Men's Sitting Team Sweeps Japan to Open Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 4, 2022) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team opened the 2022 World ParaVolley World Championships with a sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-14) of Japan on Friday in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The U.S. Men (1-0) will continue pool play on Saturday when they play host Bosnia & Herzegovina at 1:30 p.m. CT.

“The first match of any world championship is always a tough one, especially when you haven’t played in an official tournament in over a year,” U.S. Assistant Coach Joe Skinner said. “Our team handled our nerves and our emotions really well and got more and more comfortable throughout the match, which allowed us to pull away in the end.”

Every player on the U.S. roster got time on the court. The U.S. Men led Japan in kills (31-13), blocks (2-1) and aces (9-0).

“We served really well to keep Japan out of system, which make our lives easier defensively,” Skinner said. “We got some good attacks in transition.”

Eric Duda led all scorers with 13 points on a match-high 10 kills and three aces. Zach Upp added nine points on five kills and a match-high four aces.

James Stuck scored six points on five kills and one ace. Chris Seilkop added five points on four kills and one ace. Roderick Green totaled three points on two kills and one block.

Patrick Young and Benjamin Aman each scored two points as substitutes. Sam Surowiec and Dan Regan each scored one point as substitutes.

Libero Nicholas Dadgostar was credited with 12 receptions, 67 percent positive. Backup libero Travis Ricks added two receptions.

Matches are being live streamed on the World ParaVolley YouTube Channel.

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

No Name (Position, Height, Hometown, Region)
1 Travis Ricks (L, 5-7, San Diego, Calif., Southern California)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Gateway)
3 Nicholas Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb., Chesapeake)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla., Oklahoma)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Florida)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa., Keystone)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La., Bayou)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M., Sun Country)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla., Florida)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill., Great Lakes)
21 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga., Southern)
49 Sam Surowiec (OH, 6-2, Everett, Wash., Evergreen)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Kyle Homeyer
Performance Analyst: Justin Chang
Athletic Trainer: Brian Farr
Team Leader: Bobby Moore

U.S. Men’s Schedule for the World Championship
(All Times CT)

Nov. 4 USA def Japan, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-14)
Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m. USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Nov. 6 at 8:45 a.m. USA vs Serbia
Nov. 7 Round of 16
Nov. 8 Quarterfinals and classification
Nov. 9 Semifinals and classification
Nov. 10 Placement matches for 5-15
Nov. 11 Medal matches