LA28 Bound! U.S. Men's Sitting Clinches Paralympic Bid with Round of 16 Win at 2026 Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 13, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team defeated Canada, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-23) to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World ParaVolley World Championship in Hangzhou, China on Tuesday. With the victory, the U.S. clinched a spot in the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

“For us during our own quad, some things changed and I really can appreciate our group in being able to pivot with a little bit of adversity there. There is nothing better than our quad that we had to earn it,” said U.S. head coach Greg Walker. “More so, I am just really excited about our program, where USA Volleyball is and our athletes. So many people around the world respect our process, and hearing from the sitting volleyball community how proud they are for our program is really exciting.”

The U.S. (3-1) will face the winner of the Round of 16 match between Croatia and Iran tomorrow at 2:30 a.m. PT

The U.S. finished with two more kills (22-20) and four more service aces (8-4), while Canada held a slim margin in blocks (6-5).

“I think the biggest thing is we have so much respect for Canada and the way that they do things. They have just been such great partners over the years. We told our guys there is a lot of history, but we wanted them to go out there and play Canada like it was the first time they ever played them. We wanted them to experience that joy of the newness of it,” Walker commented. “We were able to navigate through some tougher servers. Canada has done a great job off the service line in this tournament. We were able to cause some issues and that was great to see.”

Outside hitter Eric Duda led all players with 15 kills and 16 points, adding a block. James Stuck (four kills, two aces, one block) and Zach Upp (three kills, three aces, one block) both scored seven points. Middle blocker Roderick Green totaled five points on three kills, a block and an ace. Robbie Onusko (one kill, on ace) and Ben Aman (one ace, one block) each added two points.

Kills by Onusko and Stuck helped give the U.S. a 5-3 lead in the opening set. Canada scored five of the next six points for an 8-6 lead but kills by Duda and Green helped the U.S. regain the lead. Canada ran off five consecutive points to take a 15-12 lead. Trailing 17-14, the U.S. tied the set on a Duda kill from the back row and back-to-back Upp aces, the first of which caught the tape. Canada scored the next three points before two Duda kills, the second on one of the longest rallies of the set, spurred a 4-0 U.S. run for a 21-20 lead. After Canada tied the set at 21, Green had a great up on a serve that hit the net, leading to another Duda kill and a Canada hitting error put the U.S. up for good 23-21. Duda led all players with seven kills in the set.

Back-to-back blocks keyed a 7-3 Canada start to the second set, forcing an early U.S. timeout. Trailing 10-5, a kill and ace by Upp started the U.S. on a 6-1 run to take the lead. Aman recorded a block to cut the deficit to two points; a successful U.S. challenge and a Green block cut the Canada lead to 11-10. A hitting error followed by a Duda block made it 12-11. A Green kill capped a six-point Onusko serving run that gave the U.S. a 15-11 advantage. Green registered a kill for a 20-12 U.S lead and Duda recorded a kill on the following rally that completed a 16-2 U.S. run that turned a five-point deficit into a nine-point lead. Canada used an ace to come within seven points, 22-15, but the U.S. scored three of the final four points to take a 2-0 set lead.

Consecutive kills by Upp and Duda put the U.S. up 7-4 in the third set. A U.S. challenge on the following rally stopped play for several minutes before and after the call was confirmed, as Canada started a three-point run to even the set. An Aman block put the U.S. back up by two, 9-7. Canada scored the next two points, the second on another unsuccessful challenge, but Duda scored to give the U.S. the lead again. Canada tied the set twice more before an Upp kill and Green ace put the U.S. up 14-12. Canada ran off the next four points to take a 16-14 lead and prompt a U.S. timeout.

Two Canada mistakes and an Upp kill gave the U.S. the lead again, 17-16. Canada put up a set between two players that fell to the floor to extend the lead to two points, 19-17, and cause Canada to take a timeout. Duda extended the lead to three for the first time since 7-4, scoring off the block for a 21-18 lead. Canada pulled back within a point, but a service ace made it 22-20. A double against the U.S. cut the deficit back to a point and the U.S. called its second timeout. A Green block brought the U.S. within two points of the quarterfinals, 23-21. Green delivered a kill for a 24-22 lead. A Roberts block ended the match.

U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Roster for World Championship

No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
1 Travis Ricks (L, 5-7, San Diego, Calif.)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Mo.)
3 Nick Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb.)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla.)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6 Alex Wilson (OPP/OH, 6-6, Saugerties, N.Y.)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa.)
10 Robbie Onusko (OH, 6-0, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La.)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill.)
18 Jason Roberts (OH, 6-3, Moncks Corner, S.C.)
19 Danny Alvarez Rivadeneira (L/DS, 5-8, West Jordan, Utah, Intermountain)
49 Sam Surowiec (OH, 6-2, Everett, Wash.)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Ladislav Lelkes
Assistant Coach: Julie Allen
Performance Analyst: Sydnie Mabry
Sport Psychologist: Taylor Gabler
Athletic Trainer: Whitney Padgett
Team Leader: Connor Martin
Consultant: Dave Dantes

Schedule

All times Pacific
July 10: USA def. Ukraine, 3-2 (25-23, 25-21, 15-25, 20-25, 15-12)
July 11: Egypt def. USA, 3-1 (24-26, 25-15, 25-18, 25-8)
July 12: USA def. Rwanda, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-20)
July 13: Round of 16: USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-23)
July 14: Quarterfinals, USA vs. Croatia/Iran, 2:30 a.m.
July 15: Semifinals and knockout rounds
July 16: Bronze medal match and placement matches
July 17: Gold medal match