Tag: Afecavol

Belize City; July 16, 2022. The captain of Guatemala, Naomi Monney, was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the XIX Under 21 Central American Championship by contributing her decisive attack so that her team was crowned after almost 19 years in this category, since the last medal was achieved in 2013. 

Monney was accompanied by three players from her team among the best. María Andrea Santa Cruz was the Best Service; Best Blocker 1 was Sofia Ibarra and Second Best Blocker was Andrea Mendizabal. 

Belize also had four players among the Best: Best Receipt went to Fatoumata Camara, who also had Best Offense. Iman Safa was the Best Setter and Gareth Bruce the Second Best Attacker. 

The best Libero went to Sofía Solano, from Belize, and Marcela Roa, from Nicaragua, the Best Defense. 

Belize City, July 16, 2022.- Guatemala recovered from trailing 1-2 to win 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 15-11) over Belize to achieve the gold medal, during the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship.  

Before a spectacular crowd at the Belize Civic Center, the locals were timid and unfocused in the first set, when Guatemala did a lot of damage with their services and blocking. However, from the second set Garet Bruce and Fatoumata Camara began to be protagonists, in addition to Kahia Gordon, to overcome the historic match for an entire country.  

In the fourth set Guatemala controlled the strong Belizean attack, with the blocks of its central players, Ibarra and Mendizabal, in addition to the attack of the captain Naomi Monney in the important points.

And in the fifth and decisive game, Guatemala showed claw and heart, with a great defense and good blocking counteracting the changes in Belize looking to do damage with their great range in attack and they kept the set and the game, in addition to the medal of gold they haven’t earned since 2013.

María Santa Cruz scored 21 points for the winners, including six blocks, captain Naomi Monney with 15 points in important moments and Andrea Mendizabal with 12, also added 6 blocks. For Belize, Gareth Bruce with 20, Fatoumata Camara with 16 and Khaya Gordon with 12, with 5 blocks.

Guatemala was better in attack 50-49, in blocking 17-10 and serving 9-7, with 29 errors by Belize to 33 by the winners.

Honduras wins the bronze

Honduras, for its part, beat Nicaragua 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) to secure third place.  

The Hondurans, last champions in the Under 20 tournament three years ago, were 2-2, while Nicaragua was in fourth place with 1-3.  

Honduras was better in blocking 10-4 and dominated in serves 9-4, with 4 “aces” by Andrea Aceituno who was the top scorer with 20 points… Nicaragua was better in attack 38-30, with Gilmary Smith with 11 points , although they committed 26 errors for 14 of their opponents.  

Belize City, July 16, 2022.- Honduras defeated Nicaragua 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) to secure third place in the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship.

The Hondurans, last champions in the Under 20 tournament three years ago, were 2-2, while Nicaragua was in fourth place with 1-3.

Honduras was better in blocking 10-4 and dominated in serves 9-4, with 4 “aces” by Andrea Aceituno who was the top scorer with 20 points… Nicaragua was better in attack 38-30, with Gilmary Smith with 11 points , although they committed 26 errors for 14 of their opponents.

Gabriela Gómez, captain of Honduras: “I am very proud of us, we came from less to more, all this is for the honor and glory of God; From the beginning we came with the idea of ​​winning this championship, it didn’t happen to us, but we managed to stay on the podium, despite everything, getting that third place against a Nicaragua that always fights”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “I am satisfied with this game, but not because of the fact that we lost against Guatemala, because we had to win… today, thank God, we were able to control our anxiety, we received a couple of talks via zoom and that helped us a lot . I think we played better yesterday than today, but Nicaragua did not perform as I expected, I thought they could make the game more difficult”.

Since 2017, Honduras has achieved two titles, one in Sub 18 and another in Sub 20, in addition to a third place in 2019 in the Sub 18 category.

Belize City, July 15, 2022.- Belize defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-16) on the fourth day of the XIX Central American Under-21 Women’s Volleyball Championship, to maintain their unbeaten record and dream with his first gold medal in any category in Central American volleyball.

Fatoumata Camara was the best player for Belize with 14 points, while Gareth Bruce and Nisaan Martinez had 11. Andrea Aceituno was the best for Honduras with 7 points.

Belize was superior in all elements of the game, with an unstoppable attack 38-22, in blocks 6-4 and dominated in services 9-1, with 4 “aces” by Nisaan Martínez. In errors both teams committed 22.

