Guatemala Opens with Straight-Set Victory

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, July 29, 2025.- Guatemala started the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup with a straight-set win 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19) over Suriname at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City.

Suriname came out strong, playing without hesitation or pressure against the home team, taking an early lead (6-2). Little by little, Guatemala caught up, and by point 15 the score was tied; the hosts eventually claimed the first set.

The second set was very close, with Guatemala maintaining a slim 2-point lead for most of the frame until the point 15, when the Central Americans pulled away to secure the set.

Guatemala dominated Suriname in attacks (43-28), blocks (11-7), and aces (5-2). It was a match with few unforced errors; Guatemala committed 20, while Suriname had only 16.

José Pablo Pérez led Guatemala with 17 points, including 13 kills, 3 blocks, and 1 ace. Luis Roberto Mendizábal added 10 points for the hosts. For Suriname, Gianni Ritfeld scored 12 points (9 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace) and Shemar Jameson finished with 10.

Reider Lucas, head coach of Guatemala: “Even though we didn’t play our usual game, it was very unstable with a lot of ups and downs. The goal was to win, even if we didn’t play well.”

“Not every day is a good day, I hope we have better matches in the tournament, but it’s also good to know that when things don’t go as planned, we can still pull off the win,” he added.

Carlos Orta, head coach of Suriname: “I think that regardless of the loss, my players did everything they could to win. We played against a team that just finished competing in the NORCECA Final Four, and they showed a level of play we haven’t reached yet.”

“I think it was a good match; my guys gave their best effort, but the better team won today, and in this case, it was Guatemala,” he concluded.

Wednesday July 30 schedule (Local Time):

2 PM – Dominican Republic vs Belize

4 PM – Mexico vs USA

6 PM – Suriname vs Venezuela

8 PM – Guatemala vs Costa Rica