Photo: Belize U21 volleyball men win 3-1 vs El Salvador
by William Ysaguirre
CHITRE, Panama, Thurs. Oct. 17, 2024
The Belize volleyball men won three individual awards as well as the Bronze medal at the AFECAVOL Central American Under-21 volleyball championships at the Pope Francis Gymnasium in Chitre, Panama, from Friday to Thursday, October 11-17.
Kaelen Ingram hammered 123 kills with a 47.31 percent efficiency, 14 kill blocks and served 7 aces to tally 144 points for the Best Scorer award; he also won Best Opposite. Team captain Eleazar Mejia hammered 91 kills on 187 attempts for a 48.66 percent efficiency rate to win the Best Attacker award, as they led Belize to win 4 of their 6 games.
Belize secured the Bronze medal as they enjoyed their 4th victory, 3-1, over El Salvador last Thursday afternoon. El Salvador profited from Belize’s 30 unforced errors to win the first set 25-21. Ingram rallied Belize’s counterattack, hammering 22 kills and 2 kill blocks for 24 pts to win the 2nd set, 25-16. Mejia scored 16 hits, 3 kill blocks and served an ace for 20 pts, and Kyron Sutherland scored 5 blocks and 3 hits to win the 3rd set, 25-22. Preston Smith hammered 5 hits, a kill block and served an ace; Ryan Usher scored 4 kill blocks and 3 hits, and Brayden Richardson served 2 aces, as they profited from the “cuzcatlecos’” 27 errors, to win the 4th set, 25-18.
Gold medalists Guatemala finished undefeated, though they had to go the full 5 sets to prevail, 3-2, over Nicaragua on Thursday evening. Costa Rica won the 1st set of Thursday’s nightcap, but Panama prevailed, 3-1, to clinch the Silver medal with 5 wins, 1 loss.
Guatemala’s Adolfo Rivas won the Most Valuable Player award and Best Setter, while his teammates Yeferson Zavala won 2nd Best Attacker, and Josue Gonzalez won Best Defense. El Salvador’s Fernando Navarro won Best Libero and Best Receiver, Costa Rica’s Jeremy Vanegas won Best Blocker, and Nicaragua’s Edwin Humphreys won 2nd Best Blocker.
The Belize men had debuted with a 25-15, 25-21, 29-27 win over Nicaragua on Friday, October 11, and won a hard-fought duel that went the full 5 sets to prevail, 3-2, over Costa Rica on Saturday, October 12. Belize also dominated Honduras, 25-21, 25-17 and 25-20 on Tuesday. They fell, 0-3, to Guatemala on Sunday, October 13, and they had shared the points with the hosts Panama in their, 2-3, heartbreak loss last Monday.