University Southern California Trojans
Trio of Trojans Helps USA U21 Capture Gold at Pan American Cup
June 29, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
Junior libero Johnny Dykstra was named the tournament’s Best Receiver
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Three Trojans—junior libero Johnny Dykstra (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS), incoming freshman outside hitter Blake Fahlbusch(Manhattan Beach, Calif./Loyola HS) and associate head coach Rory Prager—helped the U.S. Men's U21 National Team capture gold medals with a 3-0 sweep of Canada (25-15, 25-19, 25-14) in the title match at the 2026 U21 Pan American Cup on Sunday (June 28). The U.S. also defeated Canada in 2025 to make this back-to-back PanAm Cup titles for the U21 program.
The U.S. went 5-0 at the PanAm Cup and dropped just one set en route to the top of the podium. In pool matches, USA took down Dominican Republic in straight sets (25-13, 25-9, 25-21), Venezuela in four sets (22-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19), and Mexico, 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-19), to earn a quarterfinal bye. In the semifinals, USA defeated Costa Rica in a sweep (25-14, 27-25, 25-18) to reach the gold-medal match.
Dykstra was named the tournament's Best Receiver. USC sophomore opposite hitter Cooper Keane (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) was an alternate for the U21 squad.
In the championship match, the U.S. dominated statistically with edges in kills (36-21), blocks (8-1), and service aces (4-0). Fahlbusch led all scorers with 14 points on 11 kills and three blocks, hitting .556 with just one error on 18 attacks. Dykstra registered six digs and led the team with nine successful receptions.
This spring, the Trojans made their 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the regional final where they fell to site-host and No. 2-seeded Hawai'i in four sets. USC (20-8) finished as the runner-up for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's championship and was third in the final conference regular-season standings with a 9-5 record. 11th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard reached 20 wins in a season for the third time and collected his 143rd-career victory making him the third-winningest coach in program history behind only Bob Yoder (211 wins, 1982-89) and Bill Ferguson (150 wins, 2007-15).
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
The U.S. went 5-0 at the PanAm Cup and dropped just one set en route to the top of the podium. In pool matches, USA took down Dominican Republic in straight sets (25-13, 25-9, 25-21), Venezuela in four sets (22-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19), and Mexico, 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-19), to earn a quarterfinal bye. In the semifinals, USA defeated Costa Rica in a sweep (25-14, 27-25, 25-18) to reach the gold-medal match.
Dykstra was named the tournament's Best Receiver. USC sophomore opposite hitter Cooper Keane (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) was an alternate for the U21 squad.
In the championship match, the U.S. dominated statistically with edges in kills (36-21), blocks (8-1), and service aces (4-0). Fahlbusch led all scorers with 14 points on 11 kills and three blocks, hitting .556 with just one error on 18 attacks. Dykstra registered six digs and led the team with nine successful receptions.
This spring, the Trojans made their 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the regional final where they fell to site-host and No. 2-seeded Hawai'i in four sets. USC (20-8) finished as the runner-up for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's championship and was third in the final conference regular-season standings with a 9-5 record. 11th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard reached 20 wins in a season for the third time and collected his 143rd-career victory making him the third-winningest coach in program history behind only Bob Yoder (211 wins, 1982-89) and Bill Ferguson (150 wins, 2007-15).
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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