize achieves a titanic comeback against Panama

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 7, 2023.- Once again, the hosts made use of their home advantage and didn’t allow themselves to fall easily in front of their fans, rallying back from a 0-2 set deficit and extending the last match to a fifth set on the second day of the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.

With a 3-2 victory against Panama, Belize managed to rally back and win the match 20-25/19-25/25-23/25-18/15-11.

Attacks were dominated by Panama, 59-52. Belize took the lead in blocks with 14-12 and in services 8-4.

Belize earned 30 points from opponent’s errors, while Panama got 27 points on the home team’s errors.

The top scorers of the match were Ernest Broaster from Belize with 20 points, 14 from attacks, 3 from blocks, and 3 from services, and Uriel Batista from Panama with 16 attacking points, 2 from blocks, and 2 from services, for a total of 20 points.

This Tuesday, August 8, Panama will face El Salvador at 2:30 pm, and Belize will play against Honduras at 7:30 pm.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Elton Anderson, Captain of Belize: “It was a very hard match. We fought hard, and thankfully we won in the end. We feel very tired, it was difficult, but we managed to win, so we’ll try to rest and come ready to face Honduras tomorrow.”

Otto Othon, Captain of Panama: “In tonight’s game, we played well in the first two sets. We have many young players, and it was an experience for them and for us, and the match went to five sets. We need to correct what couldn’t be achieved and hope to play a good match against El Salvador tomorrow”. 

Guatemala debuts with a five-set victory against El Salvador

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 7, 2023. – The current Central American champions, Guatemala, made their debut with a 3-2 victory (22/25, 25/19, 18/25, 25/20, 15/9) over El Salvador in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.

The sets alternated between the two countries, leading to a decisive fifth set. El Salvador started by winning the match, but Guatemala bounced back to claim the second set, setting the stage for a highly contested challenge.

Guatemala was powerful in their attack, tallying 68 points against 45. Both teams scored 15 points from blocks, and Guatemala led in service points with 8 against 2. El Salvador earned 36 points from Guatemala’s errors, while Guatemala capitalized on 14 errors by their opponent.

Andy Blanco propelled Guatemala to victory as the top scorer of the match, contributing 28 points with 23 attacks, 2 blocks, and 3 service points. On the other side, El Salvador’s outside hitter Rodrigo Chávez achieved 22 points, with 19 from attacks, 2 from blocks, and one from service.

This Tuesday, August 8, Guatemala will face Nicaragua at 5:00 pm, and El Salvador will play against Panama at 2:30 pm.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Carlos López, Captain of Guatemala: “We started off in good energy, but throughout the game, we lost focus and made many reception errors, which complicated our journey and led us to extend the match. However, in the end, we achieved the result, which is to win”.

Juan Carlos Vargas, Captain of El Salvador: “We didn’t secure the victory, but we put up a fight. A quite extended 3-2 match, a lot of passion on the court because we were playing against the reigning Central American champions of the past years, and that always motivates us to play well and better. We had a player injured in the fourth set, which made it difficult for us to close the fourth and fifth sets properly. Our spirits are high, there are still four games to go, and we’re looking forward to giving our best performance tomorrow with the goal of winning”.

Costa Rica triumphs against Nicaragua in the AFECAVOL Senior Men’s Cup 

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 7, 2023. – The second day of the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup saw the first match of the day between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, which was decided in four sets 3-1 (25-22/25-22/20-25/25-20) for Costa Rica. 

Costa Rica dominated in attacks with a 17-point difference, 62 to 45, and in services 4 to 2, securing their first victory of the tournament. Blocks were in favor of Nicaragua with a six-point difference, 16-10. 

The top scorer of the match was Costa Rica’s outside hitter Ricky Vargas with 24 points, on 23 attacks and one ace. In the Nicaraguan team, the top scorer was Dennis García with 17 points, 14 from attacks, and 3 from blocks. 

This Tuesday, August 8, Costa Rica is the team with a day off, while Nicaragua faces Guatemala at 5:00 pm. 

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

 INTERVIEWS 

Emmanuel Villareal, Captain of Costa Rica: “This was a very important match for us after the defeat against Belize on the first day. It was a match against an excellent Nicaragua that never gives up, that defends a lot. We had to attack strongly and improve our blocking. We are very happy and with the intact goal of winning the tournament. Tomorrow, we have a day off, and on Wednesday, we will defeat Guatemala”. 

Miguel Castillo, Captain of Nicaragua: “Today’s game got away from us because we are inconsistent in reception. We knew we were up against a tough opponent, and unfortunately, we couldn’t close the fourth set to go into a fifth. The tournament is just starting, and we will continue to give our all to finish with a medal”.  

El Salvador defeats Belize in Five Sets

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 6, 2023.- The closing match of the inaugural day in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup saw the most closely contested game between hosts Belize and El Salvador, with scores of 25-22/13-25/25-23/22-25/15-13 in favor of El Salvador.

In a match that extended to the fifth set at the Belize City Civic Center, the spectators were treated to a thrilling matchup that was dominated by Belize in attacks (58-57) and blocks (14-8), while both teams tied at four each in the service category.

El Salvador earned 31 points from their opponent’s errors, while Belize secured 30 points from Salvadoran mistakes.

The top scorer of the match for El Salvador was Rodrigo Chávez, the outside hitter, who secured 26 points on 24 attacks, one block, and one service point.

On the Belizean side, two of their players accumulated 40 points. Outside hitter Karym Coleman scored 17 points from attacks, one from blocks, and two from serves, totaling 20 points. Meanwhile, his teammate Francis Hauze also contributed 20 points, including 16 from attacks, three from blocks, and one from serves.

On Monday, August 7, El Salvador will face Guatemala at 2:30 PM, and Belize will take on Panama at 7:30 PM.

ESA VS BIZ-XXII COPA CENTROAMERICANA DE VOLEIBOL

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Gabriel Linares, El Salvador’s coach: “We had to start against the home team, and we knew it wouldn’t be easy because they’re a team that has been working together for quite some time. We knew we had to give our best, and it was reflected in the scores. We had to go to the fifth set, but in the end, we steered the ship right. We worked on our serves, which we were struggling with, and thanks to God, we managed to secure the game in our favor”.

Albert Humes, Belize’s coach: “The defeat tonight was very disappointing. I believe that both the players and the coaches made mistakes at some point in the game, and El Salvador capitalized on those mistakes. El Salvador did their homework studying us; they didn’t use power but played intelligent volleyball, and that cost us the match”.

Nicaragua beats Honduras in Central American Championship debut

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 6, 2023.. The Nicaraguan National Team started their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Honduras (25-13/19-25/25-18/25-19) in the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup organized at the Belize City Civic Center.

The first set was dominated by Nicaragua, with a comfortable 12-point lead, securing the set at 25-13.

Honduras was determined to level the match and managed to win the second set with a score of 25-19.

In the third and fourth sets, Nicaragua maintained their dominance despite Honduras putting up a fight. The Nicaraguan team secured victories with scores of 25-18 and 25-19, winning the match 3-1.

Nicaragua outperformed Honduras in attacks (43-40), serves (14-4), and blocks (6-5). Nicaragua earned 31 points from opponent errors, while Honduras secured 26 points from their rival’s mistakes.

Outside hitter Jonny Zeledón emerged as Nicaragua’s top scorer with 14 points, including 10 from attacks, 1 from blocks, and 3 from serves. On the other side, also outside hitter David Villatoro from Honduras scored 16 points, making him the highest scorer with 14 points from attacks, one from blocks, and one from serves.

NCA VS HON VILLATORO (11)-XXII Copa Centroamericana Masculina

On Monday, August 7, Nicaragua will face Costa Rica at 2:30 PM, while Honduras will have a free day in the schedule.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Jorge Mena, Nicaragua’s coach: “The match got complicated for us; we lost a set, which wasn’t our intention. However, the players improved as the game progressed. This is just the beginning. What we wanted was to win the match. Tomorrow, we have another game against Costa Rica, and we’ll aim for the victory”.

Marco Sugiyama, Honduras’ coach: “We started the game a bit poorly, slow. We need to accelerate our process for the next match. I’ll be talking to the players, and I hope to bring about a change for the next game”.

Panama defeats Costa Rica in first game of the Central American Championship 

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 6, 2023.- The Panama Men’s Volleyball Team made a triumphant debut with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica (25-17/25-20/22-25/25-15) at the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Volleyball Cup.  

In the first match of the day and the tournament at the Belize City Civic Center, Panama displayed determination to secure the win. They clinched the first set with an eight-point lead (25-17). 

Panama’s dominance continued into the second set. While Costa Rica occasionally closed in on the score, the Panamanian players persisted in their pursuit of victory, ultimately securing the set 25-20. 

Costa Rica entered the third set determined to extend the match, taking the third set with a tight three-point lead over Panama, 25-22. 

Coaches Horacio Angulo of Panama and Johan Morales of Costa Rica spoke with their players ahead of the fourth set, one hoping to win the match and the other aiming to tie it for a decisive fifth set. 

Panama dominated the fourth set with a 10-point lead, finishing the match with a score of 3-1. 

Panama’s offense attacking in the match was evident, with 50 points compared to Costa Rica’s 44. Panama also outperformed in blocks, 16-7, and serves, 8-4. 

Panama earned 23 points from their opponent’s errors, while Costa Rica secured 22. 

Panama’s opposite hitter Uriel Batista was determined, scoring 26 points, including 21 from attacks, 1 from blocks, and 4 from serves. For Costa Rica, opposite hitter Gilbert Solano scored 15 points, all from attacks. 

CRC VS PAN URIEL BATISTA-XXII Copa Centroamericana Mayor Masc (25)

On Monday, August 7, Panama will face Belize at 7:30 PM, while Costa Rica will compete against Nicaragua at 2:30 PM. 

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS 

Horacio Angulo, Panama’s coach: “We had two sets heavily in our favor that we were able to secure. Costa Rica is a challenging team, especially with coaches who understand volleyball and have worked a lot on their float serves, which somewhat gave difficulties to my team’s reception. We managed to take the third set, and in the fourth set, I made a couple of adjustments, subbing out one player and bringing in a young 19-year-old, Gherson Ortíz, who is a rising star in volleyball. The team played well with the system we’ve practiced in Panama, and thank God, we secured the victory”. 

Johan Morales, Costa Rica’s coach: “We knew it wouldn’t be an easy match. Panama inflicted a lot of damage with their serves; we couldn’t control them. When we did manage to control them, we ended up one-on-one, but our attackers couldn’t close. These are things we need to change; in such a fast  tournament, we can’t afford to stay down or give up. We know our purpose here, and we still have five matches to make certain changes to achieve it. I brought mobility to the team with significant changes, but in the end, it didn’t work out. We made too many unforced errors, and our defensive tactics were lacking. We weren’t at our best, so now we need to regroup and come to play against Nicaragua, another tough opponent”.  

Teams want to be on the podium of the Men’s Central American AFECAVOL Cup 

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 5, 2023 – On August 6, 2023, the competition for the XXII Central American Cup Belize 2023 will begin, and the teams want to earn a place on the podium, as expressed by the coaches during the preliminary inquiries held on Saturday, August 5. 

During the presentation, the Control Committee verified the paperwork and official uniforms that will be used during the competition, which will take place at the Belize City Civic Center. 

In the last edition, Guatemala took first place, Costa Rica came second, and Nicaragua was third, these last ones made history after 30 years of not stepping onto the Central American podium.

As the defending champion, Guatemala will seek to become a four-time champion, having won the 2017, 2018, and 2021 editions, aiming to catchup with Costa Rica with six titles and approaching Panama, the country that has won the most titles in the region with eight gold medals in total. 

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS 

Albert Humes, Belize Coach: “Our tournament objective, being the host, definitely means we want to win. That’s the primary goal of this Belizean team. But we also want our country to feel proud and ensure that our fans, our families, and everyone enjoys the quality that Belize has to show to the world”.  

Reider Lucas, Guatemala Coach: “Our goal is to try to have a good competition. We come to give our all in each match. It’s a very close competition, and there’s a lot of rivalry among the Central American countries, which makes it more emotional and much more competitive. We will try to fight in every match and perform well in the competition. The players are eager to play, and we believe it will be a good competition”. 

Gabriel Linares, El Salvador Coach: “We have been preparing to regain the space we had lost within the elite of Central American volleyball. We are aware that the tournament will be tough, and we have high expectations of being among the top three on the podium”. 

Marco Sugiyama, Honduras Coach: “I am happy, and we are ready. We will fight to pave the way for future achievements”. “Our objective is to compete for a medal, and we will give it our all. We have prepared well, with a united group, and expect a surprise from us”, added Marvin Ulloa Molina, assistant coach. 

Jorge Mena, Nicaragua Coach: “The purpose is to be on the podium and try to improve our position we achieved last time. We come to compete and give it our all on the court as a team and bring Nicaragua forward without returning empty-handed to our country”. 

Johan Morales, Costa Rica Coach: “We come to this new Central American Cup with great enthusiasm. We did very well last time but fell short. The goal this year is to win the gold, which is extremely difficult with well-prepared teams. But in the end, I believe we have what it takes to compete, and the boys are highly motivated with a strong sense of unity”. 

Horacio Angulo, Panama Coach: “Our expectation is to make it to the medal standings, something we haven’t achieved in many years. We have a young team, from a group that ranges from U21 to U23. We will try to bring something back to our country, God willing”.

Belize host of the XXII AFECAVOL Men’s Senior Central American Championship

Posted on

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 1, 2023.- Belize will be hosting the twenty second AFECAVOL Men’s Senior Central American Championship from August 6 to 12 at the Belize City Civic Center.

Reigning champion Guatemala will seek their fourth consecutive title, after winning the past three editions of the tournament (2017, 2018, 2021), for an overall five Central American titles in the history of the event.

In the last edition held in Guatemala City in 2021, Costa Rica finished second, and Nicaragua finished third. After 30 years of not making it to the Central American podium, Nicaragua won the bronze medal, their first-ever medal in the history of the event was also a bronze, during the sixth edition of the Cup held in Honduras in 1991.

Panama is the country with the most titles in the region, with a total of eight, followed by Costa Rica with six.

Teams will arrive in Belize City on Friday, August 4th. The Preliminary inquiries will take place on Saturday, August 5th, and the competition will kick off on Sunday, August 6th, with three daily matches.

Competition schedule:

Sunday August 6

14:30  Costa Rica v Panama

17:00  Nicaragua v Honduras

19:00  Inauguración

19:30  El Salvador v Belize

Monday August 7

14:30  Costa Rica v Nicaragua

17:00  Guatemala v El Salvador

19:30  Panama v Belize

Tuesday August 8

14:30  El Salvador Panama

17:00  Nicaragua v Guatemala

19:30  Belize v Honduras

Wednesday August 9

14:30  Panama v Nicaragua

17:00  Honduras v El Salvador

19:30  Guatemala v Costa Rica

Thursday August 10

14:30  El Salvador v Costa Rica

17:00  Honduras v Panama

19:30  Belize v Guatemala

Friday August 11

14:30  Nicaragua v El Salvador

17:00  Guatemala v Honduras

19:30  Costa Rica v Belize

Saturday August 12

14:30  Panama v Guatemala

17:00  Honduras v Costa Rica

19:30  Belize v Nicaragua

Year by Year medalists

YearGoldSilverBronze
1974PANGUAESA
1976PANGUACRC
1977GUAESACRC
1987CRCPANGUA
1989CRCGUAPAN
1991HONPANNCA
1993PANESAHON
1995PANHONGUA
1997HONGUACRC
1999CRCGUAPAN
2000CRCBIZHON
2002PANCRCHON
2004PANHONCRC
2006PANCRCGUA
2008PANGUACRC
2010CRCESAGUA
2012GUAPANHON
2014CRCGUAHON
2017GUAESAHON
2018GUACRCESA
2021GUACRCNCA

Composite

TeamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
PAN83213
CRC64414
GUA57416
HON22610
ESA0426
BIZ0101
NCA0022

Félix Sabio prepares proposals for AFECAVOL

Posted on

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, January 18, 2023.- AFECAVOL President Félix Sabio held an important working session in Guatemala with AFECAVOL General Secretary Carlos Enrique Santis Rangel to present several proposals for the improvement of volleyball in the Central American zone.

