MANILA -- World No. 4 USA advanced to its fifth straight quarterfinals appearance after eliminating World No. 6 Slovenia with a come-from-behind, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20 victory in their Round of 16 match at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday night, Sept. 22, 2025, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Opposite Gabriel Garcia topscored with 24 points, built on 15 attacks, four blocks, and six aces for the Americans, who last won their last and only title in 1986.
The USA will take on a dangerous, red-hot Bulgaria side, which earlier eased past Portugal in straight sets, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
In the first set, Slovenia broke away with an 11-6 lead after scoring six points in a row and maintained control to close the set with a six-point margin.
The USA fought back in the following set, building a wide lead, although Slovenia denied three set points before outside hitter Jordan Ewert squeezed the ball between the block and the net to convert the fourth.
Riding the momentum, the Americans stayed well in control of the third set, with Ewert again delivering the set winner. The USA continued to dominate in set four until Garcia sealed the game with a blistering ace.
“We are staying alive, going to the next round. I think that’s kind of the heartbeat of this team -- just find a way to win! It didn’t always look pretty tonight, but we got it done when it counted, and there is a ton of credit to the guys for staying mature, staying focused in those big moments,” USA captain Micah Christenson said via VBTV.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria made short work of Portugal, 25-19, 25-23, 25-13, to reach the quarterfinals.
Twenty-one-year-old outside hitter Aleksander Nikolov scored a match-high 19 points off 17 attacks, one block and an ace to lead the Bulgarians to victory after one hour and 33 minutes.
“I am super happy we are in the top eight. We were confident. We are gaining confidence with each game, with each set, with each point… And it is key to winning some big games like this one today,” Nikolov said after the match.
Martin Atanasov chipped in nine points (5 attacks, three blocks and one ace), while skipper Aleks Grozdanov had eight (five attacks, two blocks and one ace) for Bulgaria, which made it to the Top 8 for the first time since 2002.
Outside hitter Lourenco Martins led Portugal with 10 points off six attacks, three aces and one block, while Nuno Marques contributed six points.
Already in the quarterfinals were Turkiye, Poland, Italy, and Belgium. / RP2 SPORTS / XINHUA / PNA