Mexico Survives a Five-Set Battle against Costa Rica

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 27, 2026.– Mexico survived a hard-fought five-set battle against Costa Rica to earn its first victory at the Girls’ U17 Pan American Cup, prevailing 3-2 (18-25, 25-10, 25-13, 22-25, 15-13) on day two of competition at the Jorge Galeano Gymnasium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Mexico (1-0) and will face Venezuela (1-0) for first place in Pool C. The top two best-ranked first-place teams from the three pools advance directly to the semifinals. Costa Rica concluded pool play with a 0-2 record.

The opening set featured close exchanges and long rallies, with Costa Rica taking control after building a three-point advantage at 17-14 behind strong service pressure from Esmeralda Ugalde. The combination of offensive contribution from Charlotte Martinez and Luciana Vargas, along with Mexican errors, allowed the Central Americans to maintain momentum and claim the set.

Mexico responded strongly in the second set, quickly establishing a commanding 12-2 lead with Emily Camarena leading the offense and Katherine Camacho providing solid support. Mexico comfortably tied the match with dominant attacking and improved defensive organization.

In the third set, Catherine Camacho spearheaded Mexico’s offense as the team jumped ahead 15-7. Evelyn Diaz also contributed key points, while a decisive 6-0 scoring run helped Mexico move ahead two sets to one.

The fourth set was intensely contested, remaining tied until 21-all. Camarena led Mexico’s attack while Ugalde kept Costa Rica in contention. Play was briefly interrupted at 11-all due to rain leaks in the gymnasium ceiling. Costa Rica capitalized on the momentum after the pause, fueled by Ugalde, Kyara Reyes and several Mexican errors, forcing a deciding fifth set.

Costa Rica’s blocking edge over Mexico proved significant throughout the fifth set, but Mexico managed to survive a tense tie-break to secure the victory.

Mexico head coach Migdalel Ruiz said the match was challenging from the start. “It was our first match, and Costa Rica had a bit of rhythm because they played yesterday. The brief pause broke what we were working on. What’s important is we got the win, and now we need another one.”

Mexico finished with advantages in kills (58-36) and aces (10-9), while Costa Rica held the edge in blocks (9-5). Both teams committed 32 unforced errors.

Mexico was led offensively by Katherine Camacho with 23 points, Emily Camarena with 13 points, and Evelyn Diaz with 12 points.

Costa Rica’s top scorer was Esmeralda Ugalde with 17 points, supported by Charlotte Martinez with 11 points and Luciana Vargas with 10 points.

Costa Rica head coach Kareem Richards praised his team’s effort despite the loss. “It was a match with ups and downs, very nice for the fans. Our team was able to recover against a great opponent like Mexico. We must continue working on our errors. The Costa Rican players showed they can compete at a great level of play.”