The objective of Sabio’s two day visit in Guatemala was to discuss several details about AFECAVOL 2023 activities to develop and improve the sport in Central America.

Among the topics discussed were the actions of the Central American Volleyball Association legal status in Guatemala.

The 2023 events were another matter discussed, prior to the AFECAVOL General Assembly that will be held in Guatemala City at the end of February or beginning of March.  

Felix Sabio AFECAVOL President in working session with Enrique Santis AFECAVOL General Secretary and other AFECAVOL members

Also, the working commission meetings were scheduled, where information will be prepared for discussion at the General Assembly.

In another project for this year that President Felix Sabio presented, is the agreement with new strategic allies that will contribute to his objectives set for the region.

Costa Rica wins Under 21 beach women’s gold of AFECAVOL

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panama, November 13, 2022.- Angel Williams and Kianna Araya won 2-0 (21-14, 21-12) to Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo of Guatemala, winning the XIV Under 21 Beach Volleyball Central American title.  

Paola Alvarado couldn’t keep the title she won last year, up against Williams/Araya superior level of play shown during the entire tournament.

In the semifinal Williams/Araya prevailed 2-0 (21-8, 21-14) against Sofía Vega and Aliza Aguilar, also from Costa Rica.

While Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo of Guatemala beat Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza of El Salvador 2-1 (18-21, 24-22, 15-4) in the other semifinal.

In the match for third place, Vega/Aguilar of Costa Rica beat a difficult El Salvador of Tovar/Soza 2-1 (21-11, 19-21, 15-13).

Tournament Page

Kianny Araya – Angel Williams Costa Rica

Sunday’s match

NCA 2 d 2-0 ESA 2 (21-14, 21-10) places 9-10

NCA 1 d 2-1 PAN 2 (21-11, 19-21, 15-11)

PAN 1 d 2-1 GUA 2 (18-21, 21-14, 15-12)

GUA 1 d 2-1 ESA 1  (18-21, 24-22, 15-4)

CRC 1 d 2-0 CRC 2  (21-8, 21-14)

Bronze Medal   CRC 2 d 2-1 ESA 1 (21-11, 19-21, 15-13)

Final CRC 1 d 2-0 GUA 1  (21-14, 21-12)

Costa Rica Under 21 men’s Central American Beach Volleyball Champion

Posted on

PANAMÁ CITY, Panama, November 13, 2022.- Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela (CRC 1) were crowned Under 21 Central American Champions after beating twin brother Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado of El Salvador 2-0 (23-21, 26-24) in a great final at the XIV Under 21 Beach Volleyball Central American Champion of AFECAVOL.

Araya/Varela left behind in semifinals Luis Cascante/Deyner López (NCA 2) 2-0 (21-12, 21-11), a rematch of last year’s semifinal.

While the Guardado twins beat Nicaragua-1 of Cristopher Cascante/Evans Solís 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) in the other semifinal.

The Guardado brothers, fell last year to Nicaragua, and this year they came close to the crown but Araya’s good defense and Varela’s effective blocking took over El Salvador.

In the all-Nicaraguan match for third place, Luis Cascante/Deyner López beat Cascante/Solís 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

Tournament Page

Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela Costa Rica

Sunday’s match

Pos 9-10. CRC 2 d 2-1 BIZ (21-18, 14-21, 15-12)

Semifinal

ESA 1 2-0 NCA 1 (21-16, 21-17)

CRC 1 2-0  NCA 2 (21-12, 21-11)

Pos 7-8. GUA 1 2-1 Pan 1 18-21, 21-12, 15-9

Pos 5-6. ESA 2 2-1 GUA 2. 21-13, 19-21, 15-11

Pos 3ro NCA 2 2-0 NCA 1 21-16, 21-18

Final    CRC 1- ESA 1 23-21, 26-24

Final positions:

1.- CRC 1; 2.- ESA 1, 3.- NCA 2, 4.- NCA 1; 5.- ESA 2; 6.- GUA 2; 7.- GUA 1; 8.- PAN 1; 9.- CRC; 10.- BIZ, 11.- PAN 2

Costa Rica ensures a berth in women’s final

Posted on

PANAMÁ CITY, Panama, November 12, 2022.- Costa Rica ensures a berth in the women’s finals at the XIV Under 21 Beach Volleyball Central American Championship with its teams facing in semifinals, while Guatemala and El Salvador will play for the other ticket.

Sofía Vega and Aliza Aguilar will face Angel Williams and Kianna Araya, both teams from Costa Rica, while Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo of Guatemala will meet Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza of El Salvador.

Vega/Aguilar won two matches on Saturday to finish second in pool A, which Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo of Guatemala won.

First, they beat Alexandra Reyes/Carmen Alvarez of El Salvador 2-0 (25-15, 21-11) and then they qualified after a 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) win to Nahima Silva/Alejandra Rosales of Nicaragua.

While Alvarado/Arévalo won 2-0 (21-8, 21-10) over Karla Ortiz/Yeilin Hernández of Panama and then prevailed 2-0 (21-7, 21- 12) against Reyes/Alvarez (ESA 2).

In pool B, Williams/Araya (CRC) won 2-0 (21-10, 21-07) to Danna Aguilar/Sofía Rodríguez of Guatemala and then they beat Panama of Krisleen González/Ekaterina Ureña 2-0 (21-14, 21-9).

Second place went to Salvadorians Tovar/ Soza, who lost 1-2 (18-21, 21-17, 12-15)  against Aguilar/Rodríguez (GUA) and finished with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) victory over Nicaragua’s Ella Daniele Resau/Yulimar Alvarado.

Guatemala Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo

Saturday’s results

CRC 2 d 2-0 ESA 2 (25-15, 21-11)

GUA 1 d 2-0 PAN 1 (21-8, 21-10)

CRC 1 d 2-0 GUA 2 (21-10, 21-07)

NCA 2 d 2-0 PAN 2 (21-16, 21-19)

NCA 1 d 2-0 PAN 1 (21-17, 21-11)

GUA 2 d ESA 1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-12)

GUA 1 d 2-0 ESA 2 (21-7, 21-12)

CRC 2 d 2-0 NCA 1 (21-16, 21-13)

CRC 1 d 2-0 PAN 2 (21-14, 21-9)

ESA 1 d 2-0 NCA 2 (21-11, 21-19)

Sunday’s schedule

ESA – NCA2 9:00 a.m.

NCA 1- PAN 2 9:45 a.m.

GUA 2 – PAN 1 10:30 a.m.

GUA 1- ESA 1 11:15 – Semifinal

CRC 1- CRC 2 12:00 md Semifinal

Puestos 7-8 12:45 p.m.

Puestos 5-6 1:30 p.m.

Por medalla de bronce  2:15 p.m.

Final 3:00 p.m.

Boletin-3-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-FemeninoDownload

Nicaragua will meet El Salvador and Costa Rica in men’s semifinals

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panamá, November 12, 2022.- Teams from Nicaragua will meet El Salvador and Costa Rica in the men’s semifinals of the XIV Under 21 Central American Beach Volleyball Championship on Sunday.

Luis Cascante/Deyner López (NCA 2) beat Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas (ESA 2) 2-0 (21-10, 21-19) in the first quarterfinal match to advance into the semifinals against Julián Araya/Jhostin Varela (CRC 1), who finished first in pool C.

Last year Araya/Varela lost the bronze medal to another Nicaraguan team and now they’ll try to advance into the final.

While, pool A winners, Cristopher Cascante/Evans Solís of NCA 1, prevailed 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) over José Miguel Izaguirre/Mario Ventura (GUA 2) in quarterfinals and in semifinals will face twins Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado of El Salvador who won pool B.

Cascante faced Guardado twins in last year’s final match, after they eliminated the number one team of Nicaragua.

Tournament Page

Evans Solis NCA – José Izaguirre GUA

Saturday’s results (pool-play)

NCA 1 d 2-0 ESA 2       (22-20, 21-13)

GUA 1 d 2-0 CRC 2      (21-18, 21-15)

ESA 1 d 2-0 NCA 2       (21-11, 21-15)

BIZ d 2-0 PAN 2           (21-16, 21-16)

CRC 1 d 2-0 GUA 2      (21-19, 21-10)

Quarterfinals

NCA 2 d 2-0 ESA 2       (21-10, 21-19)

NCA 1 d 2-0 GUA 1     (21-12, 21-13)

Clasificación 7-10

PAN 1 d 2-0 CRC 2      (21-16, 21-14)

CRC 2 d 2-0 BIZ           (21-15, 21-17)

Sunday’s schedule

CRC 2- BIZ Posiciones 9-10     9:00 a.m.

ESA 1- NCA 1 – Semifinal       9:45 a.m.

CRC 1 – NCA 2 – Semifinal     10:30 a.m.

PAN 1- GUA 1 Posc 7-8           11:15 a.m.

GUA 2- ESA 2 Posiciones 5-6  12:00 md

Por medalla de bronce           1:00 p.m.

Final                                        2:00 p.m.

Boletin-3-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-MasculinoDownload

Three countries in strong battle at U21 men

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panama, November 11, 2022.- El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica showed strength at the beginning of the XIV Under 21 Central American Beach Volleyball championship being held at Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino in Panamá City.

In pool A, Cristopher Cascante/Evans Solís won 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) over Gherson Ortiz/ Kevin Acosta (PAN 1), while Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas (ESA 2) beat Panma in three sets.

Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado of El Salvador in pool B, started with two victories, against Daniel Delgado/Roberto Recinos (GUA 1) and Yulius Brown/José Fernández (CRC 2), but Brown/Fernández grabbed an important win 2-1 (25-23, 17-21, 18-16) over Luis Cascante/Deyner López (NCA 2).

In pool C, Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela (CRC 1) beat Panama of Denzel Arboine/Rommy Santos 2-0 and then they won 2-1 (19-21, 21-16, 15-8) to Ernest Broaster/Eugen Benguche of Belize.

First places of each pool will be decided on Saturday, followed by the quarterfinal round, while first place of pool B and C will advance directly to the semifinals to be held on Sunday.

Tournament Page

Friday’s results

ESA 2 def 2-1 PAN 1      (21-16, 19-21, 15-12)

ESA 1 def 2-0 CRC 2      (21-13, 21-13)

NCA 2 def 2-0 GUA 1     (21-19, 21-15)

CRC 1 def 2-0 PAN 2      (21-13, 21-11)

GUA 1 def 2-0 BIZ         (21-16, 28-26)

NCA 1 def 2-0 PAN 1      (21-16, 21-17)

CRC 2 def 2-1 NCA 2      (25-23, 17-21, 18-16)

ESA 1 def 2-0 GUA 1      (21-11, 21-14)

GUA 2 def 2-0 PAN 2      (21-15, 21-16)

CRC 1 def 2-1 BIZ         (19-21, 21-16, 15-8)

Saturday’s schedule (pool-play)

ESA 2- NCA 1 9:00 a.m.

GUA 1- CRC 2 9:45 a.m.

NCA 2 – ESA 1 10:30 a.m.

BIZ – PAN 2 11:15 a.m.

GUA 2- CRC 1 12:00 md

Grupo A: Cristopher Cascante/Evans Solís (NCA 1), Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas (ESA 2), Gherson Ortiz/ Kevin Acosta (PAN 1).

Grupo B: Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado (ESA 1), Daniel Delgado/Roberto Recinos (GUA 1); Luis Cascante/Deyner López (NCA 2), Yulius Brown/José Fernández (CRC 2).

Grupo C: Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela (CRC 1), Ernest Broaster/Eugen Benguche (BIZ), José Miguel Izaguirre/Mario Ventura (GUA 2), Denzel Arboine/Rommy Santos (PAN 2).

Boletin-2-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-MasculinoDownload

Guatemala and Costa Rica lead the women’s tournament

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panama, November 11, 2022.- Guatemala and Costa Rica dominated their pools in the start of the women’s tournament of the XIV Under 21 Central American Beach Volleyball championship.

In pool A, Guatemala 1 with Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo, won in their two outings. First they beat Nahima Silva and Alejandra Rosales (NCA 1) 2-0 (21-15, 22-20) a Nahima Silva y Alejandra Rosales (NCA 1) and then against Sofía Vega y Aliza Aguilar (CRC 2) 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

Silva/Rosales won 2-0 over Alexandra Reyes/Carmen Alvarez, of El Salvador, who also beat Panamanians Karla Ortiz/Yeilin Hernández 2-0.

In pool B, Angel Williams and Kianna Araya of Costa Rica, won 2-0 (21-10, 21-9) over El Salvador (Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza), and then they beat Nicaragua (Ella Daniele Resau/Yulimar Alvarado) 2-0 (21-10, 21-12).

The second ticket to semifinals will be a tough battle and will be decided in Saturday’s matches. In pool A,  Silva/Rosales (NCA 1), Ortiz/Hernández (PAN 1) and Vega/Aguilar (CRC 2) with one victory each could advance.

In pool B, Aguilar/Rodríguez (GUA 2) and Resau/Alvarado (NCA 2) will play a decisive match to advance against El Salvador and Panama respectively.

Tournament Page

Friday’s results

NCA 1 def 2-0 ESA 2      (21-4, 21-5)

CRC 2 def 2-1 PAN 1      (15-21, 21-15, 15-11)

ESA 1 def 2-0 PAN 2      (21-15, 24-22)

NCA 2 def 2-0 GUA 2     (21-17, 21-18)

PAN 1 def 2-0 ESA 2      (21-17, 21-19)

GUA 1def 2-0 NCA 1      (21-15, 22-20)

CRC 1 def 2-0 ESA 1      (21-10, 21-9)

GUA 2   def 2-0 PAN 2    (22-20, 21-18)

GUA 1 def 2-0 CRC 2     (21-16, 21-18)

CRC 1 def 2-0 NCA 2      (21-10, 21-12)

Saturday’s schedule

CRC 2 – ESA 2 9:00 a.m.

PAN 1 – GUA 1 9:45 a.m.

GUA 2 – CRC 1 10:30 a.m.

NCA 2- PAN 2 11:15 a.m.

NCA 1 – PAN 1 12:00 md

ESA 1 – GUA 2 12:45 p.m.

ESA 2- GUA 1 1:30 p.m.

CRC 2- NCA 1 2:15 p.m.

PAN 2- CRC 1 3:00 p.m.

NCA 2- ESA 1 3:45 p.m.

Pool A: Guatemala 1 (Paola Alvarado/Ana Sofía Arévalo), Nicaragua 1 (Nahima Silva/ Alejandra Rosales), Panamá 1 (Karla Ortiz/Yeilin Hernández), Costa Rica 2 (Sofía Vega/Aliza Aguilar), El Salvador 2 (Alexandra Reyes/Carmen Alvarez).

Pool B: Costa Rica 1 (Angel Williams/Kianna Araya), El Salvador 1 (Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza), Guatemala 2 (Danna Aguilar/Sofía Rodríguez), Nicaragua 2 (Ella Daniele Resau/Yulimar Alvarado) y Panamá 2 (Krisleen González/Ekaterina Ureña).

Boletin-2-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-FemeninoDownload

Nicaragua men will face a great challenge at AFECAVOL U-21 Beach

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panama, November 10, 2022.- XIV Under 21 AFECAVOL Beach Volleyball Central American Championship will have 11 teams of six countries competing in three pools at Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino.

In men, Nicaragua has defending champion Cristopher Cascante playing with Evans Solís, and their second team of Luis Cascante/Deyner López.

