The United States won the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Six title after sweeping hosts Mexico 25-20, 25-15, 25-22 in Zinacantepec on 27 September, completing an unbeaten seven-match tournament campaign.
USA Volleyball reported that the Americans lost only four sets across the event, having beaten Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico in four sets during the earlier rounds before returning to defeat Mexico in straight sets in the final. The final result gave the US a second victory over the hosts in the competition.
The title was built on a broadly productive performance rather than a single dominant scorer. Five US players registered between eight and 11 points, while the team led Mexico in kills, blocks and aces. That distribution, alongside a .427 attacking mark reported by USA Volleyball, underlined the consistency of the US performance across the final.
US control reflected in the final statistics
The United States recorded 43 kills to Mexico’s 35, made eight blocks to the hosts’ four and served three of the match’s four aces, according to USA Volleyball. The Americans also committed four fewer errors.
| Category | United States | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Kills | 43 | 35 |
| Blocks | 8 | 4 |
| Aces | 3 | 1 |
Middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu shared the match-high total of 11 points, combining six kills with five blocks. USA Volleyball said her blocking tally alone exceeded Mexico’s team total by one. Outside hitter Jess Mruzik supplied a US-leading 10 kills.
Setters Rachel Fairbanks and Ella Powell directed the attack, with Fairbanks contributing two kills and an ace. Eva Houston added nine kills and nine digs, while Temi Thomas-Ailara scored nine points through eight kills and a block. Callie Schwarzenbach finished with eight points, including two aces, and libero Elena Oglivie recorded seven excellent receptions and six digs, USA Volleyball reported.
The spread of those contributions gave the Americans options in each phase of the final. Ofoegbu’s five blocks accounted for more than half of the US total, while Mruzik’s 10 kills made her the team’s leading attacking scorer. Houston, Thomas-Ailara and Schwarzenbach also each contributed at least eight points, according to USA Volleyball. The figures supported the assessment that the final was decided by a collective performance rather than reliance on one player.
Mexico resisted before Hudson finished final set
Mexico began the opening set with a 5-3 lead, but the United States moved clear for its first two-point advantage at 22-20. A Schwarzenbach ace put the Americans 22-20 ahead, before an error and two Ofoegbu blocks ended the set.
The US established firmer control in the second, turning a 7-6 advantage into a 12-6 lead during a five-point run. The margin reached 22-12, and Thomas-Ailara scored the last two points as the Americans took the set 25-15.
The third set offered Mexico its most sustained opportunity to extend the match. The teams were tied at 10-10, and the US later rebuilt a lead after several further level scores. Hudson’s attack gave the Americans a 23-18 advantage, before Thomas-Ailara created match point at 24-19.
USA Volleyball reported that Mexico saved three match points, including one with a block. Hudson then ended the final with her fifth kill of the set, securing the 25-22 scoreline and the gold medal.
The straight-sets final capped a campaign in which the United States won every match, including four-set wins over the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba in the semi-finals. The final sweep therefore reinforced the scale of the team’s tournament success: an unbeaten run completed with clear advantages in the principal attacking and blocking measures against the home side.
The United States had opened the tournament with straight-set wins over Canada and Cuba before its four-set victory against the Dominican Republic. It then defeated Mexico and Puerto Rico in four sets during the pool phase, before another 3-1 win over Cuba in the semi-finals. Those results meant the final was the Americans’ third straight-sets victory of the competition and their second match against Mexico.