_{Photo: Belize National Female U-17 Volleyball Team; Back row (l-r): Jaycee Usher, Rhea Tsai, Amayah Lino, Faia Reshetina, Nathalie Popper, A’Shae Parks, Emaun Marin, Akili Jones, and Jamielee Espejo. Front row (l-r): Sara Safa, Dasialynn Thurton, Miley Armstrong, Hannah Auil, and Abigail Sharp}

by William Ysaguirre

LADYVILLE, Belize District, Sun. Sept. 22, 2024

Belize’s national female Under-17 volleyball team departed from Philip Goldson International for Managua, Nicaragua on Sunday morning, September 22, to compete in the first-ever AFECAVOL Central American female U-17 volleyball championship to be held at the National Sports Institute (IND – Instituto Nacional de Deporte) in Managua from Tuesday to Saturday, September 24-28.

In this inaugural edition, Belize will compete against all five other participating Central American republics (not including Panama): Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Team Belize includes Akili Jones, Dasialynn Thurton, Sara Safa and Rhea Tsai who were part of the Gold medalist team who won the Under-21 championship at the Civic Center in July. The roster also includes 2023 primary schools MVP Imaun Marin, and Jaycee Usher, who, with Jones and Safa, was part of the St. Catherine Academy team who won the National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) volleyball championship last November 13, 2023. Also on the roster are Abigail Sharp and Hannah Auil, who, with Thurton and Tsai, helped the Belize High School girls win second place in the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association (CSSSA) volleyball championship last November.

A Belize Volleyball Association release states: “This is a major milestone in the development of women’s volleyball in the region, stemming from a collaborative initiative among Central American nations to align youth categories with international standards. The primary goal is to nurture young talent, offer international experience, and prepare the next generation of players for future continental and international competitions.”

The venue – the IND volleyball gymnasium in Managua is fully equipped to host all six teams, showcasing AFECAVOL’s commitment to advancing volleyball development at a regional level.

The teams gave preliminary interviews on Monday, September 23, before the competition begins on Tuesday, September 24. The tournament will be played in a single round-robin format with all teams seeing action each day with three matches per day; no rest days.

In their opening match on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., September 24, Belize challenges Costa Rica, then takes on Guatemala on Wednesday afternoon, before playing the hosts Nicaragua on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Belize meets Honduras on Friday evening at 4:00 p.m., before facing El Salvador at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Belize fans may tune in to the live broadcast by NicaSports on YouTube.