2021 runner up, twins Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado of El Salvador, has another strong pair with Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas.

Costa Rica with two duos: Julian Araya/Jhostin Varela, and Yulius Brown/José Fernández, who will try to improve fourth place in the past edition of the tournament. From Belize, Ernest Broaster/Eugen Benguche.

Guatemala is competing with Daniel Delgado/Roberto Recinos, and José Miguel Izaguirre/Mario Ventura. Panama has Gherson Ortiz/Kevin Acosta and Denzel Arboine/Rommy Santos.

Tournament Page

El Salvador

Pool A: Cristopher Cascante/Evans Solís (NCA 1), Rafael Vargas/Gabriel Vargas (ESA 2), Gherson Ortiz/ Kevin Acosta (PAN 1).

Pool B: Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado (ESA 1), Daniel Delgado/Roberto Recinos (GUA 1); Luis Cascante/Deyner López (NCA 2), Yulius Brown/José Fernández (CRC 2).

Pool C: José Miguel Izaguirre/Mario Ventura (GUA 2), Denzel Arboine/Rommy Santos (PAN 2).

First places from pool B and C advance directly into semifinals, while the first place from pool A will face second of pool C, second of pool A will face second of pool B to win their spot in the semifinals.

Friday men’s schedule

PAN 1 vs ESA 2            9:00 a.m.

ESA 1 vs  CRC 2           9:45 a.m.

GUA 1 vs NCA 2          10:30 a.m.

CRC 1 vs PAN 2           11:15 a.m.

BIZ vs GUA 1               12:00 md

NCA 1 vs PAN 1           12:45 pm

CRC 2- NCA 2              13:30 p.m.

ESA 1 – GUA 1             14:15 p.m.

PAN 2 – GUA 2            15:00 p.m.

CRC 1 – BIZ     15:45 p.m.

Boletin-1-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-MasculinoDownload

Guatemala to defend AFECAVOL U-21 Beach title

Posted on

PANAMA CITY, Panama, November 10, 2022.- The women’s field of the XIV Under 21 AFECAVOL Beach Volleyball Central American Championship starts Friday at Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino with 10 teams from five countries.

From Guatemala, defending champion Paola Alvarado will compete this time with Ana Sofía Arévalo, who finished fifth in last year’s edition, the team is expected a great level from the experience of both players. Danna Aguilar and Sofía Rodríguez is Guatemala’s second team.

From Costa Rica, features last year’s runner up Angel Williams and bronze medalist Kianna Araya, also Sofía Vega and Aliza Aguilar.

Nahima Silva and Alejandra Rosales is the number one team of Nicaragua, and Ella Daniele Resau and Yulimar Alvarado is the second team.

Karla Ortiz will play with Yeilin Hernández, while Krisleen González alongside Ekaterina Ureña, represent Panama. El Salvador with Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza, and Alexandra Reyes/Carmen Alvarez.

Tournament Page

Panama

Pool A: Alejandra Rosales), Panamá 1 (Karla Ortiz/Yeilin Hernández), Costa Rica 2 (Sofía Vega/Aliza Aguilar), El Salvador 2 (Alexandra Reyes/Carmen Alvarez).

Pool B: Costa Rica 1 (Angel Williams/Kianna Araya), El Salvador 1 (Karla Tovar/Daniela Soza), Guatemala 2 (Danna Aguilar/Sofía Rodríguez), Nicaragua 2 (Ella Daniele Resau/Yulimar Alvarado) y Panamá 2 (Krisleen González/Ekaterina Ureña).

Friday women’s schedule

NCA 1 vs  ESA 2           9:00 a.m.

PAN 1 vs  CRC 2          9:45 a.m.

ESA 1 vs PAN 2            10:30 a.m.

GUA 2 vs NCA 2          11:15 a.m.

ESA 2- PAN 1               12:00 md

GUA 1- NCA 1             12:45 pm

CRC 1- ESA 1               13:30 p.m.

PAN 2 – GUA 2            14:15 p.m.

GUA 1 – CRC 2            15:00 p.m.

CRC 1 – NCA 2             15:45 p.m.

Boletin-1-XIV-Campeonato-Centroamericano-U21-Voleibol-Playa-FemeninoDownload

José Pablo Pérez MVP: “We are family”

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

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”.

Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama win the medals

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

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

Nicaragua wins silver medal beating Belize 3-0

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Gabriel Navas Nicaragua

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”.

M21CAM22-Match-21-P-2-BIZ-vrs-NCADownload
M21CAM22-Match-21-P-3-BIZ-vrs-NCADownload

Panama wins 3-0 against Honduras to reach the podium

Posted on

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.  

Tournament Page

Panama celebrates victory over Honduras

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”.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-20-P-2-HON-vrs-PANDownload
M21CAM22-Match-20-P-3-HON-vrs-PANDownload

Costa Rica ends with 3-0 victory over El Salvador

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Costa Rica celebrates victory over El Salvador

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”.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-19-P-2-CRC-vrs-ESADownload
M21CAM22-Match-19-P-3-CRC-vrs-ESADownload

Nicaragua secures bronze medal defeating Honduras 3-0

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-18-P-2-NIC-vrs-HONDownload
M21CAM22-Match-18-P-3-NIC-vrs-HONDownload

Panama beat Costa Rica 3-0

Posted on

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 23, 2022.- Panama beat Costa Rica 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-16) on day six of the XIX AFECAVOL Men’s U21 Central American Championship.

Panamá earned their third victory against two losses, reaching 14 points, to overcome Costa Rica who stands with 2-3, but with also 14 points.

David de León team captain of Panama ended with 17 points and Emanuel Pérez with 15, plus 11 by Víctor Pérez. For Costa Rica, captain Dowshel Smith had one of his lowest performances with 9 points.

Panama was better in attacks 46-23, in service 6-1, and Costa Rica led in blocking 5-4, committing 19 errors, against 11 from the winners.

Tournament Page

Panama celebrates beating Costa Rica

David de León, captain Panama: “Panama never gives up and always goes forward. An opponent so difficult like Costa Rica, with high leveled players, we did a good effort, focused because they are very strong. We are going forward and Panama has more”.

Emanuel Pérez, outstanding player of Panama: “Thank God the team came out with the result, we effort ourselves with all our heart, we wanted this victory, and we did. Now we are closer, we the possibility to win a medal, we have one more match and we hope to close well, strong and with Gods’ help”.

On Monday, Costa Rica faces El Salvador at 2:00 p.m, Honduras and Panamá play at 4:00 p.m.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-17-P-2-PAN-vrs-CRCDownload
M21CAM22-Match-17-P-3-PAN-vrs-CRCDownload

Guatemala AFECAVOL U21 undefeated Champion

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Guatemala undefeated Central American Champions

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-16-P-2-ESA-vrs-GUADownload
M21CAM22-Match-16-P-3-ESA-vrs-GUADownload

Nicaragua wins five-set battle to Costa Rica

Posted on

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.

Evans Solis of Nicaragua spikes

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-15-P-2-CRC-vrs-NCADownload
M21CAM22-Match-15-P-3-CRC-vrs-NCADownload

Guatemala one step away to the title defeating Panama

Posted on

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.  

Tournament Page

Guatemala celebrates

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-14-P-2-GUA-vrs-PANDownload
M21CAM22-Match-14-P-3-GUA-vrs-PANDownload

Belize earns first victory defeating Honduras

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Belize celebrates

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-13-P-2-HON-vrs-BIZDownload
M21CAM22-Match-13-P-3-HON-vrs-BIZDownload

Guatemala blocks Nicaragua’s objectives

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Guatemala’s celebration

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-12-P-2-NCA-vrs-GUADownload
M21CAM22-Match-12-P-3-NCA-vrs-GUADownload

Panama wins exciting five setter to El Salvador

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Christian Flores setter of Panama

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.  

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-11-P-2-PAN-vrs-ESADownload
M21CAM22-Match-11-P-3-PAN-vrs-ESA-2Download

Costa Rica overcomes a resilient Belize in consecutive sets

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Costa Rica celebrates

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-10-P-2-BIZ-vrs-CRCDownload
M21CAM22-Match-10-P-3-BIZ-vrs-CRCDownload

Costa Rica defeats Honduras 3-0

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Costa Rica celebrates winning to Honduras

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-8-P-3-CRC-vrs-HON-2Download
M21CAM22-Match-8-P-3-CRC-vrs-HONDownload

Guatemala beats Belize 3-1

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Guatemala against Belize

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-7-P-2-GUA-vrs-BIZDownload
M21CAM22-Match-7-P-3-GUA-vrs-BIZDownload

Guatemala comes back to win in five sets to Costa Rica

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Guatemala celebrates defeating Costa Rica

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-6-P-2-GUA-vrs-CRCDownload
M21CAM22-Match-6-P-3-GUA-vrs-CRCDownload

Panama downs Belize 3-0

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Victor Perez of Panama spikes against Belize

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-5-P-2-PAN-vrs-BIZDownload
M21CAM22-Match-5-P-3-PAN-vrs-BIZDownload

El Salvador recovers and wins over Honduras 3-1

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Ricardo Navarro of El Salvador and Jonathan Meza of Honduras battle the ball over the net

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-4-P-2-ESA-vrs-HONDownload
M21CAM22-Match-4-P-3-ESA-vrs-HONDownload

Guatemala beats Honduras in opening match

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Guatemala celebrates

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-1-P-2-HON-vrs-GUADownload
M21CAM22-Match-1-P-3-HON-vrs-GUADownload

Nicaragua defeats Panama 3-1

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-3-P-2-NCA-vrs-PANDownload
M21CAM22-Match-3-P-3-NCA-vrs-PANDownload

El Salvador defeats Belize in straight sets

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

Gabriel Vargas of El Salvador

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.

Photo Gallery

M21CAM22-Match-2-P-2-BIZ-vrs-ESADownload
M21CAM22-Match-2-P-3-BIZ-vrs-ESADownload

Nicaragua the one to beat at U21 Men’s AFECAVOL  

Posted on

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.

Tournament Page

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.

Nicaragua looks for a Hat Trick at AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Championship

Posted on

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

YearGoldSilverBronze
1981GUACRCNCA
1986PANGUANCA
1988CRCPANNCA
1990ESAHONPAN
1992GUACRCPAN
1994HONNCAGUA
1996CRCGUAPAN
1999CRCPANHON
2001PANCRCESA
2003NCACRCGUA
2006GUAHONCRC
2007GUAHONCRC
2009GUAHONESA
2011GUACRCHON
2013ESANCAGUA
2015GUACRCHON
2017NCACRCGUA

USA continues down the path of victory

Posted on

Lodz, Poland, September 29, 2022.- In their third game of this Women’s Volleyball World Championship, the United States team continued undefeated after beating the Bulgarian team.

In a match that lasted four sets, the Americans disposed of the Bulgarians with a score of 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-11, 25-15).

For the United States Alexandra Frantti got 19 points, Chiaca Ogbogu 16 and Kelsey Robinson contributed 15. For Bulgaria, Elitsa Atanasijevic stood out with 14 and Miroslava Paskova added 8.

FIVB Women’s World Championship 2022

The United States continues its route in the World Cup facing Germany on September 30.

Costa Rica Three-Time undefeated Boys’ U19 AFECAVOL Champion

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 15, 2022.- Costa Rica was crowned AFECAVOL Boys’ U19 Three-Time undefeated Champion beating El Salvador 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-16) on Thursday at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Costa Rica won their eight AFECAVOL title, their third in a row, with perfect 5-0 record and 25 points, with 15 sets in favor and none against, strengthening their supremacy in the age-group category, since the creation of the event in 1982 they have reached the Central American podium.

Costa Rica lost three set points (24-19) before winning the second set and coming from behind in the third before becoming undefeated champion.

Costa Rica prevailed over El Salvador in every element of the game, attacks (38-24), blocks (7-2) and serves (4-2). Both teams committed a similar number of unforced errors, Costa Rica with 24 and El Salvador with 26.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

David Cordoba of Costa Rica spikes against El Salvador

Two players of Costa Rica scored double-digits, opposite hitter and team captain David Cordoba with 18 points on 15 attacks, two blocks and one ace, and outside hitter Stanley Grant with 14 points from 13 attacks and one ace.

The leading scorer of El Salvador was outside hitter Rafael Vargas with 8 points, joined by outside hitter Marlon Solorzano with 7 points.

Robertocarlo Argüello, head coach Costa Rica: “We were prepared for a complicated match because they (El Salvador) had nothing to lose, and our closing could have been difficult. On our way from Costa Rica, we were determined to go back undefeated, with 15 sets in favor and none against. Thank God all the effort of this team during practices, training camps in Costa Rica gave its fruits”.

Gerardo Hernández, head coach of El Salvador: “I am glad about my boys, for the eleven players this was a great experience competing at an international event. At the beginning of the tournament, we had hopes for more, but the level of play of the under-19 category in Central America has improved, which is good to compete outside our region. We are leaving satisfied with the job done, the boys enjoyed themselves and learned a lot from all the matches”.

M19CAM22-Match-13-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-13-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala Sub Champion U19 defeating Nicaragua

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 15, 2022.- Guatemala finished AFECAVOL Boys’ U19 Sub Champion defeating Nicaragua 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-11) at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Guatemala ended the evento with 3-2 record and 17 points, winning their seventh silver medal in this age-group, their fourth in a row. Nicaragua finished with a 3-2 record and 11 points: waiting for the result between Belize and Honduras for their final position in the tournament.

The first set was the most challenging, but Guatemala was unstoppable in the next two; in the second set jumping to an 11-2 advantage to move forward in the third set for a huge 21-8 advantage.

El primer set fue el más disputado, pero Guatemala fue imparable en los siguientes dos; en el segundo saltando a una ventaja de 11-2 para luego entrar al tercero alcanzando una ventaja de 21-8.

Guatemala held a 27-24 advantage in attacks and 8-5 in blocks, while Nicaragua held a 5-4 margin in serves. Guatemala scored 36 points from Nicaraguan errors and handed out 16.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Pedro Villatoro of Guatemala attacks

Outside hitter Roberto Recinos scored 9 points as Guatemala’s leading scorer. Als contributing in the win was outside hitter Pedro Villatoro and middle blocker Sergio Paz with 8 points each.

Scoring a match-high was Nicaraguan Evans Solis with 14 points, all on kills; accompanied by setter Cristhoper Castillo with 8 tallies.

Luis Fernando Castañeda, head coach of Guatemala: “We were aware of the importance of this game, maybe the most important one of the competition, we didn’t want to be left out of winning a medal. The boys went out with all they had and played good volleyball; I recognize their effort. This is the result of the harmony between the athletes and the coaching staff, my assistant (my father) who has a great lot of experience and the physiotherapist who was always taking care of the athletes’ well-being”.

Jorge Mena, head coach of Nicaragua: “Every match is different, the opponent came out to win and they have a lot of experience. We are a young team who needs continuity because they are capable, but the pressure was too much, they couldn’t handle it mentally”.

M19CAM22-Match-14-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-14-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Historic bronze medal for Belize

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 15, 2022.- Belize won the bronze medal at the XIV AFECAVOL Boys’ U19 Central American Championship after defeating Honduras 3-0 (26-24, 25-9, 25-11) at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Belize ended the tournament with a 3-2 record, the same as Nicaragua, but with 14 points against 11 of the Nicaraguan team.  

Honduras shook Belize in a challenging first set, but not enough to stop their strength in the next two sets.

Belize led attacks 27-19, blocks 11-2 and the service point by a slim 3-2 margin. Belize committed 21 unforced errors and Honduras a total of 35.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Preston Smith of Belize tipping the ball

Opposite hitter Preston Smith scored 15 points for Belize, from 12 attacks, two blocks and one ace, followed by outside hitter Eleazar Mejía with 11 points on 6 attacks and 5 blocks.

