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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 11, 2025) – Fifteen athletes are in the Philippines this month as the U.S. Men’s National Team competes in the 2025 FIVB World Championship, Sept. 12-28 in Manila.
The U.S. Men, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, are in Pool D alongside Colombia, Portugal and Cuba, and their opening match is set for Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. PT against Colombia. Matches will be streamed live on VBTV, and check CBS Sports Network listings for coverage.
This will be the first World Championship under head coach Karch Kiraly, who took over the program earlier this year. The World Championship is held every four years, and the U.S. Men finished sixth in 2022. Overall, the program has won three medals at the event, including gold in 1986. The team won bronze in 1994 and 2018.
Two Olympians are making their 2025 debut at the World Championship: three-time Olympian Micah Christenson and 2024 Olympian Taylor Averill. They join Olympians Erik Shoji, Kyle Ensing, Micah Ma’a and Jeff Jendryk, who all played during the Volleyball Nations League season.
Christenson and Ma’a will handle the setting duties just as they did during the Paris Olympics. Shoji and Kyle Dagostino are the liberos, and Averill joins fellow middle blockers Jendryk, Merrick McHenry and Matthew Knigge. Ensing and Gabi Garcia are the opposites, and Jacob Pasteur, Cooper Robinson, Ethan Champlin and Jordan Ewert are the outside hitters. Middle blocker Michael Marshman is also in the Philippines as a training alternate.
All but Christenson, Shoji, Jendryk, Ensing and Averill are making their World Championship debut for the U.S.
U.S. Men’s World Championship Roster
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
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 Southern Nevada)
7 Jacob Pasteur (OH, 6-4, Westminster, Md., Ohio State Univ., Chesapeake)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
10 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Florida, Stanford Univ., Florida)
11C Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Southern California, Aloha)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
18 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
19 Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Univ. of Hawaii, Northern California)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
25 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
Training Alternate
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
Pool Play Schedule
All times PDT
Watch live on VBTV; some matches are also on CBS Sports Network (check listings)
Sept. 12: USA vs. Colombia, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15: USA vs. Portugal, 6 a.m.
Sept. 17: USA vs. Cuba, 2:30 a.m.