Tag: Afecavol

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 30, 2023 – Setter Daniel Ralón was declared the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s Under 23 Central American Championship, which concluded Saturday at the La Basita Sports Center in David.

Ralón also won the award for the Best Setter of the tournament and was a key piece in Guatemala’s  fifth gold medal out of a total of six editions of this tournament. Thanks to his game vision and composure in facing challenges, he managed the offensive plays well with José Pablo Pérez, Jason Hernández, Javier Lucero, Carlos Caballeros, and Leonardo Molina.

In addition to Ralón, his teammate Jason Hernández was awarded Second Best Blocker.

Nicaragua received five individual awards. Jordan Carcache took home the honors for Best Defense, Best Reception, and Best Libero; Evans Solís received the award for Best Server, and Rafael Hernández was named Best First Blocker.

For Belize, Kaelen Ingram was the Best Opposite and the Best First Spiker was Juan Delgado from Costa Rica.

The Second Best Spiker was handed to Gherson Ortiz of Panama, who was also the Best Scorer with 137 points, including a record of 39 points in a single match, achieved against El Salvador on the last day of the event.

The previous record for the highest total points in a game belonged to Bryton Codd of Belize, with 29 points achieved on July 31, 2016. José Pablo Pérez of Guatemala broke the record in this tournament with 30 points against Nicaragua, and then Gherson Ortiz achieved 32 points also against Nicaragua and closed with 39 points against El Salvador.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 30, 2023 – Guatemala defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-12) to finish undefeated with six victories at the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central Championship at the La Basita Sports Center in David.

Guatemala’s gold medal was decorated by their undefeated performance in the tournament, overcoming tough matches, especially against Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize, in which they came from behind with courage.

José Pablo Pérez confirmed his effectiveness scoring 16 points in the victory over Honduras. Jason Hernández led in blocks with four points, and Daniel Ralón had three direct service points. Jonathan Mendoza was the best for Honduras with six points.

Guatemala led in attacks 33-19, blocks 11-3, and services 5-4, and committed fewer unforced errors than Honduras (20-26).

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

José Pablo Pérez, Guatemala’s top scorer: “We feel good because we reached our goal. It was a tough championship; the teams were evenly matched. Attitude and staying united were the key to success. It was quite exhausting and stressful for me. On the day we got here, we had to play, and we weren’t yet in sync. But gradually, we came together, and everything worked out well”.

Josué González, Guatemala’s libero: “Sometimes defense doesn’t get much attention. Thanks for the opportunity. At my young age of 16, I’m very happy to have played a good role with the U23 national team. I had previously played in a U19 Pan American Championship, and thanks to the coaches, they gave me this opportunity. I also thank my teammates who supported me to keep going and lower my head. I dedicate this victory to my parents and my great-grandparents who passed away this year”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 30, 2023 – Panama closed with an exciting victory over El Salvador 3-2 (15-25, 25-22, 27-29, 26-24, 15-11) at the VI AFECAVOL Men’s Under-23 Central American Championship, which ended this Saturday at La Basita Sports Center in David.

In a match that lasted over two and a half hours (2:36), with both teams trying to secure their position in the middle of the standings, Panama managed to prevail in five sets with the support of their fans and the outstanding performance of Gherson Ortiz, who set a Central American record with 38 points.

Ortiz scored 34 points in attack and four in blocking, accompanied by Victor Perez with 16 points and Victor Arauz with 13. For El Salvador, Julio Hunter scored 21 points, and Abner Cano contributed 19.

Panama was superior in attack 67-55 and in blocking 12-10. El Salvador had a 5-2 advantage in serves and committed fewer unforced errors (21-41).

Panama concluded the event with a record of three wins and three losses, the same as Costa Rica and Belize, but with 11 points. El Salvador finished 2-4 , also with 11 points.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 30, 2023 – Nicaragua defeated Belize 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-20) and won the Silver Medal at the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at the La Basita Sports Center in David.

With the victory in straight sets, Nicaragua finished the event with a 4-2 record and 21 points. Costa Rica, which had already completed all its games a day earlier, benefited from Nicaragua’s victory to take home the bronze medal with a 3-3 record and 19 points. Belize finished in fourth place, also with a record 3-3 but with 17 points.

After completely dominating the first set, Nicaragua recovered from a three-point deficit (21-24) in the second set to win it 26-24. In the third set, despite Belize’s resistance, Nicaragua managed to close it with a victory in straight sets.

Evans Solís led Nicaragua with 17 points, including 14 on attacks, two on blocks, and one ace. Lennin Gómez added 14 points, and Denis Espinoza contributed 10. For Belize, Ernest Broaster scored 12 points.

Nicaragua outperformed Belize in attacks 40-34, in blocks 8-3, and 4-2 in service points, capitalizing on Belize’s 24 unforced errors compared to 18.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “We knew that this match was do or die. My players were focused and fought hard, and we worked with them psychologically. We made some changes with the setter (Victor Cruz) that worked for us, as did Denis Espinoza, who started today. As always, there are setbacks, injured players, or injuries on the first day of the tournament that made us change the game plan, but that’s how it goes”.

Evans Solís, top scorer of Nicaragua: “We feel super proud after securing this victory. We came to the tournament with different expectations, but second place is very acceptable because we knew the tournament would be tough. And this match against Belize was also challenging because we had several five-set matches, and we were a bit tired. The fighting spirit and the desire to win helped us. It also holds a special meaning for me because my uncle passed away two years ago, and I dedicate this victory to him”. 

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 29, 2023 – Guatemala defeated Panama 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-17, 25-17) and won its fifth title in the AFECAVOL Central American Men’s Championships with still one match left in the sixth edition of the tournament.

Guatemala has only stumbled once in the six editions of Age-group, which was last year against Nicaragua. Even though they faced tough matches this year, they showed courage to earn victories in games that seemed lost.

With a strong defense that allowed setter Daniel Ralón to distribute the ball effectively to his attackers, Guatemala forged their crown and put the final gem in the fourth set with a convincing 25-17.

José Pablo Pérez was once again the leading attacker for Guatemala with 22 points, and Carlos Caballeros contributed 11. Gherson Ortiz was the top scorer for Panama with 27 points, and Denzel Arboine added 12.

Guatemala had led 50-48 in attacks, 7-5 in blocks and 7-3 in aces, while committing 19 unforced errors compared to Panama’s 31.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “This is a very interesting competition; in every  country, we have very talented athletes, and they demand that we come well-prepared. This is a competitive tournament, not just participative, and it helps us continue to improve the level of play. In fact, this category is the foundation of the senior national teams. It is played at a high level and is very demanding, with intense rivalry in Central America. We have a bright future; that’s why we give the younger players the opportunity  to take on responsibility”.

Javier Lucero, captain of Guatemala: “We dedicate the first photo to our physiotherapist who always accompanies us, for the work he does with us, but this time he couldn’t be here. We are very happy with the result; that’s what we came here for, to be champions, and we continue to collect more gold medals for Guatemala and raise its name high”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 29, 2023 – Nicaragua battled to defeat Honduras 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-20) and reached three wins with two losses at the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at Centro Deportivo La Basita.

Honduras, which has no victories in this tournament, started by winning the first set due to Nicaragua’s passiveness, who couldn’t respond. Leonardo Villegas of Honduras scored 11 points in that first set.

Nicaragua managed to recover to lock the win in four sets but struggled to overcome  Honduras’ persistent offense.

Lenín Gómez and Josué Blandón led Nicaragua with 15 points each. Leonardo Villegas from Honduras led all scorers with 28 points, and his teammate Javier Díaz added 15 points.

Nicaragua scored 38 points on Honduras’ unforced errors, while Honduras held a 52-50 advantage in attacks, 10-7 in blocks, and 5-1 in aces. Nicaragua gave away 19 points on  errors.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “Now, everything is getting complicated for us because we should have won in three sets. The tournament is becoming challenging for us due to our setters (one of the starters got injured before the tournament), and we had to use an opposite player to secure the match, and we did it”.

“We don’t see tomorrow’s game (against Belize) as difficult or impossible. We must bring out the best from the entire team to try to defeat Belize and have a chance at the medal, but it will be tough. My team knows that tomorrow is do or die, and it will depend on the attitude we bring to the game”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 29, 2023 – Costa Rica concluded the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship defeating El Salvador 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19) on the penultimate day of the event at Centro Deportivo La Basita.

Costa Rica finished the tournament with three wins and three losses, awaiting the results of the other teams to determine their final position. El Salvador has a record of 2-3 and will play against Panama on Saturday at 7:30 PM (Panama time).