Honduras top scorer was middle blocker Leonardo Villegas with 8 points.

Albert Hummes, head coach of Belize: “First of all Happy Independence Day to Honduras and for us it’s the celebration of our first medal in the history of the youth category. I am very happy for my guys, this is a great reward for their hard work.  We played day by day and we were expecting a good outcome”.

M19CAM22-Match-15-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-15-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala improves record 2-2 defeating Honduras

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 14, 2022.- Guatemala improved their record 2-2 after defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-20) at the XIV Boys’ U19 AFECAVOL Central American Championship at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

On the last day of competition Guatemala with a record of 2-2 and twelve points will face Nicaragua (3-1) with eleven points, with the possibility of winning a medal. Honduras has a 0-4 record and closes against Belize (2-2).

Guatemala came from behind in the third set (8-12) reaching an even 14, advancing to finish in straight sets.

Guatemala prevailed over Honduras with a 28-24 margin in attacks and a huge 10-1 advantage in service points, as well as 8-1 in blocks. Guatemala committed 22 unforced errors and Honduras 28.

Tournamet Page

Photo Gallery

Adolfo Rivas of Guatemala sets the ball

Middle blocker Sergio Paz of Guatemala was the best scorer of the game with 18 points on 6 kills, 3 blocks and the most aces with 9 points.

Outside hitter Leonardo Villegas of El Salvador finished with 12 points, all from kills.

Adolfo Rivas, captain of Guatemala: “We all had a good attitude, celebrating every point and each player did their role on the court. We are closing strong and tomorrow we will give our all.

Luis Fernando Castañeda, head coach of Guatemala: “Thanks to the boys’ effort we are in the battle for a medal. The tournament has been strong, we started with defeats, but we went on improving our rhythm of play to fight to reach the podium with two straight wins in a row. We close with Nicaragua who have experienced players from their competitive national league, and we want to do things well tomorrow”.

M19CAM22-Match-12-P-2-Match-result-1Download
M19CAM22-Match-12-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Costa Rica is already Three-Time U19 Central American Champion

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 14, 2022.- Costa Rica is already Three-Time Champion with one day left of competition after defeating Belize 3-0 (25-11, 28-26, 25-22) at the XIV Boys’ U19 AFECAVOL Central American Championship.

With a 4-0 record and 20 points, no team can catch up with Costa Rica; tomorrow they face El Salvador.

Belize’s reaction after falling in the first set was strong, with strength in attacks and losing two set points that Costa Rica brushed away with great effort to win the second set. In the third set, Belize recovered from a four-point deficit (16-20) but it wasn’t enough to extend the game.

Costa Rica did better in blocking 12-3, while Belize dominated in attacks 32-25; both teams scored 3 points from serves. Costa Rica scored 38 points from Belizean errors and handed out 21.

Tournamet Page

Photo Gallery

Costa Rica Three-Time U19 AFECAVOL Central American Champion

Opposite hitter and team captain David Córdoba, alongside outside hitter Stanley Grant with 11 points apiece, and middle blocker Jeremy Venega with 10 points led Costa Rica’s scoring offense.

The top scorer of the match was outside hitter Eleazar Mejia of Belize with 19 points.

David Córdoba, captain of Costa Rica: “It’s a great joy. Since leaving Costa Rica our mentality was to be champions once more; thank God it is a three-time championship win. Tomorrow we are going for the win and be undefeated champion, that’s our second goal”.

Robertocarlo Argüello, head coach of Costa Rica: “It was a great pressure because we were looking for a hat-trick and we are reaching one of our goals, tomorrow we wish to close with a win to be undefeated. We prepared well to be here, the boys were tough in the second set, they were cold headed, their blocking was steady against Belize’s powerful attacks, and they complied to reach the goal”.

M19CAM22-Match-11-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-12-P-2-Match-resultDownload

Nicaragua with another comeback win in five sets 

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 14, 2022.- Nicaragua came from behind to beat El Salvador 3-2 (20-25, 15-25, 25-17, 25-12, 15-8) at the XIV Boys’ U19 AFECAVOL Central American Championship being held at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

This was the second occasion that Nicaragua recovered from an 0-2 set deficit to come out on top in five sets. Nicaragua now has a 3-1 record and eleven points to be in route to reaching the podium. El Salvador drops to 1-3 and has eight points.

Nicaragua dominated the categories of attacks (50-34) and serves (13-8), both teams scored on 7 blocks. Nicaragua scored 30 points from El Salvador’s errors and handed out 38.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Angelo Guadamuz of Nicaragua spikes against El Salvador

Opposite player Victor Bermudez and outside hitter Evans Solis contributed with 21 points each in Nicaragua’s victory; Solís on 5 points from aces. Also, middle blocker Angelo Guadamuz collected 11 points.

Middle blocker Ricardo Alegría was the top scorer of El Salvador with 16 points, joined by outside hitter Rafael Vargas with 13 points.

On the last day Nicaragua (3-1) will face Guatemala (1-2) and El Salvador (1-3) against Costa Rica (3-0).

Jorge Mena, head coach of Nicaragua: “We are having difficulties to get into rhythm from the beginning, this is hurting us, it seems like we are the team of five sets. This game was crucial, with the win we are in the medals, tomorrow we just need to win and with one loss we will be sub champions”.

Ricardo Alegría, top scorer of El Salvador: “We gave all our effort, it worked in the beginning. This is part of the game that your opponent responds. We enjoyed it and we must be happy”.

M19CAM22-Match-10-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-10-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Defending champion Costa Rica, the only unbeaten team at AFECAVOL Boys’ U19  

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 13, 2022.- Defending Champion Costa Rica is the only unbeaten team at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL after defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-20) at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Costa Rica stands with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record and 15 points. Honduras has 0-3.

Honduras surprised Costa Rica evening the scores on several occasions in the second set and recovered from an eight-point deficit (14-22) in the third.

Costa Rica led 35-24 in the attacking category, 9-2 in blocking and 2-1 in aces, committing 25 unforced errors against 29.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Keylor Rodriguez of Costa Rica spikes against Honduras

Outside hitter Stanley Grant led Costa Rica with 12 points, joined by middle blocker Jeremy Venega who contributed with 9 points, as well as team captain David Cordoba and middle blocker Keylor Rodriguez with 8 tallies each.

Outside hitters Oscar Pineda and Jonathan Mendoza scored 8 points apiece for Honduras.

On Thursday Costa Rica (3-0) will play against Belize (2-1) and Honduras (0-3) goes against Guatemala (1-2).

Robertocarlo Argüello, head coach of Costa Rica: “The fans motivated Honduras. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and what we needed was to add points to keep a margin so they couldn’t get too close. The guys sustained well, but it was hard, they were pressured, and we made some adjustments to finish the game. Tomorrow, we have a difficult opponent (Belize), but we have our goal clear, and we will battle for it, we are going with all we have”.

Víctor Manuel Rodas, head coach of Honduras: “We improved in the second set by trying some changes in positions, today Leo Villegas played as opposite to help us with blocking, and it worked. Our best skill has been reception and today it visibly improved, we were able to stabilize our game. I hope this is the beginning of our improvement and we must continue forward”.

M19CAM22-Match-9-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-9-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Nicaragua comes from behind to beat Belize in five sets

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 13, 2022.- Nicaragua came from behind to beat Belize 3-2 (15-25, 19-25, 25-23, 29-27, 15-13) at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL being played at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Nicaragua improved their record 2-1 with a total of eight points; Belize dropped their record 2-1 and has nine points.

Nicaragua lost its outside hitter Evans Solís who suffered an injury on the head during the second set, but it wasn’t an obstacle to stop Belize’s strength. Before their dramatic win, Belize lost two match points in the fourth set (26-25 y 27-25), while Nicaragua failed two set points to reach the tie-break (24-23 y 25-24).

Niaragua’s blocking prevailed that of Belize 13-6, as well as service points 4-3, committing 48 unforced errors. Belize was superior in attacks 56-36 and committed a total of 50 errors.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Nicaragua celebrates important win over Belize

Opposite hitter Víctor Bermudez led Nicaragua’s attack with 13 points from 12 kills and one block. Setter Cristhoper Castillo and middle blocker Edu Urbina added 11 points each.  

Outside hitter Eleazar Mejia of Belize led all scorers with 32 points, the most in the tournament. Outside hitter Malcolm Murillo and opposite hitter Preston Smith scored 11 points each.

On Wednesday Nicaragua (2-1) will play El Salvador (1-2) and Belize (2-1) will meet Costa Rica (2-0).

Jorge Mena, head coach of Nicaragua: “My team is young, so they still commit errors on the net and that led us to reach five sets. My boys responded well, we came back from 0-2, the changes worked out well and that puts us in the fight. That’s why I say it’s one match at a time”.

Albert Humes, head coach of Belize: “I am proud of my guys, they worked hard. I think one of our biggest problems today were our errors at the run and service at the time that we needed; it also showed that we need more practice matches in this kind of situation because the guys got tense which caused them to be tentative and that gave Nicaragua the momentum to build”.

M19CAM22-Match-8-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-8-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala scores first win at AFECAVOL U19

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 13, 2022.- Guatemala scored its first win at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL after defeating El Salvador 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-22) at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Guatemala improved their record to 1-2, for a total of seven points and El Salvador has the same record but with six points.

Guatemala dominated the first set, but in the following two sets they needed great effort to come from behind after El Salvador’s fast response.

The Guatemalan team prevailed over El Salvador 33-30 in attacks, 7-3 in blocks and 5-3 in aces, while committing 22 errors against 30 from El Salvador.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Juan Zelaya (ESA) and Adolfo Rivas (GUA)

Outside hitter Pedro Villatoro with 10 points, middle blocker Sergio Paz with 9 points and outside hitter Roberto Recinos with 8 points led Guatemala’s attacks.

Outside hitter Rafael Vargas and middle blocker Ricardo Alegria were El Salvador’s leading scorers with 9 and 8 points respectively. 

On the penultimate day of competition Guatemala (1-2) will face Honduras (0-2) and El Salvador (1-2) against Nicaragua (1-1).

Pedro Villatoro, top scorer of Guatemala: “we had a different mentality from the other two matches, we were determined to win 3-0 to add the necessary points to give us a chance to reach the podium. Our attitude was crucial, we were motivated”.  

Rafael Vargas, top scorer of Nicaragua: “We didn’t react despite being ahead in the last two sets. I believe we were overconfident, and we lost energy. We couldn´t stabilize our serves like we did against Honduras. We need to be more focused for the next two matches, put the ball in play and try to score”.

M19CAM22-Match-7-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-7-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Solid victory of Nicaragua over Honduras

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 12, 2022.- Nicaragua earned a solid victory 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-21) over Honduras at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL on Monday night at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

This was Nicaragua’s first win for a 1-1 record and five points, while Honduras has no victories 0-2.

In the third set, Honduras recovered from a 6-point deficit (13-19) but their effort was not enough to contain Nicaragua’s power.

Nicaragua was strong in attacks 35-10 and in serves 14-0, Honduras held a slim 5-4 advantage in blocks and committed one less error (22-28).

Tournament Page
Photo Gallery

Evans Solis of Nicaragua spikes against Honduras

Outside hitter Evans Solis of Nicaragua led all scorers with 25 points on 19 attacks, one block and 5 aces. Opposite hitter Victor Bermudez and setter Cristhoper Castillo contributed with 9 and 7 points respectively.

From Honduras, outside hitter Leonardo Villegas scored 6 points.

On Tuesday, Nicaragua (1-1) will face Belize (2-0) and Honduras (0-2) goes up against Costa Rica (2-0).

Cristopher García, captain of Nicaragua: “This victory was crucial for us, today we improved our attitude, we learned from yesterday’s loss. Today we were more confident”.

Jorge Mena, head coach of Nicaragua: “The team needed to gain trust, overcoming the pressure of the tournament was difficult after losing yesterday; today the victory was necessary. Each game is a final and we aren’t out of battling for a medal”.

M19CAM22-Match-6-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-6-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Belize undefeated beating El Salvador

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 12, 2022.- Belize remains undefeated after beating El Salvador 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 26-28, 25-10) at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL being played at Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Belize has a 2-0 record and seven points, while El Salvador has 1-1 and six points after two days of competition.

Belize overcame a tough Salvadorian team that battled to extend the action, winning a dramatic third set after Belize lost two match points. Belize dominated the fourth set without complications, jumping to an early 8-1 lead from the beginning.

In numbers, Belize held a huge 46-29 advantage in attacks and 14-1 in serves, in blocking they scored one point more (3-7). Belize committed 44 unforced errors against 33 from El Salvador.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Belize celebrates winning to El Salvador

Outside hitter Eleazar Mejía of Belize, once again led all scorers with 26 points, on 20 points from attacks, 2 from blocks and 4 from serves, followed by opposite hitter Preston Smith with 16 points, on 10 attacks, 3 blocks and 3 serves; also, outside hitter Malcolm Murillo chipped in with 10 points.

Outside hitters Rafael Vargas and Marlon Solórzano led El Salvador with 13 and 10 points respectively.

On Tuesday, Belize (2-0) will face Nicaragua (0-1) and El Salvador (1-1) goes against Guatemala (0-2).

Nicanor Requena, captain of Belize: “We were prepared to face them, we watched them play yesterday and we were ready, we had our game plan. We lost a set, but we executed in the fourth set; it was a strong set for us. Our strongest weapon is our ability to grind when things get tough”.

Gerardo Hernández, head coach of El Salvador: “Belize is one of the strongest opponents, they have a great attack. The first two sets slipped out of our hands, the boys had ups and downs because of Belize’s strong attacks. We will continue to work for tomorrow’s performance, this is a short tournament, and we must be prepared”. 

M19CAM22-Match-5-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-5-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Costa Rica earns second win defeating Guatemala

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 12, 2022.- Costa Rica earned their second win defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-18) at the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL being held at the Santa Rosa de Copan Gymnasium.

Costa Rica is undefeated 2-0 and has a total of 10 points, while Guatemala has no victories 0-2, with two points.

Costa Rica was more dominant in the second set, jumping to a huge 13-7 advantage with their blocking and that mentally affected the Guatemalan team.

Costa Rica led in blocking by a huge 17-3 margin in blocks; they also led 27-19 in attacks and 7-2 in serves. Guatemala committed fewer errors (24-28) than Costa Rica.

The top scorer of the game was outside hitter Grant Stanley of Costa Rica with 18 points from 11 attacks, 5 blocks and 2 aces. Also contributing to Costa Rica’s win was its captain David Córdoba with 9 puntos, who led in blocks with 6 points.  

Opposite hitter Ferdinando González and middle blocker Theo Wandel scored 4 points each for Guatemala.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Deyshawn (10) and Antonio (8) of Costa Rica block Villatoro (1) Guatemala

On day three of competition, Costa Rica (2-0) will face Honduras (0-1) and Guatemala (0-2) meets El Salvador (1-0).

David Córdoba, captain of Costa Rica: “It was exciting today’s victory. We had faced Guatemala during the Pan American Cup, and we knew their game level. We played at our rhythm and came out with a good result”.

Luis Fernando Castañeda, head coach of Guatemala: “Costa Rica is an experienced team, they are good, and they complement each other well, everybody defends and attacks. We attacked strongly, but Costa Rica defended a lot. We will try to win our next three matches and see if there’s a chance to win a medal. This was an important game to get in the competition, after yesterday’s loss against Belize, who by the way is nice to see their level of play”. 

M19CAM22-Match-4-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-4-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

El Salvador controlled Honduras in straight sets

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPÁN, Honduras, September 11, 2022.- El Salvador controlled Honduras 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-15) on the first day of competition of the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL at the Santa Rosa Copan Gymnasium.

El Salvador jumped to a comfortable advantage, leaving Honduras with little chances to recover throughout the game.

