Panama Passes First Test with Honors at

AFECAVOL U23 Central American Championship

CHIRIQUÍ, Panama, September 16, 2025.– Panama earned an important victory against a tough Belize team, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 27-25), in the stellar match of the day, which opened Pool A action at the VII AFECAVOL U23 Men’s Central American Championship.

Panama capitalized on its advantage in blocking (9-3) and serving (8-1). Belize led in attack points (42-32) but could not find the balance to turn the final result around.

The key to Panama’s victory were the 28 points they scored off Belize’s unforced errors, compared to only 13 of their own.

ÁLBUM PAN VS BIZ

For Panama, Víctor Araúz and Kendrieck Newby finished with 11 points each, supported by Víctor Pérez who contributed 10 points.

Belize’s main offensive weapon was Kaelen Ingram with 22 points, but he received little support, with Eleazar Mejía being the team’s second-best scorer with 9 points.

Following the win, Panama’s coach Horacio Angulo said: “We knew that Belize is a very strong team, we were aware of what they could bring to this match, so we tried to work on our serving and consistency from the our outside hitters. This is definitely the ‘group of death,’ so every win is crucial. We know Guatemala’s trajectory, and the teams in the other group have their own strengths as well. For us, it’s about taking it one match at a time to try to reach the final.”

Meanwhile, Belize’s coach Albert Humes commented: “It was a very tough match, the players gave their best effort, but we must recognize that Panama did a great job. Now we must try to do things better in our next match.”