U.S. Boys U19 Serve Past Suriname to Remain Unbeaten at 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 15, 2024) – The U.S. Boys U19 National Team moved to 2-0 at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-16) win over Suriname (0-2) on Wednesday in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The U.S. will conclude pool play with a showdown against Cuba (2-0) on Thursday at 1 p.m. PT. A win would send the U.S. directly into Saturday’s semifinals, while a loss would set up a quarterfinal match on Friday.

MATCH STATISTICS (PDF)

Controlling every statistical category, the U.S. finished with a 14-2 advantage in service aces, an 8-2 lead in blocks, and an 18-point margin (27-9) in kills. Leading scorers outside hitter Thomas Demps IV and opposite Cooper Keane led the serving dominance with five and four aces, respectively.

“I thought I played really smart when I was attacking. I thought (setter) Malakai (Tuakoi) opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I served aggressively,” Demps said. “Cuba is going to be a really good match for us tomorrow, so we will bring our best. I’m really happy that we are 2-0 and we are playing really well right now. We just need to keep it up.”

Demps led all scorers with 14 points (match-high eight kills with a block and his five aces), while Keane was next with nine points as he added three kills and a pair of blocks to his four aces.

Outside hitter Myles Jordan contributed six kills while middle blocker Roman Payne also scored six points with five kills and a block. Libero Layton Bluth led all players with 11 digs. Middle blockers Dante Cayaban and Luc Soerensen each added two blocks.

The U.S. began the match on a 5-0 run, including a kill and ace by Soerensen to open the set. With a 13-6 lead, Demps served for five points, including three consecutive aces, to extend the lead to 12 points. Demps paced the squad in the set with four points and Jordan posted a set-best three kills.

Suriname stayed in the second set in the early going, splitting the first 12 points. Leading by one point, the U.S. blew open the second set with a 15-4 run to take a 22-10 lead. Keane served three consecutive aces during the run and led all players with seven points (two kills, one block, four aces) in the set.

Demps (seven points) and Cayaban (five points) led the way in the third set in which the U.S. Boys U19 finished on a 12-6 run. Noah Meabon scored four points in the final set and Jordan added two kills.

Boys U19 Roster for the NORCECA

No., Name (Pos., Ht, Hometown, School, USAV Region)
1 Layton Bluth (L, 5-8, Gilbert, Ariz., Casteel HS, Arizona)
4 Malakai Tuakoi (S, 6-3, Los Angeles, Calif., Da Vinci HS, Southern California)
6 Thomas Demps IV (OH, 6-4, Raleigh, N.C., Broughton HS, Carolina)
7 Noah Meabon (OH/Opp, 6-4, Fairport, N.Y., Fairport, Western Empire)
8 Myles Jordan (OH, 6-5, Houston, Texas, Ridge Point HS, Lone Star)
9 Dante Cayaban (MB, 6-6, St. Cloud, Fla., St. Cloud HS, Florida)
11 Cooper Keane (Opp, 6-6, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Mira Costa HS, Southern California)
12 Rafa Urbina (S, 6-6, Broomfield, Colo., Legacy HS, Rocky Mountain)
14 Aleksey Mikhailenko (OH, 6-7, Mequon, Wis., Homestead HS, Badger)
16 Luc Soerensen (MB, 6-8, Meadville, Pa., Meadville Area Senior HS, Southern)
19 Roman Payne (MB, 6-10, Carlsbad, Calif., Carlsbad HS, Southern California)
20C Grant Lamoureux (OH, 6-10, Clemmons, N.C., West Forsyth HS, Carolina)

Alternates
Titus Brown (OH, 6-4, Groton, Conn., Robert E. Fitch HS, New England)
Joel Eanes (Opp, 6-9, Virginia Beach, Va., Floyd E. Kellam HS, Old Dominion)
Blake Fahlbusch (OH, 6-8, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Loyola HS of Los Angeles, Southern California)
Matt Fisher (S, 6-6, Camarillo, Calif., Adolfo Camarillo HS, Southern California)
Tristan Hassell (Opp, 6-5, Toronto, Ontario, Emily Carr SS, Western Empire)
Isaiah McCoy (MB, 6-7, Lantana, Fla., The Kings Academy, Florida)
Leon Meng (L, 5-8, Los Altos, Calif., Homestead HS, Northern California)
Lincoln Myers (MB, 6-9, Madison, Wis., Vel Phillips Memorial HS, Badger)
Thomas Phung (L, 5-10, Dallas, Texas, North Garland HS, Southern)

Head Coach: Charlie Sullivan (Springfield College)
Assistant Coach: Pat Shawaryn (Penn State)
Assistant Coach: Chris Seiffert (Concordia Irvine)
Performance Analyst: Evan Metzger (Springfield College)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Sean Byron (Marist College)

Schedule
All Times PT

May 14
USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-23)

May 15
USA def. Suriname, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-16)

May 16
USA vs. Cuba, 1 p.m.

May 17
Quarterfinals

May 18
Semifinals

May 19
Medal Matches