El Salvador ended with a huge 29-16 margin in attacks and 11-2 in service points, while Honduras prevailed in blocks 11-6. El Salvador committed 22 errors and Honduras 29.

Outside hitter Rafael Vargas of El Salvador led all scorers with 19 points on 13 attacks, one block and 5 aces, joined by outside hitter Marlon Solorzano with 10 points on 9 attacks and one ace.

With 6 points, outside hitter Leonardo Villegas led Honduras.

On day two of competition, El Salvador (1-0) faces Belize (1-0) and Honduras (0-1) against Nicaragua (0-1).

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

El Salvador celebrates against Honduras

Gerardo Hernández, head coach of El Salvador: “We knew we had to battle against the host and being this our first game, we needed to shake off the nerves. We let Honduras commit the errors, we tried to pass the ball, the pressure was for Honduras and my boys gave their maximum trying not to fail in serves. We are glad about the result; we hope to keep the energy to score the necessary points”.

Miguel Angel Pagoaga, assistant coach of Honduras: “It’s hard, it hurts to fall at home. In the second set the team was down mentally, we tried to move the team, but it was complicated. These kids that never had competed internationally, the gym was full, and the pressure was too much, it was complicated”.

M19CAM22-Match-3-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-3-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Costa Rica beat Nicaragua 3-0 in their opening performance

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 11, 2022.- Costa Rica beat Nicaragua 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-19) on day one of actions of the XIV Central American Championship

Despite Costa Rica’s strong dominance in the first set 6-0, Nicaragua recovered to give a balanced battle that finished in three consecutive sets for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica dominated all the elements of the game, attacks (25-19), blocks (13-4) and serves (7-4). Both committed a similar number of errors, Costa Rica (29) and Nicaragua (30).

Two players led Costa Rica’s scoring, outside hitter Stanley Grant with 15 points on 11 attacks, 3 blocks and one ace, and middle blocker David Barrantes with 11 points on 7 attacks, 3 blocks and one ace.

Outside hitter Evans Solís was Nicaragua’s top scorer with 10 points on 7 attacks and three points from serves.

On Monday, Costa Rica (1-0) will play against Guatemala (0-1) and Nicaragua (1-0) against the host Honduras.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Stanley Grant, CRC spikes against Nicaragua

Robertocarlo Argüello, head coach of Costa Rica: “Nicaragua’s process has been good, and we knew it was going to be hard. I believe that as a team we are united, with one year and half of work and demanding preparation, so I expected to win but not in consecutive sets”.

Gabriel Barrios, assistant coach of Nicaragua: “Costa Rica is the current champion, and we expected a difficult game. My team has lots of potential and the tournament has just started, nothing has been lost and we are focused on the medal”.

M19CAM22-Match-2-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-2-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Belize opens U-19 Central American CH with five-set victory over Guatemala

Posted on

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras, September 11, 2022.- Belize opened the XIV Boys’ U19 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL with a 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 19-17) victory over Guatemala at the Santa Rosa Copan Gymnasium.  

Belize overcame Guatemala after failing three match points before the dramatic five set finish to open the tournament.

Belize controlled Guatemala from the service line 17-7, as well as attacks 48-32 and 11-8 in blocks. Guatemala committed fewer errors (35-61).

Outside hitter Eleazar Mejia from Belize scored 30 points as the leading scorer of the match, on 16 attacks, one block and 13 points from serves; followed by opposite hitter Preston Smith with 21 points on 17 attacks and 4 blocks, and outside hitter Malcom Murillo with 12 points.

From Guatemala, opposite hitter Ferdinando González scored 12 points as their leading scorer.

On day two of the tournament, Belize will meet El Salvador and Guatemala against Costa Rica.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Belize celebrates victory over Guatemala

Eleazar Mejía, top scorer of Belize: “It was a nice game to open the tournament this way; our work had a good outcome. We are here to win this tournament. Most of my team members are new so they were shaken, I know that going forward we will make more progress”.

Alber Humes, head coach of Belize: “The hard work that these guys have been doing since March, a lot of effort from many people has paid off. You can see when they stayed focused, they came out strong”.

M19CAM22-Match-1-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M19CAM22-Match-1-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Copan welcomes AFECAVOL U19 Boys’ Central American Championship

Posted on

COPAN, Honduras, September 8, 2022.- Santa Rosa in Copan, Honduras, will welcome the XIV AFECAVOL U19 Boys’ Central American Championship from September 11 to 15 at the Santa Rosa Copan Gymnasium.

This is the second occasion that Copan, historic monument of Honduras, has hosted an AFECAVOL championship, in 2013 they hosted the XV U20 Women’s Central American championship.

The round-robin competition will consist of six national teams, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua starting on Monday 11th with three daily matches.

Costa Rica has won the past two editions undefeated (2019, 2017); with a total of seven gold medals and having reached the podium of every edition since its creation in 1982, they are the most awarded team of the under 19 age-group in AFECAVOL.  

Tournament Page

Competition schedule

Sunday September 11

2:00pm Belize v Guatemala

4:30pm Nicaragua v Costa Rica

7:00pm Opening Ceremony

7:30pm Honduras v El Salvador

Monday September 12

2:30pm Costa Rica v Guatemala

5:00pm El Salvador v Belize

7:30pm Nicaragua v Honduras

Tuesday September 13

2:30pm Guatemala v El Salvador

5:00pm Belize v Nicaragua

7:30pm Honduras v Costa Rica

Wednesday September 14

2:30pm El Salvador v Nicaragua

5:00pm Costa Rica v Belize

7:30pm Guatemala v Honduras

Thursday September 15

2:30pm Costa Rica v El Salvador

5:00pm Guatemala v Nicaragua

7:30pm Honduras v Belize

AFECAVOL Podium

YearGoldSilverBronze
1982CRCNCAGUA
1986CRCPANGUA
1996CRCPANESA
2003CRCGUANCA
2005GUAHONCRC
2007GUACRCESA
2009CRCGUAPAN
2011NCAGUACRC
2013GUACRCHON
2015NCAGUACRC
2017CRCGUAPAN
2019CRCGUAHON

Table of Medals

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Costa Rica72312
Guatemala36211
Nicaragua2114
Panama0224
Honduras0123
El Salvador0022

Axel Gutiérrez Most Valuable Player

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 21, 2022. Axel Gutiérrez from Nicaragua won the most valuable player award at the Men’s U23 Central American Championship held at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador.

“I think it’s an incredible feeling and it’s my first U23 tournament debuting with three awards, it’s incredible they gave me MVP thanks to God, it was voted on by the whole team, I thank them and God for this opportunity to shine for my beautiful country. ”, said Axel Gutierrez.  

In addition, the Nicaraguan player won the awards as the top scorer and the best opponent.  

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

The list of individual prizes awarded on the night of this Sunday, August 21, 2022 in San Salvador is made up as follows:  

MVP: Axel Gutierrez, Nicaragua

Top scorer: Axel Gutierrez, Nicaragua

Best Serve: Diego Navarro, El Salvador

Best Reception: Jefferson Cascante, Nicaragua

Best Setter: David Arriola, Honduras

Best Spiker 1: Javier Lucero, Guatemala

Best Spiker 2: Jefferson Cascante, Nicaragua

Best Block 1: Diego Guidos, El Salvador

Best Blocker 2: Nihat Diaz, Costa Rica

Best Opposite: Axel Gutiérrez Nicaragua

Best Defense: Jordan Carcache, Nicaragua

Best libero: Jordan Carcache, Nicaragua

Nicaragua Champion!

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 21, 2022. The Nicaraguan National Team is the new U23 Champion by leading the standings with five victories in the V Central American U23 Championship. 

The first match of the last day of the tournament would end 3-1 with partial 25-23/25-16/20-25/25-21 in favor of Nicaragua against Costa Rica. 

The Nicaraguans only needed to win a set in the match they would play on the last day against Costa Rica and they would do so after winning the first set 25-23. 

Nicaragua would start the second set knowing they were Cup champions and with their adrenaline pumping, they would also leave this set with a wide 25-16 advantage. 

Costa Rica, for its part, would not lower its arms, it would come out determined to extinguish the celebration of the champions in the third set, the Costa Ricans would be more compacted on the court and they would leave the third set 25-20, forcing the fourth set. 

For this set, both teams would show their best weapons, in a very close set, which would end with Nicaragua winning 25-21. 

With this result, Nicaragua confirms its supremacy in the 2022 tournament, winning undefeated and achieving the title of this category for the first time. 

The best scorer for the new champions was Jefferson Cascante with 16 points. For his part in Costa Rica, the Captain, Josué Rojas got 25 points. 

Nicaragua led attacks 51-50, as well as services 6-5. While both squads tied at 12 blocks. 

Nicaragua achieved 26 points due to opponent errors and Costa Rica 18. 

Nicaragua U23 Central American AFECAVOL Champion

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

Arturo Solano, coach of Costa Rica: “Evaluating the tournament, it was a very difficult one for us, it was difficult for us to find a game rhythm, we found it in two games and in the last one we got the Tournament Champion and now we wait for results to see if we can enter the medal table”. 

John Morales, Captain of Nicaragua: “We as players feel very proud to make Nicaragua champion for the first time in a Central American U23 tournament. Taking away Guatemala’s undefeated record after having been a four-time champion, now we are the new champions. It was hard, it wasn’t easy for us, we killed ourselves training every day, even in the tournament things were complicated for us but we always knew how to pull it off. We thank our coaches for the confidence they gave to each of the 14 who are here and nothing else to celebrate now and thank God”. 

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “Champion in this category for the first time in the history of Nicaragua, since we arrived in El Salvador, we came with a positive mentality that we came to win but we were going to go game by game and some things got complicated.” matches, but key games, against Guatemala the next day we had the best match of the tournament that we played against El Salvador, five dramatic sets and after the others it was to win them comfortably, in the end the last game with Costa Rica was complicated for us little but we knew that if we took a set from the Ticos we were going to be champions anyway, but we didn’t want to lose a game, thank God we got the result and we are champions. We dedicate this award to all the people who have supported us in Nicaragua.” 

M23CAM22-Match-13-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-13-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala gets Silver Medal

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 21, 2022. Guatemala obtains second place after beating Honduras 3-0 with partial 25-13/25-17/25-14 on the last day of competition at the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship, held at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador.

Guatemala could not get the five-time championship, but did not miss the podium against Honduras that finished the tournament in last place.

The Guatemalans were superior getting a wide lead in each set played. The first set ended 25-13, the second set 25-17 and the third set 24-14.

The 42-27 attack shows the clear strength of the Guatemalan team, who also dominated blocks 5-4 and services 3-2.

Guatemala got 25 points from opponent errors and committed only 11 errors.

Guatemala celebrates winning the silver medal

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “The Guatemalan team came in second place, we leave happy but not satisfied, it was quite a demanding competition, the results were very even among all the teams, we were able to win four games, we lost one that was against the Nicaraguan Champion, they come with a very solid team, very mature for this category, to continue working we came with aspirations to see if we could win the five-time championship it was not possible but we leave happy we have a new generation, of the 12 athletes 10 are sub21, and we feel happy with the work done”.

Javier Lucero, side from Guatemala: “We got a good result, a second place, we fought as far as we could, we are very happy with my team, we know we could have given more but we are proud of the place we occupy and we continue fighting to win more tournaments ”.

M23CAM22-Match-14-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-14-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

El Salvador goes with the Bronze!

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 21, 2022. The El Salvador National Team wins 3-0 against Panama with partial 26-24/25-19/25-18 and obtains the bronze of the V Men’s U23 Central American Cup.

El Salvador needed the victory to place itself in third place in the table and win the medal, and it did so in front of the effusive spectators who were present at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador.

In the first set the fight was very close, Panama would give war to the hosts, but they managed to win 26-24. The next two sets were dominated by El Salvador, winning them 25-19 and 25-18.

The best scorer tonight for El Salvador was Abner Cano with 20 points, followed by Diego Navarro with 12. For Panama the top scorer was Gherson Ortíz with 11 and Emanuel Pérez with 10.   

The locals dominated attacking 38-35, blocking 11-4 and serving 3-1. El Salvador achieved 24 points due to opponent errors and Panama 20.

El Salvador manages to erase a streak of 14 years without obtaining a medal in the sub-23 category for his country.

Diego Navarro celebrates with Gustavo Ortiz, of El Salvador

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Diego Guidos, Captain of El Salvador: “Now we have made history by winning a medal in the under 23 category, with yesterday’s match we were a little down because it made our chances for the podium difficult and later, after seeing the result of Costa Rica, we already knew that we were forced to win 3-0 but we did not give up, we knew we had to come to do it, we had the support of all our fans and the adrenaline was running at a thousand, all the boys gave their best and we achieved the goal ”  

Gabriel Linares, coach of El Salvador: “We knew we were going to have a difficult tournament, the teams were prepared, we knew we had to play hard against Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, we prepared for that, unfortunately we were not given the results that we wanted we had the opportunity to achieve first place but it got out of hand with a loss against Costa Rica, but we managed to continue working without lowering our spirits and in the end we were given the result of a third place that since 2014 we have not a sub23 medal was given in El Salvador in the Central Americans”.  

M23CAM22-Match-15-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-15-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Lucero guides Guatemala to victory  

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 20, 2022. At the close of the fourth day of the V Central American U23 Championship, Guatemala won 3-2 against El Salvador in a vibrant match that ended with partials of 25-18/20-25 /21-25/25-17/15-11.  

The first set went to Guatemala 25 to 18. For the second and third sets, the fans present at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador did not stop supporting their team and were the fuel for their team to take over these sets 25 -20 and 25-21.

In the fourth set, Guatemala came on strong, willing to extend the match to a fifth set, and that’s how it was, thanks to corner hitter Javier Lucero, the Guatemalans defeated the locals 25-17.  

In the fifth and final set, Guatemala drowned out the scream of point to the fans who cheered the locals, beating them 15-11.  

Guatemala had three outstanding players who together scored 55 points for their team: Javier Lucero with 21, José Pérez with 19 and Yeferson Zavala with 15.  

Abner Cano of El Salvador was the spark for his team with 23 points, but it was not enough to win.  

The Guatemalans were better attacking 61-45 and serving 10-4, while El Salvador led in blocking 11-9 committing 26 errors to Guatemala’s 36.  

Guatemala will face Honduras at 5:00 pm and El Salvador will face Panama at 7:30 pm, on the last day of competition.  

Daniel Rendon of Guatemala in action

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Javier Lucero, striker from Guatemala: “It was a very hard-fought match, the opposing players are very strong, we expected a better result, although we got the victory and we are still fighting for a medal”.

Rodrigo Mayora, center back of El Salvador: “We had a very complicated game, extensive due to rain problems, it was very complicated for us, the truth is that we were all tired from the previous games, but it was a very close game that we all tried to play the best possible, the rival was just as strong as us and the result could have been for anyone”.

M23CAM22-Match-12-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-12-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Nicaragua one step away from the gold medal

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 20, 2022. The Nicaraguan National Team, with an undefeated streak of four games, is one step away from becoming the new Champion of the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship after beating its similar team from Honduras with a score of 3-0 and splits 25-20/25-23/25-19. 

Nicaragua’s sextet outscored 43-35, blocked 9-3 and served 2-1, Honduras committed 21 errors to 23 of the winners. 

The match would start very evenly with Honduras having the advantage, but Nicaragua made adjustments that ruined the 25-20 victory. For the second set, the margin was very narrow, it would be Nicaragua again the one that would leave the set 25-23. 

The third set was very even, up to point 13 where Nicaragua would shoot up and win 25-19. 

The top scorer for Nicaragua was Axel Gutiérrez with 19 points and for Honduras Kevin Herrera stood out with 16 points. 

