Nicaragua sweeps Honduras for Seventh place

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, November 26, 2023. - Nicaragua defeated Honduras in straight sets 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-20), finishing in seventh place in the first edition of the NORCECA Girls’ Under-17  Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Nicaragua concluded the event with two wins and four losses. This was the second occasion that Nicaragua defeated Honduras in the tournament. Honduras closed with a 0-5 record.

Nicaragua secured victory over Honduras with advantages of 38-15 in attacks, 5-3 in blocks, and 8-5 in aces. Both teams committed 24 unforced errors.

Setter Brisa Bermudez and middle blocker Karen Bird from Nicaragua each scored 9 points. Middle blocker Keyling Olivas contributed 8 points.

For Honduras, opposite hitter Nicole Velasquez and outside hitter Ruth Villegas scored 6 points each.

 Claudia Noguera, Head coach of Nicaragua, commented, “Both teams gave their all. My girls knew how to obey and maintain concentration throughout the game. It was a good experience to face teams of a higher level; it was a great learning opportunity, and now they know they have to continue their preparation”.

Honduras’ coach, Marcos Sugiyama, expressed, “Our idea was to see how our process was going, at what level we were. We must work on many things. Today, I think we didn’t enjoy the game, and there was a lack of concentration, perhaps due to the results. It’s good that we can continue the process because we are just starting, and I’m glad the players could see the level of competition”.