USA saved its playoff bid in style with a four-set takedown of Germany, 25-23, 21-25, 26-24, in the 2024 Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL) Manila leg on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The red-hot American duo of Matt Anderson (23 points) and TJ Defalco (20 points) lifted Team USA to a 5-6 standing — tied with Cuba and Argentina and closely followed by 5-5 Serbia for the last spot in the VNL Final 8.
Also living up to his star billing was fan favorite skipper Micah Christenson with 29 excellent sets and three markers.
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With the Olympics now on the horizon, Christenson cherises every shot for the Americans to play high-level competition before their high-stakes trip to Paris in a month’s time.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to win and still learn. It’s easy to learn when you lose, but I think we’re gonna go back to this game with a smile on our faces that we were able to get it done even if it was a little bit ugly,” said the captain.
“We're gonna just try to take another step in the right direction tomorrow and enjoy also the moment. I’m assuming it’s going to be a full stadium here. Hopefully, we get a little bit of support. I know Japan is very popular, but we’re gonna try to do our best for everybody.”
READ: Team USA enjoying 'true home games' thanks to Filipino fans
Germany dropped to 12th place at 4-7 despite four of its aces hitting double-figures led by György Grozer’s 16-point performance.
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