For this Sunday Nicaragua will face Costa Rica at 2:30 pm and Honduras will face Guatemala at 5:00 pm.

Nicaragua defeated Honduras in three sets

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

Jefferson Cascante, striker, Nicaragua: “Everything went very well for us in this match, what we worked on and we are one step away from winning the championship, God willing.” 

David Arriola, point guard of Honduras: “It was a hard fought game, quite difficult, unfortunately Nicaragua outmaneuvered us tactically and we didn’t know how to make the necessary adjustments, we’re going to do a better job in the next game”. 

M23CAM22-Match-11-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-11-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Costa Rica defeats a brave Panama

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 20, 2022. Four hard-fought sets were played between Costa Rica and Panama in the first game of the day on Saturday, where the Costa Ricans won 3-1 with partial 25-19/23-25/25- 19/25-19 in the framework of the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship. 

Costa Rica began by winning the game 25 to 19, with a seasoned Panama that would not give up. 

For the second set, the Costa Ricans largely dominated until point 20 and Panama had a positive streak of points that would end up giving them victory in this set. The third and fourth set would be for Costa Rica with the same score 25-19. 

Dowshel Mc Donald Smith scored 20 and Josué Rojas 16 for the Costa Rican team as the best scorers in the first game. While for Panama, Daniel Andrade got 14 points and Denzel Arboine 11. 

Costa Rica dominated attacks 59-43, blocks 10-8, services 4-3. With 28 errors from Cota Rica for 25 from the Panamanians. 

For Sunday, on the last day of competition Panama will face the hosts at 7:30pm and Costa Rica will face Nicaragua at 2:30pm. 

Dowshel Mc Donald CRC against Christian Flores 11 and Kevin Acosta PAN

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

Deykel Smith, striker, Costa Rican National Team: “We knew it was going to be a very difficult game because Panama is a very strong team, we have to concentrate, we can’t lose here, we give everything on the pitch”. 

Daniel Andrade, center back, Panama National Team: “Unfortunately we couldn’t win the match against Costa Rica, they were a very strong rival, we gave it our all, but we couldn’t get the victory. We have one game left against El Salvador, and we are going to try to win it and give it our all”. 

M23CAM22-Match-10-P-2-Match-resultDownload
M23CAM22-Match-10-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Nicaragua remains undefeated in Central American U23 

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR Day three of competition in the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship would end with an electrifying encounter between the locals, El Salvador and Nicaragua, who fought to maintain their undefeated record. With partials 25-23/23-25/22-25/25-19/15-13, the Nicaraguans won the match with a score of 3-2. 

The first set favored Nicaragua 25-23, with the same number of points, but in favor of El Salvador the second set ended, tying the match 1-1. 

The third set was for the locals 25-22, the team did not stop listening to the screams of the fans who came to support them at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador. 

The fourth set would be for the Nicaraguans 25-19, thus extending to a fifth and final set that would also favor them 15-13, thus achieving their third consecutive victory. 

The best scorer for Nicaragua was Axel Gutiérrez with 28 points, also the top scorer of the date, for El Salvador Abner Cano scored 25 points for his team. Diego Navarro (ESA) and Jefferson Cascante (NIC) each had 17 points for their teams. 

Attacks were dominated by Nicaragua 66 to 58, both teams finished equal in blocks 11-11 as well as errors made 31 each, while services were predominant for El Salvador 5 to 2. 

For this Saturday, Nicaragua will play Honduras at 5:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. El Salvador will play against Guatemala. 

Axel Gutierrez of Nicaragua celebrates against El Salvador

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

Axel Gutiérrez, opposite of Nicaragua: “Today we played a well-fought game with the El Salvador team, they are home, an incredible supporter that supports them to the full, we were losing 2-1, tears, lawsuits, we knew how to get the game out of everything ”. 

Abner Cano, winger from El Salvador: “We had a very difficult game with the Nicaraguan team, we thought we could win, our goal was to win but we couldn’t do it, we just have to play with our heads held high and beat the other countries”. 

M23CAM22-Match-9-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-9-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Honduras defeats Costa Rica 3-2 in a vibrant match

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 19, 2022. The V U23 Central American Championship experienced one of the most exciting matches this Friday when Honduras defeated Costa Rica with a score of 3-2 and partials of 27-25/16-25. /22-25/27-25/16-14. 

The two teams came thirsty for victory, Honduras took the first set 27-25, this would be the harbinger of the next four sets, where the teams fought one by one for each point. 

For the next set, Costa Rica tied the match 1-1, with an eight-point lead, the set ended 25-16. The third set ended 25-22 for the Costa Ricans who with this score (2-1) were one set away from leaving the match. Honduras was not willing and would fight tirelessly to get extended until the fifth set. 

The fourth set was one of the closest, the teams disputed the point to point, Honduras would leave the set 27-25, but before that Costa Rica would drown the cry from point to set four times. 

For the final set the constant was the tie on the scoreboard, neither of the two teams wanted to miss the victory that finally favored Honduras, 16-14. 

Honduras was forceful in spikes 68-55 and Costa Rica dominated blocks 14-7 and aces 4-1. Costa Rica committed 32 errors and Honduras 41. 

Josué Rojas with 26 points for Costa Rica and Kevin Herrera with 25 for Honduras added 51 points in the match, as the top scorers in the match. 

On Saturday, Costa Rica will face Panama at 2:30 pm and Honduras will face Nicaragua at 5:00 pm. 

Roberto Palma of Honduras celebrating

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

José Larios, setter of Honduras: “I want to thank God for allowing us this victory in the game, the rival that was Costa Rica, was up to the task as we expected, a very close game, very difficult, we fought until the end, and as My coach told us, we showed that we catrachos have grit and we fight until this is over and I think we showed it on the court”. 

Josué Rojas, Captain of Costa Rica: “We had a quite complicated match against Honduras, a rival that gave us a fight, a fight, and the match was quite interesting, we fought until the end, I managed to be the top point scorer, we did what we could.  

M23CAM22-Match-8-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-8-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala shows its champion claw 

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 19, 2022. In the first game of the third day of competition of the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship, the Guatemalan team defeated Panama in a fierce match that ended 3-2 with partials of 18-25. /21-25/25-21/25-17/15-04. 

Panama dominated the entire first set, winning with a difference of seven points, 25-18. For the second set, Guatemala dominated until point 20, but Panama had two point streaks in favor, one of nine and one of six that would give them the victory of the second set 25-21. 

For the third set, Guatemala showed its champion claw and beat the Panamanians 25-21. Triumph that would force the match to be extended to two more sets. 

Guatemala got 25 points out of 17 in the fourth set and overwhelmingly left the fifth set with a partial of 15-04 and therefore got the victory. 

Guatemala dominated in services 8-2, attacks were also theirs 62-51 and blocks 12 to 9. The Guatemalans made more errors than their opponent, in total 30 to 22. 

The top scorer of the match for Guatemala with 19 points was Jason Hernández, followed by Javier Lucero with 18. For the Panama National Team, Gherson Ortiz with 20, followed by Denzel Arboine with 16, as the top scorers for their team. 

For this Saturday the 20th at 2:30 p.m. Panama will face Costa Rica and at 7:30 p.m. Guatemala will face El Salvador. 

Daniel Ralon GUA setting the ball

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements 

Daniel Ralón, point guard of the Guatemalan National Team: “It was a game that was difficult for us at the beginning, but we knew how to fix our pieces, we made some changes in the team and we achieved victory, I am very grateful to my team for knowing how to oppose and knowing row against the water and victory was achieved. 

Denzel Arboine, winger of the Panama team: “A very difficult game, Guatemala is a team with a lot of experience, a good physique, a lot of histamine, it is a team to respect, it was a good game for us that we did not have the necessary time to adapt more As a team, since there are new players, we were very pleased that everyone made an effort, they lost their nerve, we lost 3-2 but I am happy for the work done by my team” 

M23CAM22-Match-7-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-7-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Ten teams to compete at the Women’s Pan American Cup in Hermosillo

Posted on

HERMOSILLO, Sonora, Mexico, August 19, 2022.- Ten teams will be competing at the nineteenth Women’s Pan American Cup that begins on Sunday at the Sonora Arena in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora.

Reigning champion Dominican Republic, winners of the 2021 edition held in Santo Domingo, along with Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United States represent the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation, and Colombia along with Peru the South American Volleyball Confederation (CSV).

In the history of the event, the United States has won on seven occasions, followed by Dominican Republic with five titles, Cuba with four and Brazil with three.

Teams are divided in two groups of five with group A consisting of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico and the United States and group B with Canada, Colombia, Cuba, host Mexico and Nicaragua.

The preliminary round runs from Sunday 21 to Thursday 25; quarterfinals and classification matches for 7/10 places will take place on Friday 26. The semifinals and final positions 7/10 will be held on Saturday 27, while medal matches along with the match for fifth place will take place on Sunday 28.

The event will be streamed on Facebook Live Codeson Sonora

Competition Schedule

Sunday August 21

14:00 Dominican Republic v Costa Rica

16:00 Canada v Cuba

18:00 United States v Peru

20:00 Mexico v Nicaragua

Monday August 22

14:00 Dominican Republic v Peru

16:00 Colombia v Canada

18:00 United States v Puerto Rico

20:00 Mexico v Cuba

Tuesday August 23

14:00 Peru v Costa Rica

16:00 Cuba v Nicaragua

18:00 Dominican Republic v Puerto Rico

20:00 Mexico v Colombia

Wednesday August 24

14:00 United States v Costa Rica

16:00 Canada v Nicaragua

18:00 Puerto Rico v Peru

20:00 Cuba v Colombia

Thursday August 25

14:00 Puerto Rico v Costa Rica

16:00 Colombia v Nicaragua

18:00 Dominican Republic v United States

20:00 Mexico v Canada

Friday August 26

14:00 Classification 7/10

16:00 Classification 7/10

18:00 Quarterfinals

20:00 Quarterfinals

Saturday August 27

14:00 Position 9-10

16:00 Position 7-8

18:00 Semifinals

20:00 Semifinals

Sunday August 28

14:00 Position 5-6

16:00 Bronze Medal Match

18:00 Gold Medal Match

Costa Rica beats the locals 3-0

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 18, 2022. The Costa Rican national team won 3-0 (25-15/25-21/25-18) against its counterpart from El Salvador in the last game of the second day of competition at the V Central American U23 Men’s Championship.

For the first set, the Costa Rican National Team outscored the hosts by 10 points, ending the set 25-15.

For the second set, El Salvador at times led the Costa Ricans, making the match exciting for the local fans at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador. The second set favored the Ticos 25-21.

In the third set the Costa Ricans dominated the game, which would end with partial 25-18.

Josué Rojas scored 11 points and Dowshel Smith 10 points as the best scorers for Costa Rica and for El Salvador, Abner Cano and Diego Navarro scored 10 points each.

Attacks 26-24 and blocks 11-6 were dominated by Costa Rica, while serves favored El Salvador 7-6. Costa Rica had 32 errors in favor of the opponent and they committed 17.

Costa Rica thus achieved its first victory and El Salvador was left with a defeat and a victory.

The locals will play this Friday the 19th at 7:30 pm against Nicaragua, while Costa Rica will play at 5:00 pm against Honduras.

Relly Diaz of Costa Rica celebrates with teammates

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Dereck Fernández, setter from Costa Rica: “The game was quite intense, luckily and thanks to the coaches we managed to control it, we obeyed the orders that were given to us, we always kept our spirits up, wanting to get the game out, and always thinking about what What can we do, this is a rematch for the first game and let them know that we are going to be here giving everything for the team”.

Diego Navarro, side of El Salvador: “Today’s game was very difficult, we knew it was a very difficult team with which we were going to play, our team could not confront that at the time of the game, I think it would cool our heads for tomorrow, let’s move on”.

M23CAM22-Match-6-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-6-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Panama wins against Honduras

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 18, 2022. The Panamanian national team won with a score of 3-0 (25-20/25-23/25-22) the Honduran national team, in the second game this Thursday in the Championship Central American U23 Men, held at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador.

Panama arrived determined to leave the victory, however, Honduras would complicate the match. The first set ended 25-20, for the second set Honduras had more force, but could not win, with a margin of two points the set went to the Panamanians (25-23).

In the third set Panama had the victory in their hands, however Honduras would come dangerously close drowning the set point twice. The set would end 25-22, a 3-0 victory for the canaleros.

The best scorers for Panama were Gherson Ortíz and Denzel Arboine with 12 points, while for Honduras, Roberto Palma scored 15 points and captain Alejandro Lobo 13 points.

Honduras dominated the spikes 38-36 and also the blocks 6-4, the serves favored Panama 3-1, which also had 32 points in their favor due to opponent errors and committed 20 errors.

Panama gets its first victory and Honduras its second loss. For this Friday, Panama will face Guatemala at 2:30 pm and Honduras will play Costa Rica at 5:00 pm.

Panama celebrates beating Honduras

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Gherson Ortíz, winger Panamanian National Team: “The match was a little tough since the rival has been practicing for months, but we were able to get the result, which was today and we got three zero sets and I’m proud of my country”.

Kevin Herrera, winger Honduran National Team: “I feel that as always we fought, but we lacked grit, as a team it is something that we have to reinforce maybe for tomorrow, we will be better at it, maybe for tomorrow, we are there in the attack, we are there in defense, trying to improve the pass a bit, but above all I feel that the team can still move forward and continue fighting until the end, we are only in the second game, we have three left and we have faith that we can win them”.

M23CAM22-Match-5-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-5-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Nicaragua defeats the defending champions

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 18, 2022. In the first match of the second day of the U23 Men’s Central American Championship, the Nicaraguan team won with a score of 3-1 (25-15/20-25/18-25/19-25). ) to the defenders of the title the selection of Guatemala.  

For the first set, the current champion of the category was forceful, taking advantage of 10 points in the final quarter (25-15).  

Nicaragua came from less to more to take the second and third set with partials of 20-25 and 18-25.  

In the fourth set, both teams showed how much they wanted one to extend to the fifth set and the other to settle the match, finally the match ended in the fourth set with a partial of 19-25 in favor of Nicaragua.  

José Pablo Pérez was the best scorer of the game for Guatemala with 15 points, followed by Jason Hernández with 14 and for the Nicaraguan team Axel Gutiérrez was the one who scored the most points with 21.  

The attack 50-43, blocking 14-11 and serving 3-2 was dominated by Nicaragua.  

In this way the Nicaraguans reap their second victory while the Guatemalans a victory and a defeat.

This Friday Guatemala will face Panama at 2:30 pm and Nicaragua will face El Salvador at 5:00 pm.

Nicaragua celebrates winning to Guatemala

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Statements

Jeffrey Porres, Guatemalan point guard: “Unfortunately things didn’t work out, we couldn’t finish the game, I feel like we could give more and we have to keep working the following days”.  

Yerick García, opposite Nicaragua: “We had a very complicated match, we knew it was tough from the start, against the four-time champions, we had been working for that, thank God we got the result, we had a bit of complications in the first set but our The coach knew how to handle the situation and lead us to victory”.

M23CAM22-Match-4-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-4-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

El Salvador defeats Honduras 3-1

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 17, 2022. The hosts, El Salvador, won 3-1 (23-25/25-15/25-19/25-20) against their similar team from Honduras in a close match that lasted until the fourth set.  

The first set was dominated by El Salvador, but they failed to contain the lead losing 23-25​​to Honduras. 

For the next three sets, the Salvadorans came from less to more to get the victory with partials of 25-15/15-19/25-20.  

Diego Navarro was the top scorer for El Salvador with 21 points and Alejandro Lobo stood out scoring 15 points for the Honduran team.   

El Salvador dominated attacks 53-36, as well as blocks 10-4. El Salvador was superior in services 3-1.   

For this Thursday Honduras will face Panama at 5:00 pm and El Salvador will face Costa Rica at 7:30 pm. Meetings at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador.  

