Opposite Kyle Hobus saved their best performance of the tournament for when the gold medal was on the line.
Hobus finished with 15 kills on .684 attack percentage as the United States defeated Puerto Rico 22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-19 in the Pan American Cup gold-medal match on Sunday in Mexico.
The former CSUN opposite led all players with 10 kills in the final two games to help the United States secure the gold medal. Hobus also did not commit an attack error until midway through the third game and ended the match with two errors.
Former Ohio State setter Michael Wright guided the offense to out-hit Puerto Rico .330 to .269, including the United States having a .571 attack percentage in the final game.
Hobus was one of three U.S. players to have double-digit kills against Puerto Rico.
Former Ohio State outside attacker Jacob Pasteur had a match-high 17 kills on a .355 attack percentage. Pasteur led all players with six kills in the final game and a kill to jumpstart a 6-3 run midway through the game.
Former Ball State outside attacker Patrick Rogers also contributed 11 kills and hit .381.
Puerto Rico pin-hitter Klistan Lawrence in the loss had a team-high 14 kills, while former Purdue Fort Wayne outside attacker Pelegrin Vargas added 11 kills.
This was the second time the United States defeated Puerto Rico at the Pan American Cup. The United States swept Puerto Rico during the pool-play stage.