Nicaragua Wins Five-Set Battle for First Victory

 

LEÓN, Mexico, September 13, 2026.- Nicaragua earned its first victory at the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup after defeating Venezuela in a closely contested five-set battle 3-2 (22-25, 26-24, 19-25, 26-24, 15-11) on Sunday at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

 

Nicaragua and Venezuela played a very balanced match, trading sets and keeping the score close throughout. Nicaragua won two sets in extra points to force the tie-break, where it took control to secure the victory.

 

With the result, Nicaragua improved to 1-1 in Pool A, while Venezuela remains winless after three matches.

 

Nicaragua held the advantage in aces 8-4 and committed fewer errors, 36 to Venezuela’s 39. Venezuela led in attacks 59-53 and blocks 10-8.

 

Nicaragua captain Brittany Forbes was the match’s leading scorer with 25 points, while Samantha Vargas added 10.

 

For Venezuela, Jehannis Andrade led the offense with 18 points, followed by Amanda Pacheco with 15, Daniela Azocar with 14 and Antonella Lovera with 10.

On day four of competition, Nicaragua will face Puerto Rico at 2:00 p.m., while Venezuela will take on Canada at 6:00 p.m.

 

Norma Brenes, Nicaragua setter: “There were moments in the match when we could have been better than them, but anxiety caused us to make mistakes and put too much pressure on ourselves. Once we controlled the emotional side, we were able to play our game and celebrate our first victory.”

 

Yanni Antonio Capuzzi, Venezuela Head Coach: “The level of play was very similar between both teams. We tried to use our youth to drive our game, but our lack of experience weighed on us in some stretches when we had the advantage, and consecutive errors allowed the match to slip away from us.”