Guatemala Trims Honduras for Fifth Place at NORCECA

Colorado Springs, USA, September 1, 2012 – Guatemala edged Honduras 25-18, 20-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-9 in the 2012 NORCECA Men’s Junior Continental Championship fifth-place match Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Gerardo Antonio Gonzalez Paz, the tournament’s leading scorer, produced 26 points for Guatemala while teammate Erick Noel Colindres Ipina and Christopher Leon Du John added 11 points each.

Honduras was led by Frank Alley with 21 points and Diego Chavez totaled 12 points with eight blocks. Jose Vasquez and Ricardo Vasquez each added 10 points.

Guatemala’s serve netted a 9-4 margin in aces to compensate for Honduras’ 17-13 advantage in blocks. Guatemala also had a 33-24 margin in digs.

 “We are happy for the win,” Guatemala captain Erick Colindres said. “It was our objective to finish fifth place or higher. It was a tough We are happy with the victory. Congratulations to Honduras for a good match. They played well.”

“This was the first match we played five sets, and we went to that instance because the teams are very similar,” Guatemala head coach Jorge Chavez said. “Believe it or not it was a Central America Final, and it is a fact it was a tight game. I am happy with the result because it helps our ranking from seventh place in Canada at the 2010 NORCECA championship. I want to congratulate Honduras for a great match. I am always proud of my players. They play with heart. I hope we have a more competitive team the next time we play.”