Managua, Nicaragua, Sat. June 29, 2019– Belize won, 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-22), against El Salvador to secure the Silver medal for the first time in their four Central American U23 Championships, ending with a 4-2 win/loss record (20 points), while El Salvador missed the podium with 2-4.
The Belizean team won an initial advantage of 7 points (10-3) and a match point in favor of El Salvador to tie the game at 24, and won the first set, 26-24, which was decisive in getting the win.
Melanie Palacio, Mya Musa and Fatoumata Camara each scored 11 points for Belize, while El Salvador’s Gabriela Funes was best scorer with 15 points.
In a very even match, Belize dominated with 21-28 attacks, 9-5 blocks, and 6-5 service, with 30 points in errors, while the opponent committed 29.
Belize’s Cuban Coach, Jose Fontes said that “the comeback in the first set was very important. We were losing, 10-3; I did not expect that it could be won, because the team from El Salvador was very stable.”
“They (their players) came out very tense; they knew what this victory represented, a first medal for the country. The whole country was waiting; that’s why they came out a bit tense, both in the first and in the second sets. The good thing is that they worked well for the central zone; the attack did its work there, and the player number 10 (Mya Musa) was decisive. “
-press release-
(Amandala Sports Ed. Note: Congrats to our women volleyball stars! They were scheduled to return to the PGIA on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on Avianca Airlines.)