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Diego Guidos ESA fights the ball against Honduras

Statements  

Gabriel Linares, coach of El Salvador: “The truth is that the first matches are always complex, the anxiety of the boys took its toll on us in the first set. But we managed to get back on track, of the game and thank God we managed to control the last three sets and apply ourselves”.  

Diego Guidos, captain of El Salvador: “The game now, as we expected, a close game, Honduras is a team that we have known for many years, we knew that it was going to be difficult for us, the team entered a little nervous, we have new players, rookies, the anxiety killed us the first set, a set that we had quite dominated and that the lack of experience at the time of closing made it difficult for us, adjustments were made, with some pieces that they have, more experience and those helped us to lead the victory more easily ”   

Marvin Ulloa, coach of the Honduran national team: “I can only say that it was very positive for us, we developed many very young players, we made the debut of the youngest player in the tournament, we leave with a bittersweet taste because if we wanted to win”.  

Alejandro Lobo, captain of Honduras: “We loved playing against the crowd, we didn’t expect defeat but we’re going to keep fighting until the end”. 

M23CAM22-Match-3-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-3-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Nicaragua beats Panama in its first game

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 17, 2022. The Nicaraguan National Team beat its similar team from Panama 3-0 at the start of both teams in the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship.

The first set was very close, both teams came out looking for the victory, ending in favor of Nicaragua 25-23. The second set also favored the Nicaraguans 25-19, leaving them just one set away from winning the match.

The third set finally with a difference of 14 points over Panama, Nicaragua would leave the victory after finishing 25-11 this set.

The attacks were led by Nicaragua with a figure of 43 while Panama made 34. The blockade was dominated 13 to 3 for the Nicaraguans. Nicaragua outscored Panama in service 2-0.

Axel Gutiérrez was the player with the most points for Nicaragua with 16 and for Panama Gherson Ortiz scored 18 points for his team.

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Christian Flores PAN attempts to block Yesdy Pacheco NCA

Statements

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “Today’s game was strong, we always look forward to that game against Panama, and we try to get a result as quickly as possible, we started from less to more, along the way we improved some things, and try to go step by step, game by game, we haven’t won and prepare for tomorrow”.

Jonathan Caballero, coach of Panama: “Today’s match is a very complicated match, with a team from Nicaragua, very close, you can see the work that Nicaragua did, as far as we have been working on it, with the talent that we have a match strong, and this is just beginning and I know that the boys from Panama will continue fighting to opt for the podium”.

John Morales, captain of Nicaragua: “Today’s game was a game to get together as a team, to be able to complement each other, to be able to finish some possible plays for the following stronger games, we can’t say that this game was easy but it helped us to get together more ”Cristhian Flores, Captain of the Panamanian National Team: “In today’s match with Nicaragua, an easy match was never expected, it was a very close match, quite difficult, some sets where many played the aerial ball, the ball in the corners , the first game is where there are more nerves and more tension and the Nicaraguan team was able to take the victory”.

M23CAM22-Match-2-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-2-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala triumphs over Costa Rica at the start of Central American U23

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, August 17, 2022 – The Guatemalan U23 National Team defeated the Costa Rican National Team with a score of 3-0, in the first match of the V Men’s U23 Central American Championship of AFECAVOL. 

The meeting that began at 2:00 pm at the Palacio de los Deportes in San Salvador, presented the Guatemalans, current champions of the Tournament, as favorites. 

The first set went to the defending champions, who took a six-point lead to finish the set 25-19. 

The second set also favored Guatemala, 25 to 17, dominating over the Ticos from start to finish. In the final third set, Chapines beat the Costa Ricans 25-21, thus achieving victory. 

The top scorer of the match for Guatemala was its captain Francisco Gamboa with a total of 12 points and for Costa Rica with 9 points Dowshel Smith. 

The next meeting for these two teams will be this Thursday when at 2:00 pm Guatemala faces Nicaragua and Costa Rica meets the hosts El Salvador. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Francisco Gamboa GUA against CRC block

Statements 

Reiner Luchas, coach of Guatemala: “We had the first match of the competition against Costa Rica, a match with many ups and downs for both teams, we had many better moments than the Costa Rican team, the boys knew how to win the fundamental points and that was which gave us the fret to victory”. 

Arturo Solano, Coach of Costa Rica: “A very complicated game because it was the first game, we had to be very focused when it came to getting it out, which was one of the objectives, we didn’t achieve it anyway, the team that made the fewest mistakes was the one that went to win the game.” 

Francisco Gambia, captain of Guatemala: “By the grace of God we had our first victory against Costa Rica, tomorrow we will wake up with more spirits, to face Nicaragua face to face” 

Josué Rojas, captain of Costa Rica: “We faced a very difficult rival, however we were able to play a better game and prepare for tomorrow at 7:30pm to face El Salvador.” 

M23CAM22-Match-1-P-2-Match-players-rankingDownload
M23CAM22-Match-1-P-3-Match-players-rankingDownload

Guatemala aiming for a fifth consecutive Men’s U23 AFECAVOL title

Posted on

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, August 12, 2022.- Guatemala is aiming to win their fifth consecutive Men’s U23 AFECAVOL Central American title at the fifth edition of the event to take place at the Palacio de Los Deportes of San Salvador, El Salvador running from August 17-21.

Guatemala has dominated the event since it’s first edition held in 2012 in Honduras, winning four consecutive gold medals (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018). In the past edition Guatemala reached the last day of competition already earning the gold medal before beating Costa Rica 3-0 in their last performance, result that handed out the silver medal to Nicaragua and the bronze medal to Panama.

In the history of the event, Costa Rica has won a total of three medals, two silvers and one bronze, Panama has two, one silver and one bronze; Nicaragua has one silver medal, while Honduras and El Salvador have one bronze medal each.

Six countries will be competing in the round-robin event that will be streamed on Facebook Live  @fesavol , consisting of three daily matches, starting on Wednesday 17 at 2:00pm with reigning champion Guatemala facing Costa Rica. Belize will not be attending the competition.

Competition schedule

Wednesday August 17

2:00pm Guatemala vs Costa Rica

4:30pm  Nicaragua vs Panama

7:00pm  Opening Ceremony

7:30pm  El Salvador vs Honduras

Thursday August 18

2:30pm Guatemala vs Nicaragua

5:00pm  Honduras vs Panama

7:30pm  El Salvador vs Costa Rica

Friday August 19

2:30pm Panama vs Guatemala

5:00pm  Costa Rica vs Honduras

7:30pm  Nicaragua vs El Salvador

Saturday August 20

2:30pm Panama vs Costa Rica

5:00pm  Nicaragua vs Honduras

7:30pm  Guatemala vs El Salvador

Sunday August 21

2:30pm Costa Rica vs Nicaragua

5:00pm  Honduras vs Guatemala

7:30pm  Panama vs El Salvador

Year by Year Medalists:

YearGoldSilverBronze
2012GUACRCHON
2014GUACRCESA
2016GUAPANCRC
2018GUANCAPAN

Lakysha Thompson MVP of Afecavol Under 23

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; August 03, 2022.- The central blocker of Costa Rica, Lakysha Thompson was declared the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the V Afecavol Women’s Under 23 Championship, by guiding her team to the fifth consecutive title in this category.

Thompson was the top scorer for Costa Rica with 76 points, highlighting 13 through blocks, and she was a key player in high-intensity matches like against Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras in the last match of the tournament, in which she scored 7 points.

Lakysha said that “I feel very happy, it is an award that I did not expect to win, any of us could win it because we are a great team, we all add up. This recognition of the effort of so many years, all that I have worked for seven years, here you can see the result”.

“This is my first under 23 title, I was also champion in the Central American Major and I have participated in under 18 and under 20,” said the Most Valuable.

Tournament Page

Individual Awards at Women’s U23 AFECAVOL Central American Championship

Guatemala, third place in the tournament, won four individual awards just like Honduras, while Costa Rica was left with three and Nicaragua with one.

This is how the individual prizes were:

  • Lakysha Thomspon CRC Most Valuable Player
  • Nathaly Pérez Best Scorer HON
  • María José Castro Best Digger CRC
  • Jimena Castellanos Best Setter GUA
  • María Belén Arcia Best Opposite NCA
  • Ana Granados Best Receiver GUA
  • Ana Granados Best Libero GUA
  • Nathaly Pérez Best Spiker 1 HON
  • Naomi Monney Best Spiker 2 GUA
  • Natalia Reyes Best Blocker 1 HON
  • Daniela Barrantes Best Blocker 2 CRC
  • Andrea Aceituno Best Server HON

Costa Rica five-time champion U23 of Afecavol 

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; August 03, 2022.- Costa Rica won the five-time championship by beating Honduras 3-1 (9-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-21) in a great battle in the final match of the V U23 Women’s Championship of Afecavol, before a full house at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium, in the Olympic Village of this city. 

Honduras came out with everything in the first set, using a good service, limited Costa Rica’s attack and took an early advantage that they maintained until the end of the set. 

In the second set, Costa Rica turned the game around with effective service and good defense, highlighting the libero María José Castro, who allowed a more effective counterattack from her teammates. In the third, the champions overcame a 3-point lead in the closing game to end up winning 25-23. 

In the fourth set, Costa Rica came from behind to overcome a three-point deficit and from point 16 took the lead and did not give it up, winning its fifth consecutive title in this category. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Costa Rica celebrates their fifth consecutive U23 AFECAVOL title

Costa Rica dominated the four previous editions, while Guatemala achieved two silver medals and one bronze. Honduras had only won a bronze in the first edition of 2012. Belize was runner-up in 2019 and Nicaragua has a beach and a bronze. El Salvador was third in 2016. 

Nicaragua (3-3) won 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-11, 25-19) against Belize, but it was not enough to take third place from Guatemala, which registered 3-3, but did 16 points, by 15 of the Nicaraguans. 

Final Positions: 1.-Costa Rica; 2.- Honduras; 3.- Guatemala; 4.- Nicaragua; 5.- El Salvador; 6.- Belize; 7.- Panama.

P-2-Match-No-21-CRC-HON-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-21-CRC-HON-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Nicaragua defeats Belize 3-1 in closing of the Sub 23

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, August 03, 2022.- Nicaragua won 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-11, 25-19) against Belize, in the penultimate game of the seventh day of the V Women’s U23 Championship of Afecavol. 

Gilmary Smith with 19 points was the top scorer of the match leading Nicaragua to its third win for three losses. Massiel Brenes contributed 11 points and 9 from Brittany Forbes. 

For Belize, which was 1-5, Gareth Bruce had 17 points and 12 from Khaya Gordon, who left part of the game with an ankle injury. 

Nicaragua was better in attack 35-30, in blocking 14-12 and in service 6-5, taking advantage of 43 points due to the opponent’s errors, for 24 committed.  

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

P-2-Match-No-20-BIZ-NCA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-20-BIZ-NCA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

El Salvador closes with victory against Panama  

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 03, 2022.- El Salvador defeated a combative team from Panama 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-21), closing with a record of 3-3 in the V Afecavol Women’s U23 Championship , while Panama had no victories. 

Salvadoran captain Daniela López led her team with 16 points and almost every player on the squad saw action. For Panama, Mariluz González was left with 11 and captain Karla Ortiz with 10. 

El Salvador led in attacks 36-22 and in blocks 6-3, but were equal in service with 7 points per side. Panama committed fewer errors with 28 to 31. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Fabiolla Ramírez of El Salvador spikes against Mariluz Gonzalez y Karla Ortiz of Panama

Daniela López, captain of El Salvador: “For us it was a very good and competitive tournament, most of the teams were from the under 21 category and we knew about them. We hope in the next tournaments to try harder, to work hard to be able to climb in the ranking”. 

“El Salvador was one of the teams in the tournament in which all the players saw action and all of them excelled, in the end that was important to see the evolution of all of them,” López said. 

Noé Fabían, coach of El Salvador: “Panama is a tough team that gave us a lot of work in the first set, but we managed to get the result. At the tournament level, we finished 3-3, the same as Guatemala, but because of some sets that we lost, we cannot opt ​​for the bronze medal. In general it was a good tournament, a young team, which came from less to more, is the future of our senior team, because many of them will be in that category”.

P-2-Match-No-19-PAN-ESA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-19-PAN-ESA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Honduras remains undefeated by beating Nicaragua 3-1 

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 02, 2022.- Honduras won 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 20-25, 25-14) over Nicaragua to leave the table set for a grand finale of the V Afecavol Women’s U23 Championship . 

The hosts reached five victories and this Wednesday they will face Costa Rica, champion of the first four editions of this category, which also arrives undefeated. 

Honduras had a great performance from captain Nathaly Pérez, who got 24 points, 14 from Dazly Durán and 13 from Natalia Reyes. For Nicaragua, Gilmary Smith finished with 14 points, to 11 from Massiel Brenes. 

The locals dominated the attack 43-38, 13-5 in blocking and 8-4 in service, with 31 errors made by each side. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Honduras celebrates

Nathaly Reyes, captain of Honduras: “Tomorrow we will go with all the desire in the world to close this tournament, to win the gold medal. Today was a tough match, Nicaragua is a great team that did not let go of the reins at any time, it was difficult to manage, but thank God we managed to close in the fourth set. In the third I think we lost concentration, I felt that even in the first set we were not as forceful as in the second, we lacked a bit, but we recovered. The support of the public gives us good support, we never feel alone, they don’t let our spirits get low and that motivates us”. 

Dazly Durán, outstanding player from Honduras: “Nicaragua is a team with which we always face each other, it is always difficult to play against them, they took a set from us, but we managed to get up and get the match. Against Costa Rica we are going with everything to win that medal, we have the same experience, we know each other, but we have the support of our fans”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “When a team does not apply itself tactically, things do not work out and that happened to us in the third set, the girls began to do other things, Nicaragua made variations and they were able to accommodate us to those changes, they get distracted , they go out of the plan that we work. We hope that tomorrow against Costa Rica it will be a great game, that the public will enjoy it, there is a lot of expectation for that game”.

On the last day, Belize meets Nicaragua at 4:30 p.m. and Honduras against Costa Rica at 7:00 p.m.

P-2-Match-No-18-NCA-HON-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-18-NCA-HON-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

El Salvador wins a five-set battle against Belize

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 02, 2022.- El Salvador battled to win 3-2 (25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 22-25, 15-13) over Belize (1-4), being their second win of the V Afecavol Women’s Under 23 Championship. 

After comfortably winning the first two sets, El Salvador struggled to close out the match, with Belize gaining confidence at the net with Khaya Gordon inspired in attack. However, in the fifth and decisive set, the Salvadorans managed to take advantage of the errors of their opponents, especially in the reception, to win the match and reach two wins for three losses. 

Daniela López and Allison Méndez were left with 16 points each, 15 from Maria Rodríguez and 13 from Daniela Ayala. For Belize, Khaya Gordon had 23 points, all in attack, Bruce Gareth with 17 and 12 from Marci Mejía. 

El Salvador took advantage in services 11-7, in attacks 51-49, and in blocking Belize was better 8-7, with 41 errors by Belizeans to 31 by their opponents. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

El Salvador celebrates

Daniela López, captain of El Salvador: “The match was very intense, we thought we would win in three sets but Belize made things difficult for us, although in the end we got the result. There were a lot of mixed feelings, because we were ahead and then they tied us and so on… a very hard fight, but in the next game we hope to win and finish better in the standings”. 

Allison Mendez, striker from El Salvador: “I really feel very satisfied, happy and proud of the work we all did as a team. At first I felt nervous because I hadn’t started playing as a starter, but I managed to get through it and I’m very happy because we beat a team as strong as Belize”. 

