U.S. Men's U21 Finishes 2026 Pan Am Cup Pool Play Unbeaten with Win over Mexico

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 25, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s U21 National Team completed 2026 U21 Pan American Cup pool play undefeated with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-19) victory over Mexico on Thursday in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S. (3-0) received a bye in the quarterfinal round and will play in the semifinals on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. PT.

The U.S. used a dominating block (11-1 advantage) and a 6-3 advantage in service aces to offset Mexico’s narrow lead in kills (36-35).

Five players scored at least six points for the U.S. with opposite Kainoa Wade as the only player reaching double digits with nine kills and an ace. Outside hitter Blake Fahlbusch (eight kills and a block) and middle blocker Jackson Cryst (match-high four blocks, four kills and an ace) both scored nine points.

“I thought the team came out super prepared and played a very complete match all around. I thought we won the serve and pass game, which led us to the 3-0 victory. Great win tonight,” Fahlbusch said.

Libero Johnny Dykstra shared match-high honors with 13 successful receptions and led the team with seven digs. Middle Trevell Jordan (five kills, one block, one ace) and outside Aleksey Mikhailenko (seven kills) each contributed seven points, while setter Cameron Kosty served three aces to go with a kill and two blocks for six points.

Jordan served for four points to start with the match with a Cryst block on the first play setting the tone. Mexico used a 5-1 run to square the set 5-5. A Fahlbusch tip and Cryst ace put the U.S. back up by two, 8-6. A strong dig from Mikhailenko led to another Fahlbusch kill and Kosty served an ace for an 11-7 lead. Mexico recorded its second 5-1 run of the set to even the score at 12 apiece. A Mikhailenko kill and Jordan ace put the U.S. back up by two. Another Fahlbusch kill and back-to-back Kosty aces extended the U.S. advantage to 20-16. Mexico came back again, this time with a 6-2 stretch, to tie the score at 22. Mikhailenko put the U.S. back up off a back set from Kosty and a Mexico error gave the U.S. set point, which it converted two plays later on an error. Cryst led the U.S. with five points on two kills, two blocks and an ace with Mikhailenko and Fahlbusch each contributing four kills.

A Wade ace gave the U.S. the first two-point lead for either team in the second set, 6-4. A Cryst tip upped the lead to three points, 9-6. Fahlbusch put a ball down in the corner and a Mexico error on the following play extended the U.S. lead to five points, 15-10. Two more Mexico errors pushed the advantage to six, 18-12. A Fahlbusch attack found the back of the court for a 20-13 lead. Mikhailenko crushed a ball on a free ball as the U.S. moved ahead 22-14. After yielding the next point, the U.S. scored three points in a row to take the set behind kills from Kosty and Wade. Fahlbusch (three kills and a block) and Wade (three kills and an ace) scored four points each to pace the U.S.

A Cryst block and kill, Kosty block and Wade kill led the U.S. to a 7-3 start to the third set. Mexico scored the next three points and had a swing to tie the score, but Cryst registered another block. A Jordan kill and block helped the U.S. establish a five-point advantage, 13-8. A Grant Lamoureux block pushed the lead to six points, 16-10. Mexico narrowed the deficit to four, 19-15, before a Wade kill and back-to-back Grayson Bradford blocks raised the lead back to seven. A service error with the U.S. up 24-19 ended the match. Wade led all scorers with five kills in the set.

2026 Men’s U21 National Team Roster for the Pan American Cup

Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, School, USAV Region)
1 Cameron Kosty (S, 6-5, Hayward, Calif., UC Irvine, Southern California Southern Nevada)
3 Drake Foley (L, 6-4, Newport Beach, Calif., Corona Del Mar HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
7 Mateo Fuerbringer (OH, 6-5, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Mira Costa HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
9 Trevell Jordan (MB, 6-10, Mesa, Ariz., Hawai’i, Arizona)
10 Johnny Dykstra (L, 6-2, Manhattan Beach, Calif., USC, Southern California Southern Nevada)
12 Rafa Urbina (S, 6-5, Broomfield, Colo., UCLA, Rocky Mountain)
14 Aleksey Mikhailenko (OH, 6-8, Mequon, Wis., Homestead HS, Badger)
15 Blake Fahlbusch (OH, 6-8, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Loyola HS of Los Angeles, Southern California Southern Nevada)
18 Kainoa Wade (OPP, 6-9, Kailua, Hawai’i, Hawai’i, Aloha)
20 Grant Lamoureux (OH, 6-10, Clemmons, N.C., Pepperdine, Carolina)
21 Jackson Cryst (MB, 6-10, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
22 Grayson Bradford (OPP, 6-11, Redondo Beach, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
24 Isiah Powell (MB, 6-8, Silver Spring, Md., Springbrook HS, Chesapeake)
28 Tommy Henige (MB, 6-9, Glendale, Ariz., Perry HS, Arizona)

Alternates
2 Griffin Dieter (L, 6-4, San Diego, Calif., Torrey Pines HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
4 Lucas Helle (S, 6-4, Pauline, S.C., Dorman HS, Palmetto)
5 Elan Taylor (OH, 6-4, San Jose, Calif., Valley Christian HS, Northern California)
6 Connor Oldani (OPP, 6-5, Phoenix, Ariz., BYU, Arizona)
8 Myles Jordan (OH, 6-5, Houston, Texas, Long Beach State, Lone Star)
11 Cooper Keane (OPP, 6-7, Hermosa Beach, Calif., USC, Southern California Southern Nevada)
13 Logan Hutnick (OH, 6-6, Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
16 Luc Soerensen (MB, 6-8, Meadville, Pa., Meadville Area Senior HS, Keystone)
17 Noah Douphner (OH, 6-6, Stevenson Ranch, Calif., CSUN, Southern California Southern Nevada)

Coaches
Head Coach: Donan Cruz (Hawai’i)
Assistant Coach: Rory Prager (USC)
Assistant Coach: Ryan Ammerman (Arizona women’s volleyball)
Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg (UCLA)
Athletic Trainer: Ben Colletti (Loyola Chicago)
Team Leader: Brandon Oswald (NTDP)

Schedule

All times Pacific

June 23: USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-21)
June 24: USA def. Venezuela, 3-1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19)
June 25: USA def. Mexico, 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-19)
June 26: Quarterfinals: USA received a bye
June 27: Semifinals: USA vs. TBA, 5 p.m. PT
June 28: Medal matches