The journey to a gold medal came up one point short for the United States.
The United States was unable to convert on a championship-point as it lost to the Dominican Republic 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14 in the U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup gold-medal match on Sunday in Guatemala.
CSUN opposite Jalen Phillips had a kill to set up a U.S. match-point at 14-13 in the decisive fifth game. However, Dominican Republic opposite Adrian Figueroa responded with a kill to force overtime and then had back-to-back kills on the next two plays to secure the gold medal.
Figueroa, who played for the NAIA school Park last season, finished with a match-high 23 kills. The opposite had 11 combined kills in the final two games, including a game-high six kills in the decisive game.
Despite the loss, the United States out-hit the Dominican Republic .281 to .130.
Phillips led the United States with 17 kills on a .406 attack percentage. Pepperdine pin-hitter Ryan Barnett also contributed 15 kills with a team-high four kills in the final game.
The United States had 16 blocks – six more blocks than the Dominican Republic.
UCLA middle attacker Cameron Thorne ended with a match-high eight blocks, while USC middle attacker Wes Smith had four blocks.
This was the first time the United States fielded a team for the U23 Pan American Cup. Teams based on their performances at the annual Pan American Cup from 2025-28 can qualify for spot in the 2029 Junior Pan American Games.