USA win bronze and ticket to World Championship

TIJUANA, Mexico, July 7, 2012 - The United States qualified to the 2013 FIVB Boys’ Youth World Championship by outdueling Puerto Rico in thrilling five-setter (22-25, 25-19, 25-11, 26-28, 15-7) to win the bronze medal of the NORCECA U-19 Continental Championship.

Earl Schultz led USA with 16 points while Connor Lammey and Kupono Fey (3 aces) each finished with 15. Mitchell Penning scored 14 and Aidan Albrecht (3 aces) contributed 12 to the winning effort.

Puerto Rico won the first set and bounced back in the fourth thanks to the work of Juan Ruiz Goyco who scored 15 points, along with Eduardo McCormack and Brian Negron (12 each) and Jose Pagan (10).

American Christian Blough said “Puerto Rico put a lot of pressure on us, but we did a good job, with a good block and also avoided unforced errors.”

“Puerto Rico improved tremendously. I really hope they can come to the World Championship (to be played in Tijuana and Mexicali in 2013). Our goal was to come here and to qualify to the world championship. We have just been practicing for 10 to 11 days and the boys got better every day. I’m proud of them,” American coach Daniel Friend said.

“I am glad for the way we played, we fought until the end. We fell down but kept our heads up,” Puerto Rico’s Captain Luis Garcia said.

“I think we played at one hundred percent, we gave our best. Unfortunately we found our good game level too late. We could work hard for two sets, but the tactical service and block game affected us. That’s the way volleyball is but I still hope our federation can send us to the repechage,” Coach Carlos Rodriguez said.