Yulius Brown finished strong with 17 points, Juan Diego Delgado with 13, and Andru Jones with 12 for Costa Rica. Abner Cano of El Salvador was the top scorer of the match with 19 points.

Costa Rica held a 41-38 advantage in the attacks and led El Salvador by a significant 12-2  margin in blocks, with four effective blocks from Alessandro Signini and three from Jones. Additionally, Costa Rica had a 2-1 advantage in serves. El Salvador committed 20 unforced errors compared to 14 by the winners.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Johan Morales, coach of Costa Rica: “Obviously, I would have liked to finish in the top three. Now, I must wait for the results, but I am very happy with the boys. This is a new process that is just beginning. It’s the first time I have a junior national team, and I am very proud of them. In the end, we closed as we had to. We had the opportunity to beat Nicaragua and Guatemala, but these are the things that come with experience, like Guatemala has, they know how to finish”.

“That’s what we are looking for in Costa Rica, to have that experience against high-level teams because in Central America, we are very evenly matched in men’s volleyball. I’m going back home, maybe not happy, but content because we have grown with these new players.”

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 28, 2023 – Guatemala (4-0) continues its dominant performance after defeating Costa Rica 3-1 (22-25, 28-26, 25-16, 25-21) on day five of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

After losing the first set, Guatemala responded in the second by focusing on their defense, allowing them to recover from a four-point deficit (16-20) and then a two-point deficit (20-22) to close with a dramatic 28-26 and tie the match.

In the third and fourth sets, Costa Rica maintained the pressure, but setter Daniel Ralón distributed Guatemala’s attack between Carlos Caballeros and Yefeson Zavala, who each finished with 16 points, Jason Hernández with 15, and Leonardo Molina with 14.

For Costa Rica, Juan Diego Delgado scored 18 points, and Yulius Brown finished with 11.

Guatemala led in attacks 69-47 and in blocks 8-5. Costa Rica had a slim advantage in service points 4-3 but gave away 32 unforced errors compared to Guatemala’s 20.

Costa Rica plays against El Salvador on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), and Guatemala faces Panama at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Leonardo Molina, middle blocker of Guatemala: “It was difficult for us to adapt and find our rhythm, but once we started, we didn’t stop, and we managed to improve. The good thing is that we are more than a team; we are a family because we have a strong friendship, and that helps us. If someone can’t solve a situation, the other steps in and does it. Attitude was crucial today; we didn’t give up, and that helped us”.

Carlos Caballeros, opposite hitter of Guatemala: “I’m happy to contribute to the team and reach our goal. There are two important matches left, and we will try to do our best. I feel that we are a team that knows what we’re here for, and each one tries to do their best. Today, we had a good attitude, and that was important”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 27, 2023 – Belize secured a straight-set victory over Panama 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22) in the closing match of the fourth day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

Belize improved to two wins and two losses, while Panama holds one victory and two losses.

Belize’s blocking made a difference with an 11-4 advantage, where Ernest Broaster and Kaelen Ingram contributed three blocks each. Belize also led in attacks with 44-35 and in serves 3-1. Panama committed 17 unforced errors compared to 22 from Belize.

For Belize, Broaster finished with 15 points, Ingram added 14, while Kerwin Palacio and Eleazar Mejía each scored 12 points. Denzel Airbone was Panama’s leading scorer with 14 points.

Belize will play against Honduras on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (Panama time), and Panama will face Nicaragua at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Albert Humes, coach of Belize: “This game was very important for us because we can still stay close to the podium. So, we talked to the guys and told them we had to be fully focused. We’ve been in situations where we won the first two sets and then failed, like against Guatemala, so today we had to be more focused in the final set”.

Ernest Broaster, captain of Belize: “It feels good to win after losing yesterday and the day before. We needed to win today. We needed to show the guys that we can finish in three sets. We started slow, but we picked up and closed the set, which is what we’ve needed for a long time. Now, we just need to keep it up in the coming days”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 27, 2023 – Nicaragua rallied twice in the match to overcome Costa Rica 3-2 (22-25, 31-29, 19-25, 25-18, 15-12) on the fourth day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

In the second set, Nicaragua was trailing 12-18 but managed to tie the score, taking the action to a dramatic 31-29 finish, where both teams showed their thirst for victory.

Costa Rica seemed on track for victory as they dominated the third set, jumping to a 10-point lead that Nicaragua tried to recover from. In the fourth set, Nicaragua had complete control, securing a 20-12 lead and forcing a fifth set after closing it out 25-18.

In the fifth set, with Josué Blandón contributing six points and Evan Solís adding three, along with great team defense, Nicaragua improved their tournament record to 2-1, while Costa Rica stands at 2-2.

Evan Solís scored 24 points in Nicaragua’s victory, Yader León added 17, and Josué Blandón contributed 15.

Yulius Brown from Costa Rica was the top scorer of the match with 25 points. Harold Rodríguez contributed 20 points for Costa Rica, and Octavio González recorded 14, seven of them through blocks.

Nicaragua led in attacks 71-64 and in serves 5-3, but Costa Rica excelled in blocks 17-11. Both teams gave up 25 points on unforced errors.

Costa Rica plays against Guatemala on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), and Nicaragua faces the host team from Panama at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “Another bittersweet victory because we had two players injured, and we’ll see how we manage to finish the tournament. The other guys who came in did their job and showed a lot of heart and courage to recover from a good lead that Costa Rica took from us. We will keep working to recover them and try to be on the podium because I believe we still have many possibilities”.

Jordan Carcache, libero of Nicaragua: “We are super happy; it was a victory that really cost us. Everyone did their job, both those on the court and those who came in because we have players with a high level. We managed to recover from a big disadvantage, and that helped us regain some confidence”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 27, 2023 – Guatemala reached three victories with zero losses after prevailing over El Salvador 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) on the fourth day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

Guatemala was trailing from the beginning set with a four-point deficit 8-12 but managed to take the lead when they reached the technical timeout at 16-12 without any response from El Salvador, maintaining the advantage until the end.

Guatemala capitalized on scoring 30 points from El Salvador’s errors and gave up 18. The match was balanced with a 36-34 advantage in attacks for Guatemala, both teams tied at 6 in blocks and 3 in points from serves.

José Pablo Pérez was Guatemala’s top scorer with 12 points, followed by Jason Hernández who added 10. For El Salvador, Julio Hunter scored 12 points, while Abner Cano and Douglas Gómez each scored 10 points.

Guatemala remains the only undefeated team in the tournament, while El Salvador holds a 2-2 record. On Thursday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), Guatemala will face Costa Rica, while El Salvador will have a rest day.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “El Salvador put us in a tight spot; they started playing a more effective game, but once again, we managed to balance, come back, and win the match. The truth is that these five points help us a lot in the standings. We still have half of the championship left, and we want to take it one game at a time to see how we progress in the competition”.

Jason Hernández, middle blocker of Guatemala: “We reached the goal of winning in three sets, which leaves us quite satisfied because it was our main objective. Now, we need to make the most of the rest day because we have another demanding match ahead, and we need to be in the best condition. We must be very aware of what we do in each game and make the most of the rest periods. We already have 13 sets under our belt halfway through the tournament”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 26, 2023 – Costa Rica defeated Panama 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-16) to secure their second victory qt the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

Costa Rica (2-1) faced resistance from Panama (1-1) in the early points of each set, but with consistent attacking and good defense, they took a lead that proved impossible for their rivals to overcome.

Costa Rica led in attacks 46-30, blocks 9-3, and serves 4-3. Both teams committed a similar number of unforced errors, Costa Rica with 15 and Panama with 16.

Yulius Brown with 19 points (15 attacks, two blocks, two aces) was Costa Rica’s top scorer, while Juan Delgado finished with 17 points, and Harold Rodríguez with 12. For Panama, Denzel Airbone led with 13 points, and Gherson Ortiz contributed 11.

On Wednesday, Costa Rica (2-1) will face Nicaragua (1-1) at 5:00 p.m. (Panama time), while Panama (1-1) will take on Belize (1-2) at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Yulius Brown, top scorer of Costa Rica: “This result helps us a lot to have a good point difference. I am very proud and happy for this victory. I think the key today was consistency, not missing serves, maintaining the attack, and continuing to work together.”

Juan Delgado, outside hitter of Costa Rica: “We are very happy because in this tournament, we have been improving gradually. In the first match, we were a bit nervous, for some of the players it’s their first time in the national team, but thanks to God, we have been able to adapt a bit more, and with the work of our coaches and all the teammates, coming together as a group, we have been able to win matches”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 26, 2023 – El Salvador secured its second victory of the event after defeating Honduras 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-10) at the beginning of the third day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

Honduras still hasn’t seen victory in three outings, and on Tuesday, they couldn’t overcome a focused El Salvador that did edged with its serves and was effective in blocking.

