Men's U19 Starts 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship with Sweep

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 12, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s U19 National Team began defense of its title at the NORCECA Continental Championship with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-11) victory over Panama on Tuesday at Simon Fraser University Athletic University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

The U.S. (1-0) returns to action on Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT against the Dominican Republic (1-0).

MATCH STATISTICS

“I am super proud of our guys,” U.S. Men’s U19 head coach Andy Read said. “Twelve of our 14 guys, it was their first USA match ever wearing the flag and it means a lot. I’m sure there were some nerves early on and Panama played a good first set. We won the first set, which was huge, and then we kind of put our stamp of approval on it. Bryce (Thistlethwaite) went back and made a great run at serving that separated the match.”

Buoyed by a dominant offense that committed just two hitting errors in the entire match (41 kills, 64 total attacks for a .640 hitting percentage), the U.S. rolled to the win in its opener. In addition to producing 19 more kills, the U.S. recorded the only four blocks and five of the seven service aces.

Ten players scored for the U.S. with five finishing with at least six points. Outside hitter Daniel Hornyak (eight kills, two aces) and opposite Thistlethwaite (six kills, two blocks, two aces) led the balanced attack with 10 points each. Outside Trayce Chrushfield III added nine points on eight kills and one block. Middle blockers Jason Amani (five kills and one block) and Kevin O’Brien (five kills and an ace) each scored six points.

A Chrushfield crosscourt kill and block gave the U.S. a lead it would never relinquish in the opening set, 4-3. Hornyak led the way with six points on five kills and an ace, while Thistlethwaite added five points on four kills and a block. Chrushfield finished the set with three points and O’Brien added two, including an ace that dribbled off the net and gave the U.S. a 17-12 lead. Panama was never able to get any closer than five points the remainder of the set.

The U.S. took control of the second set from the start, using a 11-0 run to take an 18-4 lead. An Amani block gave the U.S. a 5-2 lead. The 11-point run started with back-to-back Chrushfield kills. Thistlethwaite served for 10 consecutive points with a pair of aces. Chrushfield led all scorers with five kills in the set. Seven different players contributed at least one kill for the U.S., which hit .560 (14 kills, 25 attacks, no errors).

Hornyak served for three consecutive points, one on an ace that found the seam in the defense, to help the U.S. jump out to a 5-1 lead in the third set. Six different players scored with Amani and O’Brien each contributing a pair of kills, to put the U.S. up 13-4. The lead grew to 12 points, 18-6, on an Amani block. Franklin Shiekh and Matthew Kravtsov each added two kills down the stretch to seal the win for the U.S., which hit an astounding .789 (15 kills, 19 attacks, no errors) in the set. Amani finished the set with four kills.

2026 Men’s U19 National Team Roster for NORCECA Continental Championship

Name (Height, Position, Hometown, High School, USAV Region)
1 Wade Coppedge (6-1, L, Raleigh, N.C., Grace Christian School, Carolina)
2 Trayce Chrusfield III (6-2, OH, Oak Park, Ill., Oak Park River Forest HS, Great Lakes)
3 Collin Tullis (6-1, L, Slidell, La., Seton Home Study, Southern)
5 Franklin Shiekh (6-4, OH, Upland, Calif., St John Bosco HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
8 Chase Wallin (6-6, S Laguna Niguel, Calif., Santa Margarita Catholic HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
7 Nils Bennebroek (6-6, MB, Foster City, Calif., Hillsdale HS, Northern California)
11 Jackson Feik (6-7, MB, Denver, Colo., Regis Jesuit HS, Rocky Mountain)
12 Carter Tchaikovsky (6-5, S, Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
13 Cameron Kosolcharoen (6-7, OH, San Clemente, Calif., San Clemente HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
14 Jason Amani (6-8, MB, Grand Prairie, Texas, Dubiski Career HS, Lone Star)
16 Daniel Hornyak (6-8, OH, San Diego, Calif., Poway HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
17 Bryce Thistlethwaite (6-8, OPP, Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling HS, Great Lakes)
19 Matthew Kravtsov (6-8, OH, Barrington, Ill., Barrington Community HS, Great Lakes)
20 Kevin O’Brien (6-11, MB, San Diego, Calif., Francis Parker School, Southern California Southern Nevada)

Alternates
4 Noah Pabarcus (6-3, S, San Diego, Calif., Saint Augustine HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
6 Timeo Domergue (6-5, OH, Boca Raton, Fla., Spanish River HS, Florida)
9 Noah Duffield (6-7, OH, Burbank, Calif., John Burroughs HS, Southern California Southern Nevada)
10 Niko Opiola (6-5, MB, Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows HS, Great Lakes)
15 Noah Mbaitoloum (6-7, OPP, Rockville, Md., Winston Churchill HS, Chesapeake)
18 Luke Bosanac (6-9, OPP, San Jose, Calif., Bellarmine College Prep, Northern California)
21 Antony Niu (6-11, MB, Fremont, Calif., Archbishop Mitty HS, Northern California)

Coaches
Head Coach: Andy Read (Men’s National Team)
Assistant Coach: Spencer Wickens (University of Minnesota)
Assistant Coach: Leandro Vissotto Neves (Brazil MNT, University of Miami)
Performance Analyst: Matthew Adams (University of Michigan)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Donovan Martinez (National Team Development Program)

U.S. Schedule
All times PT

May 12: USA def. Panama, 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-11)
May 13: USA vs. Dominican Republic, 4 p.m.
May 14: USA vs. Puerto Rico, 4 p.m.
May 15: Quarterfinals
May 16: Semifinals and classification
May 17: Medal matches and classification