Belize Claims Seventh Place at U23 Pan Am Cup

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 3, 2025.– Belize secured seventh place at the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup after defeating Suriname 3-2 (16-25, 25-14, 27-25, 22-25, 15-8) at the Domo Polideportivo in Zone 13.

Suriname jumped to an early lead from the start of the match, gradually extending it to take the opening set in a power duel at the net; 70% of Belize’s points came from attacks.

Belize came alive in the second set, quickly taking the lead. The team’s top scorers in the tournament, Kaelen Ingram and Eleazar Mejía, began to showcase their quality.

Belize managed to rescue the third set, while Suriname responded strongly in the fourth to force a tiebreaker. The Belizeans held firm to clinch the seventh spot in the tournament.

Belize delivered a spectacular performance in attacks, outscoring Suriname by a huge margin (71-48). Blocking was more balanced but still in Belize’s favor (10-9), while Suriname had the edge in serving (5-2).

As in all of Belize’s matches, team captain Kaelen Ingram led the charge. This day was no exception, as he finished as the match’s top scorer with 31 points. Suriname’s Gianni Ritfeld tallied 19 points to lead his side.

Belize’s assistant coach Brandon Reeves commented, “I think we came out really focused. This whole tournament has been a learning curve for us. I’m very proud of the guys. I think we had ups and downs, but today they went out and proved to themselves that they are a great team. I think after this tournament we have a lot to work on, and I believe we will be better.”

Suriname’s head coach Carlos Orta said, “We expected to win today, but well, they played better than us. In the first set we didn’t put in the extra effort needed, and losing the next two sets made the match harder for us. Belize played better and I congratulate them; that’s why they won.”