Costa Rica finishes seventh at U-18 Cup

TIJUANA, Mexico, July 8 2011 - Costa Rica defeated El Salvador 3-2 (25-16, 23-25, 26-24, 21-25, 15-6) to finish in seventh place at the Girls U-18 Pan American Cup.

Yuliana Gonzalez Alfaro scored 28 points for Costa Rica, and captain Gabriela Arias ended with 16, while Carmen Amador registered 15. Salvadorian captain Andrea Manzur tallied 20 and Maria Jose Galeano 28.

“We had a weak start, and even though we recovered, we failed on our defense,” Manzur said. “If you miss more than 20 times in your service in a match that is a lot. We did not miss our services on the last set, and that helped us to achieve this victory”, said Costa Rican coach Martin Rodriguez.

Both teams Salvador and Costa Rica will compete in the Central American Championships in this category, so their participation in this tournament was part of their preparation, coaches agreed.