El Salvador (2-1) led in attacks 33-23, blocks 10-5, and serves 8-1. Oscar Martínez stood out with four effective blocks, Abner Cano and Julio Hunter with 4 and 3 aces respectively for El Salvador, which committed only 15 unforced errors compared to 24 by their opponents.

Abner Cano scored 13 points for El Salvador, and Leonardo Villegas from Honduras scored 11.

On Wednesday, El Salvador will face Guatemala at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), while Honduras has a rest day.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Fernando Navarro, libero of El Salvador: “After the first game, we have gained confidence and improved as a team, which has been important. We always prepare to face strong teams; the mindset changes a lot when you come in focused and prepared for what you’ve been training for. We have the goal of defending the bronze from the last edition, and God willing, we can change the color of the medal”.

Ricardo Mira, middle blocker of El Salvador: “I’m happy that the team is starting to come together. The first day was a bit strange, as we were getting the team focused, but today we looked better and getting in better shape as a team”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 25, 2023 – Costa Rica defeated Honduras 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-18) to lock their first victory in the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at the La Basita Sports Center.

Costa Rica outperformed Honduras in attack 38-27, blocking 12-6, and serving 6-3. Both teams committed 19 unforced errors.

Juan Diego Delgado with 19 points was the top scorer for Costa Rica, with Harold Rodríguez and Yulius Brown contributing 12 points each. Leonardo Villegas with 11 and Jonathan Mendoza with 10 were the top scorers for Honduras.

Honduras will play against El Salvador on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama Time), and Costa Rica will face Panama at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Johan Morales, coach of Costa Rica: “After yesterday’s match, the team needed this victory because they seemed very nervous, very tense. We also started a bit tense in this match, but we managed to turn the circumstances around with a very important 3-0 win. Credit must be given to the opponent as they also made their effort”.

Luis Solano, captain of Costa Rica: “Today, we were better as a team. Honduras played a good game, but with confidence, we managed to gain an advantage, especially in the closing moments. We always stayed very close, even coming from behind in some sets to come back and win”.

Héctor Duarte, captain of Honduras: “I think we could have done much better, but we had lapses in concentration, and the emotional aspect affected us quite a bit. In the first and third sets, we started well and then dropped, and we couldn’t recover. We can improve so we can show a better version of us”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 25, 2023 – El Salvador managed to recover after losing the first set and overcome a three-point deficit in the fourth set to defeat Belize 3-1 (12-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22) on the second day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at the La Basita Sports Center.

Belize was dominant in the first set, establishing an overwhelming lead over El Salvador, scoring five aces and three blocking points. From the second set onward, things changed, with Belize committing 10 unforced errors and limited to just one block, without scoring points on service. In the third set, El Salvador led the attack, just as they did in the fourth set when they rallied from being down 18-21 to finish with a 25-22 victory.

El Salvador led the attack 49-48. Belize performed better in blocking 9-2 and in serving 8-3, but they committed 33 unforced errors compared to 27 from El Salvador.

Julio Hunter scored 18 points, followed by Abner Cano with 15 for El Salvador. Kaelen Ingram from Belize was the top scorer of the match with 22 points, accompanied by Kervin Palacio with 13 points and Ernest Broaster with 12.

El Salvador will play against Honduras on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama Time), and Belize will face Guatemala at 5:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Andrea Genova, coach of El Salvador: “The fatigue from the first day was important because it didn’t allow the boys to concentrate. Today, we were more relaxed, more rested, and we found some changes that went in our favor during the game. Now, it’s evident that we’re a better team, as we didn’t have much training this year. Our team is good, and we know we have a lot to develop, but it’s a matter of gaining confidence and reacting”.

Abner Cano, captain of El Salvador: “We feel happy, proud of what we’ve accomplished  because we improved a lot compared to the first game, and we enjoyed the match. We came with the desire to win, and we showed it on the court. The team couldn’t quite click at first, but then we did, and we turned it into a good match”.

Albert Humes, coach of Belize: “We have to go back to the drawing board and try to make the players understand the importance of every point in the game. It wasn’t that the other team was better in serving or attacking; it was our focus on the game. El Salvador scouted us well, and our team couldn’t recover quickly. The sets were close, and at the last moment, we got nervous. The lack of matches to get our team in good shape and better prepared was evident in this game”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 24, 2023 – Panama displayed strength in their 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-11, 25-13) victory over Honduras in the closing match of the opening day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at the La Basita Sports Center.

Despite losing the second set, the home team excelled in attack and blocking, especially with Gherson Ortiz scoring 19 points (18 attacks, one block) although suffering an ankle injury in the fourth set. Victor Arauz added 17 points (13 attacks, 3 blocks, one service), and Denzel Airbone contributed 15 points (14 attacks, one block).

Honduras’ top scorer was Leonardo Villegas with 15 points.

Panama dominated with a 55-35 advantage in kills and an overwhelming 12-0 lead in blocks, closing with a 6-3 edge in serving. Honduras committed 25 unforced errors compared to Panama’s 28.

Honduras will play against Costa Rica on Monday at 5:00 p.m. (Panama time), and Panama has a rest day.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTE

Eric Lucero, coach of Panama: “It’s super important to start with a win, especially as hosts. The second set was a bit complicated for us, but we managed to regroup, evaluate, and win the match. It’s positive how the guys reacted; we can’t be overconfident when we have the upper hand. They need to know that other teams also prepare”.

Daniel Andrade, captain of Panama: “I feel very happy; thanks to God, we got the victory. It wasn’t easy; we fought for it as a team. One important thing is that we didn’t lose our spirit after losing the second set. We kept fighting and climbing to win the match”.

José Reyes, coach of Honduras: “Honestly, I’m pleased; the guys did a good job against the host team. We have experienced players and many young ones who need that experience, and there are several scenarios where you can give them the opportunity, hoping they gain experience. Overall, I liked how they performed and faced the first game”.

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 24, 2023 – Nicaragua began with a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-16, 25-18) over El Salvador in the second match of the opening day of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at the La Basita Sports Center.

Defending champion Nicaragua was strong in blocking with a 9-3 advantage, they also led 5-2 in service points and 28-25 in attacks. El Salvador committed 33 unforced errors, while Nicaragua had 23.

Josué Blandón scored 10 points for Nicaragua, while Gustavo Ortiz secured eight for El Salvador.

El Salvador will face Belize on Monday at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), and Nicaragua will go up against Guatemala at 7:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “Today is a bittersweet day because we don’t know if our opposite player (Yerick García) who got injured today will continue, and we had to win the match, and that was the objective. Let’s see what awaits us tomorrow; we can only take it one game at a time”.

Rafael Hernández, captain of Nicaragua: “We did well today; the team achieved the objective even though El Salvador put up a fight. I think the best thing we had and what helped us a lot was our reception, which allowed us to have a strong attack”.

Andrea Genova, coach of El Salvador: “Our team had a long journey; they even canceled our flight, and we arrived yesterday with little rest. I believe this is normal with a young team that needs more time to improve. As the tournament progresses, we will see a better team”. 

David, Chiriquí, Panama, September 24, 2023 – Kaelen Ingram with 28 points, led Belize to  a 3-1 (25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19) victory against Costa Rica, in the opening match of the VI AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship at La Basita Sports Center.

Ingram was unstoppable with 24 points on sattack, 3 in blocking, and one ace, joined by Ernest Broaster, who contributed 19 points, and Eleazar Mejía with 18. Yulius Brown scored 21 points for Costa Rica.

Belize led in attacks 66-37, blocks 9-4, and service 7-5, although they committed 32 errors compared to 14 from Costa Rica.

Belize will play its second match on Monday against El Salvador at 2:30 p.m. (Panama time), and Costa Rica will face Honduras at 5:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

QUOTES

Albert Humes, coach of Belize: “I feel very good; thanks to this victory, we feel more confident for the upcoming matches. I think we had some doubts at the beginning because not the entire team had trained together, but then the players showed what they had trained for, and everything went well”.

Kaelen Ingram, top scorer of Belize: “I feel very good about coming to the tournament; it’s the first time I’ve met the entire team but getting to know each other and seeing what they’ve learned is completely different. Half of the team is in the United States, and the other half is in Belize, but when we play, we do it very well. This was like my first practice with the entire team, but we came with a sharp mindset that we were here for victory”.

