GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 2, 2025.- Guatemala needed three sets to defeat Suriname (25-23, 25-20, 25-17) and move on to the fifth-place match of the U23 Men’s Pan American Cup, taking place at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City.
The first set was highly contested, with Guatemala’s attack prevailing in the end, led by José Pablo Pérez. The second set was just as tight, but Guatemala managed to pull away slightly to take it. In the third, Guatemala was more dominant, building an early lead that allowed them to control the pace.
Guatemala and Suriname had already met in the tournament’s opening match, also resulting in a straight-set win for the Guatemalans.
The victory sends Guatemala to face Costa Rica on August 3 at 2:00 p.m. for fifth place, while Suriname will battle Belize for seventh at 12:00 p.m.
Three Guatemalans reached double digits in scoring: José Pablo Pérez with 18 points (17 attacks, 1 block), Jerry Duran with 16 points, and Luis Roberto Mendizábal with 10. For Suriname, Gianni Ritfeld and Jonovan Wijngaarde both scored 9 points.
Guatemala outperformed Suriname in attacks (46-35) and serves (3-0). Suriname led in blocks (10-6) but committed more unforced errors (20-16).
José Pablo Pérez said, “Suriname is quite a strong team. We’ve been working together for a while; there are many young players, but little by little they’re gaining experience. We achieved the result, which was the most important thing. We were also able to give playing time to the younger guys, which is good.”
Guatemala’s head coach Reider Lucas explained, “Despite losing two straight matches, this result in the 5-8 round puts us in a slightly more comfortable position. We knew it was going to be a demanding match, but the guys stayed focused, and we were able to pull off the victory, which was the most important thing.”
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