The team will play Russia (2-0) at 11 a.m. PT. on Sunday. Live scoring will be available on the FIVB web site. Russia defeated Turkey in the other Pool B match on Saturday.
“Cuba is a very good team,” MJNT Head Coach Jay Hosack said. “A lot of high-flying offense and very fast to the left-side pin, which was not something we had seen before. Hats off to them. They deserved that match.
“I thought our guys played a lot better. I thought we played with a lot more heart and a lot more determination. That is something that everyone can be proud of and hang their hats on.
“We’ve got a big match tomorrow against Russia and really, to be honest, it’s not about trying to stay in the top eight anymore; it’s about trying to finish in the top 10, which has not been done in a couple of different rounds, so it we can hang on and keep our heads about us, I think we can finish in the top 10 and have a pretty special event.
Opposite Kyle Ensing (Valencia, Calif.) led the U.S. scorers once again with 17 points on 14 kills, two blocks and an ace. Outside Brett Rosenmeier (Virginia Beach, Va.) had 11 points and middle block Scott Stadick finished with four.
“It was a frustrating match,” said Stadick. “Losing in three is not fun, but we showed a lot of fight. They came out and played very well; they’ve got some high hitters, some high flyers. It was pretty tough to slow them down, but when we did, I think we transitioned pretty well. We got some nice second-chance points.”
Starters for U.S. MJNT vs Cuba
Outside hitters: Brett Rosenmeier and Dylan Missry
Middle blockers: George Huhmann and Scott Stadick
Setter: Micah Ma’a
Opposite: Kyle Ensing
Libero: Gage Worsley
Statistics for U.S. MJNT vs Cuba
Kills: Ensing 14, Rosenmeier 10, Stadick 4, Matautia 3, Missry 2, Szews 2
Blocks: Ma’a, 2, Ensing 2, Rosenmeier 1, Gasman 1, Huhmann 1
Aces: Joshua Tuaniga 1, George Huhmann 1, Ensing 1
Digs: Worsley 9, Rosenmeier 4, Staddick 2, Matautia 2, Ensing 2
U.S. Men’s Junior National Team
No – Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College, Region)
2 – Gage Worsley (L, 6-2, Moraga, Calif., signed with Hawaii, NCVA)
3 – Josh Tuaniga (S, 6-2, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, SCVA)
4 – Micah Ma’a (S, 6-4, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
5 – Dylan Missry (OH, 6-4, Holbrook, N.Y., UCLA, Garden Empire)
7 – Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, NCVA)
8 – Austin Matautia (OH, 6-5, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Hawaii, Aloha)
9 – Brett Rosenmeier (OH, 6-6, Virginia Beach, Va., Hawaii, Old Dominion)
14 – Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, SCVA)
15 – Matthew Szews (Opp, 6-8, Brookfield, Wis., Ball State, Badger)
16 – Patrick Gasman (MB, 6-8, Clovis, Calif., Hawaii, NCVA)
19 – Scott Stadick (MB, 7-0, Watertown, Wis., UC Irvine, Badger)
20 – George Huhmann (MB, 6-10, High Ridge, Mo., Princeton, Gateway)
Head Coach: Jay Hosack (George Mason University)
Assistant Coach: Jonah Carson (Mountain View Volleyball Club) Matt McCarthy (Lewis University)
Team Manager: Jen Armson Dyer
Doctor: David Dyck, Jr.
Technical Coordinator: Galen Dodd
U.S. Schedule for the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship
Pool B June 23: Turkey def USA 25-19, 25-14, 30-28
June 24: Cuba def. USA 25-23, 25-19, 25-20
June 25: USA v Russia, 11 a.m. PT
Pools for the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship
Pool A
Poland 2-0
Canada 2-0
Czech Republic 0-2
Morocco 0-2
Pool B
Russia 2-0
Turkey 1-1
Cuba 1-1
USA 0-2
Pool C
Argentina 2-0
Iran 2-0
Ukraine 0-2
Italy 0-2
Pool D
Brazil 2-0
Japan 1-1
China 1-1
Egypt 0-2