Tag: U23 Women Afecavol

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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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

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 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.

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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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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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”.

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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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.

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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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. 

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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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”. 

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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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. 

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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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. 

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”.

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. 

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”. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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, 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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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”. 

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.

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.

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”. 

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. 

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”. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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”.

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.

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.” 

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 3^rd.

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