USA got back on track in style after trumping Brazil, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-9, to the delight of Filipino fans in the 2024 Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL) Manila leg on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Less than 24 hours since being at the wrong end of a five-set upset to Iran, the Americans punched their way to win No. 1 in their Philippine debut through TJ Defalco’s 21 points built on 18 attacks and three aces.
Fan-favorite team captain Micah Christenson also rose to the occasion with 41 excellent sets and three markers to help keep USA's quarterfinals hopes alive, as they moved to 11th place with a 4-6 card.
“(We’re) feeling a lot better than what we felt last night. I think we had a handful of hard conversations and just, man, a lot of credit to this team for the resilience and the response that we showed tonight against a very good Brazil team,” Christenson said.
“Tonight was a right step in the right direction. We’re not where we want to be, but it’s the first building block of where we want to go,” he added.
READ: Iran sends Team USA crashing in VNL Manila upset
Scoring wasn’t a problem across the board this time around as Maxwell Holt (16 points), Matt Anderson (12 points), and Taylor Averill (11 points) gave life to the American offense.
Despite splitting their first two assignments, Brazil still stands at fourth place, as it inches closer to a playoff berth.
Alan Souza paced the first Manila leg defeat for the South American side with 26 points on 23 attacks, two aces, and one block.
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