U.S. Men Serve and Block Their Way Past Brazil at 2026 VNL Week Three

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 16, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team moved to 8-2 in Volleyball Nations League (VNL) play with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) victory over longtime rival Brazil on Thursday night at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

The U.S. improved to 6-4 all-time against Brazil in VNL play in the first matchup between the two teams since the U.S. won a four-setter in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics.

The U.S. will have a day off before facing Bulgaria at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday.

Get your tickets for the remaining matches this week

The U.S. recorded 12 blocks in three sets to only five for Brazil, extending its streak of out-blocking every opponent in its 10 VNL matches. In addition to consistently strong serving throughout the match, the U.S. recorded eight aces. The U.S. registered four more kills (36-32).

Outside hitter T.J. DeFalco scored 18 points with one of the best serving matches of his career with seven aces to go with seven kills and four blocks.

“Grinding through a lot of the pressure, and keeping the pressure all on them, and then when it flipped and the pressure was on us, getting out of that pretty fast,” said DeFalco about what worked for the U.S early on. “Second set, we didn’t do that so well, but overall, we did a pretty good job of handling the pressure.

“I think we have to prioritize the day off tomorrow and rest and recover and get ourselves in the best possible shape to come out for the next two games,” he continued. “We keep doing what we’re doing and staying in our own lane.”

Jake Hanes added 13 points on 12 kills and an ace. After the match, he reflected on the packed house at NOW Arena.

“It’s pretty electric,” Hanes said. “It was my first time playing an international match in Chicago, so a lot of family and friends are here. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”

Matt Anderson scored 12 points on nine kills and three blocks, and Merrick McHenry had five kills and one block. Jeff Jendryk had two kills and two blocks, and Micah Christenson had a kill and two blocks. Libero Erik Shoji led the team with seven digs and shared team-high honors with five successful receptions.

After falling behind 3-1 to start the match, three DeFalco aces fueled a 5-0 run that put the U.S. up 6-3. A Jendryk kill and Hanes’ 10th ace of the VNL gave the U.S. a four-point advantage, 9-5. An ace capped a 4-1 run as Brazil cut the lead to one. A McHenry kill off a one-handed set from Christensen put the U.S. ahead 14-12 but Brazil tied the set by scoring the next two points, the second on a block. DeFalco gave the U.S. a 16-15 lead before Brazil took its first lead since early in the set on an ace, 17-16. A McHenry kill and Hanes’ seventh point of the set spurred a 3-1 U.S. run to earn set point, 24-23. After a Brazil timeout, the U.S. captured the set on a Christensen block.

After yielding the first two points, the U.S. scored the next six points with DeFalco serving three consecutive aces for the 6-2 lead. Anderson’s second block in three points gave the U.S. a 10-4 advantage. A DeFalco dig that Christensen laid off and went over the net for a point and a hitting error made it 12-4 and forced Brazil to use its second timeout. The U.S. pushed the lead to nine, 15-6, when DeFalco scored from the three-meter line off a set from Anderson. The margin hit double digits when a McHenry kill and Brazil hitting error put the U.S. up 17-7. After a successful U.S. triple block made the score 20-11, Brazil went on a 5-1 run to cut the lead to five and force a U.S. timeout. Brazil scored the first point out of the timeout on a block, but Anderson scored off the block as the U.S. regained the five-point lead. Brazil scored the next two points to cut the deficit to three and had a swing to make it two but Jendryk came up with a huge block. DeFalco and McHenry each recorded a block as part of their double block to finish the set. The U.S. recorded six blocks in the set.

Back-to-back DeFalco blocks helped stake the U.S. to a 3-0 lead to begin the third set. An Anderson block ended a rally that included a diving one-handed up by DeFalco put the U.S. ahead 5-1. Another DeFalco kill, this time off the block, gave the U.S. a 7-4 lead. A Christensen block and DeFalco kill on long rallies helped the U.S. raise the margin to five points, 12-7. DeFalco pushed the lead to six, 14-8, with his seventh ace. Two great defensive plays by Shoji led to an Anderson kill and a 16-11 lead. A perfect Shoji pass and Christensen set for a Jendryk kill put the U.S. up 19-13. DeFalco scored high off the block for a 20-14 lead in Brazil’s double substitution rotation without a setter. The U.S. earned six match points but only needed one as Anderson ended the match on a back row attack.

U.S. Men’s Roster for 2026 VNL Week Three

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)
8 T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
11 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC, Aloha)
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)
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)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
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 USA def. Türkiye, 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23),
June 12 USA def. Germany, 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20)
June 13 def. Canada, 3-2 (20-25, 33-35, 26-24, 25-21, 15-11)
June 14 Italy def. USA, 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-10)

Week 2: Orleans, France
June 24 USA def. Cuba, 3-0, (25-21, 25-21, 25-19)
June 25 USA def. Iran, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 31-29)
June 27 Japan def. USA, 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 15-13)
June 28 def. Serbia, 3-1 (25-12, 25-23, 24-26, 25-17)

Week 3: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
July 15 USA def. China, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20)
July 16 def. Brazil, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18)
July 18 vs. Bulgaria at 6 p.m.
July 19 vs. Poland at 6 p.m.