USA men fall to Poland, await FIVB Worlds round-of-16 slot

Poland overpowered the USA 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 Tuesday in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship before more than 10,000 fans in Katowice, Poland.

It makes Poland 2-1 over the Americans this summer. The Poland won the their match in Volleyball Nations League preliminary play and then the USA won in the VNL semifinals.

Now both teams will advance to the Worlds round of 16, but won’t know where and when they’ll be slotted in until Wednesday’s six matches are completed. Poland finished 3-0 atop Pool C, while the USA was 2-1. Both teams beat both Bulgaria and Mexico.

TJ DeFalco led the USA with 14 kills but had eight errors, and he had a block, an ace and two digs.. The other outside, Aaron Russell, had 12 kills, a block, an ace and four digs. Middle David Smith had three kills, four blocks and an ace. Opposite Kyle Ensing had six kills and an ace.

Poland’s Bartocz Kurek had 17 kills, a block and two aces. Kami Semeniuk had 10 kills, a block and two aces, and Mateusz had 10 kills, two blocks and an ace.

The round of 16 begins Saturday in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Sunday in Gliwice, Poland, about 18 miles east of Katowice.