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USA Sweeps Puerto Rico, Canada Next
Canada is in its fifth NORCECA Final Six final and has never won one. Gold goes at 8 p.m. Atlantic on Saturday in Ponce.
The United States beat Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) in Ponce on Friday night and plays Canada for the NORCECA Final Six title on Saturday. Canada beat Mexico 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) in the other semifinal.
Two of those three sets finished 25-23, in a sweep, in the hosts' building, on a week the Americans still have not lost a match in.
Sean Kelly scored 18 points on 17 kills and Jacob Pasteur 13 on 10. Kainoa Wade, whom the Puerto Rican federation calls Kyler Wade, took ten kills, and Troy Gooch dug ten balls.
Pedro Molina scored 15 for Puerto Rico, Pelegrín Vargas 12 and Klistan Lawrence Vidal 10, and the hosts play Mexico for bronze on Saturday evening before the final.
Five Nights, Five Wins, Two of Them Five Sets
The United States opened with Mexico 3-1 (32-30, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20) on 23 August and swept Guatemala 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-16) the following night.
Then came the two long ones. Canada led 2-0 and lost 3-2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-11) on Tuesday, and the Dominican Republic went the same distance on Wednesday, 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 15-11).
Puerto Rico took them to four on Thursday, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21), and then to 23 twice more in Friday's sweep. That is five nights, two of them five sets, and one that opened 32-30.
Sterling Foley hit .571 against the Dominican Republic with 18 kills, five aces and three blocks, which NORCECA scored as 26 points.
Jacob Pasteur, United States outside hitter, to NORCECA after Tuesday's comeback against Canada.
It feels incredible to come from behind and win. I think hard-fought victories are always extremely valuable. We have a lot to learn, but what I'm most proud of is the character everyone showed on the court. We had people come in and make a huge difference with their energy, and I think the biggest factor was not losing faith.
Canada Has Been Here Four Times and Lost
NORCECA calls Saturday Canada's fifth Final Six final and says it is still looking for a first gold medal. Daniil Hershtynovich scored 13 against Mexico and Trent Cherewaty 9.
Canada's women won their first NORCECA continental title on 26 August, beating the United States 3-2 in Santo Domingo. Its men play the United States for a first Final Six title on Saturday night in Ponce. Two Canadian teams, two firsts, one opponent, three days apart.
Jeremy Love plays for Canada and told NORCECA this after the Mexico semifinal.
Mexico is a great team. In fact, we were able to play some friendly matches against them between NORCECA and the Final Six. They're a great team, so we had to dig deep into our game plan. I think our coaches did a great job designing a solid plan for us to follow. We have several injured players, but I think we're just going to try to rest as much as we can, eat well, support each other, and make sure everyone is ready to help us win.
Gold goes at 8 p.m. Atlantic on Saturday in the same building. The Americans have played two five-set matches this week and Canada has not played one. We expect the United States in four.
