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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 30, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s U21 National Team will play for the bronze medal after falling to defending champion Iran, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) in the semifinals of the 2025 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship on Saturday in Jiangmen, China.
The U.S. (7-1) will seek to medal for the first time at the World Championship when it plays Czechia on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 2 a.m. PT. The previous-best finish for the U.S. Men’s U21 team was a fourth-place finish in 2011. That team included U.S. Men’s National Team setter and three-time Olympian Micah Christenson and U.S. Beach National Team star Taylor Crabb.
Iran led in kills (41-35), blocks (10-7) and aces (2-1), while making four fewer errors (22-18).
Opposite Cole Hartke ranked second in the match with team-bests of 13 points, 10 kills and three blocks. He finished second on the team with five digs. Outside hitters Sterling Foley (seven kills, one block) and Sean Kelly (eight kills) each scored eight points.
Libero Kellen Larson led the U.S. with seven digs and also registered seven successful receptions. Kelly paced the team with nine successful receptions.
Middle blockers Tre Jordan and Jackson Cryst contributed five points apiece with Jordan providing three kills and two blocks, and Cryst adding three kills, a block and the team’s only ace. Outside hitter Seba Sani delivered three kills, and setter Tread Rosenthall scored once.
After a Jordan kill to start the match, two points each from Hartke and Kelly gave the U.S. a 5-1 lead, prompting a quick Iran timeout. Back-to-back blocks by Iran cut the deficit to one, 8-7. Iran’s third block evened the set at 16 and a successful challenge put Iran ahead for the first time, 19-18. Iran took its first two-point advantage, 23-21, on a rare U.S. hitting error in the set. After a U.S. timeout, Iran earned set point with a block and finished the set on a 4-0 run. Hartke scored five points on four kills and a block. Kelly (four) and Foley (three) combined for seven blocks.
A block gave Iran a 4-1 lead to open the second set, but the U.S. ran off the next four points with a Cryst block and a Hartke score on an overpass off a Rosenthal serve tying the set. Kelly’s off-speed shot off the bock put the U.S. ahead for the first time in the set, 5-4. An ace restored Iran’s lead at 6-5 and it never trailed again in the set. Iran’s third block of the set capped a 7-1 run for a 11-6 lead.
Jordan recorded back-to-back blocks, and Kelly scored to pull the U.S. within two points, 15-13. A successful net touch challenge brought the U.S. within a point, 16-15. Consecutive blocks extended the Iran lead back to three points, 20-17. A Rosenthal dump cut the lead to two, 22-20, but Iran scored the final three points. Jordan scored four points on two kills and two blocks, and Sani added three kills.
Iran took advantage of a free ball to score off the block for a 4-2 lead in the third set. A Hartke block tied the score 4-4. A Kelly kill squared the set at eight apiece, and a Hartke block tied the set 10-10. A perfect pass by Larson led to a Hartke kill that made it 13-13. Iran scored the next two points and held the lead until a Cryst kill and Foley block tied the set again, 19-19. A Hartke kill made it 20-20, but Iran scored the final five points to earn a return trip to the gold medal match.
Men’s U21 National Team World Championship Roster
Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, School/Club, USAV Region)
1 Kellen Larson (L, 5-9, Irvine, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
3 Cole Hartke (OPP, 6-11, Barrington, Ill., Pepperdine, Great Lakes)
7 Trent Taliaferro (S, 6-5, San Clemente, Calif., UCLA, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
9 Tre Jordan (MB, 6-10, Mesa, Ariz., Univ. of Hawaii, Arizona)
12 Sterling Foley (OH, 6-6, Los Angeles, Calif., Univ. of Southern California, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
13 Sean Kelly (OH, 6-7, Manhattan Beach, Calif., UCLA, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
16 Tread Rosenthal (S, 6-10, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Univ. of Hawaii, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
17 Riggs Guy (OH, 6-3, Newport Beach, Calif., UC Santa Barbara, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
18 Kainoa Wade (OPP, 6-10, Kailua, Hawaii, Univ. of Hawaii, Aloha Region)
21 Jackson Cryst (MB, 6-10, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
22 Sebastiano Sani (OH, 6-8, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Long Beach State, Chesapeake)
23 Micah Goss (MB, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
Coaches
Head Coach: John Hawks (UCLA)
Assistant Coach: Donan Cruz
Assistant Coach: Matthew Pollock (Pepperdine)
Performance Analyst: Alex Hurlburt (The Volleyball institute)
Athletic Trainer: Rachel Menze (Pepperdine)
Team Lead: Donovan Martinez (NTDP)
All times PT
Aug. 20: USA def. Thailand, 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-19)
Aug. 21: USA def. Türkiye, 3-2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 15-7)
Aug. 22: USA def. Egypt, 3-2 (26-24, 31-33, 37-35, 23-25, 15-10)
Aug. 24: USA def. China, 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18)
Aug. 25: USA def. Morocco, 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-23)
Aug. 26: Round of 16: USA def. Bulgaria, 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-20)
Aug. 29: Quarterfinals: USA def. France, 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12)
Aug. 30: Semifinals: Iran def. USA, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-20)
Aug. 31: Bronze Medal Match: USA vs. Czechia, 2 a.m. PT
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