CUERNAVACA, Morelos, July 13, 2025. – Canada captured its first-ever medal in the history of the U19 Boys’ Pan American Cup, defeating Venezuela in straight sets 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-18) on Sunday at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) Gymnasium in Cuernavaca.
Canada came out strong, taking early control of the match by dominating the first set. Venezuela responded with intensity, especially in the second set, but the Canadians remained composed and closed the match in three sets to secure the bronze medal.
A dominant attacking performance gave Canada the edge, with a 44-23 advantage in kills. Both teams recorded eight blocks, and Canada held a slight lead in service aces (4-3). In errors, the count was nearly even, with Canada committing 23 and Venezuela 20.
Opposite Lukas Wright led all scorers with 18 points for Canada, followed by outside hitter Mason Lage with 11 and middle blocker Simon Oberbuchner contributing 10. Venezuela’s top scorer was Ángel Matute with 7 points.
Canadian head coach Taylor Jordan reflected on the significance of the moment: “For us, we just wanted to live in the moment. This is the last day that this group is playing together, to enjoy being a team for one last day, one last match. Maybe it was less about the bronze and more about us being one big Canadian family. In terms of success, our reception was phenomenal, and that gave us an opportunity to play”.
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