Costa Rica Starts U21 Pan American Cup

with Victory over Host Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 23, 2026. – Costa Rica defeated host Guatemala 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-14) to open its campaign with a victory at the 2026 Men’s U21 Pan American Cup being held at the Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium.

The match was the second contest of Pool B. On Wednesday, Costa Rica (1-0) will face Canada (1-0), while Guatemala (0-1) will look to bounce back against Nicaragua (0-1).

Costa Rica took control of the match from the opening points of the first set, building an early 4-0 lead and never allowing Guatemala to move ahead on the scoreboard. Ignacio Morales led the Costa Rican offense, while Edser Barrantes and Stanley Grant stood out at the net, helping neutralize the Guatemalan attack led by middle blocker Christian Álvarez. A block by Grant on José Luis Samayoa sealed the opening set.

In the second set, the Costa Ricans quickly extended their advantage to five points (10-5), capitalizing on several errors by the home team. Morales continued to lead the offense, while Grant was effective at the net. Jeremy Vanega and Felipe Bolaños also contributed key points to maintain the lead. For Guatemala, the quick attacks of Christian Álvarez were not enough to stop Costa Rica’s momentum.

The third set started more evenly, with both teams tied at nine points. However, Costa Rica responded through Morales, who scored two consecutive attacks, and a block by Felipe Bolaños on Samayoa to take a 12-9 lead. From that point on, Costa Rica remained in control and cruised to the victory. Grant was instrumental in the closing stages, while Bolaños earned set point (24-13) after a long rally and Antoine Molina finished the match with the final point.

Costa Rica held a clear advantage in attacks (43-20) and blocks (9-3), while both teams recorded two service aces. The Costa Ricans also benefited from 21 points off Guatemala’s errors and committed 17 of their own.

Ignacio Morales led all scorers with 16 points, followed by Stanley Grant with 15. Guatemala’s José Luis Samayoa finished with 10 points.

Costa Rica captain Ignacio Morales said: “From the beginning, we talked about teamwork and supporting each other, and I think we did a great job as a team on the court. Everyone contributed. Tomorrow against Canada, we know we are facing a very strong opponent, so we will rest and prepare mentally and tactically for that match.”

Guatemala captain Josué González commented: “Unfortunately, we started the tournament with a loss. The team’s attitude was very low. One of my responsibilities as libero is to motivate and push my teammates, but today it did not happen. Now we have to turn the page and look for a better performance tomorrow.”