The Belizean teams have achieved 4 silver medals in their history, showing progress in recent years with second place in the 2018 Central American in Belize, and in 2019 second places in the U18 and U23 women’s.

Sofía Solano, captain of Belize: “We are very happy, the whole team is happy, I am very excited, it is incredible, tomorrow will be a great game against Guatemala, it is exciting to think about that match, but we will try to get a victory again. Every game has been difficult, I think we’ve been growing, we’ve done it, because the demands have also increased”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “It is a team that has been growing in the competition, the level of demand I have always kept very high, we always demand them from the first point to the last. Guatemala is a great team, tomorrow will be a game worthy of the gold medal dispute”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “I think that in the first set we played well as always, but we were not successful with the serves; many mistakes of our own that made the difference, we trained for that, but there are still things to improve. I think that Belize was not completely superior, we fought and we will continue working”.

Belize will face Guatemala at 7:30 p.m. at the Belize Civic Center and the winner gets the gold medal. Honduras meets Nicaragua at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday and the winner secures the bronze medal.

Belize City, July 15, 2022.- Guatemala remains undefeated with three wins after beating El Salvador 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-14), on the fourth day of the XIX Central American Under-21 Female Volleyball Championship.

For Guatemala it was their first win in three sets, after beating Honduras and Nicaragua in five sets. Although El Salvador struggled in the first two episodes, they were unable to close strongly and Guatemala managed to impose their blockade.

María Andrea Santa Cruz with 15 points was the best for Guatemala and Naomi Monney finished with 11. For El Salvador, Geannine Velásquez was left with 14 and 12 points from Daniela López. Guatemala prevailed in attack 30-26, in blocking 10-6 and they were tied in services 8-8, with 29 errors by the Salvadorans to 22 by the winners.

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “I am super happy, we won and we have another match to be champions. I am happy with my team. Each one did what they had to do and we were able to get the homework done together. El Salvador made it difficult for us, the first sets were difficult, but always united and with confidence we came out ahead”.

María Santa Cruz, best scorer in Guatemala: “I feel quite proud of my team, very calm because of the camaraderie we have on the field, with our coaches, we analyze and solve problems on the field, we don’t give up, we fight for every point , we live it, we suffer it, always with grit and courage that we have been taught”.

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “We took the first set out of the freezer, as they say, we had to put the starting point guard, the physiotherapist did a great job (he injured his ankle in the first game), because we thought he would not play more in the tournament. El Salvador studied us well, they lacked confidence in the first set, but we won and arrived undefeated in the match against Belize, which is a final”.

María Rodríguez, captain of El Salvador: “I feel that we have been able to advance, little by little, we are improving as a team, we are getting to know each other better in the game, we lack experience, practice, but we really want to improve. ”.

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “We expected to be higher in the standings, they are not the results we wanted, but it is a fairly new team, it has not had the necessary pace of play, but we have learned a lot and we have El Salvador for many tournaments to come.” 

Belize City, July 14, 2022.- Belize showed its offensive power to win 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-16) against El Salvador, in the closing of the third day of the XIX U21 Central American Championship women’s volleyball.

The Belizeans reached two wins without defeats, this time thanks to Fatoumata Camara who had 19 points, plus 12 from Bruce Gareth and 10 from Khaya Gordon. For El Salvador, Daniela López was the best with 10 points.

Belize commanded all the elements of the game, especially a powerful attack (39-15), blocking 6-5 and serving 8-7, committing 24 errors to 22 of their opponents.

Fatoumata Camara, the best scorer of the match, said that “I am very excited to get this second victory, it feels great to win another match. I think that every game that passes we gain more confidence, every set we play we feel better with the ball, we also have the support of the fans, they give us energy, they encourage us to play better and better, and I also have the support of my mom, who travels an hour to come see me play”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “the important thing about this second victory is that the team has maintained a high competitive level, especially in attack. Winning 3-0 allows us to add and it is important to be with 10 points, now we are going to face these two games not confident, but calmer in the sense that we already know that the team knows that it can against any rival”.

“We have worked very hard on reception, which was a weakness, because our blocking is normally good, and on the defensive side they have been key, since since the first game we have not made many errors in reception,” said Fontes.

Belize City, July 14, 2022.- Guatemala showed all its strength to overcome in five sets 3-2 (25-14, 23-25, 25-21, 27-29, 15-13) a combative Nicaragua, in an electrifying match on the third day of the XIX U-21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship. 

