PONCE, Puerto Rico, October 10, 2025.- The United States is heading to the semifinals of the NORCECA’s Men Final Six after a five-set thriller win against host team Puerto Rico at the Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium (19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11).
The United States (4-1) will face Mexico (4-1) in the semifinals, meanwhile Puerto Rico (4-1) will take on Dominican Republic (2-3).
It was a close first set, with both teams battling for the advantage. Puerto Rico gained momentum through assertive attacks and went on to win the set 25-19.
Puerto Rico opened the second set with a narrow 8-5 lead, but the United States began improving their reception and using their middle blockers to level the score at 11-11. Three consecutive errors from Puerto Rico allowed United States to pull ahead 16-13, a lead they held onto to close the set 25-23.
The third set remained tightly contested until the United States gained momentum with a series of strong attacks, pulling ahead 18-16. Puerto Rico’s three consecutive errors allowed the United States to extend their lead to 22–16 and eventually close out the set 25–18.
Puerto Rico came out determined in the fourth set, applying pressure with strong serving and organized defense to take a 14-11 lead. Even though the United States pushed and closed the gap, Puerto Rico prevailed and won the set 25-23, forcing a tiebreak.
The host team started strong in the fifth set, jumping to an 8-5 advantage, but the United States came from behind to tie it at 9–9 and eventually won the set 15-11.
The United States led in attacks (51-49) and blocks (16-8). Both teams were tied with 6 aces each, but Puerto Rico committed fewer unforced errors compared to the United States (34-39).
Outside hitter Patrick Rogers of the United States led all scorers with 24 points (19 attacks, 2 blocks and 3 aces) spiking at a 42% success rate. For Puerto Rico, opposite Jamal Ellis led the offensive registering a 57% success rate to finish with a total of 19 points.
Patrick Rogers, outside hitter from the United States: “it was a lot of fun, playing with a big crowd in front of Puerto Rico is the way you want to play against them. We did not have a lot of practice together and we are trying different lineups right now and we just adapting to it and just playing out of it. Now we rest, we got a lot people playing a lot of days in a row so we need some rest and keep us healthy.
Pelegrin Vargas, outside hitter from Puerto Rico: “Although we didn’t win, we took away many positive things in terms of the group’s character. We still have a lot to learn while playing. I liked that we didn’t give up in the face of adversity, and that’s something we must continue to work on. This group has undergone many changes, and in many ways we’re getting to know each other. Now, we need to look at what happened today as a lesson learned and we have to keep going. In the end, anyone can beat anyone and we need to use this as an experience to keep improving.”
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