Mount Royal University Cougars standouts Kale Orr and Cody Hudson helped Canada earn a bronze medal at the 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup, as the national team defeated host Mexico 3-1 (28-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23) on Sunday.

The result gave Canada its second consecutive bronze medal at the Pan American Cup and capped a strong international experience for the two Cougars, who were selected to represent Canada on the national stage this summer.

Kale Orr entered the international experience following a dominant rookie season with the Cougars. Orr led MRU in kills, kills per set, total attacks, points and points per set while ranking third in Canada West in both kills per set and total kills during the 2025-26 regular season.

His remarkable debut season earned Orr Canada West Rookie of the Year, U SPORTS Rookie of the Year and MRU Cougars Rookie of the Year honours.

Orr also twice recorded 29 kills during the regular season, tying for the second-most kills in a single game in MRU history. His performances came within striking distance of a program record that has stood for eight years.

For Hudson, the Pan American Cup marked another milestone in the middle’s development as he completed his third season with the Cougars.

Hudson appeared in 78 sets during the 2025-26 campaign and finished second on the MRU roster with 159 kills while averaging 2.75 points per set. He also established a new MRU single-game record with 11 blocks on Oct. 25, 2025, and finished fourth in Canada West in blocks per set.

Canada finished the Pan American Cup with a 5-1 record, rebounding from a semifinal loss to Puerto Rico to close the tournament with a victory over the host nation.

Following the bronze-medal match, Canada head coach Dave Preston praised his team's ability to respond in a statement released by the team.

“After the performance against Puerto Rico, I was really proud of how they recovered,” said Preston. “That match was pretty tough for us. We made a lot of mistakes, and we talked about not repeating those mistakes. So, I was really, really proud of our guys.”

With two of Canada's emerging young players gaining experience on the international stage, the Cougars enter the next chapter with Orr and Hudson poised to play important roles in the program’s continued growth.

Specifically, the bronze-medal performance provides Orr and Hudson with valuable international experience to bring back to Calgary as the Cougars prepare for the upcoming season and continue their preparations to host the 2027 U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship at MRU.