El Salvador Opens with Victory at the U19 Central American Championship

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, December 8, 2024.- El Salvador secured a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 31-29) win over Honduras in the final match of the opening day at the XV AFECAVOL U19 Central American Men’s Volleyball Championship.

Honduras put up a strong fight to extend the match but was victim by their service errors, including several at critical points to close the third set, ultimately benefiting a determined Salvadoran squad.

ÁLBUM ESA VS HON

El Salvador led in attack points 37-35 and blocks 8-5, while Honduras had a slight advantage in service points 6-4. However, Honduras struggled with unforced errors, committing 32 compared to El Salvador’s 25.

Rafael Vargas led El Salvador’s offense with 14 points, 13 from attacks and one from a service ace. Carlos Fuentes added 9 points, and Lucas Espindola contributed 7. For Honduras, Jonathan Mendoza, Nelson Valladares, and Josué López each scored 10 points.

After the match, El Salvador’s coach Guillermo Polanco shared: “Thank God we got the result. We came into the match a bit apprehensive since I have a very young group, many of whom will still be eligible for the next U19 tournament. Overall, they did well and managed to recover in two sets where we were behind.”

Honduras coach Carlos Funez commented: “Unfortunately, we lost the match due to our inability to make effective serves. We missed three consecutive serves on set points, and you can’t win like that. We have no choice but to learn from this situation and continue improving”.