Colombia Outlasts Guatemala in Five Sets

to Advance in Second Place of Pool A

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, August 19, 2025.- Colombia defeated Guatemala in a thrilling five-set battle 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 17-25, 15-13) to secure second place in Pool A of the men’s volleyball tournament at the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025.

Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals, with Colombia as pool runner-up and Guatemala in third place.

The opening set was tightly contested, but Colombia capitalized on Guatemala’s errors to take the lead, highlighted by its blocking superiority (9-6), while the Central Americans were more effective on attack (14-11). Colombian captain Jhon Mosquera led the offense alongside middle blocker Santiago Ramírez, while José Luis Samayoa and Luis Mendizabal powered Guatemala’s response.

In the second set, the teams traded points and leads until a 19-19 tie. Guatemala, sparked by Yeferson Zavala and José Pablo Pérez, surged ahead to even the match 1-1.

Colombia reacted in the third set, finding more opportunities after the 10th point. Dainer Ocoro’s blocking became the key to slowing Guatemala’s offense and regaining control of the scoreboard.

Guatemala came back strongly in the fourth, jumping to a six-point lead and extending it behind captain Jerry Durán’s consistent attacking and Samayoa’s support, while Colombian errors forced the match into a deciding fifth set.

In the tie-break, Colombia took early control with a 9-5 lead. Guatemala rallied late, closing the gap to 13-14 with attacks from Zavala and Samayoa, but a costly error handed the South Americans the victory.

Colombia’s dominance at the net with 20 blocks to Guatemala’s 8 was the decisive factor, while Guatemala led in attacks (68-54) and service aces (5-2). Both teams were nearly even in unforced errors, with Colombia committing 24 and Guatemala 27.

Colombian captain Jhon Mosquera stood out with 25 points, including a match-high of 6 blocks, supported by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez with 20 points and Ronnie Mosquera with 11. For Guatemala, José Pablo Pérez led with 23 points, followed by Samayoa with 18 and Zavala with 12.