Costa Rica Earns First Win at Men’s Pan American Cup

MORELOS, Mexico, August 10, 2026.- Costa Rica earned its first victory in Pool A of the 19th Men’s Pan American Cup after defeating Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-15) at Poliforum 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).

On the third day of competition, Costa Rica will face Canada, while Trinidad and Tobago will have a rest day.

Costa Rica was dominant in attacks with a 44-21 advantage and also led in serves 6-1. The Costa Ricans held a narrow 5-4 advantage in blocks, although they conceded more points on unforced errors, 29 compared to Trinidad and Tobago’s 20.

Ignacio Morales led Costa Rica’s offense with 19 points, followed by Gilberth Solano with 16. Daynte Stewart was Trinidad and Tobago’s top scorer with 9 points.

The first two sets were closely contested. In the first, Costa Rica pulled away in the second half and built a 23-18 lead. Trinidad and Tobago responded and closed the gap to 23-20, but the Costa Ricans remained in control to close the set 25-21.

Trinidad and Tobago stayed close again in the second set, but Costa Rica took control down the stretch. After holding an 18-16 lead, the Central Americans widened the gap and moved on to a 25-19 win to take a two-set lead.

Costa Rica dominated from the start of the third set. They jumped ahead 5-1, extended the lead to 8-3 and then to 15-6. Trinidad and Tobago could not find a way to slow Costa Rica’s pace, and the Costa Ricans closed the match with a commanding 25-15 win following a reception error by Daynte Stewart on a serve from Gilberth Solano.

Edser Barrantes, setter of Costa Rica: “Nothing was easy in the match. Trinidad and Tobago fought hard until the end. We did things well and took advantage of their errors, combined with our own abilities, and thank God we got the victory. Tomorrow will be a more difficult match against Canada. I feel that if we play with courage and determination and leave everything on the court, we can get a good result.”

Rayon Dickson, libero of Trinidad and Tobago: “Competing at this level requires us to play to the best of our abilities. We really appreciate the opportunity to be here, represent our country and do our best.”