Mexico with emphatic Win against Nicaragua

NOGALES, Mexico, June 12, 2024 - Mexico beat Nicaragua with an emphatic 3-0 (25-8, 25-19, 25-21) at the Men’s U21 Continental Championship in Wednesday’s last match at Nogales, Mexico.

On Thursday, Mexico, with an unbeaten record (2-0), will compete against the United States (2-0) for the top spot in pool A, aiming for a direct ticket to the semifinals. Nicaragua (0-2) and Suriname (0-2) will fight to advance to the quarterfinals.

Mexico maintained their undefeated thanks to their overwhelming advantage in blocking (16-3) and a comfortable lead in attacks (35-29) against Nicaragua. Mexico also had a slight edge in service points (3-2) and committed fewer errors than Nicaragua (14-21).

Opposite hitter Cristian Cadena led Mexico with 13 points on 10 attacks, two blocks, and one ace. Ramiro Ramírez and Gael Olivas each added 8 points. Setter José Alejandro Adame contributed with a match-high of 4 blocking points.

Evans Solís was the top scorer for Nicaragua, scoring 10 points on 8 attacks and 2 service points.

Mexico scored from all angles in the first set, pulling apart Nicaragua's offense, particularly in the opening set.

Cristian Cadena, Mexico's top scorer, said: “The communication among all of us helped achieve the result in the first set. We supported each other on the court to take the lead. The finish wasn’t easy; we lost focus a bit, but we got the win. Tomorrow, we will give our best against the United States, and we’ll leave the rest in God's hands”.

Evans Solís, Nicaragua's top scorer, said: “At the beginning, we played very tense. We gained more confidence in the next two sets, showing the good spirit that characterizes us. The outcome was not what we hoped for. Mexico studied us very well, especially me. Tomorrow, we will give it our all against Suriname. They are not an easy team, and we won’t give up as we aim to represent Nicaragua well”.