Panama wins against Honduras

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

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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”.

Nicaragua defeats the defending champions

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

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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”.

El Salvador defeats Honduras 3-1

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.  

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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”. 

Nicaragua beats Panama in its first game

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.

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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”.

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

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. 

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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.” 

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

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

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.

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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 

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. 

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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.

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

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.  

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El Salvador closes with victory against Panama  

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. 

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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”.

Honduras remains undefeated by beating Nicaragua 3-1 

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. 

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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.

El Salvador wins a five-set battle against Belize

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. 

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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. 

Unstoppable Costa Rica beats Guatemala 3-1

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. 

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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”. 

Honduras beats Belize 3-0 and remains undefeated

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. 

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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. 

Guatemala with third win after beating Panama 3-0 

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. 

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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. 

Costa Rica with a firm step bends El Salvador

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. 

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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. 

Costa Rica beats Panama and remains undefeated 

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. 

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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. 

Guatemala beats Belize by whitewash 

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. 

El Salvador comes from behind to beat Nicaragua in five sets

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. 

Honduras beats Panama easily

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.

Guatemala comes from behind and beats El Salvador 3-1

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.

Costa Rica defeats Nicaragua 3-0

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 30, 2022.- Costa Rica defeated Nicaragua (2-1) 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 26-15) on the third day of the V Women’s Afecavol U23 Championship.

For Costa Rica it was their second victory of the tournament without defeats, showing a good level both in attack and blocking, as well as a great defense.

María Arroyo was the top scorer for Costa Rica with 15 points and Nicaragua had Gilmary Smith with 10 points. Costa Rica took advantage in all elements of the game, 33-26 in attacks, 10-5 in blocks (Nicole Mata contributed 3 points per block) and 6-1 in aces. Nicaragua committed 26 unforced errors to 19 for Costa Rica.

María Arroyo, Costa Rica’s top scorer: “I think the key was confidence, because the first game was difficult and opening against a team like Belize weighs more, but today we feel more loose and we were able to show what we prepared for this tournament. I felt more confident today, I contributed more to the team from the beginning and we all support each other, we don’t let anyone fall and that is fundamental in the team”:

Andrés Carvajal, coach of Costa Rica: “I am happy with the result and much more satisfied with the effort, determination and willingness of the girls to apply themselves tactically and individually. We know that here we are going to continue to improve, every day that passes in the competition, we will continue to reach our best sporting form”.

Daniela Barrantes CRC against Brittani Forbes NCA

María Belén Arcia, captain of Nicaragua: “It hurts us to have lost, I think what made it more difficult for us was the receipt, that prevented us from being able to open the game and Costa Rica marked us well in the block. We also lost focus in some parts of the game and there was a lack of communication between us, but we always go forward, to find a way to be victorious in tomorrow’s game”.

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “I think the girls were very stressed, pressured because they know that every win counts and they put too much pressure on themselves and didn’t play at the level they can. We have worked on the psychological part, tomorrow is an important match against El Salvador, they have a good level and we have to go out and look for the win”.

Nicaragua will face El Salvador this Sunday at 2:00 p.m., while Costa Rica will face Panama at 7:00 p.m.

Honduras blanks Guatemala 3-0

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 29, 2022.- Honduras struggled, but in the end they won 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 26-24) against Guatemala (0-2) in the closing of the second day of the V Afecavol U23 Female Championship before a large crowd at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in the Olympic Village. 

The locals exhibited a great defense in the key points at the end of the sets, and had a fiery captain Nathaly Pérez with 14 points, and Natalia Reyes with 8 and Shattle Siliezar with 9 points. For Guatemala, Naomi Monney was left with 15 points, María Santa Cruz and Andrea Mendizabal with 7. 

Honduras was superior in attack 30-24, but was outclassed in blocking 13-9 and in service 7-6, the Hondurans committing 20 errors to 32 of their opponents. 

Nathaly Pérez, captain of Honduras: “Super happy and proud that we were able to finish a match 3-0. I didn’t know much about Guatemala, but the coaching staff didn’t indicate how to play, they have good serves and attacks, but we knew how to control them. Luck was on our side today, but there is also a lot of hard work.” 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “I’m very happy, I expected to win today, but not in three sets because I know how complicated Guatemala is, but that’s the way the game is. Today the girls performed better, more confident, they made fewer mistakes, at one point they got out of control at the reception and the centrals were attentive, as well as Rocío (Durón). Today there was a lot of grit, despite the pressure from the public, because that can sometimes play against you, the girls managed to get into the game, concentrated”. 

