Resources for
Follow USAVolleyball
Share
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 9, 2026) – The U.S. Women’s U21 National Team advanced directly to the semifinals of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup by virtue of a 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 21-25, 25-18) win over Canada in a matchup of undefeated teams at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday.
GET TICKETS TO THE U21 PAN AM CUP
The U.S. (3-0) receives a bye in the quarterfinal round and will play in the second semifinal on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.
The U.S. finished with a double-digit lead in kills (58-46) and dominated at the service line with a 10-2 advantage in aces. Canada finished with a slight edge (6-4) in blocks.
Five U.S. players scored in double figures with Henley Anderson leading the way with 17 points on 13 kills and a match-high four aces. Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie led all players with three blocks to go with 11 kills for 14 points, and outside hitter Abby Vander Wal registered a match-best 14 kills.
“Canada came out really strong (in the third set), but I thought we still fought pretty well the whole time. We still played USA volleyball and really brought it back in set four,” Vander Wal said. “Coach (Tama Miyashiro) let us get our heads back together, but also she told us to take a deep breath, reset and take each point as it comes and find our game.”
Setter Campbell Flynn ran the U.S. offense while sharing match-high honors with Anderson with four aces, adding six kills for 10 points. Outside Payton Petersen reached 10 points on nine kills and an ace, while also pacing the team with nine successful receptions.
Libero Lily Hayes led the team with 15 digs and added eight successful receptions. Flynn and Peterson totaled 11 digs, and Vander Wal’s 10 gave the U.S. four players with double-digit digs.
Three Ogbechie kills helped the U.S. to a 9-6 start to the match. Canada pulled within a point, 12-11, before an Ogbechie kill and block bookended a Flynn kill to put the U.S. up four and force a Canada timeout. Ogbechie put down an overpass of a Petersen serve to up the margin to seven points, 19-12. An Ames block put the U.S. ahead 23-15. An Anderson kill gave the U.S. set point and a Canada service error ended the set. Ogbechie led all scorers with six points on five kills and a block.
Two Flynn aces helped the U.S. race out to a 5-1 lead in the second set. Anderson ended a long rally with a kill to make it 11-5. Anderson followed Canada’s second timeout with three consecutive aces for a nine-point advantage. The teams split the next 10 points before Vander Wal scored to give the U.S. a 17-10 lead. Three consecutive Canada errors raised the margin to nine, 20-11. The lead grew to double digits, 23-13, on a Petersen kill and Canada errors finished the set and gave the U.S. a two-set lead. Anderson led all scorers with six points on three kills and her three aces in a row.
An Anderson kill and back-to-back Flynn aces put the U.S. ahead 3-0 to begin the third set. A series of great defensive plays on the seventh point of the set keyed an 8-3 Canada run that put the U.S. down by two points. A kill on an overpass gave Canada a 13-10 lead. An Anderson kill helped the U.S. pull within two points, 21-19, but Canada finished the set scoring four of the final six points to hand the U.S. its first set loss of the tournament. Vander Wal finished with four kills in the set.
An Anderson ace gave the U.S. a 6-4 lead in the fourth set before Canada scored three consecutive points to take a one-point advantage. An Ogbechie kill and back-to-back Petersen points, the first on an ace, put the U.S. back up by two. Canada tied the set at 9-9 and the set was tied again at 10-10, 11-11 and 12-12 before the U.S. used a 4-1 run to take a 16-13 lead. Anderson and Petersen each scored in that span to go with two Canada errors.
After a timeout, Ogbechie scored to make it a four-point margin. Ogbechie pushed the lead to five points, 19-14, with a block, leading to the second Canada timeout. A setter dump by Flynn extended the lead to six, 21-15. A Vander Wal kill set up match point and the U.S. clinched its undefeated pool play mark on a Canada error. Anderson scored six points on five kills and an ace, while Ogbechie added five points on three kills and two blocks.
Name, Position, Height, Hometown, Current School, USAV Region
2 Ayden Ames, MB, 6-4, Prosper, Texas, Creighton University, North Texas
5 Lily Hayes, L, 5-9, Tampa, Fla., University of Florida, Florida
6 Suli Davis, OH, 6-2, Euless, Texas, SMU, North Texas
7 Manaia Ogbechie, MB, 6-3, Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., University of Nebraska, Southern California Southern Nevada
9 Keoni Williams, MB, 6-4, Fort Worth, Texas, University of Nebraska, Lone Star
10 Taylor Harvey, MB, 6-3, Salt Lake City, Utah, University of Texas, Lone Star
11 Campbell Flynn, S, 6-3, Rochester Hills, Mich., University of Nebraska, Lakeshore
12 Genevieve Harris, S, 5-11, Raleigh, N.C., University of Texas, Carolina
13 Rachel Van Gorp, L, 5-9, Olathe, Kan., Iowa State University, Heart of America
15 Payton Petersen, OH, 6-0, Dike, Iowa, University of Louisville, Iowa
16C Abby Vander Wal, OH, 6-3, Elmhurst, Ill., University of Texas, Great Lakes
17 Carly Gilk, OPP, 6-2, Minneapolis, Minn., University of Minnesota, North Country
19 Henley Anderson, OPP/OH, 6-3, Dripping Springs, Texas, University of Texas, Lone Star
20 Devyn Wiest, OH, 6-3, Peoria, Ariz., University of Utah, Arizona
Alternates
1 Reese Messer, S, 5-11, Olathe, Kan., University of Kansas, Gateway
3 Jordan Taylor, MB, 6-5, Houston, Texas, University of Minnesota, Lone Star
4 Kalyssa Blackshear, OPP, 6-5, Lomita, Calif., University of Louisville, Southern California Southern Nevada
8 Ayanna Watson, OH, 6-2, Las Vegas, Nev., University of Pittsburgh, Southern California Southern Nevada
14 Abbey Emch, MB, 6-4, New Waterford, Ohio, University of Pittsburgh, Ohio Valley
18 Spencer Etzler, L, 5-7, Coldwater, Ohio, Stanford University, Ohio Valley
Coaches
Head Coach: Tama Miyashiro (LOVB)
Assistant Coach: Alfee Reft (LOVB)
Assistant Coach: Alisha Childress (MLV)
Performance Analyst: Will McDonald (LOVB)
ATC: Misao Tanioka (LOVB)
Team Lead: Kyle Thompson (NTDP)
All times PT
Streamed live on USA Volleyball YouTube
July 7: USA def. Venezuela, 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15)
July 8: USA def. Mexico, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-18)
July 9: USA def. Canada, 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 21-25, 25-18)
July 10: Quarterfinals (USA received a bye)
July 11: Semifinals, USA vs. TBA, 4 p.m.
July 12: Medal match, 5/7 p.m.
The U.S. Women’s U21 National Team moved to 2-0 at the 2026 NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-18) victory over Mexico on Wednesday at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The U.S. Women’s U21 National Team never trailed in its first match as host of the 2026 NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup, earning a 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15) win over Venezuela at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday.
USA Volleyball has selected the 14 elite athletes from the U.S. Women’s U21 National Team who will compete at the 2026 NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup, July 7-12, at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
USA Volleyball has selected 27 elite athletes for the 2026 U.S. Women’s U21 National Team which will train for a pair of major NORCECA age-group events this summer.
