After the U.S. women nearly pulled off an epic comeback Monday, the men nearly pulled off a collapse of the highest order Tuesday.
Up two sets to none against No. 11 Germany, the U.S. looked to be cruising home to an easy victory. Then, the Germans flipped the script and dragged the game all the way to a tiebreaking fifth set.
Germany looked dominant at times in the third and fourth set as they put the Americans on the brink of disaster. However, the Americans flipped the script right back and controlled the fifth set to take the hard-earned victory and put themselves in great position to reach the knockout rounds.
Matt Anderson got the Americans off to a fast start with three of their first four points, including a big spike to start the match and an ace. The 37-year-old Penn State alumnus led Team USA with six points in a first set that they had strong control of. The Americans led 17-12, but Germany was able to get back within two multiple times late in the set. That was as close as the Germans got, though, as Team USA scored two straight points to close the set 25-21.
Torey DeFalco got in on the fun in the second set and started to control the match. He had arguably the top highlight when he dug out a big swing from Germany with his left arm, then rose up to give Team USA a 10-8 lead thanks to a huge swing with his right arm. Through two sets, DeFalco led the squad with 11 points on 8/13 in attack.
The U.S. took control of the middle part of the set when it rallied for six straight points to grow the lead to 17-10, a lead they never looked back from en route to a 25-17 set win. Aaron Russell played a huge part late in the set as he helped the U.S. secure a two-set advantage with nine points on 7/11 attacking.
Facing a straight-sets loss, Germany started hot in the third set by getting out to a quick 7-2 lead. Team USA chipped away at the lead and got back within a point, but couldn't quite equalize as the Germans extended the lead to 20-14. The Germans would cruise home from there and take the set 25-17. Morlitz Karlitzek and Gyorgy Grozer were the key players for Germany through three sets with 27 combined points on 21/40 in attack.
Things started tight in the fourth set, but the desperate Germans pulled ahead to take a 17-12 lead and put the pressure on the Americans. That pressure was evident on the American players as they began making unforced errors and could not find a way through the German defense. On the other side, the German players seemed to pick up more and more steam as the set progressed. Germany was simply too much in attack and the U.S. looked ready to get the set over with, losing 25-21 and setting up a tiebreaking fifth.
Team USA went ahead 4-2 to start the fifth but lost three points in a row which forced coach John Speraw to take a timeout. The Americans responded with six straight points out of the timeout, including two aces from Max Holt, to get back out to an 10-5 lead. The road was simply too far back from there for the Germans and the U.S. took the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
The Americans had five players score in double figures as DeFalco led the way with 18 and Russell was right behind him with 16. Karlitzek was the leading scorer in the match with 21 for Germany.
With the five-set win, Team USA only comes away with two points, while Germany adds another point to its total. The Americans are in a good position to advance with five total points, but have a very tough match coming up against No. 2 Japan Friday at 3 p.m. ET. Germany could also find their way through if they manage to get a good result against Argentina when they square off Friday at 3 a.m. ET.