homepage

 

 

Guatemala wins battle against Belize

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, November 3, 2021.- Defending champion Guatemala won the battle to Belize 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-17) at the XXI Men’s Central American Cup being held at Guatemala’s City Dome.

 

Guatemala is undefeated with 4-0 record and 18 points, while Belize has 2-3 and 12 points.

The first two sets were really competitive; the scores were even on several occasions using strength and a stable defense. In the third set, Guatemala executed their strategy much easily, reaching a huge 15-4 advantage and with a solid finish.

Both teams scored 37 points on attacks and 3 points from serves; Guatemala held a 9-6 advantage in blocks and committed fewer unforced errors (19-28).

 

Opposite hitter Andy Leonardo was Guatemala’s top scorer with 17 points, 15 on kills and 2 aces, joined by outside hitter Gerardo González who added 12 points, 9 on kills , 2 on blocks and one ace. Opposite hitter Karym Coleman of Belize scored a match-high of 18 points, on 16 kills and 2 blocks; outside hitter Francis Hauze contributed with 13 points.

On Thursday Belize (2-3) faces Costa Rica (4-0) at 4:00pm and Guatemala (4-0) plays against Honduras (1-3) at 7:00pm.

Carlos López, captain of Guatemala: “Our energy was down in the first sets, we weren’t competitive; in the third set we found our way and being ahead in the score helped to improve our energy. These are 5 important points, we’re coming from two tough first matches and we hope to win 5 more points tomorrow, the team has more confidence”.

Bryton Codd, outside hitter of Belize: “I think there was a momentum changer in the second set, mentally we weren’t able to recover from that set. We played very good and clean volleyball with tight scores at the beginning. I am very proud of my team and coaches, we just need to recover and come out stronger tomorrow against another big team (Costa Rica) but also another opportunity to grab another win and improve our record”.