Men's U21 National Team Wins Gold at 2025 Pan American Cup in Calgary

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 10, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s U21 National Team ended an undefeated run at the 2025 NORCECA U21 Men’s Pan American Cup by capturing the gold medal with a 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18) victory over host Canada on Sunday night in Calgary. In similar fashion to its preliminary round win when the two teams met, the U.S. won the first two sets, dropped the third set and clinched the win in the fourth set.

“I am so proud of this group of guys, the staff and everybody involved with this. Where we were a week ago in Colorado Springs coming together and implementing systems, to see this group play as clean as they did throughout the week, I am really proud of them,” U.S. head coach John Hawks said.

Both teams finished the match with 44 kills with the U.S. holding an 11-7 advantage in blocks. Canada served three of the five aces. The U.S. recorded seven fewer errors (41-34).

Outside hitter and 2025 Pan American Cup Most Valuable Player Sebastiano Sani led all players with 15 kills, 18 points and 10 digs, adding two blocks and an ace. Riggs Guy, who was voted the best spiker totaled 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. Sani was chosen as the tournament’s second-best spiker.

Guy and libero Kellen Larson led the team with six successful receptions with Larson also contributing eight digs. Opposite Kainoa Wade registered 10 kills, six of which came in the fourth set, and added six digs.

Middle blocker Tre Jordan scored nine points on seven kills and two blocks, while fellow middle Micah Goss posted a match-best four blocks with three kills for seven points. Setter Trent Taliaferro delivered 28 assists and added a block and an ace.

With the first set tied at seven, the U.S. went on a 5-1 run to take a 12-8 lead with a Goss kill and Sanoi block starting the run. Canada came back out of its timeout to score four points in a row for another tie. When Canada went up 15-14, its first lead since 2-1, the U.S. called its first timeout.

The score was tied seven times after that before a miscommunication on Canada’s behalf gave the U.S. a 23-22 before the 11th U.S. service error of the set. A Sani kill gave the U.S. set point, but Canada saved it with a quick side out. Canada’s service error brought up set point again and Goss ended the set with a block. Sani led all players with five points on four kills and a block. Four U.S. players contributed two points.

A Jordan kill and two Canada hitting errors gave the U.S. a 12-10 lead, the first two-point lead for either team in the second set. Sani followed with the first ace of the match, prompting a Canada timeout. Back-to-back Jordan kills extended the U.S. advantage to five points and complete a 6-0 run.

Canada used a triple block to score three consecutive points and cut the lead to three, 17-14, before a U.S. timeout. After a service error, Canada took advantage of three hitting errors and a kill off the block to square the set at 18-18. Guy recorded a kill to put the U.S. back out in front and a strong dig from Larson led to a Wade kill for a 20-18 lead.

Canada scored the next point and had a swing for a tie, but a Goss block put the U.S. ahead 21-19. The lead moved to three on Canada’s sixth hitting error of the set. Blocks by Taliaferro and Sani ran the lead back to five, 24-19. Canada saved two set points before a service error moved the U.S. within a set of capturing the gold medal. Sani led the U.S. again in the second set with four points on two kills, a block and an ace.

Sani recorded five early kills to give the U.S. a 9-6 lead in the third set. Canada went on an 11-4 run to take its biggest lead of the match at four points, 17-13. Trailing 19-15, the U.S. scored three consecutive points with back-to-back kills by Guy cutting the deficit to one. A kill and an ace by Canada pushed the lead back to three points and the U.S. was not able to draw closer than two points. Sani finished with six kills with Guy and Goss each scoring four points.

With the fourth set tied at 12, the U.S. started a 4-0 run after two strong digs from Taliaferro and another by Wade helped the U.S. outlast Canada on a long rally that ended with a hitting error. A Sani kill made it 14-12 and a Taliaferro ace completed the run.

A Sani kill and Jordan block ran the U.S. advantage to five points, 18-13. The teams exchanged the next six points before the U.S. scored back-to-back points on a Wade kill and a hitting error for a 23-16 lead. Another Wade kill set up match point. After a Canada sideout, the U.S. clinched the gold medal on Wade’s fifth kill of the set. Jordan added four points on two kills and a pair of blocks.

2025 Men’s U21 National Team

Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, School/Club, USAV Region)

1 Kellen Larson (L, 5-9, Irvine, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
5 Marek Turner (OH, 6-6, Long Beach, Calif., Team Rockstar, Southern California)
6 Victor Loiola (OH, 6-4, Manhattan Beach, Calif., N/A, Southern California)
7 Trent Taliaferro (S, 6-5, San Clemente, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
8 Jacob Little-Phillips (S, 6-2, Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park HS, Florida Region)
9 Tre Jordan (MB, 6-10, Mesa, Ariz., Grand Canyon, Arizona)
10 Johnny Dykstra (L, 6-2, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Univ. of Southern California, Southern California)
15 Joshua Aruya (MB, 6-9, Mission Viejo, Calif., UC Santa Barbara, Southern California)
17 Riggs Guy (OH, 6-3, Newport Beach, Calif., UC Santa Barbara, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
18 Kainoa Wade (OPP, 6-10, Kailua, Hawaii, Univ. of Hawaii, Aloha Region)
22 Sebastiano Sani (OH, 6-8, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Long Beach State, Chesapeake)
23 Micah Goss (MB, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine, Southern California)

Alternates
2 Roan Alviar (L, 5-11, Hayward, Calif., Princeton, Northern California)
4 Aidan Klein (MB, 6-10, Evanston, Ill., Loyola Chicago, Great Lakes)
11 Finn Kearney (OH, 6-5, Phoenix, Ariz., Univ. of Hawaii, Arizona)
14 Justin Todd (MB, 6-7, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Hawaii, Aloha)
19 Grayson Bradford (OPP, 6-11, Redondo Beach, Calif., Mira Costa HS, Southern California)
24 Kahale Clini (OH, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)

Coaches
Head Coach: John Hawks (UCLA)
Assistant Coach: Donan Cruz (Ball State)
Assistant Coach: Matthew Pollock (Pepperdine)
Performance Analyst: Thomas Shaffer (Loyola Chicago)
Athletic Trainer: Hazel Peterson (USOPTC)
Team Lead: Brandon Oswald (NTDP)

Schedule/Results

Aug. 5: USA def. Chile, 3-0 (25-15 25-14, 25-15)
Aug. 6: USA def. Barbados, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-14)
Aug. 7: USA def. Canada, 3-1 (25-11, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22)
Aug. 8: USA def. Mexico, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 26-24)
Aug. 9: USA def. Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18)
Aug. 10: Gold Medal Match: USA def. 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18)