Johan Morales, coach of Costa Rica: “We knew about the strength of the Belizean team; historically, they have been like that. There was a work plan that the boys didn’t follow, and for many, as it was their first playing for the national team, nerves got the best of them. Now, we need to correct things because we haven’t lost our chances for medals. It’s only the first game, and we need to focus on tactics and fix the reception, which was terrible today”.

DAVID, Chiriquí, Panama, September 23, 2023 – Seven national teams eager to claim the gold medal have gathered in this city to compete in the VI AFECAVOL Men’s Under-23 Central American Championship, to be held at La Basita Sports Center.

All the delegations have submitted their documents meeting the requirements of the Control Committee, chaired by Mr. Carlos Enrique Santis, General Secretary of AFECAVOL. They are ready to fight “point by point” to step onto the podium, as their coaches have indicated.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

Albert Humes, coach of Belize: “Our expectations are high. Belize is knocking on the door of greatness, of being number one in Central America. Our expectation is to come here and give our best and make our country proud. In fact, we have a fairly young team. We have young players as young as 16, even one who is 15, so most of our players are under 21, some can play in the U19 team and the U17 team. So, we still have a good progression of players for the future greatness of our country”.

Johan Morales, coach of Costa Rica: “We come here with a happy group, very united. We have been working for quite some time, and I believe this is the team I have been able to work with the most because of the time with the boys. We come with young players with a lot of talent and hunger to bring Costa Rica its first gold medal in this category. That’s the goal, to go step by step and steadily. At this age, concentration is crucial, and in the men’s competition, it’s very close, respecting all the opponents, as seen in the Senior Central American Championship”.

Andrea Genova, coach of El Salvador: “We expect to perform well. Our team is not bad; we can fight for a spot on the podium and see if we can get a medal in the competition. We know that everyone has the same goal; it’s a fairly even competition, but some teams stand out more. We will go point by point in each game. It’s the last youth tournament before reaching the senior level, and several athletes are already in the senior national team, which is why the level is very high”.

Reider Lucas, coach of Guatemala: “We want to progress through the event. We know it’s very important because many athletes are part of the senior national teams, and it’s a tournament with a high level in the region. We want our boys to enjoy the competition, continue to develop, and try to achieve the goal match by match, fighting point by point, and having a good competition”.

José Reyes, coach of Honduras: “We have a generation that has had a lot of experience in U19 and U23 tournaments, along with the addition of new young players that we have started to form, with the aspiration of reaching the senior national team. We are happy; we have a renewed group with the desire to do things well, everyone is ready, including the coaching staff, to perform well”.

Jorge Mena, coach of Nicaragua: “We know it’s a tough tournament, and we will try to do our best, but we know that all the teams are strong, and a great tournament awaits us, of a high level. We know our rivals and the level of some countries like Guatemala or Costa Rica, but we are going game by game to see how we can land on the podium and then change the medal, but above all, give our best in each match”.

Eric Lucero, coach of Panama: “We have high expectations, aiming for the podium, as we did years ago. A very good job has been done in forming the national team; we have athletes with good experience in the younger categories. In the U21 category, we managed to get on the podium with a silver medal. We have realized that all the countries in the region are working hard. Volleyball has grown, we have all grown, and we are aiming for the highest level”.

First day, Sunday, September 24

2:00 PM Costa Rica vs. Belize

4:30 PM El Salvador vs. Nicaragua

7:00 PM Opening Ceremony

7:30 PM Panama vs. Honduras

DAVID, Panama, September 19, 2023 – The sixth edition of the AFECAVOL Men’s U23 Central American Championship will be held at the Centro Deportivo La Basita in David, the capital of Chiriquí, Panama, from September 24 to September 30.

The seven Central American countries will arrive in David on Friday, September 22, and undergo preliminary inspection on Saturday, September 23. The round-robin competition will kick off on Sunday, September 24, with three daily matches.

Guatemala has dominated the event since its inception in 2012, having won four consecutive gold medals (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018). Guatemala lost the title to the current champion, Nicaragua, who won the gold medal in the last edition in San Salvador. Guatemala finished in second place, and El Salvador in third.

In addition to a gold medal, Nicaragua has one silver medal. Costa Rica has a total of three medals, two silver and one bronze, El Salvador has two bronze medals, and Honduras has one bronze.

AFECAVOL SUB23 MASCULINO, PANAMÁ

Competition Schedule

Sunday, September 24

2:00 pm Costa Rica vs Belize

4:30 pm El Salvador vs Nicaragua

7:00 pm Opening Ceremony

7:30 pm Panama vs Honduras

Monday, September 25

2:30 pm Belize vs El Salvador

5:00 pm Honduras vs Costa Rica

7:30 pm Nicaragua vs Guatemala

Tuesday, September 26

2:30 pm El Salvador vs Honduras

5:00 pm Guatemala vs Belize

7:30 pm Costa Rica vs Panama

Wednesday, September 27

2:30 pm Guatemala vs El Salvador

5:00 pm Nicaragua vs Costa Rica

7:30 pm Belize vs Panama

Thursday, September 28

2:30 pm Costa Rica vs Guatemala

5:00 pm Honduras vs Belize

7:30 pm Panama vs Nicaragua

Friday, September 29

2:30 pm El Salvador vs Costa Rica

5:00 pm Nicaragua vs Honduras

7:30 pm Guatemala vs Panama

Saturday, September 30

2:30 pm Belize vs Nicaragua

5:00 pm Honduras vs Guatemala

7:30 pm Panama vs El Salvador

Medalists year by year:

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 12, 2023 – Marcela Araya, team captain of Costa Rica was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup, which concluded on Tuesday at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

Araya played a crucial role in helping Costa Rica win its 19th title in the history of this tournament, with 16 of them in a row. Araya also received the award for Best Outside Hitter. Her teammate, María José Castro, received recognition as the Best Defese and Best Libero.

The Best Service award went to María Andrea Santa Cruz from Guatemala, the Best Receiver award was given to Carmen Chávez from El Salvador, and her teammate Daniela Sánchez was awarded Best Setter.

From Belize, Nelissa Ramírez was named the second Best Outside Hitter, and Nissan Martínez was the second Best Blocker.

The awards for Best Blocker and Best Scorer went to Ana Gabriela Marcelín from Honduras.

The Best Opposite award was presented to Lolette Rodríguez from Nicaragua.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA 

After receiving the recognition as the Most Valuable Player of the event, Marcela Araya said, “It’s truly a night filled with many emotions. Thank God we were able to finish strong despite that first set we had. I am infinitely thankful to God for my health, for allowing me to play for almost 17 years with the national team, which makes me proud. I am happy to have ended my indoor volleyball career with this group of warriors; that’s what they are, and now it’s time to celebrate”.

She added, “I also want to thank the coaching staff, each and every person who supports us, and the girls for their commitment, which is reflected on the court, but it’s the result of what we have cultivated during our training”.

Costa Rica’s coach, Pablo Acuña, praised Marcela, saying, “She is a player who is prepared to be the best in every game, with an exemplary work ethic. Today, she bids farewell to the National Team; it was her last game, and she deserves all the highest honors as the best player of the event”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 12, 2023 – Costa Rica defeated Honduras 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-18) on the final day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Championship at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex adding another title to their collection that began in 1977

Costa Rica clinched their 19th title, their 16th in a row since 1993. Besides Costa Rica, only Panama and Honduras have claimed the Central American title; Panama twice (1974, 1976) and Honduras once in 1991.

This is the second silver medal for Honduras, their first was in 1997, and they hadn’t reached the Central American podium since then.

After losing the first set, coach Pablo Acuña adjusted, bringing in Tannia Carazo and Angélica Rodríguez, who contributed to their team’s strong control of the game.

Costa Rica dominated in attacks 49-31, blocks 9-4, and serves 9-6, while committing 31 unforced errors (mostly in the first set) compared to Honduras’ 25.

Tatiana Sayles was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 19 points, Tannia Carazo scored 16, and Marcela Araya contributed 13. Ana Marcelín was Honduras’ top scorer with 13 points.

Both Carazo and team captain Marcela Araya received a recognition from their teammates as they announced that this was their last match with the national team, concluding careers of over 15 years with the Costa Rican national team.

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QUOTES

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “The game was challenging; we knew Honduras would play a good game. They are a team that has been improving, with good players and coaching staff. I’m very pleased that all the players were able to contribute to the team as they did throughout the tournament. Against Nicaragua, it was Mónica, today it was Tannia, Tamara stood out in another match; that says a lot about their character and preparation”.

