USA defeats Venezuela by 3-2 in Pan American Games - Volleyball match

The United States national men’s volleyball team beat the Venezuelans on Friday, October 28, in a volleyball match of the Pan American Games that is currently being played in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.

Both the teams competed against each other to qualify for the fifth position in the tournament.  The match between the two sides went on for five long and gruelling sets at the end of which the Americans were able to earn a win at the following final set scores: 21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18 and 15-13.

The first set of the match was competitive and both the teams were trying hard to gain some headway. However, as the frame drew to its final stages, the Venezuelans were able grab the lead and bag the set. The Americans were able to equalise the match by taking hold of the second set by a comfortable margin. The third set went to the Venezuelans as they worked long and hard for a win. The fourth set had the American name written on it from the start as the U.S. took the lead and stuck with it till the final stages with the Venezuelans trailing all the way behind. The fifth and the final set of the game was as competitive as expected with both sides giving all their best. However, it was the American squad that turned out to be the better of the two by the time the frame reached its close.

Coach John Speraw of the American team expressed himself in the following manner at the press conference that was conducted after the match reached its close: “It is hard to play when you are not playing for a medal.  Despite that I think both teams played really hard.”

On the other hand, the coach of the Venezuelan team, Gilberto Herrera, shared his views in the following manner: “I liked how our kids battled like in the match against Argentina. They had their up and downs. I am not concerned in terms of physical performance. Our main concerns are about the tactical and technical issues, but we will improve them for the future.”     

The player that was able to score the most points for his team was the American Evan Patak who tallied a total of 25 points in the entire match. He was able to accomplish the task after pulling off three service aces as well as two blocks. On the Venezuelan side, the player who was the most active was Jhoser Contreras who kept the pressure on his rivals by pulling off 18 points. He was helped by Luis Arias who put up 17 points for his side.