U.S. Men's National Team Ends 2025 VNL with Loss to Japan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 20, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team completed 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) play with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-23) loss to host Japan before a sellout crowd in Chiba.

The U.S. finished VNL play with a 6-6 record. Japan moved to 8-4 and qualified for the finals. Next up for the U.S. will be the 2025 FIVB World Championship in Manilla, Philippines in September.

“We brought a lot of guys into the mix playing against teams who are much closer to their full strength. That was a really good team across the net. We were struggling to score points at the service line, to score break points,” U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly said. “We learned a lot. We are excited about what we can get better at going into World Championships and we are also excited about the good stuff we have to build on.”

The U.S. played multiple different lineups throughout VNL. “These are golden opportunities to play against the elite teams in the world. Our guys did great with the variability in our lineups. For us, it is not the time to stick with the same seven match after match in the first competition of a new Olympic cycle that is going to last for almost four seasons,” Kiraly pointed out. “It’s imperative that we mix and match. The guys handled it really well even with in-match substitutions. We will not play merry-go-round like that in World Championships. We wanted and needed to learn a lot about who can do what. The only way to learn is to try stuff. Hats off to the guys for being really open to trying different things and now we can get more stable heading into a really exciting World Championship.”

Japan held a 44-28 advantage in kills and a 4-2 edge in aces with both teams posting four blocks.

Outside hitter Jordan Ewert led the U.S. with 13 kills.

“It’s bittersweet. We have had a lot of different lineups and of course our ultimate goal was to go to the VNL finals. We had a shot and it slipped right through our fingers. That’s not easy but at the same time, we achieved a lot of other goals with long-term development and trying out a lot of different guys and competing at a high level against incredible teams like this. At the end of the day, we can’t be disappointed. It was an incredible experience,” said Ewert, who took on a senior role on the young team. “It’s interesting because I’ve never taken on a rookie role either. It’s my first time getting a lot of playing time in the VNL and now I’m one of the senior guys on this squad. Traveling with them and being in the hotel playing games. It’s a whole new brotherhood that I get to have for a long time.”

Ewert noted that playing in Japan was a highlight of the VNL season. “It’s well-known in volleyball that Japanese fans are some of the best fans in the world. They are extremely respectful, they love the sport, they cheer for every point and are super loyal and supportive of their team,” he commented. “This is the trip I was most looking forward to and to finish it off against Japan in a competitive match is incredible. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Opposite Gabi Garcia scored 10 points on eight kills and two aces, and outside hitter Cooper Robinson delivered nine kills. Outside Ethan Champlin scored five points on four kills and a block playing just the third set.

A Robinson kill gave the U.S. a 13-11 lead in the opening set but Japan went on a 7-1 run and led by at least two points the rest of the set. The U.S. outhit Japan but committed two more errors, including seven service errors. Robinson finished the set with six kills.

Japan scored four of the first five points of the second set. The teams exchanged points until the score was 15-12. Japan scored the next four points for a 19-12 lead with the U.S. hovering around 15 percent break point efficiency. A Garcia ace (19-14) and a McHenry block (24-19) cut the lead to five points. Garcia paced the U.S. with seven points on six kills to go with his ace.

Ewert opened the third set with a pair of kills before Japan scored the next four points. The U.S. next led when Garcia served three points in a row, the first on an ace, to give the U.S. a 21-20 lead. Japan ended the match on a 5-2 run. Ewert led all players with eight kills.

U.S. Men’s Week Three Roster for 2025 VNL

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
3 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
5 Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
15 Kyle Hobus (OPP, 6-7, San Pedro, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
17 Andrew Rowan (S, 6-7, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
18 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
22C Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
23 Nolan Flexen (OH, 6-9, Rio Rancho, N.M., UC Irvine, Southern)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
25 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
27 Michael Marshman (MB, 6-7, Glenmont, N.Y., St. Francis Univ., Excelsior Empire)

Head Coach:  Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Luka Slabe
Assistant Coach: Javier Weber
Performance Analyst: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Senior Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker
Team Manager: David Dantes
Consultant Coach: Chris McGown
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy
Team Doctors:  Eugene Yim, Mark Hutchinson, Michael Shepard, Warren Young

2025 Volleyball Nations League

Week 3 Results
July 15 USA def. Türkiye, 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 29-27)
July 17 USA def. Argentina, 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23)
July 19 Germany def. USA, 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 25-15, 15-12)
July 20 Japan def. USA, 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-23)

Week 1 Results
June 11: Ukraine def. USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23)
June 12 USA def. Iran, 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 17-15)
June 14 Slovenia def. USA, 3-1 (25-22, 27-25, 20-25, 25-23)
June 15 USA def. Cuba, 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23)

Week 2 Results
June 25 USA def. China, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11)
June 26 USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 30-28)
June 28 Poland def. USA, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22)
June 29 Italy def. USA, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-18)