USA beats Canada to claim first NORCECA Final Six victory

PONCE, Puerto Rico, October 7^th, 2025.- The United States secured its first victory at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six, defeating Canada 3-1 (25-18, 25-10, 23-25, 25-18) on the second day of the tournament taking place at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium.

The United States maintained control over the first two sets of the match, with aggressive serves and fluid attack combinations. Canada gained momentum in the third set, winning 25-23. The beginning of the fourth set was very tight, but the United States prevailed and won 25-18

United States earned their first victory with a 38-20 advantage in attacking points, 9-6 in blocking points, and 14-12 lead in points from serves. Unforced errors were similar, with United States committing 33 and Canada 37.

Justin Todd from the United States was the top scorer of the match with 17 points (9 attacks, 5 blocks and 3 aces); Captain Liam Pauls led the offensive for Canada with 11 points (7 attacks and 4 aces)

Justin Todd, Middle Blocker from the United States: “We maintained strong service pressure throughout the match. Once we had the lead and they started putting pressure on us, we handled it well and turned it back around. We need to improve our passing—I think we can do a little better. When we know a good serve is coming, we should respond immediately.”

Ethan Baraniuk, Outside hitter from Canada: “I think it was a really good game. The start was a little rough, but by the end we were working hard and everything came together. We brought discipline in the third set, and that made the difference. We started digging and being aggressive, that was exactly what we needed to play our best. For the next match, we just need to come out and play our game. If we start strong, we have a great shot against any team here.”