Men's U23 Take 2025 Pan Am Cup Silver after Heartbreaking Five-Set Defeat

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (August 3, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s U23 National Team took the silver medal at the 2025 NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan American Cup after losing a heartbreaker to the Dominican Republic in the final, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14) on Sunday in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S. led in kills (58-50) and blocks (16-10) but could not overcome 44 errors to just 27 for the Dominican Republic. The U.S. finished with five aces, one fewer than the gold medalists.

Cam Thorne was named Best Blocker and Nate Flayter was named Best Setter.

Jalen Phillips led the U.S. with 18 points on 17 kills and an ace, and Thorne led all players with eight blocks to go with nine kills for 17 points.

Ryan Barnett scored 16 points on 15 kills and an ace, while Wesley Smith rounded out the double-digit U.S. scorers with 12 points on seven kills, four blocks and an ace. Barnett posted a match-high 10 successful receptions. Libero Ryan Merk led the U.S. with 10 digs.

Patrick Rogers totaled eight points on seven kills and a block, and Flayter finished with five points on two kills, two blocks and an ace.

Trailing 8-7 in the first set, the U.S. scored three points in a row to take its first two-point lead. A Phillips kill tied the set and was followed by a Flayter block and Smith ace. After a timeout, the Dominican Republic answered with two points of its own to even the set back up.

The next two-point lead in the set belonged to the Dominican Republic after a 3-0 run put it ahead 15-13 and led to the first U.S. timeout. The U.S. scored three of the next four points to tie the set at 16. Barnett’s fourth kill of the set and a Thorne block gave the U.S. a 19-18 lead, at which point the Dominican Republic took its final timeout.

A hitting error put the U.S. up 20-18 but the Dominican Republic scored the next three points to retake the lead. The U.S. tied the set for the final time at 21 before the Dominican Republic scored four of the final six points. Phillips led all players with five kills, and Smith also totaled five points on three kills, one block and one ace.

The Dominican Republic took a 3-1 lead in the second set and neither team led by two points again until the U.S. went up 15-13 on a kill on a second ball and block by Flayter. A Thorne block put the U.S. up by three points for the first time in the match, 17-14. After a timeout, Phillips’ eighth kill pushed the advantage to four points.

A Smith kill raised the lead to five points, 23-18. With the score 24-21, Thorne played a serve that hit the net and later finished the point with his fourth block of the set to even the match at one set apiece. Rogers added four kills.

An ace put the Dominican Republic ahead 5-2 early in the third set but the U.S. scored four points in a row when trailing 9-8 to take a three-point advantage. A Flayter ace and another Thorne block keyed the run. Phillips converted an overpass for his third kill of the set for a 14-12 lead and served an ace for a 16-13 lead.

The Dominican Republic cut the lead back to one, 16-15 and then tied the set at 18 when a great play by the setter on a tough pass led to the tying kill. The set was tied three more times before a Dominican Republic block put the U.S. down, 22-21.

Phillips tied the score, and back-to-back errors made it 24-22 in favor of the U.S. After one set point was saved, Smith gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead in the match with a kill. Phillips scored five points on four kills and an ace, while four other players contributed two points each.

The Dominican Republic jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set, forcing the U.S. to use an early timeout. Consecutive aces out of the timeout stretched the lead to six points, 8-2, and the U.S. never got closer than four points the rest of the set, setting up a deciding set for the gold medal. Thorne scored four points on three kills and a block, and Barnett also scored four points with three kills and an ace. Adrian Figueroa scored nine points in the set for the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic took an early 4-2 lead in the fifth. The teams exchanged points until a Barnett kill and Thorne block tied the set 7-7. After a Dominican Republic timeout, another Barnett kill put the U.S. ahead for the first time, 8-7, at the side switch.

The U.S. dropped the first two points after the teams switched sides. Barnett tied the score at 9-9 with his fourth kill of the set and Thorne put the U.S. back ahead, 10-9. The Dominican Republic regained the lead with two points in a row the U.S. followed by doing the same. The set was tied at 12 and 13.

A Phillips kill set up match point for the U.S., but the Dominican Republic scored the final three points on kills by Figueroa to take the match. Barnett registered four kills with Thorne (two kills and a block) and Phillips (three kills) each adding three points.

USA Volleyball Men’s U23 Roster for Pan Am Cup

Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region)

1 Ryan Merk (L, 6-1, 2003, Chicago, Ill., Penn State, Great Lakes)
4 Nathan Flayter (S, 6-4, 2005, Hales Corner, Wisc., McKendree, Badger)
5 Cam Thorne (MB, 6-4, 2004, Hollywood, Fla., UCLA, Florida)
6 Ryan Barnett (OH, 6-5, 2003, Vero Beach, Fla., Pepperdine, Florida)
8 Jalen Phillips (OPP, 6-5, 2004, Anaheim, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
9 Ryan McElligott (S, 6-6, 2004, Mundelein, Ill., Loyola Chicago, Great Lakes)
14 Nicodemus Meyer (MB, 6-4, 2003, Franklin, Wisc., Loyola Chicago, Badger)
18 Patrick Rogers (OH, 6-7, 2004, Rutherford, N.J., Ball State, Garden Empire)
19 George Bruening (OPP, 6-10, 2004, Newport Beach, Calif., UCSB, Southern California)
21 Wesley Smith (MB, 6-11, 2004, Encinitas, Calif., USC, Southern California)
22 Owen Rose (MB, 6-8, 2003, Merrick, N.Y., Penn State, Garden Empire)
25 Theo Snoey (OH/OPP, 6-8, 2004, Berkeley, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)

Alternates
7 Andrew Deardorff (OH, 6-5, 2003, Itasca, Ill., St. Francis, Great Lakes)
10 Paul Wyszynski (L, 6-0, 2003, Northbrook, Ill.,  Miedzyrzeckie Towarzystwo Siatkarskie, Great Lakes)
13 D’Aaron McCraney (MB, 6-9, 2003, Las Vegas, Nev., McKendree, Southern California)
16 Nyherowo Omene (OPP, 6-7, 2003, Chicago, Ill., Princeton, Great Lakes)
17 Trent Moser (OH, 6-8, 2003, Gilbert, Ariz., BYU, Arizona)
23 Alex Rottman (OH, 6-7, 2004, Santa Barbara, Calif., Stanford, Southern California)

Coaches
Head Coach: Nickie Sanlin (McKendree)
Assistant Coach: Reid Priddy (Indoor VC, Olympian)
Assistant Coach: Luke Reynolds (Pepperdine)
Performance Analyst: Mackenna Basore (Auburn)
ATC: Claire Pointer (LOVB Madison)
Team Lead: Will Berdecia (OTVA)

Schedule/Results

July 29: Dominican Republic def. USA, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 31-29, 25-16)
July 30: USA def. Mexico, 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 25-27, 25-23)
July 31: USA def. Belize, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-13)
Aug. 1: Quarterfinals: USA def. Costa Rica, 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-19)
Aug. 2: Semifinals: USA def. Venezuela, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-17)
Aug. 3: Gold Medal Match: Dominican Republic def. USA, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14)