Tannia Carazo, outside hitter of Costa Rica: “I’m very happy to have contributed to my team. From the beginning of the tournament, I brought a mentality of fighting and helping my teammates, whether on or off the court. Today, I was given the opportunity, and I’m truly delighted because I came with a strong desire to contribute to my team; that was very clear to me. This is a day filled with many emotions. I’m very happy to say farewell in this way. It has been a beautiful and enriching journey as an athlete”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 12, 2023 – Nicaragua prevailed over Belize 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 26-24) to win the bronze medal at the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Championship at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.

This is the ninth bronze medal for Nicaragua, they also have won seven silver medals, with the last four in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2021.

Nicaragua staged a comeback from being down 20-24 in the third set, thanks to Juny Aguilera’s serves, which included a couple of aces and disrupted Belize’s attack, allowing them to turn the score around.

Lolette Rodríguez scored 16 points, and Erica Calero contributed 11 for Nicaragua, while Shantell Arnold scored 11 points for Belize. Nicaragua committed 18 unforced errors compared to 22 from Belize.

Nicaragua did better in attacks 43-24 and in serves 8-6, while Belize outperformed them in blocks 6-3.

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QUOTES

René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua: “The girls deserve all the recognition. Almost all of them train, work, or study, and some even have to take care of their children because they are already mothers, and all of that is a great sacrifice. We knew it would be a tough match, and they gave their all on the court with the support of this great crowd”.

Miriam Blandino, libero of Nicaragua: “I feel very happy because I’m retiring from the national team with a bronze medal. Maybe we wanted more, a medal of a different color, but we all made a great effort, and I think we deserve the medal. It has been a sporting life filled with sacrifices and a lot of effort, and here are the fruits of that”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 12, 2023 – El Salvador defeated Panama 3-1 (25-8, 25-19, 24-26, 25-9) to conclude the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Championship with three wins and three losses at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

El Salvador dropped the second set to a determined Panama to finish the event with a 3-3 record and 16 points, awaiting the result between Belize and Nicaragua to determine their final position.

El Salvador led in all aspects of the game, with a 46-29 advantage in attacks, a 10-6 lead in blocks, and an impressive 19-3 advantage in serves, including 6 aces from setter Daniela Sánchez. Both teams committed 24 unforced errors.

María Jiménez Hunter led El Salvador with 19 points, and Gabriela Funes contributed 11. Hashlyn Cuero finished with 16 points for Panama.

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QUOTES

Adriana Flores, captain of El Salvador: “We had the opportunity to win the game 3-0, but the coach wanted to give the girls who will be in the under 23 team in the coming months in El Salvador a chance and measure their level. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win that set, but in the next one, we managed to recover our rhythm. Obviously, you always want more, but overall, we had good matches and a good performance, especially considering it’s a young team with a bright future”.

Maria Jiménez Hunter, top scorer El Salvador: “I’m happy to contribute to my team’s victory and motivated for the next tournament. I think it was a good tournament; there were many surprises, teams that weren’t high in the rankings managed to stand out. It was quite an interesting tournament”.

Managua, Nicaragua, September 12, 2023 – Kevanna Sebastian, a player from Belize, has become an internet sensation due to her use of sunglasses during the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Volleyball Cup in Nicaragua.

Born in 1998 (25 years old), has already played more than 40 matches with the Belize national team, but it’s during this competition that she has attracted attention for a particular accessory she uses while playing.

It’s her eye-catching sunglasses that she wears due to a vision problem, making the Belizean middle blocker the talk of volleyball forums and even on Volleyball World social media.

“I have a curve in my right eye. My left eye is stronger. My eyes are very sensitive to bright lights; they give me headaches that lead to migraines. I have trouble driving at night with bright car lights, and my glasses adjust to the light’s brightness to protect my eyes.”

“I started wearing glasses in 2018, but they were regular ones. My vision worsened, and my eyes are very sensitive. If I’m not wearing my glasses, I get a headache, and after that, it turns into a migraine, and then I can’t do anything. What my glasses do is remove the glare and bright light, simply.”

Due to this condition, the use of these glasses had to be evaluated by the event’s medical committee, and they approved their use during the Central American Championship, without imagining that this would set a precedent in the history of international volleyball.

“It’s not a luxury, they’re just glasses, but they are medical prescription. I received them a couple of months ago; before that, I only had glasses for bright light. About three months ago, I started using them. While I was playing, bright light used to affect me a lot; if it hit my eyes directly, I couldn’t see. But now I have no problems, and it doesn’t affect my play; they are comfortable, and there’s no issue in using them.”

Kevanna is aware of the effects of her condition, but that doesn’t stop her from representing her country and motivating the younger generations. Thanks to her new glasses, she can continue playing without any side effects.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 11, 2023 – María Andrea Santa Cruz with 12 aces led Guatemala over Panama 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 27-25), a tournament-high on points from serves at the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

Santa Cruz was unstoppable in her serves, and in addition to the 12 aces, she added five points on kills, for a total of 17 points in Guatemala’s final match in the event, finishing with a 1-5 record.

Hashlyn Cuero was Panama’s top scorer with 13 points, three of them also in serves.

Guatemala earned the victory thanks to a huge 16-7 advantage in service points, while Panama led 3-1 in blocks. Both teams scored 29 attacking points, with Guatemala committing fewer unforced errors (22-31).

Panama concludes the tournament against El Salvador at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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QUOTES

William Fernández, coach of Guatemala: “Psychologically, it’s good to finish with a victory. We didn’t meet the goal we had set, without blaming the youth of the athletes, but it’s something to consider. If they stay together, they will achieve good results in the future. They worked well yesterday, as well as today. We had many sets where we didn’t close, like yesterday when we were leading 10-5 (against Nicaragua in the fifth set), but we lacked confidence”.

María Santa Cruz, outside hitter of Guatemala: “Honestly, I’m relieved. I was able to make my serve, but I didn’t have it at the beginning of the tournament until the game against Costa Rica, where I managed to figure out where and how to do it. I’m satisfied with myself and the work we’ve been doing. Also, I didn’t know I had made so many “aces”.  I think overall we were a bit unfocused and couldn’t come together, work as a team properly. It’s a shame that we only achieved it at the end, but we are satisfied with our performance”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 11, 2023 – El Salvador had no trouble defeating Belize 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-14)  to start the sixth day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

Both, El Salvador and Belize have a 2-3 win-loss record and 12 points.

El Salvador led in attacks 41-24, in service points 8-6, and Belize had a slim 3-2 advantage in blocking 3-2. El Salvador committed 15 unforced errors, while Belize totaled 24.

María Jiménez Hunter was the top scorer for El Salvador with 15 points, and for Belize, Nissan Martínez scored 13.

El Salvador will face Panama at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and Belize will take on Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA 

QUOTES

Adriana Flores, captain of El Salvador: “Each team is played differently, each one has a different strategy, and that’s the rhythm of the game. Today we were calmer, but always with that bittersweet taste because we expected a different result throughout the tournament, and right now it’s not a loss, it’s all about adding points, being calm and confident in what we are doing”.

María Jiménez Hunter, top scorer of El Salvador: “We came with the mindset of putting on a better performance than last time, trusting in our coaching staff and our abilities. I think we were prepared to do better, but something worked against us, I don’t know if it was nerves, pressure, something affected us, and for this match, we prepared on our day off, and things went well”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 10, 2023 – Nicaragua earned a thrilling five-set victory over Guatemala 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-14, 15-11) in the closing match of the fifth day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

The home team, supported by hundreds of fans, rallied from a 1-2 set deficit to win the fourth set and in the fifth set, trailing 5-10, mounted a comeback with 8 consecutive points, clinching the triumph.

Lolette Rodríguez once again played an important role in Nicaragua’s victory scoring 20 points, including seven in the fourth set to revive Nicaragua’s hopes, and closing the fifth set with five points, giving them a better chance at a medal. Josafat Díaz contributed 13 points and Erika Calero added 10.

Andrea Mendizabal led Guatemala with 19 points, María Santa Cruz scored 16, and Aury Alvarez contributed 11.

Nicaragua dominated in attacks 53-48, but Guatemala performed better in blocks 8-6 and serves 11-6. Nicaragua scored 35 points from Guatemala’s errors and gave up 28.

On Monday, Guatemala will face Panama at 4:00 p.m., and Nicaragua will play against Honduras at 6:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA 

QUOTES

René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua: “We knew that all the games in this round are tough; there are no small enemies here. But the good thing is that we achieved the victory, even when we were down by five points in the fifth set. The team knew how to do things, and all the credit goes to them. Our rookies have responded, and in the end, they did their job and fulfilled their role”.

Brisa Pérez, outside hitter of Nicaragua: “I’m very excited, very happy with this victory, with the adrenaline still at a hundred. I had the opportunity to come in, and thank God, I was able to do things right. I’m grateful to my coaches for the opportunity to be here”.

