TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico, July 11, 2022.- Canada earned a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21) victory over the United States in their opening match at the Men’s NORCECA Final Six Pan Am Cup at the Amado Nervo Auditorium of Tepic, Nayarit.
Canada had a great start overcoming the U.S. with a solid 5-1 lead in service points. The Canadians also held advantages in blocks (6-4) and attacks (35-33), while scoring on 29 opponent errors and handing out 21.
Opposite hitter Jordan Canham led Canada with 9 points, while outside hitters Logan House and Brandon Koppers chipped in with 8 points each.
Outside hitter Brett Wildman of the United States led all scorers with 10 points. Opposite hitter Francesco Sani added 8 points for the U.S. and middle blocker Austin Wilmot scored 7 points.
On Tuesday United States (0-1) will face Cuba (1-0) and Canada (1-0) meets host Mexico.
Jordan Canham, Top scorer of Canada: “Being our first match, I was a little nervous like the rest of us. It was so fun to play with a crowd like this and the nerves got out. It’s important to start with a victory this, against a team like the United States. We had a couple of scrimmages before the tournament and that helped us, I don’t think they had any and I believe they were nervous; it’s always fun to play against them.
Brett Wildman, Top scorer of United States: “Obviously our goal was to win, but also coming into the tournament our goal is to get better over time. We have a bright future in this tournament, but we must cut down the errors on serves”.
Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “This was more than we could have hoped for, coming out on top with a 3-0 win especially against a country with great volleyball, one of the top volleyball nations in the world and a country ten times bigger than ours. Our team played an excellent match and I think the Americans struggled a bit from the service line. Our work is just beginning, and our best matches are yet to come”.
Andy Read, Head Coach of United States: “I want to give credit to Canada, they came out and played a good match from the very start. We did not play well at the start and played better in the second and third set. We must make more serves and create scoring opportunities from our block defense, we have to be better in that tomorrow against Cuba.
English 
Spanish