Costa Rica Claims Fifth Place at U21 Pan American Cup

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 12, 2026. – Costa Rica defeated Venezuela 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-17, 25-18) to finish fifth at the NORCECA U21 Women's Pan American Volleyball Cup, held at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.

After splitting the opening two sets, Costa Rica regained control by tightening its defensive play and making the most of its advantage at the net. The Central Americans took command midway through the third set and carried that momentum into the fourth to secure the victory.

Costa Rica held the edge in attacks (46-44) and blocks (12-5), while Venezuela led in service aces (10-8). The Costa Ricans committed 26 unforced errors compared to Venezuela's 23.

Nhya Barley led Costa Rica with 20 points, including 18 kills and 2 blocks. Joselyn Moraga added 15 points, while María Venegas contributed 14.

For Venezuela, Ainhoa Molleja finished as the match's top scorer with 24 points, while Victoria Urizar and Marcela Carmona each added 7.

Ciro Zoratti, Costa Rica's head coach: "I am very satisfied because this was a complete team effort. Every player who stepped onto the court contributed to the victory. We started the match a bit slowly, but after the second set we made the necessary adjustments to close it out. I'm happy because we finished the tournament in the best possible way."

Iván Márquez, Venezuela's head coach: "We started the match very competitively and stayed in it until midway through the third set. Fatigue became noticeable on our side, as this is a long tournament for a very young team that isn't used to this pace. Even so, I believe we played with character and great courage, without taking anything away from Costa Rica, who played an outstanding match. We came here with the goal of representing our country as well as possible and competing at this level, and I believe we accomplished many of those objectives."