MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 1, 2026.- The United States opened its title defense at the NORCECA U23 Women’s Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-17) victory over Canada on Tuesday at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex in Managua.
Blocking was one of the key factors for the defending champion, as the United States outblocked Canada 14-8. The U.S. also held advantages of 28-25 in attacks and 9-8 in serves. Canada gave away 24 points on errors compared to 20 by the United States.
Kendall Omoruyi led the United States with 15 points, including nine attacks, three blocks and three aces. Tessa Larkin contributed 13 points, while Megan Hodges added 11, including a match-high six blocks.
For Canada, outside hitter Raya Surinx was the leading scorer with 14 points, including a match-high six aces.
The first two sets were the most closely contested. The United States was able to pull ahead in the first to take it 25-21, while Canada applied greater pressure in the second and tied the score at 23-23. The defending champion responded by winning the next two points, with a kill from Tessa Larkin and an opponent error to close the set 25-23 and take a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, the United States created greater separation. Its pressure from the service line and strong blocking helped build a lead that Canada was unable to overcome, as the U.S. closed the set 25-17 to complete the straight-set victory.
The United States will face Costa Rica on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., while Canada will take on Nicaragua at 7:00 p.m.
Alexandra Dunphy, head coach of the United States: “I think there are still some important things to look at, but our transition, with the sets going to the outside hitters, they were playing high and strong against Canada’s block, which is very good, and that helped us a lot down the stretch. Today we were better than them, but I think if we play again, it would be a good battle. They are a very good team.”
Sophee Peterson, setter of the United States: “I think this atmosphere is super cool. I think it’s a great opportunity for all of us to play together because back home we’re on different teams. I think we had a great performance, just going out there and playing for one another and being super competitive. Canada is obviously a very difficult team to beat, but I’m very proud of how we played today, and I hope we can keep that going for the rest of the tournament.”
Matthew Krueger, head coach of Canada: “I think the United States played a really good match today. They’re extremely physical, extremely strong. I think they set the tone for the match, and we were always playing a little bit from behind. We did everything we could to try to change the momentum in the second set. We fought hard to give ourselves an opportunity and just came up a little short, and then we ran out of energy. So, it’s a good learning opportunity for us. We need to improve our game plans a little bit, but I give credit to our team for fighting back and trying, and to the United States for playing a very good match.”
Delaney Watson, captain of Canada: “I think there were definitely some difficult moments, but I’m proud of how we tried to stay together. We haven’t trained together in a long time, so I think there are elements of our game that we hope to carry into the next match. It’s a long tournament, so we just hope to maintain a high level and try to stay together.”
English 
Spanish