The Pan American Cup Men’s Final Six is nearing its end, with just a few matches remaining to seal the victory for the US Men’s Volleyball team. On the third day of the tournament, the formidable team maintained their winning streak against Puerto Rico, destroying them in a dominant performance. However, a new day has brought a fresh opponent for the US team as they face off against Canada. Will they be able to defend their crown, or will the pretender succeed?
Both the USA and Canada were entering the fourth day of the tournament with zero losses. This raised concerns among American volleyball fans who feared a break in the United States’ winning streak. However, Cody Kessel, the USA Volleyball Men’s National Team’s 31-year-old outside hitter, shared a video from their practice session and upended any and all doubts in the minds of the fans.
US volleyball star Cody Kessel inspires confidence
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The former Penn State University volleyball sensation has been posting short clips from the U.S. team’s training session in Edmonton. Just before they faced the Canadian team on their home soil, Kessel shared another video on social media. Cody Kessel’s clip on Twitter showed teammate Matt Knigge delivering a powerful spike, which he highlighted with the words, “Matty calls game”.
Matty calls game 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/OU4bwJ6KKm
— Cody Kessel (@codykessel) September 22, 2023
True to the video, Matt Knigge brought a world-class performance to the court and shocked the opponents beyond expectations. The US team started slow, but as the match progressed, the players unveiled their secret arsenal prepared in the training.
The US Men’s Volleyball team secured a total of 45 kills against Canada’s 37. Out of the 45 kills, Matt Knigge accounted for four kills, one ace, and three blocks. Patrick Gasman, the team captain, took the spotlight on the team’s strategy, saying, “It took us like a minute to settle down and play within our system, and the system worked great in sets two, three and four”. These last-minute training sessions have been crucial for the success of the team, as highlighted by the previous day’s match against Puerto Rico.
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Pre-game training sessions propel the US team to victory
The US Men’s Volleyball team has been girded up to clinch the Pan American Cup. These training sessions have helped to fine-tune their performance and provide better execution techniques.
Before their match with Puerto Rico, Cody Kessel had shared a video from a similar training session. He added the cryptic words “free bird” to the X post. While most did not realize the significance of this at first, they had only to wait for the match. The team soared high and delivered a crushing defeat to the Puerto Rican players.
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In the wake of their repeated past losses in the Pan Am Cup, the US team has adopted stringent training montage. So far, it has worked splendidly and has taken them one step closer to the battle for gold on September 24. The US Men’s Volleyball team is standing on the edge of history and is poised to make a major breakthrough.