Andrea Mendizabal, middle blocker of Guatemala: “We’ve put in a lot of effort, even though we haven’t achieved the result we were pursuing, which we had back in  Guatemala. Since yesterday’s game, we’ve been playing well, putting in our courage and heart, and that’s what matters. As my dad says, one team must win, and unfortunately, this time it wasn’t us, but the spirit and heart are always there”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 10, 2023 – Honduras won a long battle against Belize 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-5) to remain undefeated and secure a place on the podium at the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

Honduras secured its fourth victory in over two hours of play, earning 17 points on the standings, ensuring at least the third-place finish.

The last medal won by Honduras in the Central American Cup was in 1995 when they finished in second place. In 1991, they won the gold medal.

Honduras did better in attacks 52-47 and in blocks 10-9 , while Belize was better in serves  10-8. Honduras committed 34 unforced errors, while Belize had 40.

Cecille Johnson was Honduras’ top scorer with 22 points, followed by Ana Gabriela Marcelín with 20. For Belize, Nelissa Ramírez finished with 14 points, and Nissan Martínez scored 13.

Belize will play against El Salvador at 1:30 p.m., while Honduras will face Nicaragua on Monday at 6:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA 

QUOTES

Cecille Johnson, Honduras’ top scorer: “We are very excited; it’s been years since we won a medal, and today we are very happy. More than 30 years without winning anything, and just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Today the match was very tough; fatigue and the heat affected us, but we fought for every point to get the victory”.

Bessy Inestrosa, captain of Honduras: “Thanks to God, we managed to secure the medal. It was quite challenging; Belize is an excellent team, but we were able to overcome them. We lost a bit of focus in the game, and some fatigue affected us because several matches have been demanding, and the body takes its toll, but we always have high spirits”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 10, 2023 – Costa Rica had no trouble defeating Panama 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-18) on the fifth day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex.

It was Costa Rica’s fifth consecutive victory, as they took an early lead in each set, thanks to their serving that troubled Panama’s reception and reduced their attack.

Costa Rica led 40-17 in attacks, 4-3 in blocks, and both teams scored 5 service points. Costa Rica scored 26 points from Panama’s errors and gave away 16.

Tamara Rodríguez and Marcela Araya each scored 12 points for Costa Rica, while Hashlyn Cuero scored nine for Panama.

Costa Rica will rest on Monday, and Panama will face Guatemala at 4:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA 

QUOTES

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “Satisfied with this match, we told the players that it was a match to minimize errors and capitalize on our strengths, and fortunately, they were very focused on that. Now, we have the final push, and we are prepared for that last match”.

María José Castro, libero for Costa Rica: “We are happy; every match is tough, and every team has its strengths, and we must get stronger each time for the goal. We must stay very focused because it can slip away from us by a small margin. We have players from different generations, and we are quite united both on and off the court; we support each other, and together we all play well”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 9, 2023 – Honduras had to push themselves to the limit to overcome Panama 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 28-26) on the fourth day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Cup.

Honduras, with a 3-0 win-loss record started each set coming from behind. In the second set, Honduras bounced back from a 15-20 deficit with an eight-point streak that Panama couldn’t control. Panama couldn’t finish strong, and their opponents capitalized on the experience of their players to win the match.

In the third set, Panama had two set points, but Honduras responded with strong defense and attacks from one of their best players, Ana Gabriela Marcelín, who finished with 17 points, including four blocks, and Cecille Johnson with 10. For Panama, Hashlyn Cuero scored 11 points.

Panama outperformed Honduras in attacks 32-20 and service points 9-7 but was down 3-7 in blocks, however, Panama committed 34 unforced errors compared to Honduras’ 28.

On Sunday, Panama faces Costa Rica at 1:30 p.m., and Honduras takes on Belize at 4:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras: “Panama’s approach is very strong, and we let our guard down, which is something we cannot do. We were playing at a high level of volleyball, and we let our guard down, which caused us many problems. It’s necessary to fight, despite fatigue, and we got the victory. Tomorrow, we face another battle, and the truth is that every day feels like a final. The girls’ reaction today was good because it’s not easy to always play from behind on the scoreboard and come back to win”.

Andrea Zuñiga, libero of Honduras: “I think we came in a bit overconfident; it was noticeable that Panama was eager to win. They played a great game, defending and attacking everything. I think it was a very tough game, and I felt bad at one point due to the heat and pressure, but my teammate came in and did a great job as well. Today’s lesson was not to be overconfident and not underestimate any team”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 9, 2023 – Costa Rica’s national team secured their fourth consecutive victory as after defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-17, 30-28, 25-19) on Saturday at the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Cup.

For Guatemala, it was their fourth consecutive defeat, still without any wins, despite putting up a fight in all sets, as seen in the second set where they had three set points. However, Costa Rica managed to finish strong and take the set, which gave them greater confidence heading into the third.

Marcela Araya continues to be a key player for the Costa Rican team, this time scoring 13 points, and Tatiana Sayles added 10. For Guatemala, María García contributed 13 points.

Costa Rica led in attacks 38-30, blocks 8-5, and service points 5-3. Additionally, they benefited from 29 unforced errors by their opponents while committing 26 themselves.

On Sunday, Costa Rica will face Panama at 1:30 p.m., and Guatemala will go up against Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “When it’s Central America, it’s a different tournament for Costa Rica. All the opponents prepare to beat us, and we take it as a big challenge. We prepare so that each player is ready to play her role, and today, what I appreciate is that we had a better start than in the previous match”.

Julissa Rodríguez, middle blocker of Costa Rica: “We are super happy, but it’s thanks to the teamwork that both the coaching staff and we have been doing. In reality, we haven’t won anything yet; we still have games to go, and we need to keep working as we have been and show what we know how to do with the goal we’ve set for ourselves”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 8, 2023 – Belize struggled to defeat Panama 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-21) and secure their second victory in the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup.

Panama fought hard in each set but failed to finish strongly, and Belize capitalized on their strong serving and net presence to secure the result, also taking advantage of their opponents’ errors.

Panama led in attacks 42-30 and in serves 7-6, but they committed 37 unforced errors, while Belize committed 15 and led in blocks 5-2.

Nelissa Ramírez was Belize’s top scorer with 11 points, while Hashlyn Cuero scored 12 for Panama.

On Saturday, Panama (0-2) faces Honduras (2-0) at 4:00 p.m., and Belize (2-1) has the day off.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “To be honest, I’m not very happy with the game; there are things we need to improve, and today we weren’t very effective. We also gave playing time to some non-regular players; our main setter is injured, and we wanted to see if she was fit to continue in the tournament. We need to keep improving to have more options in the tournament”.

Clara Sabal, libero of Belize: “I feel like we fought hard, and I’m glad that we were able to close the match in the end. We made many minor mistakes between the sets, but I’m glad that our team could come together and finish with the victory. I think we underestimated Panama, and that tends to happen a lot, so it was good that we decided to work hard, and I think our defense and reception were the best”.

Jenny Madrid, coach of Panama: “This is a process in which we go step by step, and we have made progress. We lack preparation and exposure, and as we progress in the tournament, we will improve. Today, we made some adjustments, and they worked; we kept the opponent under control, but in the closings, we couldn’t make the points”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 8, 2023 – Costa Rica had to use its best weapons to defeat El Salvador 3-1 (27-29, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19) and maintain its undefeated record in three matches at the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup.

Led by an effective Marcela Araya with 22 points, Costa Rica bounced back after losing the first set to a resilient Salvadoran team that showed great defense.

For the rest of the match, Araya was joined by Tamara Espinoza and Tatiana Sayles, who scored 14 and 10 points respectively, to lead Costa Rica 54-37 in attacks and 9-3 in blocks, five of them by María Alfaro.

For El Salvador, Gabriela Funes scored 14 points, and María Jiménez Hunter added 10. El Salvador was better in service 6-4 but conceded 35 points on errors, while Costa Rica committed 42.

On Saturday, Costa Rica (3-0) plays against Guatemala (0-3) at 1:30 p.m., and El Salvador (1-2) will face Nicaragua (1-1) at 6:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Tamara Espinoza, standout player for Costa Rica: “I’m very happy to contribute to my team; we are quite united. All the effort is not luck, it’s not a coincidence; it’s pure determination and effort that we’ve given throughout the year. I hope to keep improving for my team and because of my team. We are fortunate to have several players who, no matter what, will contribute on the court”.

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “The good thing about a team is that we all complement each other, and everyone adds to the team, but it was a very difficult match. El Salvador played very well; they taught us not to enter passively against any opponent. If there was something we had to learn today, it is very clear to us”.

