United States Defeats Venezuela and Advances to the Final

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 2, 2025.- United States defeated Venezuela 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-17) to advance to their first-ever Men’s U23 Pan American Cup final, held at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City.

The U.S. had never competed in this category, and in their debut tournament they managed to reach the final after an uncertain start where they lost to the Dominican Republic.

Although the U.S. led the entire first set, it was a hard-fought win. In the second set, Venezuela was ahead until point 16, when the Americans tied the score and never gave up the lead to go up 2-0.

The third set was all for the U.S. From the start, they applied pressure, using powerful attacks, blocks, and serves to build an early lead they never surrendered.

The final will be played on August 3 at 6 PM. The United States awaits the winner of the other semifinal between the Dominican Republic and Mexico, while Venezuela will play for bronze at 4 PM.

The U.S. outperformed Venezuela in all areas: attacks (44-26), blocks (8-5), and serves (5-1). The Americans committed 25 unforced errors compared to Venezuela’s 18.

Three U.S. players scored in double digits: captain Ryan Barnett with 16 points (15 on attacks), Cameron Thorne with 14 points (11 attacks, 2 blocks, and 1 ace), and Patrick Rogers with 12 points. For Venezuela, Carlos Berrios led the scoring with 10 points.

United States’ head coach Nicolette Sanlin said, “We are just doing it together, playing as a team, we think about one match at a time and staying focused on what we do. They executed really well and played clean volleyball. Focused on what we do and not worrying about anybody else. It’s the first time in two days that we’ve had a full group, finally at the right time, we’re coming together as one team.”