By Megan Kaplon

Former Brigham Young teammates Ben Patch and Taylor Sander came up big for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the first week of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. 

With either Patch or Sander leading the way in points in every match, the team emerged from the China portion of its schedule undefeated.

The first match of the week proved to be the toughest, as Argentina jumped out to a 2-0 lead and had match point in the third set of the match. The Americans launched a comeback and managed to win in five sets, thanks in large part to 23 points from Patch. 

Patch also helped staved off Argentina’s match point in the third, getting a kill off the block to tie the set at 24-all, and then went behind the service line and served out the set.

Against Bulgaria in the second match, Sander led the charge, collecting 19 points with 15 kills, two blocks, and two aces. As a team, the U.S. men dominated from behind the service line, finishing the match with nine aces to Bulgaria’s three. 

.@TaylorSander15 ?? hits the floor on second day of men’s #VNL round in Ningbo () leaving Bulgaria ?? on freeze ⛄#VNL #Volleyball #BePartOfTheGame pic.twitter.com/CExI3ms14k

— Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) May 26, 2018

Middle blocker Max Holt made his first start of the tournament versus Bulgaria and contributed three aces to the final stats sheet. 

The last match of the week was against the host team China, and Team USA head coach John Speraw made a few changes in the lineup. Thomas Jaeschke had played the first two matches opposite Sander on the left pin, but TJ DeFalco took his place on Sunday. 

Versus Argentina, David Smith and Jeff Jendryk played middle. The next night, Jendryk and Holt started in the Bulgaria match, but against China, Holt and 26-year-old Hawaii alum Taylor Averill earned the nod.

The Chinese team did a good job of challenging the Americans, even taking the lead 23-21 in the second set, but ultimately Team USA won in straight sets. Sander once again led the match with 17 points.

Sander, Patch, setter Kawika Shoji, and libero Erik Shoji started every match in China.

Missing from the first week of the VNL competition were Olympians Matt Anderson, Micah Christenson, and Aaron Russell, who all had late finishes to their professional seasons. An undefeated start, even without those three superstars, is a good sign for the American men.

With a 3-0 record and eight total points, Team USA is tied with Italy for third in the VNL standings, and is trailing Poland and France, which each have nine points. 

Looming large in the second week of the VNL preliminary rounds is a match with world No. 1 Brazil in Goiânia, Brazil. The Brazilians opened the tournament 2-1, losing in five to Italy.