USA Earns Semifinal Berth with Win over Dominican Republic

MORELOS, Mexico, August 14, 2026.- The United States bounced back after dropping the first set to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-13) and earn a berth in the semifinals of the 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup, being held at Poliforum 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).

The United States will face Mexico in the semifinals, while the Dominican Republic will play for fifth place on Sunday, the final day of competition, against the loser of the match between Cuba and Puerto Rico.

After the Dominican Republic took a tight opening set 25-23, the United States responded by winning the next three, gradually taking control of the match and closing with 25-16 and 25-13 wins in the third and fourth sets.

The Americans held the advantage in kills (52-43), blocks (12-3), and service points (5-2), while also committing fewer errors (26-29).

Five U.S. players scored in double figures. Jacob Pasteur led the team with 16 points, followed by Parker Tomkinson with 13, including a match-high eight blocks; Kyle Hobus with 12, Cameron Thorne with 11, and Patrick Rogers with 10.

For the Dominican Republic, Alexis Cruz scored 13 points and Luther Rosario added 12.

Troy Gooch, libero of the United States, said: “I think we came out a little slow in the first set and didn’t match their intensity. After that, we did a good job managing our serves, putting more pressure on them, tightening up our reception, and blocking really well. We’re excited to face Mexico tomorrow. We played them last year in León in a sold-out arena, so it should be a fun match.”

Bryan Turbides, libero of the Dominican Republic, said: “In the first set, we were very disciplined in following our coach’s instructions, and that’s why we were able to win it. After that, we lost our concentration and couldn’t recover. We hope to come out strong tomorrow; fifth place is better than sixth. We’ll keep working to achieve our goals.”