Costa Rica debuts with straight set victory over El Salvador

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, December 5, 2014 - Costa Rica made their debut at the XVIII Men’s Central American Cup with a straight set victory (25-21, 25-19, 25-14) over El Salvador at Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa.

Costa Rica dominated the actions from the second set on as El Salvador wasn’t able to keep up the rhythm they sustained in the first set.  Costa Rica held advantage in every category: kills (29-27), blocking (11-4) and serves (5-2).

Costa Rica’s outside hitter Alberto Blanco led all scorers with 17 points, including 4 aces, while Captain Richard Smith chipped in with 16 points. Outside hitter Franklin Flores of El Salvador led his team with 10 points.

“I’m very happy with my team, it was a collective effort. El Salvador fought very hard and it was difficult to read their strategy to take advantage and win. In my personal case, I am very dedicated, always with my goal set to be one of the best players of the region and support my team,”Costa Rica’s Captain Richard Smith said.

Francisco Hernandez captain of El Salvador stated: “Costa Rica is always a tough opponent and always candidate to win the title. Our team is very young and we are looking to surprise, doing the best we can. We must make bigger efforts to have better results; one loss won’t keep us from fighting for a medal”.

Coach Cesar Salas of Costa Rica said: “It’s always good and important to start a tournament winning, Costa Rica starts well despite the hard work El Salvador gave us, but we controlled the third set completely. Our team worked well and we benefited from Smith’s performance”.

Coach Ricardo Rivera of El Salvador said “Costa Rica is not an easy opponent for anyone, and today was no exception. With their stellar player Smith, they performed well. We failed our blocking and attacking by the middle, and our outside hitter could contain Costa Rica’s offense, we must make adjustments for our next match”.