U.S. Men Take Cuba to Five in Pan Am Cup Loss
The U.S. Men’s Team competing at the Pan American Cup came back from 0-2 and took Cuba to five before falling, 3-2 (25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11) on Tuesday in Tepic, Nayaret, Mexico
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 13, 2022) – The U.S. Men’s Team competing at the Pan American Cup Final Six got its first victory on Wednesday as it beat Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 27-25) in Tepic, Nayaret, Mexico.
The U.S. Men (1-2) will look to even its record when it faces host Mexico (1-2) on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT. The loss was Puerto Rico’s first in the tournament.
The U.S. Men led in kills (38-37), blocks (9-1) and aces (5-0). They had 26 scoring errors while Puerto Rico had 25.
Setter Quinn Isaacson combined with backup setter Matt West to help the team to a .441 hitting efficiency.
“After going five with Cuba last night but falling just short, the guys rebounded well,” U.S. Head Coach Andy Read said. “Quinn Isaacson’s offense was operating on all cylinders throughout the match.”
Outside hitter Kyle McCauley led all scorers with 13 points on a match-high five blocks, seven kills (.545) and one ace. He also had three digs and 12 excellent receptions.
Middle blocker Nyherowo Omene scored 11 points on eight kills (.583), one block and a match-high two aces.
“As a team it’s just about steady growth and an operative incline,” Omene said. “We came from losing to Canada and 3-2 to Cuba and we just focused on our system and our side of the net, not worrying about results. From our first performance to this one, we applied better to our system and believing in all fourteen guys, in one single game, one single point”.
Middle Merrick McHenry added 10 points on eight kills (.583), one block and one ace.
Outside hitter Brett Wildman had nine points on nine kills. He also had six digs and 14 excellent receptions. Opposite Francesco Sani had seven points on five kills, one block and one ace.
Isaacson scored a point with a kill. Libero Mason Briggs had a solid match with six digs and 15 excellent receptions. Opposite Parker Van Buren played as a substitute.
U.S. Men’s Roster for the Pan American Cup Final Six
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, Region)
5C Matt West (S, 6-6, Seattle, Wash., Pepperdine, Puget Sound)
9 J.R. Norris IV (MB, 6-6, Lancaster, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
11 Francesco Sani (Opp, 6-8, Bethesda, Md., UC Irvine, Chesapeake)
14 Quinn Isaacson (S, 6-2, Plainfield, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
15 Parker Van Buren (Opp, 6-9, Cross Plains, Wis., Loyola Chicago, Badger)
16 Nyherowo Omene (MB, 6-7, South Holland, Ill., Princeton, Great Lakes)
17 Austin Wilmot (MB, 6-10, Valley Village, Calif., Pepperdine, Southern California)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
21 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
22 Kyle McCauley (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., UC San Diego, Southern California)
24 Brett Wildman (OH, 6-5, Virginia Beach, Va., Penn State, Old Dominion)
26 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
29 Cole Power (L, 5-11, Huntington Beach, Calif., UC Irvine, Southern California)
31 Spencer Olivier (OH, 6-6, Tustin, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
Head Coach: Andy Read
Assistant Coach: Ron Larsen
Assistant Coach: Rory Prager
Team Leader/Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg
Athletic Trainer: Jackie Chan
Schedule for the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six
(All Times PDT)
Monday July 11
Cuba def Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-22)
Canada def United States, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21)
Puerto Rico def Mexico, 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13)
Tuesday July 12
Puerto Rico def Dominican Republic, 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 32-34, 22-25, 15-12)
Cuba def United States, 3-2 (25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11)
Canada def Mexico, 3-1 (33-31, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21)
Wednesday July 13
United States def Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 27-25)
Cuba def Canada, 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-21)
Mexico def Dominican Republic, 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-21)
Thursday July 14
3 p.m. Canada v Dominican Republic
5 p.m. Cuba v Puerto Rico
7 p.m. Mexico v United States
Friday July 15
3 p.m. Puerto Rico v Canada
5 p.m. United States v Dominican Republic
7 p.m. Mexico v Cuba
Saturday July 16
3 p.m. Fifth v Sixth
5 p.m. Second v Third
7 p.m. First v Fourth
Sunday July 17
4 p.m. Bronze Medal
6 p.m. Gold Medal
Slow Start Hurts U.S. in Loss at Pan Am Cup Final 6
The U.S. Men’s Team competing at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six lost its first match to Canada, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21) on Monday in Tepic, Nayaret, Mexico
Team of 14 in Mexico for Pan American Cup Final Six
Fourteen U.S. men’s volleyball players are in Tepic, Mexico to compete at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six on July 11-17