Men's Sitting Team Upsets Ukraine at Paris Qualifier

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 5, 2024) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team took a big step toward qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with a 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 15-13) win over Ukraine at the 2024 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball Final Qualifier on Friday in Dali, China.

The U.S. Men improved to 3-0 in the round-robin phase of the tournament. They will face host China (2-1) at 1 a.m. PT on Saturday (April 6). Matches are being livestreamed at live.hy960.com.

The winner of the Final Qualifier will get the last berth available at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Eight teams will play each other in a round robin, and the two with the best records will play a championship match for the berth on April 10.

Friday was the first time the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team has beaten Ukraine since 2022. Ukraine is the top-ranked team in the tournament and No. 6 in the world. The U.S. Men are ranked ninth.

“We knew we were in for a long haul, and we knew this was going to be a battle between our two teams,” U.S. Head Coach Greg Walker said. “Our team was able to put together a really great piece of work in the fifth set. We scored 11 earned points in the fifth set.

“It was great to get our athletes to lock in and follow what they knew about Ukraine and then take care of our side of the net.”

The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team led Ukraine in kills (54-45) and aces (7-5). Ukraine led in blocks (12-11).

Opposite Eric Duda and outside hitter Zach Upp each finished with 19 points to lead all scorers. Duda scored on 18 kills and one ace. Upp totaled 16 kills, two blocks and one ace.

“This is the most disciplined effort we’ve had in my long career in sitting volleyball,” Duda said. “Big shout out to the coaching staff for getting us ready.”

Middle blocker Rod Green totaled 13 points, including a match-high five blocks, seven kills and one ace. Outside hitter James Stuck added 10 points on seven kills and three blocks.

Middle Chris Seilkop added six points on five kills and one block. Setter John Kremer scored five points on a match-high four aces and one kill.

Libero Nicholas Dadgostar was credited with 35 receptions, 71 percent positive.

U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Roster

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)
7 Robbie Gaupp (Opp/OH, Havre De Grace, Md., Chesapeake)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa., Keystone)
11C Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La., Bayou)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M., Sun Country)
14 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga., Southern)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla., Florida)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill., Great Lakes)
20 Jason Roberts (San Diego, Calif., Southern California)
23 William Curtis (Tampa, Fla., Florida)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Julie Allen
Team Leader: Jeffery Hicks
Performance Analyst: Sydnie Mabry
Athletic Trainer: Whitney Padgett
Sport Psychologist: Taylor Gabler

U.S. Schedule (All times PDT)
April 2: USA def Canada, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19)
April 3: USA def Iraq, 3-1 (21-25, 18-25, 29-27, 20-25)
April 4: 8 p.m. USA def Ukraine, 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 15-13)
April 6: 1 a.m. USA vs China
April 6: 6 p.m. USA vs Poland
April 8: 1 a.m. USA vs Japan
April 8: 8 p.m. USA vs Croatia