Colombia Finishes the Pool Stage Undefeated

and Advances to the Semifinals

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 27, 2026. – Colombia secured first place in Pool B and a direct berth to the semifinals of the men's volleyball tournament at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 after defeating Suriname 3-0 (25-9, 25-20, 25-16) on the final day of the preliminary round.

With a perfect 3-0 record, Colombia became the tournament's second semifinalist, while Suriname finished fourth in the pool and will compete in the classification matches for positions five through eight.

Colombia set the tone from the opening points with a dominant blocking performance and effective serving that consistently disrupted Suriname's reception. That superiority allowed the Colombians to build an early lead and comfortably claim the opening set 25-9.

Suriname responded with a stronger performance in the second set and stayed within striking distance for much of the frame. However, Colombia regained control in the closing stages through an efficient attack and solid net play, pulling away to move within one set of victory.

The Surinamese side offered resistance again in the third set, but Colombia once more imposed its strength at the net and capitalized on its opponent's errors to open a decisive lead and close out the match in straight sets, securing the top spot in Pool B.

Colombia held the advantage in attacks (34-25), blocks (16-2), and service aces (6-0), while both teams committed a similar number of unforced errors, with Colombia recording 18 and Suriname 19.

Middle blocker Luis Ángel Cuenu led Colombia with 11 points, followed by outside hitter Heider Banguera and opposite Miguel Ángel Martínez "Amaranto," who each scored 10. Suriname's opposite Zefanio Breinburg paced his team with 10 points.

Following the victory, Luis Ángel Cuenu highlighted Colombia's performance and the team's mindset heading into the next stage.

"With confidence and hard work, we were able to finish the match 3-0. We're very happy to have won three matches in a row. We came out with great intensity, then our level dropped a bit because the tougher matches are still to come."