World Champions! U.S. Women's Sitting Defeats Brazil in 2026 World Championship Gold Medal Match

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 17, 2026) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team captured its first world championship with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 25-10) victory over reigning champion Brazil on Friday at the 2026 World ParaVolley World Championship in Hangzhou, China.

“It hasn’t stuck yet, but I can say we are world champions now. It took a long time to get there and finally got one under the belt. I couldn’t be more pleased about this team. We haven’t always played our best, but we always competed and kept getting a little better, a little better, and they saved that best match for today,” said U.S. head coach Bill Hamiter. “We knew we needed to serve well, but more than anything else we needed to play some great defense and they played so well defensively, kept balls alive, and kept putting pressure back on Brazil. The transition game was superb and I think that was the major difference.”

The U.S. had more kills (44-41) and blocks (11-19), but Brazil had four aces to the United States’ 1.

Monique Matthews led the U.S. with match-highs of 21 points, 14 kills and seven blocks. Katie Bridge had 10 points on nine kills and a block. Nicky Nieves and Emma Schieck both scored eight, with Nieves grabbing six kills and two blocks and Schieck with seven kills and a block. Setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay had five kills; Tia Edwards had two kills and the team’s lone ace. Raelene Elam collected one kill.

A block gave the U.S. a 10-5 lead in the opening set. A great dig by Bridge and pickup by Nieves led to a 12-6 lead at the water break when Brazil committed a net violation. Brazil unsuccessfully challenged that call and the previous call on a block by Kanahele Maclay. The U.S. still led by five, 17-12, when Brazil called its second timeout. A great dig by Alexis Patterson led to a Matthews kill on the following play for a six-point lead. Two Nieves points, one on a kill off the block and another on a block, helped give the U.S. a 23-14 lead. The U.S. went on to hand Brazil its first set loss of the championship. Matthews scored seven points on five kills and two blocks and Nieves scored four points on three kills and a block.

A kill by Bridge followed by a Schieck kill set up by a great dig from Bethany Zummo put the U.S. up 11-9 in the second set. Brazil scored the next two points before a hitting error gave the U.S. a 12-11 lead at the hydration break. Continued strong defense by Zummo and a call against Brazil extended the margin to three, 14-11. The teams traded three-point runs for a 17-14 U.S. advantage. Kanahele Maclay scored on a second ball for a 19-16 lead. The margin grew to four points, 23-19, forcing Brazil to take its second timeout. A Matthews kill gave the U.S. set point at 24-20 and a Schieck kill put the U.S. up two sets. Matthews scored eight points on five kills and three blocks with Schieck adding four points on three kills and a block.

A Matthews kill put the U.S. up 6-5 in the third set and after dropping the next point, Brazil called an early timeout. Kanahele Maclay delivered a kill to give the U.S. a 12-10 advantage at the water break. The U.S. held a 20-16 lead, but Brazil went on an 8-2 run to earn a pair of set points. A successful U.S. challenge cut the lead to 24-23, and Schieck tied the set before Brazil earned its first set win by scoring the final two points. Matthews scored six points on four kills and two blocks.

Edwards scored to give the U.S. an 8-4 lead in the fourth set. Schieck and Matthews blocks on back-to-back plays put the U.S. up 11-5. Kills by Matthews and Nieves after the break raised the lead to eight, 14-6. Bridge recorded a block to push the lead to double digits, 17-7. A Nieves kill and Matthews ace increased the margin to 13 points, 20-7. Nieves won a point at the net for a 22-7 lead that capped an 8-1 U.S. run. Bridge delivered the winning kill to give the U.S. its first world title.

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

No  Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
2 Bethany Zummo (L, 5-3, Dublin, Calif.)
3 Alexis Patterson (S/L, 5-4, Waseca, Minn.)
4 Maddy Ball (DS, 5-7, Delray Beach, Fla.)
5 Katie Bridge (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash.)
7 Monique Matthews (MB, 6-0, Ardmore, Okla.)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz.)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla.)
11 Jillian Williams-Coffee (MB/OH/OPP, 5-10, Odem, Texas)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C.)
14 Kaleo Kanahele Maclay (S, 5-6, Oklahoma City, Okla.)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla.)
17 Jessie West (OH, 5-8, Edmond, Okla.)
18 Courtney Baker (MH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky.)
24 Raelene Elam (OH, 6-1, St. George, Utah, Northern California)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Grace Campbell
Performance Analyst: Jeff Hicks
Athletic Trainer: Samantha Carter
Mental Performance Coach: Brooke Lamphere
Team Manager: Layne Smith

Schedule

All times Pacific
July 10: USA def. Netherlands, 3-1 (25-12, 25-15, 23-25, 25-21)
July 11: USA def. Germany, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-18)
July 13: USA def. Ukraine, 3-0 (25-6, 25-8, 25-10)
July 14: Round of 16: USA def. Kenya, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-15)
July 15: Quarterfinals: USA def. Italy, 3-1 (25-14, 15-25, 25-14, 25-19)
July 16: Semifinals: USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-7)
July 17: Gold medal match: USA def. Brazil, 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 25-10)