Guatemala Stages Reverse Sweep to Win

Historic Bronze at the NORCECA Men’s Final Four

LEÓN, Guanajuato, Mexico, June 14, 2026. – Guatemala staged a spectacular comeback to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-2 (27-29, 19-25, 30-28, 25-22, 15-11) and capture a historic bronze medal at the 2026 NORCECA Men’s Final Four, held at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

The Guatemalan squad reached the podium of the NORCECA Men’s Final Four for the first time in its history after recovering from a two-set deficit against a Dominican Republic team that concluded the tournament with three losses, all in dramatic five-set matches.

Opposite hitter Andy Leonardo was the key figure in the victory, leading Guatemala with 30 points. Team captain Carlos López added 21 points, while Javier Lucero contributed 13.

For the Dominican Republic, opposite Adrián Figueroa led the offense with 28 points, outside hitter Héctor Cruz scored 22, and middle blocker Moisés Ortiz added 13.

The opening set was fiercely contested with constant lead changes. The Dominican Republic pulled ahead 16-13 behind attacks from Héctor Cruz, following contributions from Adrián Figueroa and Wilfrido Hernández. Guatemala responded through Javier Lucero, Rodrigo Carrillo, and Carlos López to tie the score at 21-all. After an exciting finish with several missed opportunities on both sides, a Guatemalan error handed the set to the Dominicans, 29-27.

The Dominican Republic controlled the second set, building a five-point advantage (18-13) with strong attacking from Figueroa, Moisés Ortiz, and Cruz. Despite the offensive efforts of Andy Leonardo, the Caribbean side maintained control, and a back-row attack by Cruz earned set point before another Guatemalan error gave the Dominicans a 2-0 lead.

Both teams made adjustments for the third set, and Guatemala quickly moved ahead 10-7 with attacks from Carlos López and Dominican errors. Figueroa kept his team within striking distance, and the score was tied several times down the stretch. Andy Leonardo earned Guatemala's first set point, but the Dominican Republic answered immediately. In another dramatic finish, the Dominicans saved four set points before an attacking error by Héctor Cruz allowed Guatemala to extend the match.

Four consecutive points gave Guatemala a 12-8 lead in the fourth set, with contributions from López and Lucero, along with Dominican errors. The Central Americans maintained their offensive pressure to stay in front 16-11. Although the Dominican Republic closed the gap to two points (23-21) behind Cruz, a reception error following a powerful attack by Andy Leonardo sent the match to a deciding fifth set.

Guatemala controlled the tiebreak from start to finish. The Dominican Republic saved one match point with an attack by Wilfrido Hernández, but Andy Leonardo answered with a powerful spike through the block to seal the 15-11 victory and secure the historic bronze medal.

Guatemala outscored its opponent 78-65 in attacks. The Dominican Republic held the advantage in blocks (12-5) and aces (2-1), while committing fewer errors (32-36), but it could not prevent the Central Americans from completing a memorable comeback to claim the first podium finish in their history at the NORCECA Men’s Final Four.

Guatemala head coach Reider Lucas said about the victory and the historic medal: “After six or seven appearances, we finally achieved this medal. We started the match with many ups and downs, but we were able to stabilize and control our game, which was exactly what we wanted—to rely on ourselves and not on the opponent. We improved gradually with each match, and we are very happy”.

Dominican Republic head coach Alexander Gutiérrez commented: “This is part of our preparation for the Central American Games, and in this process, there are highs and lows. At no point were we able to stabilize our game. Today we have to give credit to Guatemala, because in the end they did everything right”.