Canadians celebrate after outdueling Dominican Republic in Thursday's action at the U-23 Men's Pan Am Cup in Langley, Canada

Langley, Canada, September 27, 2012 – Brazil and Canada won their respective matches of Thursday at the U-23 Men’s Pan American Cup to improve their win-loss record to 2-0.

In a classic South American battle, Brazil defeated Argentina in straight sets but not without a battle while hosts Canada prevailed against a relentless Dominican Republic side also in three close sets.

Argentina dropped its record to 2-1 while Dominican Republic is still winless at 0-3. Mexico had a rest day on Thursday and has a 0-2 record.

In Friday’s action, Canada meets Brazil in a clash between undefeated sides while Mexico plays Dominican Republic with both teams looking for their first victory.

Brazil 3, Argentina 0

Brazil opened the third day by defeating Argentina 3-0 (25-20, 31-29, 25-18). Alan Souza was the top scorer of Brazil with 17 points followed by Henrique Batagim with 13. Gonzalo Lapera, tallied 9 for Argentina and Luciano Zorneta added 8.

“It was a good match, and the 3-0 score doesn’t speak itself because it was difficult,” Brazil’s captain Thiago Veloso stated. “All three sets were tough and we still are looking to improve in any way.”

Canada 3, Dominican Republic 0

Canada scored a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 27-25) victory over Dominican Republic. The winners outscored the defeated side 17-5 in the blocking category and 5-1 in service aces.

Daniel Jansen Van Doorn and Bradley Kufske were the top scorers for Canada with 13 points apiece, while Nick del Bianco scored 11 and Branden Schmidt 10. Pedro Luis Garcia led the Dominicans with 18 points while Luis David Adames concluded with 10.

“We came out with the appropriate energy and we executed our skills at a higher level. Our block defence is what pushed us to the win. Dominican played great and pushed us late but it worked out for us in the end,” said Canadian captain Jarrod Offereins.

Top Scorers by Day
24 – Luis Adames of Dominican Republic v Argentina 25-9-12
21 – Gonzalo Lapera of Argentina v Mexico 26-9-12
18 – Pedro Luis García of Dominican Republic v Canada 27-9-12

Top Scoring Performances
24 – Luis Adames of Dominican Republic v Argentina 25-9-12
21 -  Gonzalo Lapera of Argentina v Mexico 26-9-12
20 – Gonzalo Lapera of Argentina v Dominican Republic 25-9-12
20 – Bradley Kufske of Canada v Mexico 25-9-12
19 – Nick del Bianco of Canada v Mexico 25-9-12

Top Blocking Performances
6 – Daniel Jansen Van Doorn of Canada v Dominican Republic 27-9-12
4 – Gualberto Flavio of Brazil v Dominican Republic 26-9-12
4 – Kelvyn Campechano of Dominican Republic v Brazil 26-9-12
4 – Brandon Schmidt of Canada v Dominican Republic 27-9-12

Top Service Ace Performances
3 - Nick del Bianco of Canada v Mexico 25-9-12
2 - Daniel Jansen Van Doorn of Canada v Mexico, 25-9-12
2 - Gonzalo Lapera of Argentina v Mexico 26-9-12

Highest Set Scores
31-29 Brazil v Mexico (2nd Set) 27-9-12
27-25 Canada v Dominican Republic (2nd Set) 27-9-12
27-25 Canada v Dominican Republic (3rd Set) 27-9-12
26-24 Mexico v Canada (2nd Set) 25-9-12

Highest Scoring Matches
204 – Canada v Mexico (20-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-13, 15-13) 25-9-12
176 – Argentina v Dominican Republic (25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17) 25-9-12

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