Panama earns first win at U19 event

BURNABY, Canada, May 13, 2026: In the most closely contested match of pool play so far, Panama beat Puerto Rico today at the U19 Boys’ Continental Championship in Burnaby, British Columbia.

The final score was 3-1 (25-12, 28-25, 20-25, 25-17).

Panama recovered from its loss to powerful USA yesterday and now has a 1-1 record in Group B. The top four teams from this tournament will earn berths to the 2027 World Championships.

In today’s match, Panama led in attack points 55-49 and blocks (6-4) and aces were even at 4. Errors were high on both sides 32-33 – one point in favor of Panama.

Panama’s Head Coach Alexis Bernal was clearly pleased with the effort: “It was an intense match, but the young players managed to get the result they needed.”

Team captain and outside hitter Wen Downer of Panama reached a match-high 31 points for his team.

Outside hitter Jayden Antonio Figueroa was Puerto Rico’s top scorer with 16 points.

Puerto Rico is 1-1 in Group B.