Erik Shoji, Micah Christenson, and the rest of Team USA leaving no stone unturned despite a blazing start to their FIVB Men's World Championship campaign.
Team USA rolled to a straight-sets win over Portugal, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17, to stay unbeaten in Pool D of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship on Monday, September 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
While the victory gave the Americans a 2-0 record and extended their run of not dropping a set in the tournament, team leaders emphasized there is still room to grow.
“I think we’re getting better. There’s still some things that we can clean up. We are a team that is happy to get out with a win, but we’re always striving to be better,” said captain Micah Christenson.
Star libero Erik Shoji echoed the sentiment, pointing to fundamentals.
“It’s nice to get a 3-0 win… [but] I think we wanna clean up some of the easier touches that we have [like] high ball setting, or balls off the block,” he said.
“That would just make our game a little more crisp, and maybe keep us a little more consistent,” Shoji added.
On the court, Team USA had three players in double figures, led by Gabriel Garcia and Jordan Ewert with 11 points each, while Ethan Champlin added 10.
Team USA have yet to drop a set in their perfect start to the FIVB World Championship. Photo: Volleyball World
Lourenço Martins paced Portugal with 12 in the losing effort, as the Europeans dropped to 1-1.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco)
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]