The United States extended winning run in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League by defeating Iran 3-0 in a match that was far closer than the final score suggested.
The Americans improved to 5-1 after edging the opening set 25-23, pulling away in the second 25-20, and surviving a tense third-set battle before sealing a 31-29 victory.
Cole Hartke and veteran Matt Anderson led the U.S. offense with 18 points each. Ethan Champlin chipped in 11 points, Jeff Jendryk added 10. For Iran, Ali Haghparast led the scoring with 16 points, while Ali Hajipour and Morteza Sharifi added 15 points each.
Iran pushed the Americans to the limit in the final set and earned three opportunities to force a fourth, but the U.S. remained composed in the closing stages to complete the sweep.
“It is good for us to be in those very close situations,” head coach Karch Kiraly said after the match. “I thought our team responded really well when we were under pressure.”
Result: United States def. Iran 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 31-29).
