Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) had to settle for eighth place after falling to Nicaragua in the seventh-place playoff match at the Men’s Under-23 Pan American Cup, 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 15-25, 19-25, 16-14) in San Salvador.
Nicaragua held a slight edge in the first two sets, committing few unforced errors and playing with greater confidence. T&T put up strong resistance, but the Nicaraguans managed to close out both sets to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, T&T’s attack was clearly superior, allowing them to cut the deficit. The Trinidadians maintained their offensive pressure in the fourth set to even the match and force a tiebreaker.
Nicaragua regained its level in the fifth set, although T&T kept the battle close until the final points. The Nicaraguans eventually sealed the victory, 16-14.
Despite the loss, T&T held the advantage in the main team statistics: attacks (62–58), blocks (13–8), and aces (7–4). However, T&T committed more unforced errors, giving away 30 to Nicaragua’s 22.
Three Nicaragua players scored in double figures: Josué León with 22 points, Devin Taushaun with 17, and Jafrank Quesada with 10.
For T&T, Jahreef Miguel led the offence with 24 points, including three blocks and three aces. Michael Burkett added 18 points, Janeiro Atherley scored 16, and Ayden Austin contributed 15, including three blocks.
Osmar Peralta, Nicaragua libero: “It was a very nice tournament and at the same time quite difficult. We came with a very young team. We came here to give it everything we had, and we’re happy with seventh place because I think it opens the door for future generations.”
On Saturday night, Costa Rica defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-12) to advance to the Men’s U-23 Pan American Cup final for the first time in its history.
Costa Rica will play for its first gold medal in the tournament, while Guatemala will compete for the bronze medal for the second time, having won bronze in 2018.
Yesterday, Guatemala was scheduled to face Mexico for the bronze medal, while Costa Rica was scheduled to take on the United States in the gold medal match. There was also a fifth-place match between El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
The United States became the first team to advance to the Men’s U-23 Pan American Cup final after defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20). In just its second appearance in the tournament, USA advanced to the gold medal match for the second consecutive time.
