Micah Christenson wore his heart on his sleeve after the United States’ stunning quarterfinal exit at the hands of Bulgaria in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Thursday night.
He admitted the loss was painful but emphasized that the team wins and loses together, choosing instead to highlight his pride in his teammates and the way they fought until the very end.
“Honestly, it stings, but we win together, we lose together. So we’re going to stay together, support each other, and pick each other up,” said the USA captain following their heartbreaking 21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13 loss against Bulgaria at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Americans had bulldozed their way through the group phase and, after overcoming a rough start, knocked out Slovenia in the Round of 16 — setting the stage for a highly-anticipated clash with Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.
USA appeared poised to close out the match after catching Bulgaria off guard, storming through the first two sets to take a commanding 2-0 lead. But things began to unravel in the third set.
Gradually, the Bulgarians adjusted, tightening their serves and blocking while exploiting gaps in the Americans’ defense. The USA was unable to regain control and ultimately bowed out of the match.
“First two sets, I think they made a lot of mistakes. They kind of didn’t play their best volleyball, and in the third set, they changed some tactics on us that we didn’t adjust to quickly enough. That got us behind a little, and in the fourth set, it was point by point,” Christenson explained.
“Anything could happen. There was a weird ball where they miscommunicated, and usually that’s a point for us, but it went right over the net and landed in the middle where nobody was. That was kind of a heartbreaker in that moment,” he added.
Despite missing key players like Matt Anderson, TJ DeFalco, and Taylor Averill, the USA’s young squad — led by Ethan Champlin and Gabi Garcia — still put on an impressive showing.
Even in defeat, Christenson couldn’t have been prouder of his team’s effort, telling his young squad after the match that he loves them for the fight and heart they showed on the court throughout the tournament.
“I’m really proud of the performances we had individually and as a team, so I just told the guys I love them because it’s true,” he said.
#WATCH: Micah Christenson on Team USA’s unity: “We win together, we lose together,” and he also praised the Nikolov brothers 🇺🇸🏐#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/2AqPZ00Vt4
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#MWCH2025 pic.twitter.com/DFnXWD8noK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 25, 2025
