Follow
One more win is all the U.S. Men’s Junior National team needs to make the World Championship semifinals.
After upsetting No. 4 Iran to open the second round, No. 9 United States will continue second-round play with a match against No. 11 Spain on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The United States is one of four teams in Pool E at the World Championship. The top two teams in the pool after the three second-round matches will advance to the semifinals.
Check out what to know about this Pool E match between the United States and Spain.
No. 9 United States (3-1, 1-0 Pool E) vs. No. 11 Spain (2-2, 0-1 Pool E)
Match vitals: 4 p.m. (3 p.m. EST) in Rio de Janeiro
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
Last medal finish at World Championship: United States (never); Spain (never)
Current NCAA players on roster: United States (15); Spain (zero)
What to know: The United States will play Spain with a chance to qualify for its first semifinals in World Championship history. The United States upset No. 4 Iran in its second-round opener and is enters today tied for first place in Pool E with No. 2 Russia. BYU outside attacker Taylor Sander had a team-high 12 kills in the four-game victory against Iran — the third time this tournament that Sander led the United States in kills. In addition, Pepperdine incoming freshman Joshua Taylor had 12 kills versus Iran after coming off the bench in the first game to replace outside attacker Maurice Torres. The United States also had a tournament-best 22 blocks in its victory Friday with UC Santa Barbara middle attacker Dylan Davis having a match-high six blocks. Davis is second at the tournament averaging 1.07 blocks per game. Spain outside attacker Jorge Almansa has a team-high 51 kills throughout the World Championship. However, Almansa was held to a tournament-low four kills in its three-game loss to Russia. Spain must defeat the United States to have a realistic chance of advancing to the semifinals. The United States can clinch a spot in the semifinals if it defeats Spain and Russia beats Iran in the other Pool E match Saturday.