The XVI Women’s Central American Cup is underway in Panama City. The women’s volleyball action started off on Sunday, November 28th and is scheduled to complete its run on Saturady, December 4th. The event
welcomed seven teams:
Panama Belize Costa Rica Honduras El Salvador Guatemala Nicaragua
Three matches were played on the opening day of the tournament. Following the same pattern, the second day of the championship featured 3 more contests. In the first match on Monday, Guatemala clashed with Honduras and earned victory.
Both teams had lost their opening matches to different rivals on the first day. Guatemala lost the opening match to Nicaragua, while El Salvador defeated Honduras on Sunday.
Guatemala vs. Honduras 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, and 25-14)
Guatemala was all fired up with the loss of their last match and they prepared well for the next encounter with Honduras. They descended onto the court with the desire to pull off a victory. Guatemala opened the match with strong
serves and the players covered every inch of the court. On the other hand, Honduras had somewhat similar intentions and plans. The Honduran Captain placed the players in unique positions and started the strike. Both sides attacked each other and didn’t waste
any chance to get a point.
The score soared up with a close difference but the situation remained undecided. Maria Fernanda Rodriguez of Honduras threw the ball from different angles and created trouble for Guatemala. In response, Guatemala’s Susana Alvarado
stood up and defended her team’s position very well. The point-to-point battle continued and finally Guatemala ended the tussle by achieving set point. They claimed the first set with a close margin of two points 25-23.
Guatemala’s team found perfect rhythm after winning the first set. They followed the same approach and opened the second set with confident shots. The powerful serves and prolific spikes enabled them to build a lead. Honduras tried
hard to gain a better hold but they failed to dismantle the power of Guatemala. On top of this, the Honduran team was down with reception errors, which inflicted even more damage. Guatemala remained consistent in pushing the ball to the right spots and paved
its way for success in the second set as well. Honduras suffered the set back and collapsed 18-25.
Success in two straight sets earned Guatemala a strong spot in the game. Honduras really slowed down in the third set. They struggled to hit back against Guatemala, their shots lacking power, failing to scare their opponents. On
the contrary, Guatemala became unshakable and took the score by storm in the third set. The smell of victory put a new thrill in their bodies and the Guatemalan players totally dominated the scene. They quickly covered the length of the third set and seized
match victory by capturing the final set.
Post match
Susana Alvarado of Guatemala was the centre of attention at the prize distribution ceremony after the match. She was praised by everyone for her valuable 16 points, which proved a great support for Guatemala’s
triumph. Likewise her teammates Rut Gomez and Blanca Recinos clipped 13 points. Honduras’s Maria Fernanda Rodriguez helped her team’s score by registering 8 points.
The Head Coach of Guatemala, Leivis Garcia was delighted about the team’s comeback. He disclosed the game plan of the match against Honduras, “We changed the team in each set because we want to play everybody. Our goal still is
to qualify to NORCECA Championship.”
Honduran Rodriguez regretted the loss of another match. She expressed her views after the match, “We lacked concentration. The first set we played well but then we were going down little by little.”
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