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| Micah Christenson makes a successful return to Team USA. FIVB |
PASAY—The USA Men’s Volleyball Team kicked off its 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship campaign at the SM Mall Of Asia Arena with a 25-20, 25-21, 25-14, straight-set victory over Colombia, on Saturday.
Team USA started strong in the first two sets but struggled to close them out, giving away multiple set points before eventually sealing the frames.
The Americans left no doubt in the third set, pulling away early and never looking back en route to a dominant finish.
Jordan Ewert, who contributed 11 points, said the team’s priority was to win while finding its rhythm with a relatively new lineup making its world-stage debut.
“This is our first major tournament with some young guys, so today was all about finding rhythm together. We haven’t played a tournament as a group before, so it’s really about adapting to situations as they happen,” Ewert shared.
World Championship rookie Ethan Champlin led all scorers with 17 points and credited his teammates for setting him up for success.
“I gotta give credit to my teammates—in reception with Eric and Jordan. All hands were on deck today. Micah set me up in good spots across the net, and my teammates covered me when I needed it,” Champlin said.
When asked about how the team plans to close out sets more decisively, Champlin emphasized patience and intentionality.
“I think it’s about staying patient but also aggressive. Credit to Colombia—they fought till the end, especially in those sets where it seemed like they didn’t have much hope. They put pressure on us with their serve and took big swings at the end. I feel good about how we handled those moments. A couple of things didn’t go our way, but we can definitely learn from that, stay aggressive, and continue being intentional with what we do.”
Up next, the USA faces Portugal on Monday at 9:00 p.m., also at the MOA Arena.
