Nicaragua Advances to the Semifinals

of the Central American Games

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, October 19, 2025.– Nicaragua advanced to the semifinals of the women’s volleyball tournament at the 12th Central American Games Guatemala 2025 after defeating El Salvador 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 25-14).

With a 2-1 record, Nicaragua finished second in Pool A and will play the semifinals against the first-place team from Pool B. Meanwhile, El Salvador (1-2) finished third in the pool and will compete for positions 5/7 against the third-place team from Pool B.

Nicaragua started strong, taking the first set thanks to the offensive effectiveness of Josafet Díaz, who led the scoring, and capitalizing on 11 errors made by El Salvador. Gilmary Smith and Dalia Calero also played key roles in the offense.

In the second set, El Salvador turned things around, taking an eight-point lead (18-10) behind the solid performance of Adriana Flores. Although Nicaragua cut the deficit, El Salvador maintained control to even the match.

Nicaragua regained dominance in the third set with the attacks of Calero and Smith, maintaining a consistent five-point lead until closing the set. In the fourth set, the Nicaraguans once again showed their superiority to seal the victory and secure a spot in the semifinals.

ALBUM NCA vs ESA

The statistics reflected Nicaragua’s control of the main elements of the game: attacks (54-45), blocks (9-6), and aces (3-1). Nicaragua committed 22 unforced errors, while El Salvador had 28.

Dalia Calero and Josafet Díaz led Nicaragua’s offense with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Gilmary Smith added 12 points, while for El Salvador, Adriana Flores was the match’s top scorer with 19 points, followed by Gabriela Funes with 15.

Nicaraguan setter Lolette Rodríguez expressed her satisfaction: “We had to win this match no matter what to stay in the fight for the medals. It’s an honor to be on the court and defend our flag—it’s very emotional. I’m happy to share my experience with the younger players. Today our communication was better, and we listened more to our coaches’ instructions.”

Meanwhile, Adriana Flores, El Salvador’s top scorer, said: “Part of the team is quite young, and I think we lack the decisiveness that comes with experience. Generational changes take time, and we have to pay the price. We were strong on the outside, but not as much in the other areas.”