Honudras celebrates

William Fernández, coach of Guetamala: “It was a great match, Honduras handled it well, we have players who looked very tired on the court and are very young for this tournament:; their dedication is complete, but their physique does not allow them to solve situations such as the end of the game, some counterattack plays. We knew that the team is very young and this tournament is under 23, and we have players mostly from the other category, but we will continue to fight and give it our all every game”. 

Guatemala and El Salvador will meet at 4:30 p.m. and closes the day at 7:00 p.m. Honduras against Panama. Honduras blanks Guatemala 3-0.

Costa Rica comes back and beats Belize 3-1

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 29, 2022.- Costa Rica debuted this Friday with an exciting 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 28-26) victory over Belize on the second day of the V Central American U23 Women’s Afecavol Championship.

After losing the first set against an aggressive attacking Belize, Costa Rica managed to recover thanks to the work of Lakysha Thompson who produced both in attack and blocking to add 19 points, to 9 by Nicole Mata. In addition, the Belizeans made many mistakes, especially in serves, even though they dominated this element 11-6.

For Belize, Khaya Gordon had 19 points and 15 from Bruce Gareth. Guatemala was better in blocking 11-10 and equaled 35 points in attack. Errors were 48 for Belize and 33 for the winners.

Ana Victoria Rojas, captain of Costa Rica: “At the beginning we entered a little anxious for wanting to do things well, as it was the first match… but as we adapted we began to play better. If we were expecting a strong Belizean team, it demanded a lot from us and now we will go game by game, hoping to add wins”.

Andrés Carvajal, coach of Costa Rica: “I am very grateful for the work of the girls, we knew that the potential that Belize has, which was going to complicate us and was more complicated than we expected, especially the closures that were very tight and the first set that cost us to start. The team showed mettle, they brought out the experience and that’s what makes the difference; the tactical application they have and draw on their experience”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “We fell into a lot of deconcentration of our players and we made many unforced errors, which is something we always insist on, many errors in serves and we were affected by some changes that we made that emotionally destabilized the team. When those factors are added up and we have a team like Costa Rica against us, that costs you the game”.

Costa Rica will face Nicaragua at 2:00 p.m. this Saturday, while Belize is off.

Nicaragua beats Panama 3-0

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 29, 2022.- Nicaragua beat Panama 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-7) in the first match of the second day of the V Afecavol U23 Women’s Central American Championship. 

Nicaragua reached two victories, while Panama has two defeats. Brittany Forbes with 12 points was the best for the winners, with Gilmary Smith contributing 9 points. For Panama, captain Karla Ortiz was left with five units. 

The Nicaraguans dominated 35-10 in attacks, 8-1 in blocks and 7-3 in services, with 25 points due to errors by Panama for 16 committed. 

María Belén Arcia, captain of Nicaragua: “It is very important to get this victory, although I think that in part of the game we trust ourselves, we play at the same level as the rival and we cannot allow that because more complicated and demanding games are coming. We must maintain our concentration in the games to come”.

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “A win is always satisfying, Panama allowed us to rotate our team, we are confident that we have players for any game, they are all capable of playing against any rival and that was shown yesterday (against Guatemala) and today against Panama”. 

Brittany Forbes led Nicaragua’s scorers

Karla Ortiz, captain of Panama: “I think today we played looser than yesterday… we were better at certain moments of the game, but Nicaragua has good players, they play faster than Belize and we don’t have as much experience. We still keep going, other games are coming and we hope to get better every day”. 

Eliot Clarke, coach of Panama: “Nicaragua has a great team and our little girls are giving everything on the pitch to get good results. You can see that the other teams have more friction, they have kept playing more than us”. 

Nicaragua will play this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against Costa Rica, and Panama at 7:00 p.m. meets Honduras. 

Honduras beats El Salvador 3-1

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 28, 2022.- Honduras achieved a victory 3-1 (25-14, 25-13, 22-25, 25-11) against El Salvador, in the closing of the first day of the V Central American U23 Women’s Afecavol Championship, in the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium, of the Olympic Village of Tegucigalpa. 

