The victory gives the Americans their first three points in Pool D, while the Colombians leave their first-ever World Championship match empty-handed. Each team will play two more pool play matches and the two best national teams in each pool will advance to the Round of 16.
Ethan Champlin and Gabriel Garcia were the most important pieces in the offense run by the 32-year-old Christenson, with the outside hitter leading the American team with 17 points (12 kills, three aces, two blocks) and the opposite registering another 12 (eight kills, four aces). Outside hitter Jordan Ewert came next with 11 points (ten kills, one block).
"I thought it was a good start," Christenson said. "It was the first time for a lot of our guys in a World Championship match, and I think we didn't have many ups and downs. Colombia had some good moments during the match, and we showed some maturity to deal with them."