Nicaragua recovered from a fourth set deficit from the start, trailing 9-2, before tying at 23-23… after a set point exchange, the Nicaraguans took the set with two hotly contested points in the net, but In the fifth set, Guatemala managed to bring out their best weapon, blocking, and with a good defense they were able to make counterattack moves against the Nicaraguans. 

Guatemala had Sofía Ibarra with 20 points, eight blocked, María Santa Cruz with 18, of which 8 served, Ivana Sopegno with 16 (7 blocked) and Naomi Monney with 16 points.

Gilmary Smith with 27 points was the best for Nicaragua, with 4 blocks and five aces, Nahima Silva contributed 12 points and Francesca Medrano with 10.

Guatemala did a lot of damage with the service with a 16-10 advantage, in blocking 21-9 and in attacks it was very even 52-49 in favor of Nicaragua, who committed 29 errors for 31 of their opponents. 

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “I think we could give more, but in the sets that we managed to close there, our determination was visible; The last set cost us a lot, but together we were able to do well. This game meant a lot because we needed to win it if we want to be champions and go further. It was teamwork, we all supported each other, when one was failing another would come and solve it”. 

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “First congratulations to Nicaragua, they were a great opponent, my respects for how they played because the match could be for anyone; It was a game in which each team gave its best, a good defense was seen, it was a good show for the entire public. Both coaches wanted to win and we did everything possible to do so, changing the rhythm of the game, varying the defense, even with double changes to find variability in the game”. 

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “I am sad, but at the same time proud of my team, of what we achieved in the game, they showed who we are, we put up a lot of battle, we stood up strong and that was noticeable on the field. Our team is quite young, only three will no longer do this category, and they showed that age doesn’t matter, what matters is having heart and grit”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “I am proud of the team’s work, even though we lost, I think it was one of the best we have had in the tournament, they came back and we were close to victory. They are satisfied, especially because of the substitutions we made because they came to do their job. We have a fairly young team, it is new to Central American tournaments and they showed that they have desire and a future in this sport”. 

Belize City, July 13, 2022.- Nicaragua equaled its record in a win and a loss by beating El Salvador (0-2) 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-23) on the second day of the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship. 

Gilmary Smith and Grace Zeledón combined with 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead Nicaragua to its first win after losing to Belize on day one, while El Salvador’s Daniela López registered 16 points. 

Nicaragua was better in offense 36-27 and serving 5-4, with the Salvadorans being better in blocking 5-4, although they committed 30 errors for 21 points due to errors by their opponents. 

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “I feel happy and satisfied, but hungry for a medal. I think we play more as a team, we trust each other and these are the results. The receipt arrived and I was able to play in the three zones, the girls resolved and that was that we managed to overcome our nerves”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “The result will encourage us to maintain a good pace of play in the following games, because it is a very even competition and we needed to win. We were more concentrated, less nervous and they paid attention to the work that was done in training”. 

María Rodríguez, captain of El Salvador: “First we have to improve communication between us, our attitude, because it was somewhat down, and we have to work on that. We are much more capable than this, it was a mental block that affected us, although Nicaragua was a very good opponent”. 

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “First, congratulate Nicaragua because they did a good job, although we didn’t play like we normally do, it was a mental block that didn’t allow us to develop our game. It’s complicated because it’s a young team, which is gaining experience, we’re going to keep working, adding and trying to get the best, the positive from each game”. 

Nicaragua will face Guatemala at 5:00 p.m. this Thursday, while El Salvador takes on Belize at 7:30 p.m. 

Belize City, July 13, 2022.- Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-2 (21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 14-25, 15-11), achieving its first victory (1-0) of the XIX U21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship that takes place at the Belize Civic Center.

Honduras won the first set and looked like they were headed for their second win of the event, but were met by a very battle-hardened Guatemalan team led by captain Naomi Monney with 24 points and Maria Santa Cruz with 20, six of them on serves

Andrea Aceituno, from Honduras, was the best for the second game in a row with 19 points, six on serves, and 11 from Rocío Durón, four through blocks.

Honduras led in serves 15-10, but Guatemala was unstoppable in attack 49-33 and blocking 14-8, especially in the second and third sets, which they largely dominated, and was also favored with 38 points due to errors by their opponents, committing 27.