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “First of all I want to congratulate Belize because they knew how to counteract our game, they corrected along the way and changed the game system. El Salvador has grit and that was what got us through, they like to fight and sometimes even suffer, but I am very grateful to the entire work team and the girls because this was the best birthday present.” 

El Salvador closes the tournament against Panama at 2:00 p.m., while Belize faces Nicaragua at 4:30 p.m. 

P-2-Match-No-17-BIZ-ESA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-17-BIZ-ESA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Unstoppable Costa Rica beats Guatemala 3-1

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 01, 2022.- Costa Rica defeated Guatemala 3-1 (25-214, 20-25, 25-21, 25-19), extending to five the victories achieved in the V Afecavol Women’s U23 Championship. 

The four-time champions of the Under 23 category advanced steadily to the last day to be played this Wednesday, when they will face Honduras at 7:00 p.m. Guatemala, meanwhile, closed its participation in the tournament with a record of three wins and three losses. 

Angélica Rodríguez with 15 points was the top scorer for Costa Rica, while Lakysha Thompson had 14 and Nicole Mata had 10 points. For Guatemala, María Santa Cruz contributed 21 points, to 12 from Naomi Monney. 

Costa Rica dominated blocking 13-7 and serving 6-2, but Guatemala was better in attack 48-42, but they committed 34 errors, to 21 for the winners. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Lakysha Thompson of Costa Rica against doble block of Naomi Monney and Ivana Sopegno of Guatemala

Ana Victoria Rojas, captain of Costa Rica: “We started the game quite strong, they were very strong throughout the match and showed a good team, but we controlled our game and did our job. Our idea is to go out and win tomorrow’s game against Honduras, regardless of how they do today, we’re going to go all out”. 

Angélica Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s best scorer: “I feel pretty good because they gave me the opportunity and I knew how to take advantage of it. We have a fairly united team, we have trained a lot, we know each other and we are a family on the pitch, that allows us to trust each other and anyone can do a good job, if not one, there is another who will do the best”. 

Andrés Carvajal, coach of Costa Rica: “First we have to thank God and the Virgin of the Angels, someone so important in Costa Rica (today), they have helped us a lot, especially to seek unity in the group, strengthen that worked. The girls have behaved up to the task, all the sacrifice and effort they have made, they are receiving their reward with what they have achieved”. 

P-2-Match-No-16-CRC-GUA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-16-CRC-GUA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Honduras beats Belize 3-0 and remains undefeated

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 01, 2022.- Honduras consolidated with a good reception and tightened the attack against a strong block from Belize to win their fourth win this time 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-18). 

Captain Nathaly Pérez with 18 points was the top scorer for Honduras, with Natalia Reyes contributing 9 units. Belize had nine points from Bruce Gareth. 

Honduras dominated attacking 31-20, blocking 7-6 and serving 7-4, both committing 30 errors. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Blessed Omamurhe of Belize outduels Shattle Siliezar of Honduras

Nathaly Pérez, captain of Honduras: “We met our objective, which was to win, we didn’t expect it to be in three sets, but it turned out that way and it was better for us. I feel that we knew how to handle Belize, we complicated them with our serve, they also have a good serve and we managed to solve it with the receipt, we were also effective when attacking. The reception worked very well, our companions also supported when it came to attacking because of their high block”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “We are still undefeated, we prepared for the game and thank God what we planned worked. The receipt was better today than in other games and that was important. Really, although we want to test all the girls, we entered a stage in which we need to guarantee the matches and that is why today we kept a plant that was the one that gave us results to guarantee the medal, more strong matches are coming and we want to change the color of the medal”. 

This Tuesday, Costa Rica faces Guatemala at 2:00 p.m., El Salvador against Belize at 4:30 p.m. and Honduras will play Nicaragua at 7:00 p.m. 

P-2-Match-No-15-HON-BIZ-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-15-HON-BIZ-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Guatemala with third win after beating Panama 3-0 

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 01, 2022.- Guatemala achieved its third victory for two defeats, beating Panama 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-11), which remains with 0-5 in the V Sub Championship 23 feminine of Afecavol. 

Captain Naomi Monney was the top scorer with 18 points, and María Santa Cruz and Andrea Mendizabal had 7. For Panama, setter Dayanis Ríos scored 3 points and three players were left with two units each. 

Guatemala completely dominated the match, with a 39-9 advantage in attacks, 4-2 in blocks and 12-1 in services, with 21 errors by the Panamanians to 20 committed by Guatemala. 

The Guatemalan team lost its first two games, against Nicaragua and Honduras, but has recovered with three wins in a row, leaving for this Tuesday the possibility of playing for a medal when they face Costa Rica, which is undefeated in the tournament, at 2 :00 pm. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Guatemala celebrates

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala said that “it was important to win in three sets because of the mental and physical rest that our players will have for tomorrow’s match, which will be key to thinking about a medal. Here the result depends on ourselves and it was vital to win quickly against Panama, because the girls come from intense matches and need this emotional blow and the psychological rest that it represents”. 

“I think they have managed to get a lot of grit, it is not easy to get up after losing the first two games, but here we are, with a young team for this category, and we are fighting until the end for a medal,” said Fernández. 

Panama will rest this Tuesday and will fulfill its last commitment on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. against El Salvador. 

P-2-Match-No-14-GUA-PAN-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-14-GUA-PAN-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Costa Rica with a firm step bends El Salvador

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, August 01, 2022.- Costa Rica saved three match points in the first set to win 3-0 (29-27, 25-19, 25-13) over El Salvador in the end, and remain undefeated in four games, in the V Afecavol Women’s Under 23 Championship. 

The Salvadorans pressed in the first set until they tied at 24 points, after trailing 24-21, but they did not take advantage of the match points they had, failing at key moments, while Costa Rica maintained concentration and gave the first emotional blow for later the game arrive. 

Lakysha Thompson was the top scorer for Costa Rica with 13 points, to 11 from María Sofía Arroyo, while El Salvador had 13 points from Daniela López and 10 from María Rodríguez. Costa Rica dominated in attack 39-30, in blocking 7-5 and in service they were equal 2-2, with 31 errors by the Salvadorans to 22 by their rivals. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Lakysha Thompson, best scorer for Costa Rica: “I feel that the team has been on the rise; in each game we improve, like we caught the mistakes of the previous game and corrected them today and that is helping us to progress in each game. The more a team demands of us, the better we prepare for the next match, they demand more of us and it is better for us. I feel that if we stay united and if we play our game we will continue to achieve victories, luckily we have a very united group, we have played together for many years and we have incorporated the new ones very well and we support each other”. 

Andrés Carvajal, coach of Costa Rica: “We are happy with the result and with the level that the rival showed, it was difficult for us at the beginning, during some stages of the game we had to make variations and luckily we found an answer on the bench as well, there it is our strength. In the replacement players today we find that respite, that emotional push that we needed and we managed to get the job done”.

Costa Rica celebrates

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “It was a good match, especially in the first two sets, in the third we fell apart mentally, since fatigue affected us a lot, but I’ll take the good part, the first two sets, which we were three times to win it, but small mistakes were costly. El Salvador has always stood out for the grit and intensity that we put into it, we’ve had a lot of difficulties since players were injured, but we have to keep giving our best”. 

Costa Rica will face Guatemala this Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. in a match that could define a place in the medal table. El Salvador will face Belize at 4:30 p.m. 

P-2-Match-No-13-ESA-CRC-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-13-ESA-CRC-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Costa Rica beats Panama and remains undefeated 

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, July 31, 2022.- Costa Rica remains unstoppable in three outings, this time by winning 3-0 (25-8, 25-14, 25-17) over Panama, which has a 0-4 record at the end of the fourth day of the V Afecavol Women’s Under 23 Championship. 

Nicole Mata was the best scorer for Costa Rica with 11 points, Lakysha Thompson with 10 and Sofía Arroyo with 8… for Panama, captain Karla Ortiz had 13 points. Costa Rica was superior in attack 38-22, in blocking 5-3 and in service 3-2, taking advantage of 29 errors of the opponent, for 12 committed. 

Tournament Page

Photo Gallery

Ana Victoria Rojas, captain of Costa Rica: “It was a game that we were able to play thanks to God, the Panamanians tried to give their best, they were well defended and we managed to play our game and play more concentrated. Today there were several changes in the team, but everything went well and we are all ready to go play in the next games”. 

Andrés Carvajal, coach of Costa Rica: “We are happy with the result, it was what we were looking for and needed, we were also able to give other players more participation to regulate the team and that they are all in their best physical shape for the following matches”. 

Ana Rojas and Lakysha Thompson of Costa Rica block Mariluz Gonzalez of Panama

Added Carvajal: “We have had an important set load and fatigue could already begin to make a presence in the last few days and that is why it is good to regulate the team, take the competition calmly and enter the final stretch with force.” 

Costa Rica will face El Salvador this Monday at 2:00 p.m., while Panama takes on Guatemala at 4:30 p.m. 

P-2-Match-No-12-PAN-CRC-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-12-PAN-CRC-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Guatemala beats Belize by whitewash 

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, July 31, 2022.- Guatemala overcame a five-point deficit from the start to win an exciting first set 28-26 and from then on dominated the match to win 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25). -20) to Belize, in the V Afecavol Women’s U23 Championship. 

Belize started with a 5-0 lead in the first set, then went ahead 20-16, but could not hold it until losing 26-28 to a fierce Guatemala. In the remaining two, the Guatemalans did not allow the Belizeans to rebel and kept their second victory for two defeats, while Belize remained with a 1-2 record. 

Captain Naomi Monney scored 16 points for Guatemala and María Santa Cruz had 9, while Bruce Gareth and Khaya Gordon had 12 for Belize. Gareth went out through injury with the match tied at 20 in the first set, re-entering late in the set. 

Guatemala took advantage in attacks 32-27 and in serves 6-4, but Belize outnumbered them in blocking 8-6, however they committed 35 errors, for 26 of the winners. 

Guatemala celebrates

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “We feel very good, a victory that we were able to get in three sets, something that was not in the plans because we expected to go to maybe five sets, but we managed to get it out and that will help us a lot to focus on the following games. What makes the difference is that each team is fighting for its flag, for its country, that’s why the matches will be intense and very even”. 

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “What the girls have done is admirable, the recovery of the team is comforting, Belize started very difficult, with a very aggressive serve, little by little we managed to recover and get the match. The first set made the difference, because the one who won it was difficult for the other to recover; all the teams are fighting for the medals and we have Panama tomorrow and in the last game we depend on ourselves”. 

Guatemala will play against Panama this Monday at 4:30 p.m. and Belize will face Honduras at 7:00 p.m. 

P-2-Match-No-11-GUA-BIZ-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-11-GUA-BIZ-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

El Salvador comes from behind to beat Nicaragua in five sets

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, July 31, 2022.- El Salvador achieved its first victory in the V Afecavol Women’s U23 Championship by dramatically winning 3-2 (15-25, 26-24, 25-20, 12-25, 15-8 ) to Nicaragua, at the beginning of the fourth day of the tournament.

The Salvadorans were 1-2 in wins and losses, 2-2 to the Nicaraguans, who started the first set strong, but in the other sets they were always down on the scoreboard.

Daniela Ayala was the best for El Salvador with 15 points and captain Daniela López got 14. For Nicaragua Gimalry Smith got 20 points, María Belén Arcia 16 and Brittany Forbes 13.

Nicaragua dominated the attack 53-35, the services 12-8 and were even in blocking at 11, but El Salvador took advantage of the 39 points for errors of his opponent for 26 committed.

Huge celebration from Daniela Sánchez of El Salvador

Daniela López, captain of El Salvador: “I feel very happy and content with my team, today the goal was achieved, we got the win and we looked good as a team, we played together, we were happy, we celebrated everything and that was key to achieving it. We had ups and downs, but we knew how to overcome them and we hope to maintain this spirit in the following games”.

Noé Fabián:” We’ve had injuries, illnesses, but despite adversity we’ve been able to get up and win a game. Today the teamwork helped us, all the players focused on what they had to do and the changes worked well”.

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “The lack of concentration and the excess of confidence affected us against El Salvador. After winning the first set, in the middle of the second they got too confident and there were moments of lack of concentration and we are going to try to recover the mental part in these last two games that we have left”.

El Salvador will face Costa Rica this Monday at 2:00 p.m., while Nicaragua has a break. 

P-2-Match-No-10-ESA-NCA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-10-ESA-NCA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Honduras beats Panama easily

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, July 30, 2022.- Honduras remains undefeated (3-0) by beating Panama 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-14) in the closing of the third day of the V Afecavol U23 Women´s Championship.

The Panamanian team gave the hosts problems at times, especially in the second set, in which they stayed ahead even up to point 10, but Honduras reacted in time to not let any points slip away.

Honduras had Andrea Aceituno as its best offensive weapon with 11 points, plus 10 from Nathaly Pérez. The captain of Panama, Karla Ortiz got 13 points. The Hondurans led attacks 32-16, blocking 9-4 and serving 13-4, while Panama committed 21 errors to the winners’ 12.

Andrea Aceituno of Honduras with an outstanding performance against Panama

Andrea Aceituno, top scorer for Honduras: “I see the group quite well, we are well equipped, we have a good bench and a strong starting team, we have worked hard to be able to play with teams like Belize or Nicaragua, which are the ones to come. I trust each of our teammates that we will do a great job and, above all, follow the coach’s instructions”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “The team has been growing, we have worked for that; the games that are coming are complicated, we will go step by step… today against Panama, which seemed like an easy team, we started badly and that is difficult for us, it makes us do double work. We can’t do that with stronger teams, once we started well, we managed to hold on until point 15 and sometimes we stopped there… we have to see how to keep the pace of the game throughout the game”.

Honduras rests this Sunday while Panama will face Costa Rica at 7:00 p.m.

P-2-Match-No-9-HON-PAN-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-9-HON-PAN-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Guatemala comes from behind and beats El Salvador 3-1

Posted on

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 30, 2022.- Guatemala defeated El Salvador (3-0) 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-17) in the third day of the V Women’s U23 Afecavol Championship.

For Guatemala it was their first victory of the tournament with two defeats and they managed to get up after losing the first set against the impetus of Salvadorans who need a victory to have options for the podium.

Captain Naomi Monney with 20 points was the best scorer for Guatemala, while María Santa Cruz contributed 14 points. For El Salvador, Geannine Velásquez finished with 12 points, María Rodríguez and Daniela Ayala with 11 each.

Guatemala dominated attacking 41-35, blocking 10-8 and El Salvador was better in service 9-5, but they committed 38 unforced errors to 29 of their rivals.

María Santa Cruz of Guatemala against El Salavdor

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “This first victory is going to help us to be able to stay motivated in the following matches and to be able to give our best. El Salvador was complicated, he gave us a good game, but we were able to get the result”.

María Santa Cruz, outstanding player from Guatemala: “I think we dosed ourselves a lot and that makes us a little relaxed and ready to go for more in the following games. We are very satisfied with our work and the way we came back. We have to overcome the fatigue that was noticed in the first two games, today changes were made at the start to give us rest and then we went in with everything”.

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “I keep insisting that we have a U21 team, which will give battle to all the teams; recovering after two defeats is not easy at any level, that’s why this victory speaks well of the mentality of the girls, because they faced a Salvadoran team that left everything on the field, that put up a fight”.

Daniela López, captain of El Salvador: “It was a good game and it was a shame that the setter was injured, because she is very necessary. Now we will give everything for everything in the following matches and try to have options for the medals. This game helped us to play more as a team and we hope to continue like this in the next ones”.

El Salvador will face Nicaragua this Sunday at 2:00 p.m., while Guatemala takes on Belize at 4:30 p.m.

P-2-Match-No-8-ESA-GUA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download
P-3-Match-No-8-ESA-GUA-U23-HONDURAS-2022Download

Copyright © 2022 Norceca All Rights Reserved

en_USEnglish
es_MXSpanish en_USEnglish