Costa Rica Tops Paraguay in Asunción 2025 Opening Day

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 10, 2025. – Costa Rica defeated Paraguay 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-11) in the final match of the opening day of the II Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, held at the Arena COP.

The first set was marked by a strong early lead built by the offense of Costa Rica’s Ivanny Blackwood. Costa Rica lost five set points (24-16) but eventually closed it out thanks to the attacking efforts of Ruth Peralta and Mayra Pérez, along with Paraguay’s own mistakes that complicated their chances.

The second set was more balanced, with long rallies and both teams trading the lead until a 10-10 tie. Costa Rica took control at 12-10, with María Torres leading the scoring, and thanks to their solid defense and reception, they pulled away on the scoreboard. Krystel Vargas and Torres added key points to prevent Paraguay from staging a comeback in the closing stretch.

The third set was dominated from start to finish by the Central American side, which took a 12-6 lead and sealed the win convincingly.

Costa Rica had the advantage in the main skill categories, outscoring Paraguay in attacks (41-28), blocks (3-2), and service points (7-3). Costa Rica committed 20 errors compared to 24 from their opponents.

Ivanny Blackwood led the Costa Rican offense with 15 points, followed by Krystel Vargas with 12 and María Sofía Torres with 11. For Paraguay, Alexia Martínez was the top scorer with 8 points.

In Pool A, Costa Rica (1-0) will next face Cuba (0-1), while Paraguay (0-1) will play Argentina (1-0).

Braulio Godínez, Head coach of Costa Rica, said, “We didn’t know anything about Paraguay; however, they showed good volume of play. I feel that as the match went on, we built our rhythm, and they (Paraguay) made more mistakes. The first set was very close. We have a similar technical and physical level, but the volume of play we have in Central America and NORCECA benefits us a lot, and today that made the difference.”

Delio Arruebarrena, coach of Paraguay, said, “For a first match, the girls could have performed better. We don’t have game rhythm because there are few opportunities to play at this level. Most of the teams here come with international experience, and that shows. As the tournament goes on, the girls will improve their rhythm.”