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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 23, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s U23 National Team completed preliminary round play at the 2026 Pan Am Cup by sweeping Trinidad & Tobago, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-15) on Thursday in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The U.S. led in kills (45-30), blocks (6-2) and served nine of the 10 aces in the match. Setter Owen Douphner ran the offense that was hitting on all cylinders in hitting at a .603 efficiency percentage with just seven errors in 63 total attacks. Douphner added six points on two kills, two blocks and two aces.
Opposite Connor Oldani paced all scorers with 17 points on 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. He hit at an .800 clip for the match with only one error in 15 attacks. Opposite Ryan Louis finished with a match-high 15 kills and middle blocker AJ Cottle rounded out the team’s double-digit scorers with 10 points on seven kills, two blocks and an ace.
Outside hitter Aleksey Mikhailenko recorded five kills and led all players with six digs, while adding five excellent receptions. Libero Zach Chapin finished with a match-best 11 excellent receptions and four digs. Setter Cameron Hoying finished with a match-high three aces and added a kill for four points.
After the teams split the first eight points of the match, the U.S. ran off the next four points to force a Trinidad & Tobago timeout. Two Cottle kills and an Oldani ace sparked the run. Kills by Louis and Mikhailenko kill pushed the margin to five points, 11-6. The teams split the next eight points before the U.S. moved ahead 17-10 on an Oldani kill and a Douphner ace. A second Cottle block gave the U.S. a 19-12 lead. Hoying put a ball away and followed with back-to-back aces to give the U.S. set point at 24-13. Trinidad & Tobago fought off two set points before Louis recorded his third kill to end the set. Cottle led all players with six points on four kills and a pair of blocks with Oldani adding four points on three kills and an ace. The U.S. hit .647 for the set with 13 kills and just two errors in 17 attacks.
A Louis kill gave the U.S. the first two-point lead of the second set, 6-4. Cottle followed with an ace that prompted a Trinidad & Tobago timeout. Oldani delivered a crosscourt kill and a Trinidad & Tobago hitting error made the score 11-8. Another Oldani ace extended the margin to four points, 14-10. Louis used the net to score on an overpass off a tough Cottle serve for a 16-11 lead. Trinidad & Tobago scored off a U.S. triple block to cut the deficit to four points before Oldani delivered another kill. Mikhailenko scored off the block, Trinidad & Tobago hit a ball out, and Hoying served an ace to give the U.S. set point, 24-17. After Trinidad & Tobago saved two set points, the U.S. took a 2-0 lead in the match when Douphner made a great one-handed set from just off the net and fed Louis, who delivered his seventh kill of the set. Oldani scored six points on five kills and an ace for the U.S., which continued its hot offense with 15 kills and two errors in 21 attacks for a .619 hitting efficiency percentage.
An Oldani block put the U.S. up 3-1 early in the third set. Cottle’s second kill of the set extended the lead to three points, 5-2. A Mikhailenko kill and a Trinidad & Tobago error pushed the margin to five points, 8-3. After giving up the next point, the U.S, moved ahead 10-4 on a kill from opposite Brayson Savitski-Lynde and a Douphner swing on a second ball. A Trinidad & Tobago timeout could not stop the U.S. momentum as Douphner recorded back-to-back blocks for an eight-point advantage. Oldani put a ball straight down for a 15-7 lead. Louis put away an overpass off an Oldani serve to increase the margin to nine points, 17-8. A David Decker ace raised the lead to double digits, 19-9. A Louis kill made the score 21-12 before Trinidad & Tobago scored three of the next four points to cut the deficit to seven. Louis and Oldani produced kills to set up match point and Oldani closed out the match with his second block and seventh point of the set. The U.S. registered four of its six blocks in the final set.
2026 Men’s U23 National Team Pan American Cup Roster
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)
9 AJ Cottle (MB, 6-8, Provo, Utah, BYU, Intermountain)
10 Braydon Savitski-Lynde (Opp, 6-7, Roscoe, Ill., Ball State, 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)
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)
Schedule
All times Pacific
Sept. 23: USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-22)
Sept. 24: USA def. Trinidad & Tobago, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-15)
Sept. 25: Quarterfinals and Classification
Sept. 26: Semifinals and Classification
Sept. 27: Finals