Carmen Chávez, libero of El Salvador: “We always play with our hearts; every game we go in with the expectation of winning it. We put in the effort to obtain each victory, and that leads us to improve our attitude and show determination. We all contribute together, and each one does what we must do on the court. For us, losing 1-3 doesn’t disappoint us that much because Costa Rica is a great rival, and we hadn’t won a set against them in a long time”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 8, 2023 – Honduras secured their second victory of the tournament by defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-19) to tart the third day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup.

Cecille Johnson led Honduras to victory with 12 points, scoring eight in the first set and four in the second when she had to leave the match due to a knee injury. However, middle blocker Ana Gabriela Marcelín contributed 9 points, and opposite hitter Dazly Durán added eight. For Guatemala, outside hitter María Santa Cruz scored 10 points.

Honduras held the advantage with a 30-26 lead in attacks, 7-4 in blocks, and 5-3 in service, with 33 points from unforced errors by their opponents compared to 20 committed.

On Saturday, Guatemala, that has no wins in three outings, faces Costa Rica at 1:30 p.m., and Honduras takes on Panama at 4:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Dazly Durán, standout player for Honduras: “We feel excited, euphoric because we have two consecutive victories, and we hope to get into form for the upcoming tough matches. We must improve; we have the toughest games at the end, that’s why these early matches should help us fine-tune our team play. In the third set, we felt a bit discouraged due to Cecille’s (Johnson) injury, but we hope to have her back tomorrow”.

María Alvarez, captain of Guatemala: “Honestly, it has been a quite challenging tournament for us. We don’t know what’s happening; we didn’t expect these results in these matches. We came well-prepared, but I think fear of making mistakes got to us. We’ve been there, we’ve been close to winning sets, but they slipped away from us. We’re still standing, and we must keep going. We trained a lot for this, for a whole year, put in a great effort, the sets are there, but we need that final push”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 7, 2023 – Costa Rica prevailed over Nicaragua 3-1 (25-22, 16-25, 25-16, 25-23) to secure their second victory in the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup.

In a highly significant match to reach the top spot in the tournament and a rivalry from many years, both teams came out determined, but it was Costa Rica who took the first step by gaining an advantage thanks to their excellent serving and blocking, especially against Nicaragua’s outside hitters.

Costa Rica was better in blocking with an 8-2 advantage, while Nicaragua took the lead in attacks with 51-48. They tied in 5 blocking points, but Nicaragua conceded 30 points on unforced errors, compared to 26 from Costa Rica.

Opposite hitter Tatiana Sayles led Costa Rica with 19 points, including 15 attacks, three blocks, and one ace, while Marcela Araya contributed 15 points, including 14 attacks and one block. For Nicaragua, Lolette Rodríguez scored 14 points, with 12 attacks, one block, and one ace, joined by Juny Aguilera with 13 points, including 12 attacks and one direct serve.

On Friday, Costa Rica will face El Salvador at 4:00 p.m., and Nicaragua has a break.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “We knew Nicaragua wanted the victory just like us; the matches are always very tough. This game felt like a five-setter because it was so intense. They came out to give it their all, but we also have experience, determination, and the tactical plan to stand our ground”.

Tatiana Sayles, top scorer of Costa Rica: “All games are important, but this one is even more so because Nicaragua thrives when they play at home, their fans support them a lot, and they are very tenacious. We wanted to come and give our best, and we achieved this crucial win”.

René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua: “I am proud of the girls’ efforts. Sometimes, the winner isn’t necessarily the one who plays better or does things better, but the one who is luckier, and today, Costa Rica had luck on their side”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 7, 2023 – Honduras recovered from losing the first set to defeat El Salvador 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-23) with a victorious debut in the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup.

El Salvador started strong and confidently, taking the lead from the beginning against an unadjusted Honduras. But in the second set, Honduras regrouped and based on tactical work with their serves and effective blocking, turned the game around despite the efforts of their opponents.

Honduras led in attacks 40-39, blocks 7-3, and serves 10-6. Honduras made 34 errors compared to El Salvador’s 37.

Cecille Johnson was Honduras’ top scorer with 17 points, Ana Gabriela Marcelin scored 15, and Dazly Durán added 11. For El Salvador, Adriana Flores contributed 16 points, and María Jiménez Hunter finished with 12.

On Friday, Honduras will face Guatemala at 1:30 p.m., and El Salvador will take on Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Marcos Sugiyama, coach of Honduras: “The decision-making to change the attitude after the first set was important, we were very dry in the beginning, but things settled down, and from there, we could see that we could grow. The basics worked, and what we trained paid off”.

Bessy Inestrosa, captain of Honduras: “El Salvador is a very tenacious team, and it was a very complicated game, but thank God it went in our favor. The spirit played an important role in our comeback”.

Andrea Genova, coach of El Salvador: “In the morning, we had the injury of our starting libero, which forced us to make adjustments that didn’t work out in the end. It also affected us that we won the first set and then relaxed; I think that was crucial. We lost some discipline due to overconfidence, but tomorrow we have a tougher match, and we need to focus”.  

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 7, 2023 – Belize defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22), securing their first victory after a loss in the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.

For both teams, a win was crucial after losing on day one of the competition, and a second defeat would reduce their podium chances; it was team Belize who took advantage of the opportunities, especially with Nelissa Ramírez scoring 18 points and Nisaan Martínez with 10. María Santa Cruz was the top scorer for Guatemala with 14 points.

In the third set, with the score at 20-18 in favor of Guatemala, starting setter Avianka Ávila suffered an ankle injury that forced her out of the game, and Ayana Godfrey had to step in. Together with her teammates, they rallied to turn the score around and secure the set and the match.

Belize was better in attacks (35-30) and blocks 8-1 (with three from Martínez), while Guatemala led in service points (5-4). Both teams made 28 unforced errors.

On Friday, Guatemala, with two losses, will face Honduras at 1:30 p.m., and Belize will take on Panama at 6:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “After Guatemala’s defeat yesterday against El Salvador and despite some of our players having little preparation, we told them that we had to step onto the court with character and determination, with the desire to win because it was within reach. In the end, we had the situation with the setter, but the substitute player did the job, and we achieved an important victory that makes us think about bigger things”.

Avianka Avila, setter of Belize: “I am very proud of my team. We really worked hard, and it was a great improvement from yesterday. They really managed to take Guatemala out of the game. After the injury, the last two points were very exciting. I was frustrated because this was not the time to get injured, but I am very happy that my team had my support from the bench and could pull away on the scoreboard”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 6, 2023 – Nicaragua showed dominance in their debut by defeating Panama 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-15) in the conclusion of the first day of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.

Nicaragua led in attacks 41-16 and blocks 5-3, with Panama taking the advantage in serves 6-2, but committed 27 unforced errors compared to 23 by their opponents.

Lolette Rodríguez and Fernanda Campos each scored 7 points for Nicaragua, while Hashlyn Cuero contributed 7 points for Panama.

On Thursday, Nicaragua will face Costa Rica at 6:30 p.m., while Panama has a rest day.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

René Quintana, coach of Nicaragua: “It’s always good to start with a win. We played against a Panama team that pushed us to tighten up at times, but the important thing is that we came out with the victory. I believe that in some parts of the game, the girls adapted to the opponent’s style of play, and that’s not good. We used the technical timeouts to make some adjustments, and they reacted positively”.

Erica Calero, captain of Nicaragua: “I think there are many things to tune up as the tournament progresses, but tomorrow, we have a tougher match (against Costa Rica). One key is to communicate a bit more because sometimes during the game, we lack that support and encouragement that we all need to give each other”.

Jenny Madrid, coach of Panama: “This is a team that is starting a process with a mix of veterans and under-23 juniors, and it will take some time to blend and achieve our objectives. It has been a couple of long days, and the idea is that as the tournament goes on, we will improve, especially in the technical aspect”.

Hashlyn Cuero, captain of Panama: “It was a long journey we made, but despite that, we came here very willing to compete. We are clear about the work we came to do here. As the days go by, we hope to improve because it’s a young team, and we have some experienced players”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 6, 2023 – El Salvador showed its strength in its debut by defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-15) in the second match of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.

After being dominant in the first set, El Salvador recovered from a deficit of up to 4 points at the start of the second set and fought until the end when they won the set 26-24 thanks to their counterattacks on a solid defense. In the third set, it was a complete dominance that allowed them to add five points to their standings.

El Salvador led in attacks 20-14 and serves 6-4, while both teams 5 points on blocks. Guatemala committed 45 errors compared to the winners’ 30.

