Costa Rica Makes History with Its First Bronze

Medal at the Men's U21 Pan American Cup

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 28, 2026. – Costa Rica made history by claiming its first-ever bronze medal at the Men's U21 Pan American Cup, defeating Mexico 3-1 (25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 25-19) in the bronze medal match at the Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium in Guatemala City.

With the victory, Costa Rica finished the tournament with a 4-2 record, while Mexico ended in fourth place with a 3-3 mark.

Costa Rica's blocking proved decisive, holding a commanding 12-5 advantage over Mexico. The Costa Ricans also committed fewer unforced errors, 21 to Mexico's 27. Mexico led in attacks (59-51) and aces (3-1).

Stanley Grant led Costa Rica with 19 points, followed by Jeremy Vanega with 13, including six blocks, and Ignacio Morales with 11. For Mexico, Eduardo Garza paced all scorers with 22 points, while Santiago Granados and Cristian Cadena each added 12.

Costa Rica created a key advantage in the opening set when Grant won a long rally to give his team an 18-16 lead. Costa Rica later moved ahead 23-20, but Mexico rallied to tie the score at 23-23 with a block by Cadena. Costa Rica regained the lead on a kill by Jarrett Jiménez for 24-23, although he suffered an injury on the play and was replaced by Felipe Bolaños. After playing resumed, Grant sealed the set 25-23 with a kill.

Mexico responded in the second set after a closely contested start in which neither team managed to pull away. Following a 7-7 tie, the Mexicans found greater consistency behind the serving of Santiago Bernal and the offense of Cadena, Steben Arévalo, and Daniel Cravioto, building a lead that reached seven points at 22-15. Costa Rica attempted to rally through Grant, Morales, and Bolaños, but Mexico maintained control and closed the set 25-16 on a kill by Arévalo to level the match.

Costa Rica regained the lead in the third set after another tightly contested battle. Following a 16-16 tie, a strong serving rotation by Bolaños helped the Costa Ricans open a 20-16 advantage, with Grant leading the offense and a block by Vanega on Arévalo extending the margin. Mexico tried to respond through Garza, but Costa Rica managed the closing points and took the set 25-21 after a Mexican service error to move ahead once again.

Costa Rica secured the bronze medal by taking control of the fourth set after breaking away from a 15-12 lead. The Costa Ricans extended the margin to 20-16 behind the strong net play of Vanega and Morales, along with the attacks of Ángel Monge and Grant. Mexico attempted to stay within reach through Cadena, Cravioto, and Garza, but Costa Rica confidently managed the advantage and sealed the 25-19 victory after an attack error by Garza.

Costa Rica head coach Jorge Arturo Solano said after the historic medal: “I'm very proud of all the players because they sacrifice so much to be here. I'm very happy for them. We lost one set because of a little mental fatigue; that's part of a tournament. It was a match about patience and believing in ourselves”.