Nicaragua Bounces Back Against Guatemala, Keeps Final Hopes Alive

 

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 16, 2026.– Nicaragua bounced back from its opening loss with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-15) straight-set victory over Guatemala on the second day of the AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Final Four Championship at the Volleyball Gymnasium of the Nicaraguan Sports Institute (IND).

 

With the result, the hosts, coached by Claudia Noguera, improved to 1-1 and kept their hopes of reaching Sunday’s final alive. Guatemala, under head coach Julio Domínguez, remained winless at 0-2.

 

Nicaragua showed significant improvement from its opening match, particularly in serving and defensive organization, limiting Guatemala’s offensive options. After a more competitive first set, the hosts took control and extended their advantage over the next two sets.

 

María Belén Arcia led Nicaragua with 14 points, while opposite Aniela Smith and middle blocker Josafat Díaz contributed 10 points apiece. For Guatemala, Andrea Mendizábal was the leading scorer with seven points, followed by María Santa Cruz with six.

 

The hosts held the advantage in attacks (38-21) and aces (10-5), while both teams recorded three blocks. Nicaragua also capitalized on Guatemala’s 24 unforced errors while committing 19 of its own.

 

Serving proved to be one of the decisive factors for Nicaragua, putting pressure on Guatemala’s reception and disrupting its offensive execution. Solid defensive work and effective attacking also contributed to the victory.

 

On Saturday, Nicaragua (1-1) will face Costa Rica (2-0) at 7:00 p.m. in a crucial match for its hopes of advancing to the final. Guatemala (0-2), meanwhile, will take on Belize (1-1) at 4:30 p.m., with the outcome also playing a role in determining the finalists.

 

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Claudia Noguera, Nicaragua head coach: “The key today were concentration, a positive attitude and teamwork. I believe those were the main factors in this match. Tomorrow, we need to come out with the same mentality and improve on a few things from today. We managed to contain several of their key players, especially their outside hitters. Our blocking and the scouting work we did were very important. We will also analyze Costa Rica’s game and give our best tomorrow.”

 

María Belén Arcia, Nicaragua’s leading scorer: “I think we were more in sync today. We worked together like a well-oiled machine, as a system. Yesterday’s loss was a reality check. This victory lifts our spirits ahead of tomorrow’s match, which will be a difficult one. Yesterday, we were a little anxious, perhaps because it was our first match, but today we managed to get the win, and that’s what matters.”

 

Julio Domínguez, Guatemala head coach: “It’s a match like any other; you can win or lose. Today, we once again had to adjust our lineup. Santa Cruz, who is based in the United States, only arrived today and joined the team. Our side-out system wasn’t working. We lacked direction with our serving, which had helped us put pressure on our opponent’s side-out play in the first set, but in the second set we couldn’t find a way to apply that same pressure from the service line.”