Honduras puts Belize in trouble

BELIZE CITY, Belize, August 8, 2023. The Honduran National Team bounced back from a 2-set deficit, extending the match against the hosts to a fourth set. However, despite their effort, the locals asserted their dominance on home turf and emerged victorious with a 3-1 win (25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14) in the third day of the XXII AFECAVOL Central American Men's Volleyball Cup.

In the first two sets, Belize outperformed their opponents with scores of 25-16 and 25-18. However, in the third set, Honduras showed determination and edged the locals to a score of 25-23, extending the match to a fourth set. Ultimately, Belize showcased their strength, winning the set and the match with a solid 25-14 score.

The home team led in attacks (44-35), blocks (17-6), and serves (5-3). Belize gained 32 points from Honduras’ errors, while Honduras earned 29 points from their opponent's errors.

The top scorers of the match were Karym Coleman for Belize with 14 points, including 11 attacks, two blocks, and one service. For Honduras, David Villatoro contributed 12 points from attacks, one from blocking, and one from serving, totaling 14 points as the highest scorer for his country.

On Wednesday, August 9th, Belize will have a rest day, while Honduras will face El Salvador at 5:00 PM.

AFECAVOL COPA MAYOR MASCULINA

INTERVIEWS

Karym Coleman, Opposite of Belize: “We started off pretty strong, but we died a little bit and it caused us to drop a set, which we didn’t want to do. We came back when our blocking started to pick up in the last set and that’s how we got them out of their system and into their heads, and we just took it from there”.

Héctor Ortiz, Libero for Honduras: “It was a match where their physical dominance prevailed. We tried to fight with a fast-paced game in the third set, and it worked for us. Unfortunately, we couldn't sustain the pace in the fourth set. Their size affected us; we were blocked on multiple occasions, and despite our efforts, we couldn't break free. Belize is a very cohesive team with great potential, while we are a team of individuals who are just starting to play at the national level. But I’m proud of the guys, and we’ll keep fighting”.