ZINACANTEPEC, Mexico, September 21, 2026.- Defending champion United States opened the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-16) victory over Canada on Monday at the Unidad Deportiva Juan Fernández Albarrán in Zinacantepec, Estado de México.
Canada stayed within reach in the opening set, closing the gap to 20-19 on a kill by Laila Johnston, but the United States held on to take it 25-21. Claire Hoffman then delivered three consecutive kills as the defending champions extended a narrow 12-11 lead to 15-11 in the second set. USA maintained control from there and, after a 9-9 tie in the third, pulled away to complete the straight-set victory
The Americans built their victory on a 48-28 advantage in attacks and led 4-2 in aces. Both teams recorded two blocks and committed 21 unforced errors.
Eva Hudson led the United States with 13 points, all on kills. Temitayo Thomas-Ailara added 11 points, also all on kills, while Claire Hoffman contributed 10. Canada’s Laila Johnston finished with 11 points, all on kills.
Elena Scott, USA’s libero: “I think we spent the first set getting our nerves out of the way and focusing on our side of the court. Once we settled in, we started playing better. It was a combination of all our skills and adjusting to a new gym, which can sometimes be difficult. I think we did a good job of that.”
Laila Johnston, Canada’s captain: “We came in ready to fight. USA is a very strong team. We need to clean up the little things, especially our high-ball setting, to put our hitters in better positions, and limit our serving errors. We competed well from the service line but struggled a little toward the end.”
On Tuesday, USA will face Cuba at 4:00 p.m. The top four teams after the round robin will advance to the crossover semifinals.