USA fights back and survives Slovenia to secure quarterfinal spot

The United States weathered an early storm before flexing its championship pedigree, rallying past Slovenia, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20, to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The world No. 4 Americans looked shaky at the start, falling behind 10-15 and conceding the opening set. But once they settled in, they proved too strong, reeling off three straight sets to secure the Round of 16 victory in just under two hours.

Now undefeated, USA sets up a high-stakes clash with fellow unbeaten Bulgaria on Thursday for a place in the semifinals. Bulgaria earlier swept Portugal, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23, sealing its first Top 8 finish in 15 years.

Opposite hitter Gabriel Garcia was unstoppable, delivering a monster performance with seven aces and a game-high 26 points built on 15 kills and four blocks. He also tallied 11 digs to anchor the Americans on both ends.

Ethan Champlin and Jordan Ewert chipped in 15 and 14 points, while middle blockers Jeffrey Jendryk II and Merrick McHenry combined for 16. 

Team captain and playmaker Micah Christenson controlled the tempo with 39 excellent sets, while libero Erik Shoji steadied the floor defense with 11 digs.

“I think we kind of needed that first-set adversity,” Christenson admitted. “Slovenia came out serving really well, as many teams tend to do against us. But we increased our service pressure, dialed in our passing, and fought off some big serves. It wasn’t the prettiest, but this team finds ways to win.”

Riding momentum from their bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and hungry to end a 39-year world championship drought, the Americans showed poise under pressure. 

After squaring the match with a dominant 8-1 run in the second set, they never looked back, dictating the pace through aggressive serving and balanced attacking.

Slovenia, the world No. 6 and a familiar Top 5 contender on the global stage, struggled to keep up in the absence of star spiker Rok Mozic, who sat out with a knee injury. 

Nik Mujanovic and Ziga Stern led the Slovenians with nine and eight points, but no player broke double digits in the loss.

Despite the setback, Slovenia exits with pride, having reached the Round of 16 in the tournament’s largest-ever edition featuring 32 nations.