Guatemala Levels Its Record at the Men’s U21 Pan American Cup

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 24, 2026. – Guatemala earned its first victory at the Men’s U21 Pan American Cup by defeating Nicaragua in straight sets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20), leveling its Pool B record at 1-1 at the Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium.

Guatemala will face the only unbeaten team in the pool, Canada (2-0), on Thursday, while Nicaragua (0-2) will look for its first win against Costa Rica (1-1). The winner of Pool B will advance directly to the tournament semifinals.

The opening set was closely contested, with both teams exchanging the lead until they were tied at 13. From that point on, a series of Nicaragua's attacking errors allowed Guatemala to take control of the scoreboard, led by opposite hitter José Luis Samayoa. The hosts also capitalized on their opponents' mistakes to extend the lead before Christian Álvarez closed the set with a winning spike.

Guatemala controlled the second set from the start and built a five-point advantage (15-10), fueled by Álvarez's attacks and Santiago Mena's solid blocking. Nicaragua tried to stay within reach behind Álvaro Quesada's offense, but Gerson Carranza earned Guatemala's set point 24-19 before Álvarez once again finished the set to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Guatemala remained in control throughout the third set with outside hitter Gerson Carranza leading the offense, while Joshuan Rivas and Inti Zapata responded for Nicaragua. The hosts extended their advantage to 19-12, although Nicaragua capitalized on a few Guatemalan errors to narrow the gap. Middle blocker José Asencio contributed key points to keep Guatemala comfortably ahead at 22-15. Nicaragua saved four match points with attacks by Zapata, a service ace by Andrés Alvarado, and a block by Álvaro Quesada, but the match ended when Alvarado missed his next serve, sealing Guatemala's victory.

Guatemala's Cuban head coach Reider Lucas said after the match: "It was a match with many ups and downs for both teams. We were a little better, more consistent. The players showed more confidence and looked more comfortable on the court. This result helps us a lot because it keeps us in contention. Every match from now on will be more difficult, but we have the hope of reaching the semifinals."

Nicaragua head coach Jorge Mena commented: "We didn't play well. We gave Guatemala too many opportunities by committing far too many errors. We have to raise our level. You can't win matches playing like that—unfocused and without a competitive spirit. The players looked disoriented. I believe we could face Guatemala again later in the tournament."