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “We feel very good since we were able to get the job done, although it was a bit complicated for us, we knew how to be united and confident that we were going to get the match. We have a team in which we all contribute and that keeps us excited, it costs us a bit to serve, but today we were good and we are working for that. We expected a complicated Honduras, it was our first game, we had to see how we got along, especially on a new field.”

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “It was a very difficult match, especially because in the last tournament we faced Honduras, they beat us in three sets and in a very easy way. We worked on the mental part, they at the time adjusted their defense and blocking, we also made changes because we needed to improve tactics and give some players rest because we knew that more than three sets could be played. In the critical moments the service worked, we made many “aces”, especially with strong serves… in the third set with a lot of disadvantage we managed to recover and get the set thanks to the service”.

Gabriela Gómez, captain of Honduras: “The Honduran team has always had problems with mentality, we have a great team, just nerves, anxiety, some who have little experience, in their first tournament, that took its toll on us in the end and the truth are things that are going to help us improve and climb to the top”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “We have been dragging a problem with the receipt, I feel that we have improved a lot, but just like yesterday against El Salvador, a single player did us a lot of damage. As had been pointed out before the tournament started, this is very even, we couldn’t keep our serve, I imagine that due to tension, nervousness… just as the game was closed, a couple of errors made the difference”.

This Thursday, Honduras has a rest and Guatemala plays against Nicaragua at 5:00 p.m.

Belize City, July 12, 2022.- Belize won 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-23) against Nicaragua in the closing match of the XIX Central American U21 Women’s Volleyball Championship.

Bruce Gareth with 18 points was the best for the Belizeans and Fatoumata Camara had 14 units. For Nicaragua, Gilmary Smith was limited to 10 points. Belize was superior in offense 42-29 and in aces 8-3, but Nicaragua was better in blocking 5-4, although they committed 20 errors to 21 for the winners.

Sofía Solano, from Belize, became the first libero to be appointed as captain in the history of AFECAVOL tournaments, while her teammates did a great job offensively.

“For me it is a great honor to be the team captain, I think I was appointed because of my leadership and because my teammates trust me. Today we played a great game, we have the support of our people and we want to have a great tournament. Things went well, we played as we have been working and that gives us confidence”, said Solano.

José Ramón Fontes, from Belize: “We started with a victory in a very even competition and that gives us a lot of satisfaction. We had a good match especially in the first two sets. We have done a very hard job that is now bearing fruit; we have a good team, they have a lot of potential and they have grown in volleyball”.

Francesca Medrano, captain of Nicaragua: “We started out nervous, then we tried to pick up the pace of the game but it was too late… but I think Nicaragua will raise its name. We need to improve the reception, I think we saw ourselves well in some aspects and based on that we have to aim”.

Belize City, July 12, 2022.- Honduras began its title defense with a 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 15-9) victory over El Salvador, which battled more than two hours, but it was not enough at the start of the XIX U21 Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship.

 Gabriela Aceituno with 23 points and 13 from Natalia Reyes were the best for Honduras, while El Salvador had a good production of four players, Daniela López and captain María Rodríguez with 13 points and 12 each from Geannine Velásquez and Paola Montano.

Honduras led the attack 50-45 and 12-11 in aces, but the Salvadorans were better in blocking 8-5, with 42 points on error from the winners and 38 from their opponents.

Captain of Honduras: “The match was quite difficult, we did not expect that great team from El Salvador, I think the problem was that we trusted each other, we came with the mentality to win, but in the third set we looked bad, thank God we managed lift in the fifth. It’s important to start winning because it gives us more confidence, it encourages us to continue playing as we know how, because I know my team and I know we can play better in the following games”.

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “The girls from El Salvador are very compliant, we have to sit down and analyze what our problem is, we cannot win the set or the game, since we had two sets up and we loosened up. We come from a good blank and it is not possible that we fall throughout the game, it seems that there is something mental, a block that we cannot overcome. The team has, we have technique, tactics, half of the team is high, but we have to improve the mental part”.

Captain of El Salvador: “Honduras was a very good opponent, they have very good team play. We gave our best, the best we could give. We have the support of our parents, of ourselves, of all of El Salvador because we are in a process in which we are learning to trust ourselves and we know that we will always give our best on the field.”

Noé Fabián, Coach of El Salvador: “We must congratulate Honduras because they did a great job, we especially improved in the third and fourth, but we didn’t know how to maintain the level. We failed in the receipt at the time that we should not loosen. El Salvador has always stood out for its defense, we are very brave, we stand out for that, plus they are very united and that helps us to always get up”.

