Guatemala wins against Suriname to keep hopes alive to move forward

POZA RICA, Mexico, November 10, 2023.- Guatemala won 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) against Suriname to keep its hopes alive to move into the NORCECA Boys’ U17 semifinals at Poza Rica, Mexico and qualify to the 2024 FIVB World Championship.

Guatemala stands 2-1 in Pool A and will finish pool-play against Mexico (3-0), while Suriname (1-2) goes against Costa Rica (2-1). There is still one spot for semifinals and a slot for the FIVB 2024 World Championship up for grabs.

Guatemala prevailed over Suriname with a 37-18 advantage in kills and a 6-4 margin in blocks. Suriname held a 9-6 advantage in aces. Guatemala scored on 25 opponent unforced errors and committed 17 of their own.

Opposite hitter and team captain Luis Mendizabal scored a match-high of 17 points on 14 kills, one block and four aces. Outside hitter Juan Menendez chipped in 10 points on 8 kills and two aces.

Suriname’s leading attacker was opposite hitter Javier Nasibdar with 9 points, followed by outside hitter Roberto Benschop with 8 points.

Guatemala started off strong with an 8-0 lead in the first set. Guatemala won a roller coaster second set pressured by a more settled Suriname, but finally took the win in straight sets.

Guatemala’s coach, Edvin López, said, “We are very happy; we came in with a positive mindset to achieve the 3-0 victory, and we succeeded. The boys rested well and recovered for today. We hope to have a good match against Mexico tonight and fight for qualification. Today, we improved in reception, which was a factor against Costa Rica. The team is progressing, and we will give our all against Mexico”.

Carlos Orta Fellove, Suriname’s coach, expressed, “Guatemala is a team with more experience than Suriname, better man-to-man, dominating more technical elements. We did everything possible to try to win and preserve the players’ strength because we have another match tonight, so I made several changes. In my opinion, we played well”.