U.S. Men's Sitting Advances to Fifth-Place Match at 2026 Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 16, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team advanced to the fifth-place match at the 2026 World ParaVolley World Championship in Hangzhou, China, with its second win over Rwanda, 3-1 (23-25, 25-10, 25-15, 25-15) on Thursday.

The U.S. (4-2) will conclude the championship when it faces a familiar foe in Germany, which upended top-ranked Egypt to reach the fifth-place match, at 10 p.m. PT.

The U.S. averaged 14 kills per set, finishing with a huge advantage, 56-24, in the match. The U.S. served 12 aces while yielding only five, while Rwanda used its size for a 14-10 advantage in blocks.

“We’ve been in the spot where they were, coming in with the underdog mentality,” U.S. head coach Greg Walker said. “They had a great match with China (which went undefeated in pool play). We knew they were going to come out of the gate hyped for the match and took an opportunity to get on us fast. We were not mentally as ready and that showed fully in our execution, and we gave away way too many points (in the first set). It took us a little to get into rhythm. I was really proud of our guys that our starters were really able to control the first half of the rest of the sets, to break a lead and be able to get some other people in. It is their job to maintain that lead and create some separation, and I thought our guys did a great job. Travis (Ricks) came in and the first couple of big plays had a couple of great digs. Once we got into a rhythm, we were able to execute what we have been talking about this whole time about our process.”

Outside hitter Zach Upp led all players with 22 kills, just two fewer than the entire Rwanda team, and five aces. His two blocks gave him 29 points. Eric Duda was the next highest-scoring player in the match with 15 points on 13 kills, a block and an ace.

James Stuck finished with 12 points, sharing match-high honors with four blocks to go with seven kills and an ace. Roderick Green rounded out the double-digit scorers for the U.S. with 10 points on seven kills, two aces and a block. Robbie Onusko added six points on four kills and two aces. Ben Aman scored three points on a kill, ace and block. Alex Wilson recorded a kill and a block, and Sam Surowiec had a kill.

Rwanda jumped out to a 10-3 lead to start the match. Still trailing 22-16, the U.S. used a 6-1 run to pull within a point. Rwanda scored two of the last three points to take the set. Upp scored seven points on six kills and a block with Duda adding six kills.

The U.S. took control early in the second set, scoring seven of the opening eight points. The lead rose to 15 points when a 5-0 run gave the U.S. a 23-8 lead. Stuck scored seven points on six kills and a block with Green scoring four points on three kills and a block.

The U.S. started the third set with a 7-2 run. Rwanda used a 6-2 stretch to pull within three points, 17-14, but the U.S. scored the next six points and eight of the final nine to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Upp dominated with 13 points on eight kills and five aces.

Leading 4-3 in the fourth set, the U.S. ran off the next eight points and 11 of the next 12 to take a commanding lead. Rwanda cut the deficit to five points, 19-14, before the U.S. finished the match on a 6-1 run. Upp (five kills, one block) and Green (four kills, two aces) each scored six points.

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, Iran def. USA, 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-16)
July 15: USA def. Rwanda, 3-1 (23-25, 25-10, 25-15, 25-15)
July 16: Fifth-Place Match: USA vs. Germany, 10 p.m.