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Nine Teams Seek Ranking Points for the

2029 Junior Pan American Games

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 21, 2026.- Nine teams will compete in the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup from September 22 to 27 at the Palacio de los Deportes Carlos “El Famoso” Hernández in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The tournament will award ranking points toward qualification for the Rosario 2029 Junior Pan American Games, adding significance to the competition.

Grenada will make history with its first-ever appearance in a Pan American Cup, a significant milestone for the country’s volleyball program, as well as for NORCECA and the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA).

Ahead of the competition, the coaches shared their expectations for the tournament.

Dan Girleanu, Head Coach of Grenada: “First of all, I would like to thank the Organizing Committee for the invitation and the tremendous work they have done to put together such an important tournament. It is historic for us to be here, as this is our first-ever participation. I am proud of the effort our Volleyball Association made to ensure we could be here. We did not have much time to prepare, but I know the quality of our players, and I am confident we will be able to compete at the level of the other participants.”

Nicolette Sanlin, Head Coach of USA: “It was a great event last year, and we are excited to be back for the second consecutive year with a new team that is eager to get started. We always expect to perform well. We face tough competition in our pool, which includes defending champion Dominican Republic, and we are looking forward to competing against them again this year.”

Jair Morales Carreño, Head Coach of Mexico: “We have a young team, with some players who already have experience competing at the senior level. The U23 category is highly competitive. We have high aspirations and hope to have a good tournament.”

Jorge Luis Mena, Head Coach of Nicaragua: “We are very grateful to our National Federation for making the effort to send us to this tournament, which helps us earn ranking points in this category within NORCECA. The team is in very good shape. We have been preparing for months, and we are here to compete and give our best.”

José Gutiérrez, Head Coach of Dominican Republic: “We have a great responsibility. What we achieved last year was a historic milestone for our men’s volleyball program, and that brings considerable responsibility this year. Defending the title will be a difficult challenge, as only three players from last year’s team remain, while the rest have moved up to the senior team. Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the Junior Pan American Games.”

Noe Fabian, Head Coach of El Salvador: “We are very excited and grateful to AFECAVOL and NORCECA for the opportunity to host such an important tournament as the U23 Pan American Cup. This helps us further develop our sport. We will give our best in every match and see what else we can achieve as the tournament progresses. The core of our team is made up of U21 players, with an eye toward the future and giving our young athletes valuable international experience.”

Reider Lucas, Head Coach of Guatemala: “We are very happy to be here and want to finish in the best possible position, which would give us valuable ranking points toward qualification for the Junior Pan American Games. The team has performed well in international competitions this year. We believe we have the level to be competitive and achieve our best-ever finish in this category.”

Arturo Solano, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “We are happy to be here. We have had a good development process this year with a group of players who have been together since the U21 category. This will be our third tournament together, and we hope to make the most of it and achieve a very good finish. Some of our players have already been called up to the senior national team, which gives us a little more experience.”

Gideon Dickson, Head Coach of Trinidad & Tobago: “I think this tournament is important for NORCECA and the Pan American region because it gives the next generation of athletes an opportunity to continue developing and provides a platform to showcase their skills and take the next step toward senior international competitions.”