Garcia scores seven aces and leads the

United States to the quarterfinals

September 22, 2025.- Gabriel Garcia was on fire as he spearheaded the United States into the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines.

In Monday’s eighthfinal match in Pasay City, the Americans came back from a set down to beat Slovenia in four. USA will take on Bulgaria in one of the two quarterfinal matches set to take place on Thursday, September 25.

On Thursday, they will meet Bulgaria in a duel for a spot in the semis

In the first set, Slovenia broke away with an 11-6 lead after six points in a row and managed to stay ahead and close the set by a six-point margin. In set two, USA fought back to open a wide lead. In the epilog, Slovenia denied three set points before outside hitter Jordan Ewert squeezed the ball between the block and the net to convert the fourth.

Riding the momentum and mostly outblocking the opponents, the Americans stayed well in control of the third set and it was Ewert again who delivered the set winner, this time with a pipe shot. USA continued dominating in set four until opposite Gabriel Garcia fired a blistering ace to end the game at 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20).

Garcia showed some magnificent serving throughout the match and authored seven of the team’s 12 aces, the element that made the biggest difference towards the outcome of the game, as Slovenia produced only two direct serving points. USA also outperformed their opponents in net defense by 10-7 in kill blocks, with Garcia taking credit for four, and in attack by 53-49 in spike kills, with Garcia delivering 15 towards a match-high 26 points. Outside hitter Ethan Champlin chipped in with three aces and a kill block towards a 15-point tally, while Ewert finished with 13 points, all in swings.

“How can you not be pleased? We are staying alive, going to the next round. I think that’s kind of the heartbeat of this team, just find a way to win! It didn’t always look pretty tonight, but we got it done when it counted, and there is a ton of credit to the guys for staying mature, staying focused in those big moments,” USA’s star setter and captain Micah Christenson told VBTV. “They are playing lights out! It’s awesome just to be in the moment. We’ve got no expectations of getting to a certain place. We are just taking it day by day, so we are going to go and enjoy this tonight, and then, prepare for our next round.”

Slovenia showed better precision in their game than USA, committing fewer unforced errors. They made 19 of those, while the Americans gifted them 26 “free” points. Opposite Toncek Stern was Slovenia’s leading scorer with 18 points. 20-year-old outside Nik Mujanovic hammered the team’s two aces to finish with a total of 13 points. Star middle blocker Jan Kozamernik raised four kill blocks and reached the double digits in scoring with a total of 10 points.