COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 14, 2025) – Ranked No. 8 in the world, the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team defeated No. 4 Germany twice Friday in the first two matches in a series of friendlies in Sacramento, California.
The U.S. Men are hosting Germany for five matches at the Sierra Girls 18s National Qualifier. The two teams also square off Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Sunday at 9 a.m. All matches are being streamed live on the USA Volleyball Facebook page.
Germany most recently finished fourth at the 2024 Paralympics, losing the bronze medal with a tough five-set loss to Egypt. The U.S. is preparing for the ParaVolley Pan American Zonal Championships, which are being held this May in Denver, Colorado, alongside the Open National Championship.
Match No. 1
Outside hitter Zach Upp dominated the morning match with 27 points as the U.S. rebounded from a first-set loss for a 20-25, 27-25, 25-16, 28-26 win. Upp led all scorers with 19 kills, three blocks and five aces.
Four other U.S. Men scored in double figures, with Eric Duda scoring 13 points on 12 kills and a block. Fabricio da Silva Pinto had nine kills and three blocks for 12 points, and Rod Green had 11 points on seven kills, three blocks and an ace. James Stuck collected 10 points with six kills, two blocks and two aces.
John Kremer led the offense at setter and also picked up two kills. Nick Dadgostar held the defense steady at libero. The U.S. led Germany in kills (55-29) and aces (8-3), but Germany edged the U.S. in blocks (15-12). Germany setter Thomas Renger led all players with five blocks.
Match No. 2
Upp and Green led the way in the afternoon match as the U.S. won 3-1 again, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, 25-11.
The pair each scored 20 points, with Green collecting 12 kills, two blocks and a match-high six aces. Upp had 14 kills, three blocks and three aces.
Duda and da Silva Pinto each scored 12, with Duda notching 11 kills and one block, and da silva Pinto scoring 10 kills, one block and an ace. Stuck had six kills and two aces for eight points, and Kremer had two kills and an ace at setter. Dadgostar shared libero duties with Will Curtis, and Jason Roberts, Robbie Gaupp, Dan Regan and Alex Wilson saw playing time. Wilson notched one block, and Roberts had a kill.
The U.S. led Germany in kills (56-27) and aces (13-5), but Germany had the edge in blocks again (19-8)