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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 18, 2026) – USA Volleyball is pleased to announce the 20 athletes on the 2026 Men’s U23 National Team who will train for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, Sept. 20-28, in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The team will train Aug. 23-30 at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Fourteen athletes will be selected to compete at the Pan Am Cup.
“I’m honored to be back leading this talented group alongside an outstanding coaching staff,” head coach Nickie Sanlin said. “Every summer brings a new opportunity to bring together some of the best athletes from across the country with one shared purpose-to represent the United States with pride and compete for a gold medal. Wearing ‘USA’ across our chests is a privilege, and we’re excited for the challenge ahead in El Salvador.”
Eight players on the team have previous experience on USA Volleyball age-group national teams: Kellen Larson, Connor Oldani, Trent Taliaferro, Aleksey Mikhailenko, George Bruening, Brandon Savitski-Lynde, Aiden Klein, Gaige Gabriel. Bruening is the only athlete on this year’s team who completed with the U23 squad in 2025, where they finished second to the Dominican Republic.
2026 Men’s U23 National Team
Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, School, USAV Region)
1 Kellen Larson (L, 5-9, Irvine, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California/Southern Nevada)
2 Zach Chapin (L, 5-11, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Pepperdine, Southern California Southern Nevada)
3 Ayden DesLauriers (OH, Eastport, N.Y., Loyola University Chicago, Garden Empire)
4 Trevor Herget (OH, 6-3, Darien, Conn., BYU, Intermountain)
5 Owen Douphner (S, 6-6, Stevenson Ranch, Calif., CSUN, Southern California Southern Nevada)
6 Connor Oldani (OPP, 6-5, Phoenix, Ariz., BYU, Arizona)
7 Trent Taliaferro (S, 6-6, San Clemente, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
8 Sean Harvey (OH, 6-7, Bartlett, Ill., Penn State, Great Lakes)
9 AJ Cottle (MB, 6-8, Provo, Utah, BYU, Intermountain)
10 Braydon Savitski-Lynde (Opp, 6-7, Roscoe, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
11 David Wolff (6-8, Wilmette, Ill., Stanford, Great Lakes)
12 David Decker (OPP, 6-9, Winston-Salem, N.C., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
13 Cameron Hoying (S, 6-9, Columbus, Ohio, Lewis, Ohio Valley)
14 Aleksey Mikhailenko (OH, 6-8, Mequon, Wis., Homestead HS, Badger)
15 Ryan Louis (OPP, 6-9, Waddell, Ariz., Ball State, Arizona)
16 Aidan Klein (MB, 6-10, Evanston, Ill., Loyola University Chicago, Great Lakes)
17 Will Patterson (MB, 6-10, Loveland, Ohio, Ball State, Ohio Valley)
18 Gaige Gabriel (MB, 6-8, Reading, Pa., Penn State, Keystone)
19 George Bruening (OPP, 6-10, 2004, Newport Beach, Calif., UCSB, Southern California Southern Nevada)
20 Jake Pazanti (S, 6-3, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
Coaches
Head Coach: Nickie Sanlin (McKendree University)
Assistant Coach: Ali’i Keohohou (Menlo College)
Assistant Coach: Ryan Mason (California State University, Northridge)
Performance Analyst: Mackenna Basore (LOVB Minnesota/Utah State)
Athletic Trainer: Hazel Reyes (USOPC)
Team Lead: Will Berdecia (OTVA – Jacksonville)