U21 Pan Am Cup action continues as Guatemala beats Barbados

FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA, CANADA:  Barbados got off to a quick start, but were unsettled today by Guatemala at the U21 Pan American Cup at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre at Keyano College in Fort McMurray.

The final score was 1-3 (32-34, 26-24, 14-25, 21-25).

“It was a game with a lot of up and downs,” explained Guatemala’s coach Reider Lucas. “It wasn’t a one-sided game and we still made a lot of mistakes. We came out wishing to win, it was a tough game but luckily we made it.”

“This win gives us the opportunity to keep competing as we will face Puerto Rico tomorrow. It gives us encouragement to stay in the tournament because we started the week with stronger teams like Canada and Brazil. Facing them was hard, but it really gave us more confidence. I’m very happy. The guys are very happy and focused.”

Wagner Chacon had 24 points for the winning side; while Adam Niles led Barbados with 19.

Alberto Caballero, Barbados head coach, expressed his disappointment after the match:  “Today, I don’t feel satisfied with my result.  This game was so different than when we played against Brazil. Today, nothing worked…. The main problem is today they didn’t have any confidence.  Guatemala played defense and worked hard and just kept going. I am not happy with this match.”

Both teams will have a tough time moving forward, as Canada and Cuba are also included in the teams vying for a NORCECA spot in the U21 World Championships.

May 16 (local time)

12:00  Cuba v Chile  3-0

18:00  Brazil v Barbados 3-0

20:00  Canada v Guatemala 3-0

May 17

16:00  Chile v Puerto Rico 1-3

18:00  Guatemala v Brazil 0-3

20:00  Canada v Barbados 3-0

May 18

16:00  Puerto Rico v Cuba 0-3

18:00  Barbados v Guatemala 1-3

20:00  Canada v Brazil

Finals rounds on May 19-21