Costa Rica claim 10th consecutive crown

Costa Rica's players celebrate their 10th consecutive gold medal at the Central American Women's Cup

Panama City, Panama,– Costa Rica claimed its 10th consecutive crown at the XVI Central American Women’s Cup by defeating Panama 3-0 (25-11, 25-21 y 25-10) on Saturday.


In their route towards their 13th title overall in the zonal competition the Costa Ricans didn't lose a single set.
Verania Willis, named the Most Valuable Player, led Costa Rica with 18 points all via spikes. Paola Ramirez added 16, including three blocks and three aces while Karen Cope charted 11. Panama’s Katherine Taju had nine points.


“We had to work very hard to claim this title, and we are happy with the victory, “Willis said. “Panama was a good contender and they showed it during the tournament.”


In another match on Saturday, Nicaragua defeated El Salvador 3-0 (25-15, 25-15 y 25-21) to win the bronze medal.


Claudia Noguera was the top scorer of Nicaragua with 21 points while Lollette Rodriguez was almost perfect as setter. Adriana Flores topped El Salvador with 10 tallies.


In the first match, Guatemala claimed a 3-0 (25-18, 25-6, 25-17) victory over Belize to secure the fourth position.


Maria Estrada topped Guatemala with 11 points whine Marie Burmester and Ingrid Lopez each contributed 7 points. Belize’s Barbara Cadle had 11 points for the defeated side.

Final positions:

Costa Rica (6-0)
Panama (5-1)
Nicaragua (4-2)
Guatemala (3-3)
El Salvador (2-4)
Honduras (1-5)
Belize (0-6).

Individual awards:

Most Valuable Player: Verania Willis (CRC)
Best Scorer: Claudia Noguera (NCA)
Best Spiker: Paola Ramírez (CRC)
Best Blocker: Jenny Madrid (PAN)
Best Server: Dionisia Thompson (CRC)
Best Setter: Dionisia Thompson (CRC)
Best Digger: Walda Maldonado (GUA)
Best Receiver: Claudia Noguera (NCA)
Best Libero: Walda Maldonado (GUA)