Men's U19 Advances to 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship Semifinals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 14, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s U19 National Team finished undefeated and first in pool play to advance to the semifinal round of the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-15) victory over Puerto Rico on Thursday at Simon Fraser University Athletic University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

“In addition to securing first place, it qualifies us for world championships next year, which is the first goal of our team here,” remarked U.S. head coach Andy Read. “There are more things we want to do, but I am super proud of our guys. Every match they have played better and better and have held to the USA standard of how to play the game. Jason Amani today was awesome blocking, something we have been working on. He was a beast at the net. Our captain and setter Chase Wallin ran a great offense, and Trayce Chrusfield was great passing, hitting, and serving, a complete volleyball player. I’m so proud not just of those guys, but every single guy on our team. All 14 guys contributed today.”

The U.S., which did not drop a set in its three pool play matches, will face either Mexico or host Canada in the semifinals on Saturday, May 16, at 6 p.m. PT.

“I thought we executed everything great today and did everything we have been practicing,” said Wallin, who has led the U.S. to a .473 hitting percentage in the tournament and added two blocks against Puerto Rico. “It’s all the hard work we have been putting in the past week and the trust we have in each other to do our jobs.”

The U.S. continued to be extremely efficient on offense with a 35-26 advantage in kills and 10 fewer hitting errors, while dominating in blocking (12-2) and service aces (5-0).

Chrusfield led three U.S. double-figure scorers with 12 points on nine kills, a block and a pair of aces. Amani led all players with five blocks and added two kills for seven points.

Opposite Bryce Thistlethwaite finished with 11 points on eight kills, a block and two aces, and outside Daniel Hornyak totaled nine kills and a block for 10 points. Libero Wade Coppedge led all players with nine digs.

An Amani block gave the U.S. a 4-1 lead early in the match. A Thistlethwaite ace made it 8-4 and then a Chrusfield ace capped a 5-1 run that put the U.S. ahead 13-5 and forced Puerto Rico to use its final timeout of the set. A Hornyak kill pushed the lead to double digits for the first time at 16-6. A roll shot by Thistlethwaite that found an open spot increased the margin to 12 points, 20-8. Thistlethwaite finished the set with five points on four kills and an ace, Chrusfield and Hornyak each scored four points, and Amani registered three of the team’s six blocks.

Puerto Rico took its only two-point lead of the match by scoring three of the first four points in the second and kept the score close in the early going, trailing only by a point, 12-11. An Amani kill on an overpass off a Hornyak serve gave the U.S. its first four-point lead of the set, 16-12. A Chrusfield kill put the U.S. up by seven, 21-14. Puerto Rico used a 4-1 run to cut the margin back to four points but could get no closer. Hornyak led all players with six kills in the set, Thistlethwaite scored four points on three kills and a block, and Chrusfield and Amani each contributed three points.

A kill and block by Nils Bennebroek staked the U.S. to a 4-1 lead and prompted Puerto Rico to take a quick timeout in the third set. A Thistlethwaite ace made it 9-2 and forced another timeout. Puerto Rico battled back with a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to four points but could not get any closer. A monster block by Cameron Kosolcharoen put the U.S. ahead 15-7. Chrusfield put a ball straight down for his fourth kill and fifth point of the set for a 20-11 lead. Matthew Kravtsov scored the final two U.S. points of the match.

2026 Men’s U19 National Team Roster for NORCECA Continental Championship

Name (Height, Position, Hometown, High School, USAV Region)
1 Wade Coppedge (6-1, L, Raleigh, N.C., Grace Christian School, Carolina)
2 Trayce Chrusfield III (6-2, OH, Oak Park, Ill., Oak Park River Forest HS, Great Lakes)
3 Collin Tullis (6-1, L, Slidell, La., Seton Home Study, Southern)
5 Franklin Shiekh (6-4, OH, Upland, Calif., St John Bosco HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
8 Chase Wallin (6-6, S Laguna Niguel, Calif., Santa Margarita Catholic HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
7 Nils Bennebroek (6-6, MB, Foster City, Calif., Hillsdale HS, Northern California)
11 Jackson Feik (6-7, MB, Denver, Colo., Regis Jesuit HS, Rocky Mountain)
12 Carter Tchaikovsky (6-5, S, Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
13 Cameron Kosolcharoen (6-7, OH, San Clemente, Calif., San Clemente HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
14 Jason Amani (6-8, MB, Grand Prairie, Texas, Dubiski Career HS, Lone Star)
16 Daniel Hornyak (6-8, OH, San Diego, Calif., Poway HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
17 Bryce Thistlethwaite (6-8, OPP, Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling HS, Great Lakes)
19 Matthew Kravtsov (6-8, OH, Barrington, Ill., Barrington Community HS, Great Lakes)
20 Kevin O’Brien (6-11, MB, San Diego, Calif., Francis Parker School, Southern California Southern Nevada)

Alternates
4 Noah Pabarcus (6-3, S, San Diego, Calif., Saint Augustine HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
6 Timeo Domergue (6-5, OH, Boca Raton, Fla., Spanish River HS, Florida)
9 Noah Duffield (6-7, OH, Burbank, Calif., John Burroughs HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
10 Niko Opiola (6-5, MB, Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows HS, Great Lakes)
15 Noah Mbaitoloum (6-7, OPP, Rockville, Md., Winston Churchill HS, Chesapeake)
18 Luke Bosanac (6-9, OPP, San Jose, Calif., Bellarmine College Prep, Northern California)
21 Antony Niu (6-11, MB, Fremont, Calif., Archbishop Mitty HS, Northern California)

Coaches
Head Coach: Andy Read (Men’s National Team)
Assistant Coach: Spencer Wickens (University of Minnesota)
Assistant Coach: Leandro Vissotto Neves (Brazil MNT, University of Miami)
Performance Analyst: Matthew Adams (University of Michigan)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Donovan Martinez (National Team Development Program)

U.S. Schedule
All times PT

May 12: USA def. Panama, 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-11)
May 13: USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-17, 25-7, 25-8)
May 14: USA def. Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-15)
May 15: Quarterfinals (USA received a bye)
May 16: Semifinals, USA vs. Mexico/Canada, 6 p.m. PT
May 17: Medal matches