Cooper Robinson spearheaded USA’s bench mob to complete a three-game Pool D sweep, ousting Cuba, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
USA coach Karch Kiraly emphasized his team’s depth, fielding 13 of his 14 players to wrap up the pool stage with a perfect 3-0 record.
Ranked No. 5 in the world, the Americans advanced to the Round of 16, where they were set to face the winner of the Slovenia-Germany clash at press time.
Cuba, on the other hand, exited with a 1-2 record, handing Portugal a knockout matchup against Pool E leader Bulgaria.
Despite conceding their first set of the tournament in the third frame, the Americans clawed back from a 19-23 deficit behind their bench unit, with Robinson leading the rally to finish with 14 points.
“We believe that we’re gonna need the contributions of everybody to try and get past that Round of 16, so it was nice to get most of the guys on the court, give them some experience, and allow them a chance to make contributions,” said Kiraly.
“They all did, and we ended up with a close win against Cuba. Now, we’ll get a little rest and we’re excited to get the next phase of this tournament going.”
Jordan Ewert and Gabi Garcia chipped in 12 points apiece for USA. Substitute Kyle Ensing added seven, while Matthew Knigge and Jacob Pasteur tallied six each.
The loss denied Cuba a return to the Round of 16 and the chance to improve on or at least match its 14th-place finish in 2022.
Jose Masso and Javier Concepcion paced the Cubans with 12 points each, while Robertlandy Simon contributed 10.
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