Belize Moves Closer to the AFECAVOL
Men's Final Four Championship Match
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, July 13, 2026.–
Belize remained unstoppable in the third edition of the AFECAVOL
Men’s Final Four, earning its second consecutive victory with a
3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-21) win over Nicaragua, a result that
leaves the team very close to securing a place in the
championship match with one preliminary-round contest remaining.
Belize is the only undefeated team in the tournament, while
Nicaragua moved to a 1-1 record.
Belize will close the preliminary round against Panama and will
then await the results of the final day to determine whether it
will play for the title or the bronze medal. Nicaragua,
meanwhile, will face host Costa Rica in its final match.
Although all three sets were closely contested, Belize showed
greater consistency in the decisive moments. It led Nicaragua in
attacks (44-30) and blocks (12-10), while Nicaragua held the
edge only in opponent errors (24-19).
Kaelen Ingram once again led Belize’s offense with 15 points,
followed by Francis Hauze with 14 and Ernest Broaster with 13.
For Nicaragua, Axel Gutiérrez was the only player to reach
double figures, finishing with 15 points.
Álbum Flickr BIZ vs NCA
Following the victory, Belize head coach Albert Humes said:
“This is a great victory for Team Belize. Our players had been
preparing for this tournament for a long time. We already had a
clear idea of the quality of the teams from the Central American
Games, and we also knew that we could beat them.”
Nicaragua´s head coach Jorge Mena said: “It was a very difficult
match. We knew Belize had come into this tournament very strong.
We tried to win at least one set to get back into the match and
extend it, but things did not go our way. We still have one
match remaining; if we do not get the result we need, we will go
for the third place because our goal is not to leave
empty-handed.”