GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 9, 2026.- The United States captured the bronze medal at the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup after defeating Mexico 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-19) at the tournament being held at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City.
All three sets were closely contested. The United States strengthened its blocking, which allowed them to counter Mexico’s attack. It was in the first set that the Americans managed to build a wider lead and take control on their way to victory.
In the second and third sets, the score remained close for most of the way, and it was not until the final points that the United States managed to pull away and close out both sets.
In the team statistics, the United States outperformed Mexico in attacks 52-38 and blocks 8-2, while both teams finished tied with 2 aces.
Gabriele Desiderio of the United States was the match’s leading scorer with 23 points, Jackson Real contributed 15, and Siddanth Saikanth finished with 13. For Mexico, Sebastián Merino stood out with 19 points.
The United States finished the tournament in third place with a 4-2 win-loss record, while Mexico finished fourth with a 2-3 record.
Carter Tchaikovsky, captain of the United States: “Obviously, the goal was to win. Coming back from a loss and taking third place is huge; it’s hard to battle back from a tough loss like that. We did a good job rallying and still fighting hard at the end.”
Regarding the semifinal loss to Venezuela, he added: “I think we weren’t as prepared as we should have been and, honestly, Venezuela is a good team. They came in with a lot of energy and built the momentum to make sure we couldn’t get back in there.”
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