It was the serving that made the difference in the match. USA produced 11 aces against 6 for the Germans and that tilted the balance their way, especially in the tie-breaker. Five American players reached the double digits in the game: Defalco with 18 points, Russell with 16, Anderson with 14, Holt with 13, and middle blocker Taylor Averill with 12 (including four aces).
“We really took care of business early, with really good service pressure and playing good block-defence in the first two sets,” Russell told the FIVB. “In the third and fourth sets, they really stepped it up. Maybe we kind of let off the gas from the service line, but then Max really turned it on and he was the one that kind of got the fire going in the fifth set. I am really happy about the way we responded to that adversity.”
Germany’s Karlitzek delivered a match-high 21 points, backed by Grozer with 16, middle blocker Anton Brehme with 15 and Reichert with 12.
“It was really important for the moral, for the ranking and for the points in our group that we managed to come back,” German setter and captain Lukas Kampa commented. “In the first two sets, USA showed some of the best volleyball in sideout that I’ve seen in a while, so we needed a big effort from our side to get into their heads, to destroy this really fluent game that they were playing. I am happy that we managed to do it, showing that we have so many players coming from the bench, giving some extra for the team. Of course, I am not happy, but I am really proud of the way we came back and the way we fought.”