This post was updated July 30 at 6:05 p.m.

The Americans were unable to produce the winning formula deep in the heart of the opposition’s territory.

No. 2 USA men’s volleyball advanced to the finals of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League after sweeping No. 3 Italy in the tournament’s semifinals. However, a four-frame loss to No. 1 Poland in the final stage left the Americans unable to lift the trophy. Playing in Gdansk, Poland, home-court advantage proved too much for UCLA men’s volleyball coach John Speraw’s national team to overcome.

The Americans faced off against Italy in the semifinals, a repeat of the second match of Team USA’s VNL campaign. The game script in the knockout match rhymed with June’s pool play contest, with the Americans sweeping the Italians 25-19, 25-18 and 25-19.

Out-hitting, out-blocking and forcing more errors than its opponents, the United States dominated the match on the court and on the stat sheet.

36-year-old Matthew Anderson led the line for the Americans. The veteran opposite/outside hitter notched a match-high 17 kills on a .640 clip while simultaneously contributing eight digs on the defensive end. Anderson finished as the tournament’s second-highest scorer.

Victory over the Italians advanced Team USA to the finals in Gdansk, where Poland was fresh off a 3-1 win against No. 5 Japan. Prior to the final, the two teams matched up during pool play in the Netherlands, engaging in a contest that ultimately resulted in an American sweep. Speraw’s squad edged out a three-point victory in the opening set before securing the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-19, respectively.

That same satisfaction would elude them in the final, however.

From the start, Poland showed its learning from the previous defeat and would not be taken lightly, maintaining a narrow lead throughout the opening frame to ultimately come away with a 25-23 decision.

Unable to produce the same offensive output from the semifinal, the Americans were outmatched in nearly all major statistical categories. Poland’s standout player was Lukasz Kaczmarek, who stepped in to replace the injured captain Bartosz Kurek. The opposite spiker tallied a service ace and a match-high 23 kills.

The climactic moment of the match came in the second frame. Down for a majority of the action, Team USA staged a late rally to land the squads in overtime, where a three-man block secured the sole set win for the Americans.

Despite fighting an uphill battle until the very end, the United States fell short of overcoming its opponent and saw Poland being crowned champions of the 2023 VNL. Through the course of the tournament, Speraw’s squad achieved several feats, winning the most sets and sweeping the most matches. Individually, setter Micah Christenson emerged as the tournament’s setting leader at 325 assists.

With a silver medal showing, Team USA rose to No. 2 in the FIVB World Rankings, elevating four spots from its position at No. 6 before the tournament began.

The United States continues its summer volleyball season in September as it hosts the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship in Charleston, West Virginia. The tournament will take place from Sept. 5 to Sept. 10.