Venezuela Defeats Guatemala to Play for Seventh

Place at Women’s Pan American Cup

LEÓN, Mexico, September 16, 2026. – Venezuela earned its first victory at the 2026 Women’s Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-19) win over Guatemala on Wednesday in the classification match for positions 7-10 at the Domo de la Feria in León, Guanajuato.

The result sends Venezuela into Thursday’s seventh-place match against Costa Rica at 4:00 p.m. Guatemala will face Nicaragua for ninth place at 2:00 p.m.

Serving was one of Venezuela’s main strengths, as the South Americans recorded 10 aces while Guatemala had none. Venezuela also held a 35-25 advantage in attacks, while both teams registered four blocks. Venezuela benefited from 26 points on Guatemala’s errors and conceded 17.

After winning the first two sets 25-12 and 25-16, Venezuela faced greater resistance in the third. Guatemala opened with a 3-0 lead and went ahead 11-10, but Venezuela regained control and closed out the match 25-19.

Daniela Azócar led Venezuela’s offense with 14 points, followed by Anarela Mejías and Amanda Pacheco with 11 each. Melissa Guerra was Guatemala’s top scorer with nine points.

Ana Sofía López, Venezuela captain: “This is our first victory, and it gives us the opportunity to play for seventh place. Today we were more determined to win. Our coach told us to play as if today were a semifinal and tomorrow was the final, so we had good energy and a positive attitude. The substitutions worked well, and our serves did a lot of damage. That helped us keep them from catching up.”

William Fernández, Guatemala coach: “We’ve struggled because the players put too much pressure on themselves when they have a chance to win. Today they didn’t respond. They have nothing to lose, but they don’t know how to handle the situation. Tomorrow, we hope to put on a better performance and avoid finishing last in the tournament.”