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Ponce Takeaways: USA Comes Back From 0-2
Canada led the United States two sets to none and lost in five. The Dominican Republic got its first win. Guatemala, at 0-3, gave the most candid interview of the night.
The United States lost the first two sets to Canada in Ponce on Tuesday and won anyway, 3-2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-11).
It is a third win in three matches for a team that has won this tournament in each of the last three years, per NORCECA's own event preview.
Daniil Hershtynovich scored 25 points for Canada, more than any American managed, and Canada served nine aces to the United States' three. Canada also made 36 errors to 31.
Jacob Pasteur led the United States with 17 points, Sean Kelly had 15, Parker Tomkinson 13 and Kyler Wade 10. The Americans out-attacked Canada 55 to 54.
Canada Had the First Two Sets
The first two sets went 25-17 and 25-22 to Canada, and the last three went 25-21, 25-19, 15-11 the other way.
Jacob Pasteur, who led the American scoring with 17, gave NORCECA a long answer about the middle of the match.
"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."
"It's a long tournament, with many matches in a row, so not everyone will be at 100% every game. That's why having a team where anyone can step in and make a big impact was the most valuable thing for us tonight."
The Dominican Republic Got Its First Win
The Dominican Republic beat Guatemala 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) on the same night and moved to 1-2.
Guatemala hit almost as often as the Dominican Republic, 39 kills to 41. It blocked nothing at all, losing that column 9 to 0, and it served no aces.
Alexis Cruz scored 18 for the Dominicans and Henry Tapia 13, while Carlos López led Guatemala with 14. The win was the Dominican Republic's first of the tournament.
NORCECA's report also carried Dominican head coach José Mañón, whose side had lost to Guatemala twice in the last two events.
"In this match we had a lot of energy; we came in focused on winning. We lost to them twice in a row in the last two events, so we were really committed to this one. Last night we met for a long time and talked about their system. We studied it well, and it gave us the result. We still need to make adjustments in blocking and reception. After that, we have the team and the attack, and I believe that with those adjustments we can compete against any team in the region."
Guatemala Said the Quiet Part
Guatemala is 0-3 and has not won a set in the tournament.
Reider Lucas coaches Guatemala, and NORCECA gave him room.
"We really haven't been able to win a set yet in this event. It has been very difficult for us. I think one of the things affecting us the most is our opponents' serving sequences. Our reception has not responded well, and from there our actions in Complex I have become very difficult. I think that has been our biggest issue in this event."
"We still have two matches left. We know Puerto Rico is a good team and Mexico is also a good team, but we came here with the objective of competing at this level, which is something we really need, and becoming more familiar with a level that has been very difficult for us to reach. Now that we are here, we want to enjoy the competition, but we came with clear objectives and there is still competition ahead. We know reaching the semifinals is very difficult; we are fully aware of that. Our chances are practically remote at 0-3, but we will see what happens. There is still the match for fifth and sixth place, and any positive result we can achieve here would be a gain for us."
That is a coach at 0-3 explaining, by name and in public, that his reception is failing against the serve and that his side came anyway because this is the level it needs.
We Cannot Print the Standings Yet
One number from Tuesday is in dispute. NORCECA's own report gives the United States a 10 to 7 edge in blocks against Canada. USA Volleyball's report of the same match gives it 17 to 7, and both are official, so we are printing both rather than picking.
Puerto Rico played Mexico at eight o'clock on Tuesday night in Ponce, and as of Wednesday morning no result had been published by NORCECA or by any Puerto Rican outlet we could reach.
We are not going to run a standings table the federation has not finished filling in. The Americans are unbeaten at 3-0, the Dominican Republic is 1-2 after Tuesday and Guatemala is 0-3.
The United States plays the Dominican Republic at four o'clock Wednesday afternoon in Ponce, Canada plays Mexico at six and Puerto Rico plays Guatemala at eight. The semifinals are Friday and the medal matches are Saturday.
