2017 NORCECA XII Men's Pan-American Cup

USA Finishes Fifth, Argentina Wins Gold At NORCECA Pan-Am Cup

USA Finishes Fifth, Argentina Wins Gold At NORCECA Pan-Am Cup

In its final match at the 2017 NORCECA Pan-American Cup, the U.S. Men's National Team defeated Dominican Republic 15-25, 25-22, 20-25, 27-25, 15-13 to finish fifth.

Jul 31, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
USA Finishes Fifth, Argentina Wins Gold At NORCECA Pan-Am Cup
In its final match at the 2017 NORCECA Pan-American Cup in Gatineau, Canada, the U.S. Men's National Team defeated Dominican Republic 15-25, 25-22, 20-25, 27-25, 15-13 to finish fifth.

The USA team, which featured a young group of current collegiate athletes and recent college grads, completed the tournament with a 3-3 overall record, finishing in third place in Group A, losing to Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, and then defeating Venezuela in classifications before meeting Dominican Republic in the fifth-place match.

"We're pleased to get a win in the last game of the tournament; a great way to end," team captain and setter Jonah Seif said. "We didn't play perfectly, but we had a lot of resolve and were able to fight back. Our goal was just to compete in every game as hard as we can."

USA middle blocker Mitch Stahl was named the best blocker after tallying 18 total blocks throughout the tournament.

Argentina won the Pan-Am Cup gold medal, soaring through pool play and the tournament rounds with an undefeated record. The South American squad -- which finished fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics -- defeated Puerto Rico  25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20 in the final, earning the country's first-ever Pan-Am Cup gold medal. Middle blocker Martin Ramos was named tournament most valuable player.

Puerto Rico celebrated its first time on the Pan-Am Cup podium since 2010, and its second-ever silver medal.