Panama Claims 5-Set thriller over Nicaragua to Remain Undefeated

CHITRÉ, Panama, October 15, 2024.- Panama remains undefeated with a dramatic 3-2 (25-16, 21-25, 25-27, 25-20, 19-17) victory over Nicaragua in the XX AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Central American Championship, held at the Papa Francisco Gymnasium in Chitré, Panama.

Panama holds an undefeated 4-0 record with 15 points and will face defending champion Guatemala, also unbeaten but with 20 points, on Wednesday at 8:00 pm.

Nicaragua and Costa Rica, both with a 2-2 record and 10 points, will play on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.

Panama led in attacks (69-64), blocks (13-11), and serves (6-1), but gave away more points from errors (29-27).

Panama had five players scoring in double digits, led by Víctor Pérez (22), followed by Víctor Araúz (19), David De León (16), David Della (15), and Kendrieck Newby (11).

Nicaraguan Evans Solís led all scorers with 23 points. Edwin Humphreys added 22 points.

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After Nicaragua lost the first set by a significant margin, the dynamic of the match changed dramatically. Both teams battled, exchanging leads. The intense fifth set went to Panama with two attacks from Víctor Pérez, after the team had lost three match points.

Horacio Angulo, Coach of Panama: “We take it game by game, knowing that no team is easy. The whole team came to do their job. Nicaragua improved a lot in the second set, using their attack against our block. Their defense is very good, which complicated our high ball attacks in zone four. Nicaragua did an excellent job. We made a series of adjustments, and we managed to secure the victory”.

Jorge Luis Mena, Coach of Nicaragua: “It was a good match. I’ve always said that details define the game; when it’s time to attack, you have to attack; when it’s time to play the ball, you have to play it. In the fourth set, we were ahead and couldn’t regain control of the game. The fifth set is pure luck; the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins, and we had two players who couldn’t handle the ball in zone four, which is where matches are decided. We’ll keep moving forward.”