Belize triumphs against El Salvador and celebrates with their Fans

BELIZE CITY, Belize, July 22, 2023.- Belize arrived at their last match of the XIV AFECAVOL U19 Women’s Central American Championship, knowing they were already guaranteed silver medal winners. Despite it being a procedure game against El Salvador, the Belizean team secured a solid victory of 3-0 with scores of 25-13/25-13/25-20.

The support from the fans was key to Belize’s victory, as they only lost a match to Costa Rica, being the only country to take a set from the Costa Rican team.

Belize displayed dominance in attacks (36 to 19), was superior in blocking (7-3), and led in serves (9-4). Belize scored 23 points from their opponent’s errors, while El Salvador committed 20.

The top scorer of the match was Belizean Khaya Gordon (OH) with 15 points, including 14 on attacks and one serve. Her teammate, Nissan Martínez (MB), contributed with 13 points, on 7 on attacks, 2 on blocks, and 4 on serves.

On the El Salvadoran side, the top scorers were María Rodríguez (OP) and Naomi Méndez (OH), both with 8 points, on 6 points each in attacks, one in blocks, and one in serves.

In the previous edition in 2019, Belize also obtained the second place, securing their first medal in the history of the event since its creation in 1982.

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INTERVIEWS

Avianka Ávila, setter of Belize: “We just finished the U19 Championship, ending up in second place. Overall, I think we had a good result in the tournament, finishing second. I am very proud of my team; we worked very hard for months, putting in many hours, so I am very happy that we obtained a medal for second place”.

José Fontes, coach of Belize: “It has been an exciting tournament. We started off steady. The second game against Costa Rica, which is a consolidated team in the region with a lot of international exposure, including at the NORCECA level, we didn't have a good match, but winning a set was important. The team grew, we made some changes, and the team executed better; the match against Guatemala was a great five-set match, but we achieved victory. We wanted more; we demanded a lot from our players, but we are very happy”.

Saddy López, coach of El Salvador: “Overall, the tournament was very good for the delegation because in the previous tournament, we ranked lower on the table. The girls’ performance was very good, and I am satisfied with my team, and I hope to continue from there. The tournament was competitive; it's a shame that we didn't get the most favorable results, but we're there, and we will keep on fighting”.

Paola Peña, captain and middle blocker of El Salvador: “The tournament was tough, very challenging, with well-prepared teams. We prepared for this, even though the results didn’t go our way, and we’ll continue to work for it as the united team that we are. We leave with our heads held high. We won’t give up, and we'll keep on fighting”.