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Cuba Comes from Behind to Defeat Serbia
and USA Sweeps Canada in Straight Sets
June 26, 2025. – Cuba in Belgrade and the United States in Chicago
secured their second win in as many matches during the second week
of the Men’s VNL.
Cuba Comes from Behind to Beat Serbia
After starting the week in 15th place, the Caribbean side earned its
second consecutive victory and is now sitting in 9th.
Cuba continues to climb up the standings. This Thursday in Belgrade,
the Caribbean squad secured another win after coming from dropping
the first set to defeat Serbia 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-16),
silencing the home crowd at the Belgrade Arena.
A day after defeating Germany, Cuba once again prevailed with grit
and determination. With only two of their four matches this week
completed, they have already doubled the points they collected in
Rio de Janeiro and are now in eighth place with nine points (3 wins,
3 losses).
Cuba was clearly dominant against Serbia in all aspects of the game,
with a massive advantage in blocks (18 to 4) and aces (10 to 3).
They also scored more points in attacks (45 to 43), which helped
offset a higher number of unforced errors (29 to 24).
Individually, opposite José Massó was the standout performer,
leading all scorers with 19 points (14 kills, 3 blocks, and 2 aces).
Outside hitter Marlon Yant, the current top scorer of the 2025 VNL,
continued his unstoppable form with 18 points (14 kills, 3 aces, and
one block).
“We’re still tired from the travel issues we had, but everyone is
making sacrifices for the team,” said José Massó. “We push each
other to keep the level high, and we will continue fighting until
the end of the week,” he added.
USA Defeats Canada in Straight Sets
The United States earned their second win of the week, defeating
Canada in straight sets (25-23, 25-22, 30-28) in Chicago during
Men’s VNL Week 2.
The USA outperformed Canada from the service line (6 aces to 2),
while the Canadians led in blocks (7 to 3). Both teams finished with
41 attack points.
Gabriel García led all scorers with 19 points for the USA (15 kills,
1 block, and 3 aces), while Cooper Robinson contributed 13 points
(11 kills and 2 aces). On the Canadian side, team captain Fynnian
Lionel McCarthy was their top scorer with 13 points (8 kills, 4
blocks, and 1 ace).
With this win, the USA moves into sixth place in the overall
standings with 4 wins, 2 losses, and 10 points. Canada drops to 14th
with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses.
Schedule for Friday, June 27
In Belgrade at 20:00 (local time), Cuba faces the Netherlands, while
in Chicago at 19:30 (local time), Canada takes on Poland.
The United States has a rest day. | 
