U.S. Men Defeat Dominican Republic to Finish 5th at NORCECA
The U.S. Men’s National Team finished fifth (4-2) at the NORCECA Continental Championship after defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1, (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21).
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 10, 2022) – Fourteen U.S. men’s volleyball players are in Tepic, Mexico to compete at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six on July 11-17.
The Pan American Cup Final Six is a route for teams to qualify for the 2023 NORCECA Continental Championship, the 2023 Pan American Games of Santiago, Chile and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.
The most experienced player on the roster is setter Matt West, who played on the 2015 U.S. Men’s Pan American Games team. Since then, he has since played professionally, most recently for Germany’s Berlin Recycling Volleys. West will serve as the team’s captain.
At the other end of the spectrum, nine players on the team are in the midst of their college volleyball careers: outside hitters Ethan Champlin, Brett Wildman and Spencer Olivier, opposites Francesco Sani and Parker Van Buren, middle blockers Nyherowo Omene and Merrick McHenry, and liberos Mason Briggs and Cole Power.
Players who recently concluded their college careers are setter Quinn Isaacson, middle blockers J.R. Norris IV and Austin Wilmot and outside hitter Kyle McCauley.
Champlin, McCauley, McHenry and Sani all played on the 2021 Men’s Pan American Cup Team that won bronze.
Olivier, Wildman, McHenry, Wilmot and Briggs all played on the 2021 Men’s NORCECA Championship Team that finished fifth.
Andy Read, who has served as head coach and assisted at Long Beach State and coached various U.S. national teams, will be head coach. Former U.S. Men’s National Team Assistant Coach Ron Larsen and University of Southern California Assistant Coach Rory Prager will be on the bench with Read. A.J. Ruttenberg will be the team’s leader and performance analyst and Jackie Chan will be the athletic trainer.
Also competing at the Pan American Cup Final Six will be teams from Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The competition starts on Monday with a preliminary round robin to determine the four teams moving into the semifinals. The fifth and sixth-place teams will meet for a fifth-place match before the semifinals.
U.S. Men’s Roster for the Pan American Cup Final Six
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, Region)
5C Matt West (S, 6-6, Seattle, Wash., Pepperdine, Puget Sound)
9 J.R. Norris IV (MB, 6-6, Lancaster, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
11 Francesco Sani (Opp, 6-8, Bethesda, Md., UC Irvine, Chesapeake)
14 Quinn Isaacson (S, 6-2, Plainfield, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
15 Parker Van Buren (Opp, 6-9, Cross Plains, Wis., Loyola Chicago, Badger)
16 Nyherowo Omene (MB, 6-7, South Holland, Ill., Princeton, Great Lakes)
17 Austin Wilmot (MB, 6-10, Valley Village, Calif., Pepperdine, Southern California)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
21 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
22 Kyle McCauley (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., UC San Diego, Southern California)
24 Brett Wildman (OH, 6-5, Virginia Beach, Va., Penn State, Old Dominion)
26 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
29 Cole Power (L, 5-11, Huntington Beach, Calif., UC Irvine, Southern California)
31 Spencer Olivier (OH, 6-6, Tustin, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
Head Coach: Andy Read
Assistant Coach: Ron Larsen
Assistant Coach: Rory Prager
Team Leader/Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg
Athletic Trainer: Jackie Chan
Schedule for the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six
(All Times PDT)
Monday July 11
3 p.m. Cuba v Dominican Republic
5 p.m. United States v Canada
7 p.m. Mexico v Puerto Rico
Tuesday July 12
3 p.m. Puerto Rico v Dominican Republic
5 p.m. United States v Cuba
7 p.m. Mexico v Canada
Wednesday July 13
3 p.m. United States v Puerto Rico
5 p.m. Canada v Cuba
7 p.m. Mexico v Dominican Republic
Thursday July 14
3 p.m. Canada v Dominican Republic
5 p.m. Cuba v Puerto Rico
7 p.m. Mexico v United States
Friday July 15
3 p.m. Puerto Rico v Canada
5 p.m. United States v Dominican Republic
7 p.m. Mexico v Cuba
Saturday July 16
3 p.m. Fifth v Sixth
5 p.m. Second v Third
7 p.m. First v Fourth
Sunday July 17
4 p.m. Bronze Medal
6 p.m. Gold Medal
USA Takes Bronze at Men’s Pan American Cup
The U.S. Men's National Team won its first Pan American Cup medal since 2014 after defeating Dominican Republic 3-1 in the bronze medal match. It is the United States' first Pan Am Cup bronze.