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But before that heart could swell with pride, it almost burst with anxiety - after Belize dropped the second and third sets - meaning they had to win the fourth and fifth if they wanted to defeat Guatemala in front of a very loud and very full house at the Civic. Talk about drama! Jules Vasquez picks it up in the final points of the decisive 5th set with Belize trailing:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
With this spike, Guatemala went up by two points and only needed three more points to win the match.

In front of its home fans, Belize was down 10 - 12 and then - another score - it was 11 - 13 for Guatemala - hope was all but lost.

But this bad serve was a gift from the Guatemalan side, and it brought Belize ti within one, 12 to 13

And then another Shantell Arnold's serve is right on the line, leading to a Guatemalan spike that goes out and it's 13 all - anybody's game.

From there it's the Sherika Burton show as she takes the lead with this spike - which brings Belize up 14 to 13 and them, match point Shantell Arnold on the serve again for what unfolds as one of the most dramatic rallies we've ever seen.

Ending finally in this explosion from the undeniable Sherika Burton - the rest is written in glory....as the civic erupts.

Sherika Burton, Tournament's Leading Scorer
"I feel so proud. We won."

Shantell Arnold, Tournament's Best Opposite
"I've been waiting for years to win a Central American championship. I've been playing 10 years and finally at home we won."

Nelissa Ramirez, Captain - Team Belize
"I'm really excited that we won tonight. We have made history. We have worked out so hard. We came out really strong mentally and physically."

For the team, and especially Shantell Arnold it was vindication for a painful loss on Saturday night:

Shantell Arnold, Tournament's Best Opposite
"Especially after that El Salvador game I say I can't let that come back and haunt us and so on the last serve I was on the line again. I was like okay Shantell you can't let it happen again, because I remember a Facebook comment "Shantell make my heart broke" and so I broke my own heart and so I can't make it happen again, so I just focused and we played our best and we did hit."

Allan Sharp, President - BVA
"I think we did very well. Considering a very big emotional win last night against Costa Rica and to come now and to play a 5-setter. We did it. We beat Guatemala, the main team that we want to beat, so we pulled it off. The girls did an excellent job. We end up coming in second. We actually tied with Costa Rica in everything. So we had to go all the way down to points ratio in the criteria and unfortunately we have a lower points ratio by a slight margin. I think it's 1.17 for us and 1.27 for Costa Rica. So they ended up coming in first and we came in second. We are second, so first thing is to hope that they allow a second team into the continental championship. But obviously we have a very young team, more than half of it is under 23. The Under-23 championship should be held this year. We are still waiting to see where, so we should have a very strong team with that and obviously we want to keep as many of the girls together for the long haul, because it's all about continuing to play as a team."

But regardless of what happens next, Belizeans will remember these girls of summer, 2018, who shaped the civic in their image - and gave fans a rare chance to cheer for excellence

Belize's women won a number of individual honors. Star striker Sherika Burton won best scorer and best spiker, Shantell Arnold won best opposite, and Karen Quan won best setter. As Sharp noted, Belize lost out on the gold medal by just a fraction of a point - but, still, it is by far, the best performance ever for a Belizean volleyball team in the regional championships, whether male or female.

You can celebrate them next Monday with a motorcade through the streets of Belize City starting at 2:30 p.m.

It starts at Marion Jones Stadium onto Princess Margaret Drive, Freetown Road, Douglas Jones Street, Youth for the Future Drive, Vernon Street, Magazine Street, Cemetery Road, Orange Street, Albert Street, Yarborough Road, Central American Boulevard, and ends in front of the Civic Center - which is where an acknowledgment ceremony will be held.