GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 27, 2026. – Canada survived an intense five-set battle to defeat Mexico 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 30-32, 15-10) and advance to the final of the 2026 Men’s U21 Pan American Cup, to be played this Sunday at the Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium.
The final will once again feature Canada and defending champion United States, in a rematch of the 2025 gold medal match, when the Americans claimed the title. Canada will seek the first championship in its tournament history, while Mexico will play Costa Rica for the bronze medal, with an opportunity to win its second historic medal after earning silver in 2022.
Canada built its victory on a wide 14-4 advantage in blocks, while Mexico led in attacks 60-56. Both teams finished tied with six aces, in a very close match that also saw a similar number of unforced errors, with 42 by Canada and 41 by Mexico.
Four Canadian players finished with double digits: Tyson Dezutter led with 18 points, followed by Ethan Baraniuk with 17, William Basilio with 15, and Owen Harris with 13. For Mexico, Eduardo Garza delivered an outstanding performance with 30 points, while Cristian Cadena added 15 and Daniel Cravioto contributed 12.
Mexico won the first set 25-22 after coming back from an 18-14 Canadian lead, led by Cristian Cadena, Sebastián Garza, and Sebastián Cravioto, and closed the set by taking advantage of Canadian errors.
Canada responded in the second set, building a 12-7 lead and holding off Mexico’s comeback to win 25-23 and even the match.
In the third set, Canada again made the difference down the stretch with Jack Baraniuk’s serve and key blocks by William Basilio, winning 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead.
Mexico forced a fifth set after taking a dramatic fourth set 32-30, saving match points and responding in a finish full of ties and lead changes.
In the tie-break, Canada took control after a 5-5 tie, pulled ahead 12-8, and sealed the 15-10 victory with a block by Matthew Siebenga on Diego Grajeda.
Canadian middle blocker Matthew Siebenga said: “It was an incredible match. Of course, it would have been nice to finish the match faster, but playing a five-set match is always very exciting. During the timeouts, our coach told us, ‘This is what we live for, this is what we came here to play,’ and that’s exactly what it was. I think the difference was our ability to fight. The coach has insisted a lot that we be a relentless team, one that never stops fighting. When the match comes down to those decisive points, it’s all about continuing to fight and showing the character we have built. We work very hard in training, and this is exactly the kind of match we prepared for”.
Mexico head coach Erick Hernández recognized the merit of the opponent after the loss: “When matches are this close, the team that makes fewer errors ends up winning, and today they made fewer mistakes than we did. We tried to make adjustments and called timeouts in moments of great pressure, but things did not go our way. This is a team that is still developing; now we have to turn the page and come out tomorrow to fight for the bronze medal.”
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