SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 23, 2026.- USA opened its participation at the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup with a solid 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-22) victory over Dominican Republic at the Gymnasium of the Palacio de los Deportes Carlos “El Famoso” Hernández in the Salvadoran capital.
The victory gives USA a 1-0 record in Pool B, while Dominican Republic moves to 1-1. USA will close pool play on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. against Trinidad and Tobago.
The first set remained close early, despite both teams committing several service errors. It was after the 15-point mark that USA managed to pull away and take control on its way to winning the set.
The second set began in similar pattern, with both teams trading points. After the 14-point mark, USA built a four-point advantage and continued to extend the lead throughout the remainder of the set.
Dominican Republic started the third set stronger and built a four-point advantage (10-6). Later, with USA trailing 16-18, David Decker stepped to the service line and sparked a decisive run that put his team ahead 22-18. USA maintained the advantage to close the set 25-22 and complete the straight-set victory.
The United States led the team statistics with a 46-32 advantage in attacks, 5-1 in blocks and 7-2 in aces. Decker delivered an outstanding performance from the service line with six aces.
Decker was also the match’s leading scorer with 20 points. Trevor Herget and Aidan Klein added 10 points each for USA. For Dominican Republic, Malik Britton finished with 14 points and Ronny Molina added 10.
David Decker, USA leading scorer: “This is my first experience with Team USA, and it was amazing. I think our entire team did a fantastic job. We haven’t had as much time together as some of the other teams, so trusting each other and building our connections early is important, and I think that’s exactly what we did. Everybody played amazing. I take pride in serving hard. When I’m back at the service line, I have full control, so I try to do my best for my team and put us in a good position. Thankfully, I think I was able to help us a lot today.”
Nicolette Sanlin, USA Head Coach: “As David mentioned, we haven’t had as much time together as the other countries. Our biggest strength is the great culture this group has. They get along really well, they are very humble young men, and they take coaching really well. They are playing hard and following instructions, and that’s all I can ask of them. They are doing a great job.”