The Hondurans were led by their captain Nathaly Pérez with 24 points, and Andrea Aceituno with 13 and Natalia Reyes with 11. For El Salvador, Daniela López contributed 13 and 9 from Belén Amaya.

Honduras led spikes 47-29, blocks 8-5 and aces 10-6. With 32 errors from El Salvador to 23 from the Hondurans. 

Nathaly Pérez, captain of Honduras: “I am happy, happy to be here with all the people who have supported me since I started playing, always eager to make them proud. I think there was a mental part, especially in the third set, that affected us, El Salvador had their game too, they took us out of the game but in the fourth set we managed to recover”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “It was a nice show for the fans, but we don’t plan to lose a set today, I think we always have that problem with the mental part. We’re going to work more on the discipline part, they didn’t pay attention to some elements and we can’t continue doing that in the games to come”. 

Shantte Siliezar of Honduras against El Salvador blockers

Daniela López, captain of El Salvador: “We congratulate Honduras for their victory, it was our first game and we are sorry we did not win, in the following games we hope to have a better attitude, we have a good team, I believe in our team and I am sure we can give good results.” 

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “First congratulations to Honduras, they have a great team and a player who stands out above the rest (Nathaly). For our part, the nervousness of the first game took its toll on us, against the host, with their audience… that makes it weigh on us at a certain point. We couldn’t get up at certain times, but it wasn’t enough.” 

On the second day of this Friday, Honduras is measured against Guatemala at 7:00 p.m. and El Salvador has rest. 

Nicaragua wins five-set battle against Guatemala

Tegucigalpa, Honduras; July 28, 2022.- Nicaragua fought to win 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11) against a combative Guatemala in the second match of the first day of the V Central American Championship Women’s Afecavol U23.

Guatemala, which comes from being champion in the U21 category with the most players, began dominant in all sets, but the Nicaraguans managed to overcome that disadvantage to prevail thanks to the performance of Gilmary Smith with 17 points, 16 from Maria Belén Arcia and 13 from Massiel Brenes.

Meanwhile, Guatemala had its captain Naomi Monney with 23 points, while her teammate Andrea Mendizabal contributed 15 units.

Nicaragua was better 10-8 in serves, but was outscored 11-8 in blocks and 50-49 in spikes, with 41 errors from Guatemala to 34 from the winners.

Maria Santa Cruz GUA against Massiel Brenes y Francesca Medrano NCA

María Belén Arcia, captain of Nicaragua: “We are very happy to have won, it was a very difficult game, Guatemala is a team that defends a lot, but we were always there, animated, showing the claw and attitude of fighting all the way until the end. We bonded as a team and worked well as a team.”

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “Guatemala was a very difficult team, with most of the players who were champions in the sub 21 category, but I think we have a good level, the Nicaraguan team showed grit, a lot of concentration and dedication in the game. We were down and we knew how to swim against the current, but it can’t continue, because we can’t let the rival take much of the lead”.

Naomi Monney, captain of Guatemala: “We played a good game, we gave everything until the last point, but I think we could have given more to win that game. We are not going to give up, we will go with everything in the next matches and if we have to go to five sets in all of them, then we will play them and give everything on the court”.

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “This is what was expected of the tournament, a very close match, congratulations to Nicaragua who knew how to close the game correctly today and to our team who gave their best effort. We know that the event would be very difficult because our team is very young, but that is not justification, Nicaragua beat us very well”.

Nicaragua will play this Friday at 2:00 p.m. against Panama, and Guatemala at 7:00 p.m. Honduras are measured. 

Belize starts with 3-0 win over Panama

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 28, 2022 – Belize started with a 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-11. 25-12) against Panama to open the V Women’s Afecavol U23 Central American Championship, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium of the Olympic Village of Tegucigalpa.

The Belizean team rotated players, with Blessed Omamurhe with 11 points, Khaya Gordon and Nisaan Martínez with 10; while for Panama, captain Karla Ortíz was left with 8 and six from Krisleen González. Belize outscored 41-16 in spikes, 8-2 in blocks and 5-2 in aces, with 21 errors from Panama to 17 from the winners.

