U.S. Sitting Teams Earn Three Wins on Day Two of Dutch Tournament

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 1, 2023) – The U.S. Women’s and Men’s Sitting National Teams combined to win three matches Friday at the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands. The women’s team went 2-0 while the men’s squad split two matches.

Women’s Sitting National Team: 2-0
USA def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-8, 25-14, 25-4) (PDF)
USA def. Ukraine, 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-10) (PDF)

The U.S. used a dominating serve in its win over host Netherlands, recording 35 kills in three sets. Tia Edwards led the scoring with 22 points on 12 aces, nine kills and one block. Outside hitter Emma Schieck registered 10 aces, setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay served seven aces, and outside hitter Maddy Ball added five aces.

Monique Matthews finished with five kills in six attacks and Whitney Dosty contributed four kills in seven attacks.

In the victory over Ukraine that pushed their record to 4-0 in the tournament, the U.S. held significant advantages in kills (32-15), blocks (14-6), and aces (13-4). Outside hitter MaKenzie Franklin and Edwards each contributed 14 points.

Franklin matched Ukraine’s team total with six blocks to go with her seven kills and one ace, while Edwards recorded six kills, six aces and two blocks. Edwards totaled 18 aces, 15 kills, and three blocks in the team’s two matches.

Matthews and Dosty continued their strong play, each adding 10 points. Matthews led the U.S. Women with eight kills and Dosty shared team honors with six aces.

“The team had another good day of playing consistent volleyball. We sided out and played extremely well at the net,” said U.S. Head Coach Bill Hamiter. “It has been great to have Katie Bridge return for her first international matches since the Tokyo Paralympics.”

Bridge scored six points in three sets against Ukraine (four kills, two blocks) after playing one set in the day’s opener.

The U.S. Women, currently the No. 1 team in the world, conclude the tournament with matches against Great Britain at 2 a.m. PT and third-ranked Canada at 6 a.m. PT.

Men’s Sitting National Team: 1-1
USA def. Italy, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-17, 25-16) (PDF)
Germany def. USA, 3-1 (25-12, 25-11, 12-25, 25-20) (PDF)

In the win over Italy, outside hitter Zach Upp led the team with 19 points on 17 kills and two aces. Eric Duda scored 13 points (nine kills, two blocks, two aces) and middle blocker Roderick Green also reached double-digits with 10 points on six kills, two blocks, and two aces. The U.S. finished the match with a 44-27 advantage in kills.

James Stuck totaled seven points, including a team-best three blocks, and outside hitter Patrick Young chipped in with six points on three kills, two aces and one block. The three wins already eclipsed the U.S. Men’s two wins at last year’s Dutch Tournament.

“It was great to play Italy again,” U.S. head coach Greg Walker said. “We haven’t seen them for a few years, and their new coach has done such a great job building their team and training them up. It was a full team effort for us. We were able to turn to our bench and gained good experience. Our offense was great once we were firing, and it was great to see the athletes keep control of the match.”

In the loss to fifth-ranked Germany, the U.S. was led by Green’s 14 points. He shared the team lead with eight kills and posted team-bests of three blocks and three aces. Upp, who also had eight kills, totaled 11 points, and Stuck finished with nine points on seven kills and two blocks.

“[Against Germany] we always know it will be a battle,” Walker said. “We had a slow start and struggled with converting some of the easier plays which allowed Germany to separate. What I was most happy with is them being able to battle it and refocus to rebound in the third set. We battled in the fourth but just had another slow star. We were able to chip at it to the end but just couldn’t close out.”

The world’s eighth-ranked U.S. Men conclude the tournament with matches against Great Britain at 12:00 a.m. PT and Canada at 4 a.m. PT.

Matches are streamed at youtube.com/@dutchtournament3998

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Roster
No. Name (Position, Ht., Hometown, Region)
4 Maddy Ball (OH, 5-7, Delray Beach, Fla., Florida)
5 Katie (Holloway) Bridge (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash., Puget Sound)
7C Monique Matthews (MB/OH, 6-0, Ardmore, Okla., Oklahoma)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz., Arizona)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla., Oklahoma)
10 Sydney Satchell (L, 5-2, Windsor, Conn., New England)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C., Carolina)
13 Gia Cruz (S, 5-5, San Antonio, Texas, Lone Star)
14 Kaleo Kanahele Maclay (S, 5-6, Honolulu, Hawaii, Oklahoma)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla., Florida)
18 Courtney Baker (OH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky., Pioneer)
22 MaKenzie Franklin (OH, 6-0, Red Wing, Minn., North Country)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Michelle Goodall
Assistant Coach: Jeffery Hicks
Athletic Trainer: Kat King
Performance Coach: Bobby Moore

U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Roster
No Name (Position, Height, Hometown, Region)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Gateway)
3 Nicholas Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb., Chesapeake)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla., Oklahoma)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Florida)
6 Alex Wilson  (Opp/OH, Alexandria, Va., Old Dominion)
7 Robbie Gaupp (Opp/OH, Havre De Grace, Md., Chesapeake)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa., Keystone)
9 Troy Benesh (Opp/OH, Minneapolis, Minn., Badger)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La., Bayou)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M., Sun Country)
14 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga., Southern)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla., Florida)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill., Great Lakes)
49 Sam Surowiec (OH, 6-2, Everett, Wash., Evergreen)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Julie Allen
Performance Analyst: Sydnie Mabry
Athletic Trainer: Whitney Padgett
Team Leader: Kyle Homeyer

U.S. Schedule for the Dutch Tournament
(All times PT)
June 30
U.S. Men def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11-25-21)
U.S. Women def. Italy, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-20)
U.S. Men def. France, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22)
U.S. Women def. France, 3-0 (25-7, 25-9, 25-3)

July 1
U.S. Women def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-8, 25-14, 25-4)
U.S. Men def. Italy, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-17, 25-16)
U.S. Women def. Ukraine, 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-10)
Germany def. U.S. Men, 3-1 (25-11, 25-12, 12-25, 25-20)

July 2
12 a.m. U.S. Men vs Great Britain
2 a.m. U.S. Women vs Great Britain
4 a.m. U.S. Men vs Ukraine
6 a.m. U.S. Women vs Canada