Belize City, July 11, 2022 – With great enthusiasm to return to the courts after three years of inactivity in this category. This is how the teams of the five countries that will compete for the gold medal in the XIX Central American U-21 Women’s Volleyball Championship, in Belize City, were shown. 

Honduras was the champion at home in 2019, with Guatemala and El Salvador accompanying them on the podium, but Belize has had good performances in recent years in the minor and major categories. 

The national coaches foresee a very even tournament, where the mental part will be essential to be among the first places. 

William Fernández Pizat, Coach of Guatemala: “We haven’t played for quite some time, some almost three years, but the team is prepared from a physical, tactical and mental point of view, so we aspire to be in the fight for the title.” 

“The levels of the teams are very even and make the tournament very competitive. We have three athletes who participated in the Senior National Team last year and some in the Honduran Sub 20. We have a good attack, very powerful, we’ll see how it goes with that mix of anxiety and joy to play again that they all have”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “Many players have had almost four years of inactivity, there is anxiety and we must recover the rhythm on the court of these Central American Championships. We have been working for a long time with very young people, but they are very committed and have a lot of responsibility to represent their country”. 

“It will be an even tournament and that is the good thing, that in our region there is equality in the performance of the teams and the competition becomes more attractive.” 

Noé Fabián Aguilar, coach of El Salvador: “We have a very excited team to start the tournament, there are a couple of experienced players, but above all we have a lot of youth and there is unity in the team, something that helps us do things well. We are confident that if one fails, there is another player to do the job better and they are all very united”. 

“All the teams have quality, there is a lot of parity in these categories and no team is a favourite. The girls are very excited and we believe we can have a good tournament”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “Honduras has just played the Pan American Cup of the category in Mexico and 10 players repeat, we also have the setter who could not travel to Mexico and our libero who had to do the job of passer. We also brought back one of our tallest players, Rocio Durón, and that strengthens us as a team to try to defend the title”. 

“We hope that the girls are prepared, we have worked, although we have only been here for a few months, but we believe that we have a good group. We hope it will be an even competition, we all have the same opportunities, where mental work is very important”. 

José Ramón Fontés, coach of Belize: “The locality also represents some pressure, we have several under 19s, but also some experienced under 23s and older. We have a great preparation, we haven’t competed for a long time, but the team is going to meet expectations and above all give a good show ” 

“I think it will be a very even competition, with many emotions, the one that can best face the psychological part due to the pressure… We worked about two months in preparation with games against older players, men and even in a tournament outside the country and the team has increased their competitive level. 

The tournament begins this Tuesday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m. with the match between El Salvador and Honduras, followed by the inauguration and at 7:30 p.m. Belize debuts against Nicaragua. 

BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 6, 2022.- The City of Belize will host the XIX U21 Women’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship, previously U20, from July 10 to 17 at the Belize City Civic Center.

With the sudden withdrawal of Costa Rica, the tournament will only have five teams from the region competing, Panama had declined to participate with anticipation.

The national teams of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua will battle for the AFECAVOL title and qualify to the 2023 age-group NORCECA Continental Championship, in a round-robin competition.

The current champion is Honduras, who were crowned for the first time in the history of the event in 2019 while hosting the competition; Guatemala won the silver medal and El Salvador the bronze.

Costa Rica has won the title in nine occasions, Guatemala in five and Panama has won two titles. Costa Rica and Panama will be absent in this edition.

Check out the Rankings here: PALMARES U21 FEMENINO DE VOLEIBOL

The event will be livestreamed on The National Channel 10  in Facebook and on their YouTube channel.

The teams’ arrival is scheduled on Sunday July 10, the preliminary enquiries will take place on Munday 11 and the competition starts on Tuesday 12.

Competition Schedule:

Tuesday July/12

4:30pm El Salvador vs Honduras

7:00pm Opening Ceremony

7:30pm Belize vs Nicaragua

Wednesday July/13

5:00pm Honduras vs Guatemala

7:30pm Nicaragua vs El Salvador

Thursday July/14

5:00pm Guatemala vs Nicaragua

7:30pm El Salvador vs Belize

Friday July/15

5:00pm Guatemala vs El Salvador

7:30pm Honduras vs Belize

Saturday July/16

5:00pm Nicaragua vs Honduras

7:30pm Belize vs Guatemala