Sofía Solano, captain of Belize: “We are happy with the result, Panama was not a very demanding team, it was not what we expected, it was good to win in three sets. I think we are playing at a high level, tomorrow is a great game against Costa Rica and we know it will be a very tough game”.

José Fontés, coach of Belize: “It was a game that did not have a great level, even we started a little nervous. The lack of competitions in recent years takes its toll on Panama… for us to start winning is very important, we know that the rest of the games will be very difficult”.

Match action Belize vs Panama

Karla Ortiz, Captain of Panama: “We see this participation in a good way, because the vast majority of the girls are inexperienced players and this is a high-level tournament, where we are short and below the tournament age. We will give our very best, they played a good game and we were a little nervous as it was the first game”.

Eliot Clark: “Belize used to be Cinderella, but they have put a lot of work into it and now it is a great team and you have to respect them. They played very well (Belize), they won their game well played and we lacked experience. Expect a lot from us in the next games, we will grow little by little”.

Panama will play this Friday at 2:00 p.m. against Nicaragua, while Belize has a clash against Costa Rica at 4:30 p.m.

Central American U23 with high competitiveness 

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras; July 27, 2022.- The V Central American Championship will begin this Thursday, July 28, at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium, in the Tegucigalpa Olympic Village, with seven teams in search of the title obtained by Costa Rica in the previous four editions. 

The coaches anticipate a very competitive tournament, since it is a prelude to the absolute category and the technical and game level is very high. 

José Fontés, coach of Belize: “We have a few different players than the ones we had in the Under 21s (where they were runners-up); It is a higher category competition and we lost one of our best scorers, but if we are going to try to make it a more fruitful competition. The Afecavol competitions will be very equal, even the level of the countries that were weaker before have increased and that helps us to put on a good show” 

William Fernández: Coach of Guatemala: “We bring the same under 21 group (they were champions) and the goal is to give the maximum in each game, play with joy and with the same courage that we did in Belize. It must be a very level tournament… the level will be for anyone, we have come from a very long jump due to the pandemic, where we did not have warm-ups or tournaments, but the teams have also grown.” 

Noé Fabián, coach of El Salvador: “This is a very competitive tournament, everyone has raised their level, including El Salvador, who has been improving little by little. The champion of this tournament will be the team that manages to keep the level of play constant, because here a stumble and you stay with a chance. The importance is to resume all the tournaments of minor categories is that they serve as training, they are the base of the major National Teams, and our objective is the Central American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games”. 

Marvin Ulloa, coach of Honduras: “We want to continue in the medal table, that is the objective due to the trend that this group brought from the other categories from the U18, U20… we believe that this will end with something good, besides that we have the team complete, with players who come from the Under 21 in Belize (they were third)”. 

Claudia Noguera, coach of Nicaragua: “We hope to maintain the place obtained in the previous tournament (third place), it is a young team, with many players for the future, who we hope will later be part of the Senior National Team. Our goal here is to maintain the level of the game, move up the rankings and showcase the talent of the new faces of Nicaraguan volleyball.” 

Andrés Carbajal, Costa Rica: “We come with enthusiasm, joy, aware of the responsibility we have to revalidate this title and reach the five-time championship. We greatly respect the work of the other teams and expect games of a high level and demand. It is a group that has players who have already experienced this type of events, there is a mixture of experience and novice players. The group has accepted and received them (the new ones) well, we hope that there will be no nerves or anxiety in competition, the group is very united”. 

Eliot Clarke, coach of Panama: “Our expectation is that the team is young, they have talent, but we want them to develop little by little, each game will help them get to know each other and give their best. It is a fairly young team, only about two are from the category and the rest are younger; We hope to continue working with this team and keep it going for a long time.” 

Costa Rica looking to be Five-Time AFECAVOL U23 Champion

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 26, 2022.- Costa Rica will seek to become Five-time AFECAVOL Women’s U23 Central American Champion in the tournaments fifth edition to take place at Jorge Galeano Gymnasium of the Sports Complex of Tegucigalpa, Honduras from July 26 to August 3rd.

Costa Rica is the indisputable age-group champion since it’s first edition in 2012. Guatemala has produced two silver medals and one bronze, followed by Nicaragua with one silver and one bronze. On the other hand, Belize has one silver medal, won in the past edition, while Honduras alongside El Salvador have one bronze medal each.