María Hunter, Gabriela Funes, and Marcela Soriano each finished with 7 points for El Salvador. For Guatemala, María García scored 5 points.

This Thursday, Guatemala will face Belize at 1:30 p.m., and El Salvador will play against Honduras at 4:00 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Andrea Genova, coach of El Salvador: “We started with a good match; Guatemala is a strong opponent who wanted to start well, and it turned out to be a good match. We managed to execute everything we practiced in the final phase of our preparation for this tournament. We need to improve our rest management since it’s a long tournament, and we must pace ourselves well. The team that is better physically prepared will excel in the crucial final games”.

Adriana Flores, captain of El Salvador: “We have been preparing for a year and a half, and this tournament was our main goal. We have a team that has been playing together for several years, and team synergy helped us a lot today. We knew how to play against Guatemala; we implemented the strategies planned by our coaches, and that helped us secure a convincing 3-0 win”.

Julio Dominguez, Guatemala’s assistant coach: “We faced a very strong and experienced opponent today, and our team didn’t come out with the right attitude. Our tactics and strategy didn’t produce any results, so we hope to transform what happened today. In these short tournaments, anything can happen”.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 6, 2023 – Costa Rica began the defense of their title with a strong start, defeating Belize 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-21) in the opening match of the XXII AFECAVOL Women’s Senior Central American Cup at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex.

Marcela Araya was Costa Rica’s top scorer with 18 points, while Tatiana Sayles finished with 11. Nelissa Ramírez contributed 13 points and Nisaan Martínez added 8 for Belize.

Costa Rica dominated in attacks 37-22, blocks 6-3, and serves 8-4, while conceding 33 points due to errors that Belize couldn’t capitalize on, while they committed 24.

On Thursday, Belize will face Guatemala at 1:30 p.m., and Costa Rica will play against Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR FEMENINA

QUOTES

Pablo Acuña, coach of Costa Rica: “It was a tough start, we had a long trip yesterday, we didn’t find our rhythm as we arrived a bit late, so it was normal for them to start a bit timid, out of sync, somewhat inconsistent. But with each set, we improved, and the bench players, the best ones, started to adapt and did very well”.

Marcela Araya, captain of Costa Rica: “First of all, I want to thank God for the opportunity to be here. I’m very happy to be with my teammates. I think it was a very good game. It’s always challenging to adjust in the first match, to break the ice. I feel good, happy, and I believe the team did a good job, both the players on the court and those on the bench did very well, and that was crucial because we all are important for winning”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “In a way, I’m satisfied because the first game is always complicated, especially against a team like Costa Rica. Although they made too many unforced errors, it allowed us to maintain some balance until point 16. However, we couldn’t close out the match, and they deserved the victory”.

Nelissa Ramírez, captain of Belize: “I feel good. I think the first part was challenging because we had to break the ice, and the girls were nervous. I feel we played very hard, fought, and towards the end we lost energy, but at some point, we could have regained our momentum, but it didn’t happen”.

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 12, 2023 – With an outstanding performance, outside hitter Carlos López from the Guatemala was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 22nd edition of the AFECAVOL Men’s Central American Volleyball Championship on Saturday, August 12.

Carlos López, alongside his teammates, celebrated Guatemala’s fourth consecutive title. El Salvador won the silver medal, and Belize secured the bronze medal.

For the first time in the history of the Championship, the Best Scorer award was given to two players, Rodrigo Chávez from El Salvador and Andy Blando from Guatemala, both scoring a total of 120 points each.

Guatemala dominated the individual awards, taking four of them spread across two players. In addition to being the Most Valuable Player, Carlos López earned the First Best Spiker award. His teammate Andy Blanco stood out with the Best Service award and one of the Best Scorers awards.

Belize received three individual awards, with Ernest Broaster as the Second Best Spiker, Karym Coleman as the Best Opposite, and Raheem Flowers as the Best Receiver.

Panama also secured three individual awards. Miguel Medina was recognized as the Best Libero and Best Defense, while his teammate Astergio Díaz was awarded as the Best Setter.

Nicaragua’s Emilio Andrews earned the award for the Best First Blocker, and Manuel Platero from El Salvador received the award for the Second Best Blocker of the championship.

Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Carlos López, GUA

1st Best Spiker: Carlos López, GUA

2nd Best Spiker: Ernest Broaster, BIZ

1st Best Blocker: Emilio Andrews, NCA

2nd Best Blocker: Manuel Platero, ESA

Best Setter: Astergio Díaz, PAN

Best Opposite: Karym Coleman, BIZ

Bext Libero: Miguel Medina, PAN

Best Receiver: Raheem Flowers, BIZ

Best Defense: Miguel Medina, PAN

Best Service: Andy Blanco, GUA

Best Scorers: Rodrigo Chávez, ESA / Andy Blanco, GUA 

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 12, 2023 – Guatemala only needed one set to become the Champion of the 22nd edition of the AFECAVOL Men’s Central American Volleyball Cup, and they achieved this against Panama on the last day of competition, winning the game 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18). 

Guatemala comfortably dominated in attacks with a 16-point difference, tallying 41-25. The blocks, were 10-4 in favor of Guatemala, while in services, Panama was more effective with 6 to 3.

Panama earned 22 points from Guatemala’s errors and conceded 21 to their opponent.

Outside hitter and captain of Guatemala, Carlos López, with 18 points, all from attacks, was the top scorer for his country. For Panama, outside hitter Félix Williams scored 14 points, with 10 from attacks, one from a block, and two from service.

Guatemala finished the tournament with five wins and one loss, while Panama closed with two wins and four losses.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Reider Lucas, Guatemala Coach: “I said at the beginning in the preliminary inquiry that it was going to be a very balanced tournament, and at the same time, it was going to be very competitive due to the rivalry among the countries. This makes the event even more beautiful. As you can see, the champion is decided on the last day. We are very happy; this is the fourth edition we have won. We trusted a lot of young athletes, and we knew that with them, we could achieve a result. We have athletes with a longer life in volleyball, which helps us a lot within the group. We missed some athletes due to personal commitments, but they are part of this process.”

Horacio Angulo Calderón, Panama Coach: “We faced a quite solid team; we tried to play our game, but Guatemala worked very well. The assessment I make of the tournament is that it’s quite competitive. Guatemala lost to Costa Rica. The teams came to do their job, and it shows that fatigue reveals many things at some point; my team fell due to physical fatigue, we tried and fought until the end.”

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 12, 2023 – With a score of 3-1, Nicaragua emerged victorious against the hosts in the final match of the AFECAVOL Men’s Central American Volleyball Cup, 25-18, 14-25, 25-19, and 32-30.

Belize dominated in blocks 14-5 and in services with 5-2. In the attack, both countries were tied at 57.

The top scorer of the match was Dennis García from Nicaragua, who scored 24 points, 21 from attacks, and three from services. For Belize, the top scorer was Ernest Broaster with 20 points, 14 from attacks, three from blocks, and three from services.

Belize and Nicaragua concluded the tournament with a record balance of three wins and three losses.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Albert Humes, Belize Coach: “The team has put heart and unity to make our country proud, but it hasn’t been good enough for us. We must go back to the drawing board and see where we have deficiencies and resolve them. This has been a great tournament that I have been training for over 30 years, and this is a process where I have seen the teams so competitive, for example, Honduras loses one day and then wins the next day, a constant up and down. So, this is a beautiful tournament this year, and I hope we continue to have tournaments like this. The quality of the product produced by AFECAVOL and delivered to the world is excellent, and we have shown that we can reach the level of major competitions”.

Jorge Mena, Nicaragua Coach: Did not attend the interview. 

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

 INTERVIEWS 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS 

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA 

INTERVIEWS 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Competition schedule:

Sunday August 6

14:30  Costa Rica v Panama

17:00  Nicaragua v Honduras

19:00  Inauguración

19:30  El Salvador v Belize

Monday August 7

14:30  Costa Rica v Nicaragua

17:00  Guatemala v El Salvador

19:30  Panama v Belize

Tuesday August 8

14:30  El Salvador Panama

17:00  Nicaragua v Guatemala

19:30  Belize v Honduras

Wednesday August 9

14:30  Panama v Nicaragua

17:00  Honduras v El Salvador

19:30  Guatemala v Costa Rica

Thursday August 10

14:30  El Salvador v Costa Rica

17:00  Honduras v Panama

19:30  Belize v Guatemala

Friday August 11

14:30  Nicaragua v El Salvador

17:00  Guatemala v Honduras

19:30  Costa Rica v Belize

Saturday August 12

14:30  Panama v Guatemala

17:00  Honduras v Costa Rica

19:30  Belize v Nicaragua

Year by Year medalists

Composite