USA U19 Team Earns Silver Medal at FIVB World Championships
7/14/2025 1:37:00 PM | Volleyball
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Coach Cook, Kelly Kinney and Jordan Taylor played key roles in the outcome
Osijek, CROATIA -- The U.S. Girls U19 National Team earned the silver medal at the 2025 Girls U19 World Championship after falling in the final to Bulgaria, 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 29-27) on Sunday night.
Gophers freshman middle blocker Jordan Taylor shared match-high honors with four blocks to go with seven kills for 11 points. Fellow rookie outside Kelly Kinney posted four kills, a block and an ace for Team USA.
Kinney, Cook and Taylor with their silver medals
Led by head coach Keegan Cook, the team finished the tournament with a 6-3 record after going 3-2 in group play prior to the knockout rounds. The U.S. has now medaled in the last four World Championships for the age group. The 2023 World Championship, where the team won gold, was the first one contested as a U19 championship. Previously, FIVB held Worlds as a U18 event, and the U.S. won bronze in 2021 and gold in 2019.
The gold medal match was close statistically as the U.S. finished with a one-point advantage in kills (46-45) and blocks (11-10), while Bulgaria served eight aces compared to five for the U.S. The key statistic was Bulgaria committing 14 fewer errors (37-23).
Both Taylor and Kinney played significant roles for the U.S. throughout the 11-day tournament. Each will begin their freshman season this fall when the Gophers open up on August 25 against Texas A&M in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Kinney and Taylor repping their country at the FIVB World ChampionshipsTeam USA Pool Play Results (3-2):
July 2 vs. Spain (W, 3-1; 22-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-23) Stats: Jordan Taylor - five kills, three blocks, two aces. Kelly Kinney - four kills
July 3 vs. Peru (W, 3-0; 25-19, 25-18, 25-18) Stats: Jordan Taylor - two kills, one block. Kelly Kinney - three kills
July 4 vs. Poland (L, 3-2; 23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 27-25, 14-16) Stats: Jordan Taylor - two kills. Kelly Kinney - seven kills, one ace
July 6 vs. Bulgaria (L, 3-2; 15-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-13, 5-15) Stats: Jordan Taylor - two aces. Kelly Kinney - 12 kills
July 7 vs. Turkiye (W, 3-1; 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23) Stats: Jordan Taylor - eight kills, four blocks, one ace. Kelly Kinney - No Stats Recorded
Team USA Knockout Stage Results (3-1):
July 9 vs. Germany (W, 3-2; 25-18, 26-28, 17-25, 25-15, 15-13) Stats: Jordan Taylor - five kills, seven blocks, one ace. Kelly Kinney - one kill, one ace
July 11 vs. Italy (W, 3-2; 31-29, 23-25, 21-25, 30-28, 15-8) Stats: Jordan Taylor - 12 kills, seven blocks. Kelly Kinney - No Stats Recorded
July 12 vs. Poland (W, 3-0; 25-14, 25-18, 25-19) Stats: Jordan Taylor - seven kills, one block. Kelly Kinney - No Stats Recorded
July 13 vs. Bulgaria (L, 3-1; 25-21, 16-25, 17-25, 27-29) Stats: Jordan Taylor - seven kills, four blocks. Kelly Kinney - four kills, one block, one ace.