The fifth edition of the Central American Women´s U23 Championship will have all seven Central American countries competing, who will go through the preliminary inquiry on Wednesday July 27.

The round-robin competition will have three daily matches scheduled at 2:00, 4:30 and 7:00 pm that will be livestreamed on Facebook Live Federación Hondureña de Voleibol

Tournament Page

Year by Year Podium

Year      Gold     Silver     Bronze

2012      CRC        GUA        HON

2014      CRC        NCA        GUA

2016      CRC        GUA        ESA   

2019      CRC        BIZ         NCA   

Competition Schedule

Thursday July 28

2:00pm  Belize vs Panama

4:30pm  Nicaragua vs Guatemala

7:00pm  Honduras vs El Salvador

Friday July 29

2:00pm  Panama vs Nicaragua

4:30pm  Costa Rica vs Belize

7:00pm  Guatemala vs Honduras

Saturday July 30

2:00pm  Nicaragua vs Costa Rica

4:30pm  El Salvador vs Guatemala

7:00pm  Honduras vs Panama

Sunday July 31

2:00pm  El Salvador vs Nicaragua

4:30pm  Guatemala vs Belize

7:00pm  Panama vs Costa Rica

Monday August 1

2:00pm  El Salvador vs Costa Rica

4:30pm  Guatemala vs Panama

7:00pm  Honduras vs Belize

Tuesday August 2

2:00pm  Costa Rica vs Guatemala

4:30pm  Belize vs El Salvador

7:00pm  Nicaragua vs Honduras

Wednesday July 3

2:00pm  Panamá vs El Salvador

4:30pm  Belice vs Nicaragua

7:00pm  Costa Rica vs Honduras

Monney the MVP of the Central American Sub 21   

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. 

Individual Awards AFECAVOL U21 Central American Championship

Guatemala Central American champions U21

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.

Guatemala celebrates winning the AFECAVOL U21 Central American Championship

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.  

Honduras wins bronze medal by beating Nicaragua 

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.

Andrea Aceituno, of Honduras, against Francesca Medrano, of Nicaragua

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 defeats Honduras and remains undefeated

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.

Belize vs El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

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.

Guatemala remains undefeated after beating El Salvador

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.

Guatemala vs El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

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 with powerful attacks surpasses El Salvador

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.

Belize celebrating a point against El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

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.

Guatemala beats Nicaragua in five exciting sets

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”. 

Nicaragua whitewashes El Salvador

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. 

Action between Nicaragua and El Salvador at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

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. 

Guatemala wins in five sets against Honduras

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.

Actions between Guatemala and Honduras at AFECAVOL U21 Women’s Central American Championship

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 starts with victory against Nicaragua

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.

Belize U21 Women’s National Team

“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”.

Honduras wins tough battle against El Salvador 

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.

Daniela Lopez of El Salvador against Honduras blocking at AFECAVOL Women’s U21 Central American Championship

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”.

Coaches expect a very competitive tournament

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. 

XIX U21 Women’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship in Belize

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.

Belize City Civic Center

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

Sean Kelley named U19 Pan American Cup Mosto Valuable Player

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 28, 2022. – Sean Kelley of the United States was named the MVP of the fourth edition of the Boys U19 Pan American Cup during the events’ awarding ceremony after the U.S. swept Mexico in the Championship match.

Sean Kelley, the U.S. team captain and MVP, also was awarded as the first Best Spiker, alongside his teammates Tread Rosenthal named Best Setter, Finn Kearney the Best Opposite and Best Server, and Kallen Larson who received the recognitions of Best Libero, Best Receiver and Best Digger.

Sean Kelly USA Most Valuable Player U19 Pan Am Cup

From Puerto Rico, the bronze medalists of the Pan Am Cup, Victor Torres was awarded as second Best Spiker.

David Nassar Cordoba of Costa Rica received the first Best Blocker award and Goran Rafaeli of Chile the second Best Blocker.

The Best Scorer award was handed out to Franklyn De Jesus Reyes of Dominican Republic.

Final Ranking: 1. United States; 2. Mexico; 3. Puerto Rico; 4. Chile; 5. Costa Rica; 6. Guatemala; 7. Dominican Republic; 8. Honduras.

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