VNL 2026

Defalco on fire as USA make it to the VNL Finals after sweeping Brazil

The outside hitter served seven aces and led his team's straight-set victory

Published 03:07, 17 Jul 2026

USA (USA) vs. Brazil (BRA) - Pool 8 - Preliminary Phase #115120650

Defalco had an amazing all-around performance with seven kills, seven aces and four blocks

The United States followed Japan's lead and secured a spot in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 Finals on Thursday, only a few hours after the Asians became the first national team to qualify outside hosts China.

Playing in front of their home fans in Chicago, the Americans took care of business in one of the most storied duels in international volleyball, beating longtime rivals Brazil 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-19) to earn their second victory in the week.

USA vs. Brazil - Highlights | Men's VNL 2026

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With their eighth victory in ten Preliminary Phase matches, the Americans got to 25 points in the VNL 2026 standings and continue in second place, now guaranteed in the Finals. Brazil, which had gotten into the qualification zone after sweeping France on Wednesday, fell outside of it again, ranking eighth with six wins and 16 points.

Outside hitter TJ Defalco was the catalyst of the American victory, making an incredible impact from the service line with seven aces, the fifth-highest mark in VNL history and the best for a three-set match. He also tallied seven kills and four blocks to top all scorers with 18 points.

"These two teams have had many battles since the 60s," Defalco said. "We came in with the idea that we needed to stop them as much as we could, and we did an incredible job. It was one of the better serving nights in my career, and hopefully we can take that momentum forward."

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Contributing to Defalco's efforts were fellow outside hitter Matt Anderson and opposite Jake Hanes, who delivered 13 points each.

Brazil had opposite Darlan Souza standing out with 12 kills, four aces and one block to come one point short of Defalco's performance. Middle blockers Flávio Gualberto and Matheus Pinta scored seven points each.

"I think we did well at handling France's pressure in serve-receive yesterday, but today we couldn't do the same," team captain Ricardo Lucarelli said. "They served amazingly well today, and we didn't have the patience to play and earn the points. We should have tried to keep the ball and avoid hitting errors. Against a team like the United States, you have to be patient, and we weren't on some moments."

Brazil will play another key match in their push to qualify for the Finals on Friday, when they face defending champions Poland at 20:00 local time (1:00 AM Saturday, GMT). The Americans will have the day off before returning to action on Saturday, at 20:00 (1:00 AM Sunday, GMT), against Bulgaria.

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