21st-seeded D'Artagnan Potts & Jack Pearse scored seven wins in a row in Tlaxcala and that impressive tournament run was crowned with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) victory over the third-seeded Capogrosso brothers in Sunday’s gold medal showdown. The first set went even through 13-13, when the Australians broke away to win it by a five-point margin, handing the Argentineans their first set lost in the competition. The second set was even more competitive, with the lead going back and forth several times. After 19-18 Capogrossos’ way, Pearse levelled up with a successful swing and brought in match point with a kill block. An unforced error on the other side of the net closed the match Australia’s way. 22-year-old Potts put away four kill blocks and an ace to lead his team with 18 points. 24-year-old Pearse added 15, including three blocks. 31-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympian Nicolas Capogrosso was the best scorer of the match with 21 points, including a block. His 23-year-old brother Tomas produced nine points, all in attack.
“I just can’t believe it! I think Jack and I had a pretty good performance. We came through the qualifiers and made it all the way to the final. Even just the semis would’ve been good, but we managed to win that, got to the gold medal match and managed to win that. So, I can’t believe it at all! It’s great!” said Potts right after the final.
“Argentina is an amazing team and we knew we had to play outstanding to beat them,” Pearse added. “Well done, Argentina! You played a great game, but we just knew we had to be really aggressive.”
