The United States quickly eliminated any possibility of an upset in the gold-medal match of the U21 Pan American Cup.
UC Irvine setter Cameron Kosty guided the offense to .431 attack percentage as the United States swept Canada 25-15, 25-19, 25-14 in the finals on Sunday in Guatemala.
The United States ended the championship match with eight attack errors – six fewer errors than Canada. In addition, the team had a match-best .563 attack percentage and one error in the final game to secure the sweep and cap off an undefeated run at the international tournament.
USC outside attacker Blake Fahlbusch led all players with 11 kills on a .556 attack percentage. Fahlbusch had a game-high six kills in the second game, including three kills as part of a 7-2 run midway through the game.
Fahlbusch was one of three U.S. players with more than five kills against Canada.
Long Beach State middle attacker Jackson Cryst had 10 kills and one error on a match-best .818 attack percentage that was highlighted with a game-high four kills in the opening game. Hawai’i opposite Kainoa Wade also contributed eight kills and hit .400.
Wade following the match was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The sophomore finished the tournament leading all players with 14 aces and led the United States with 38 kills.
Fahlbusch and Hawai’i middle attacker Trevell Jordan each had a match-high three blocks against Canada.
Canada was held to a zero attack percentage in the opening game of the finals and ended the match with a .097 attack percentage.
Pin-hitter Ethan Baraniuk in the loss had a team-high eight kills. Baraniuk, though, was the only Canadian player to have more than four kills.
This is the second consecutive year the United States has defeated Canada in the U21 Pan American Cup gold-medal match. The United States defeated Canada in four games in the finals last year.