Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize ready to play

San Jose, Costa Rica, July 26, 2012 – The national teams of Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua and Guatemala are ready to compete in the first qualifying round Group H of the NORCECA Men FIVB Poland towards the World Cup 2014 from 27 to 29 July.

The event will be held at the National Gymnasium in San Jose and three spots are at stake for the second round.

Good battles and close matches are expected in the tournament which kicks off on Friday with a match between Guatemala and Nicaragua followed by the clash of Costa Rica and Belize.

The aspirations of hosts Costa Rica is to finish on top. "The expectation is of course to win the tournament. We have a good working group, a young team with experience. We've had previous experiences. So the work we've been doing is with the goal of attaining the victory in this tournament, "Costa Rica’s coach, Cesar Salas said.

Belize will try to surprise the opposition. "We want to win, like all the other teams that are here to compete, but this tournament is very important for Belize. For now we just want to raise the level of our volleyball and try to prove it and, of course, to qualify,” Coach Albert Humes was quoted saying.

In the case of Guatemala, his coach, Alvinzi Pelaez says: "It is an uncertainty for us. I walked away from the volleyball since 2008. I played the qualification in 2005 and again I think Costa Rica is the team to beat in the tournament, on spite of the technical improvement Belize while Nicaragua seems to be above El Salvador. "

The selection of Nicaragua is coached by Lester Martinez who assures his players are ready to battle. “We come with every intention of moving to the next round. We have strived for that goal and believe that there is enough willingness from the boys to achieve the goal. Games must be tight because we all want to win and nobody wants to lose here. "