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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 5, 2026) – Five Olympians are on the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for week one of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League, set for June 10-14 in Ottawa, Canada.
The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Only the top eight teams will earn a spot in the Final Round, where a VNL title will be on the line.
Four-time Olympian Matt Anderon is back after taking the 2025 season off, while three-time Olympian Erik Shoji returns for another round of VNL play. Setter Micha Ma’a and middle blockers Jeff Jendryk and Taylor Averill are also on the roster for Ottawa. The team’s first match is Wednesday, June 10 at 8 a.m. ET vs.Türkiye
Returning from the 2025 VNL season are outside hitters Ethan Champlin, Cooper Robinson and Jordan Ewert; setter Andrew Rowan; libero Mason Briggs; and middle blocker Merrick McHenry.
Middle blocker Michael Marshman and opposite Jake Hanes make their first appearance on a VNL roster since 2024. Opposite Cole Hartke is making his senior national team debut.
Head coach Karch Kiraly, who is in his second year coaching the U.S. Men’s National Team, is assisted by Luka Slabe and Javier Weber.
The U.S. Men finished 6-6 in 2025 VNL preliminary play and and just missed advancing to the VNL Finals. At the World Championship, the team advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost a five-set heartbreaker to Bulgaria.
U.S. Men’s Week One Roster for 2026 VNL
No., Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Matt Anderson (OH, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State, Western Empire)
3 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Chicago, Great Lakes)
6 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
12 Michael Marshman (MB, 6-7, Glenmont, N.Y., St. Francis Univ., Excelsior Empire)
13 Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Univ. of Hawai’i, Northern California)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
15 Andrew Rowan (S, 6-7, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
17 Jake Hanes (OPP, 6-10, Orland Park, Ill., Ohio State Univ., Great Lakes)
18 Cole Hartke (OPP, 7-0, Barrington, Ill., Pepperdine, Great Lakes)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
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 Doctors: Andrew Gregory, Mark Hutchinson, Christopher Lee, Michael Terry, Eugene Yim
Statisticians: Jimmy Kim, Frank Pham
U.S. Men’s Schedule for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.
(All times PDT)
Week 1: Ottawa, Canada
June 10 at 8 a.m. vs. Türkiye
June 12 vs. Germany at 1 p.m.
June 13 vs. Canada at 1 p.m.
June 14 vs. Italy at 3 p.m.
Week 2: Orleans, France
June 24 vs. Cuba at 8 a.m.
June 25 vs. Iran at 8 a.m.
June 27 vs. Japan at 8 a.m.
June 28 vs. Serbia at 11:30 a.m.
Week 3: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Get your tickets.
July 15 vs. China at 6 p.m.
July 16 vs. Brazil at 6 p.m.
July 18 vs. Bulgaria at 6 p.m.
July 19 vs. Poland at 6 p.m.