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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 15, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team began play in Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Week Three with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20) win over China on Wednesday night at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The U.S. has won all five VNL matches in which the teams have met.
Get your tickets for the remaining matches this week
“Oh, it’s fantastic [playing at home]. So many people are still staying here right now,” U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly said of the fans at NOW Arena. “The match ended a number of minutes ago, and they’re so excited to see the players and get their photos and selfies and signatures. It’s always a blessing and an honor to play in our home country. We don’t get to do it that often. It wasn’t even really the plan for 2026 to be able to play in the USA, but I think something fell through, and [I’m] really thankful that USA Volleyball and CEO John Speraw kind of snapped up the opportunity so we could play here in week three near Chicago.”
The U.S. (7-2) will face Brazil (6-3) at 6 p.m. PT on Thursday. The U.S. is currently in second place in the VNL standings, while Brazil is seventh and battling to advance to the VNL Finals.
“Brazil put together a really nice match against France earlier today, just a few hours ago,” Kiraly said about the next opponent. “They’re gonna be a handful. Brazil is hungry for a lot of wins to advance to the finals. I would imagine they need one against us, and we need one against them to punch our ticket for finals week. So it should be a great battle. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The U.S. led in all statistical categories, including 42-31 in kills and 6-2 in blocks. The U.S. controlled the service game with a 10-4 advantage in aces, while also passing to target 51 percent of the time and passing to either target or mid-range at an 80 percent clip.
Outside hitters Cooper Robinson and Ethan Champlin shared match-high honors with 14 points. Robinson recorded nine kills, was one of three U.S. players with two blocks, and led all players with three aces and seven digs, while adding four successful receptions and hitting .467. Champlin led all players with 12 kills and added a pair of aces with a .476 hitting percentage.
Setter Micah Ma’a ran the offense that hit at a spectacular .544 efficiency percentage while serving two aces and adding a kill. Libero Mason Briggs led all players with nine successful receptions and finished with four digs.
Opposite Cole Hartke joined Robinson and Champlin in double-digit scoring with 11 points on seven kills, two blocks and two aces. Middle blockers Taylor Averill (seven points, two blocks) and Matt Knigge (six kills and an ace) combined for 16 points and an .813 hitting percentage. Averill recorded seven kills in eight attacks and Knigge registered six kills in eight attacks with neither player making an error.
“I think we came together as a team really well,” Hartke said. “Not saying we haven’t in the past, but it was just a great fight, a great team effort, and we took it all the way, and it was great. [We have to keep] the energy up. We’re at a good place in the league, but anything can happen. So we gotta keep pushing and keep our heads on straight as we keep fighting.”
Hartke also relished the chance to play in front of a home crowd.
“It means everything,” he said. “It’s what we play for. [It’s so] amazing out here, and it’s a Wednesday night, and we’re really showing out. It’s loud in here, it’s packed, and it’s Wednesday. It was a great atmosphere.”
The U.S. scored the first three points of the match. Robinson recorded a kill without an approach and Hartke found the back corner for his first kill and a 3-0 lead. China scored five of the next six points, tying the set on an ace and taking the lead with a block. Neither team led by more than one point again until Champlin scored off the block for a 12-10 U.S. lead. Ma’a made a great set on a pass close to the net that led to an Averill kill. A Hartke kill and Champlin ace extended the lead to three points, 16-13.
Hartke scored three U.S. points in a row with his block as part of a triple block putting the U.S. ahead 19-15. A Robinson ace pushed the margin to five points, 21-16. The U.S. earned set point as Robinson unleashed a kill and Champlin scored off the block for a 24-18 lead. Two points later, a China service error ended the set. Five different U.S. players recorded a kill in the set with Hartke leading the team with six points on five kills and a block. Champlin scored five points on four kills and an ace and Robinson added three kills and an ace.
Ma’a started the second set with a setter dump, and the U.S. took a 5-1 lead as Robinson served back-to-back aces and delivered a kill after another strong serve led to a free ball. A big swing from Champlin and a Hartke ace helped run the lead to seven points, 11-4. Three blocks (two by Robinson and one by Averill) and a Champlin ace gave the U.S. an 11-point advantage, 16-5. Champlin scored on a pipe attack in transition and Hartke recorded the fourth U.S. block of the set for a 19-7 lead. Knigge delivered a kill and Champlin scored off the block to put the U.S. up 21-9. The U.S. went up 23-10 when Averill scored off a jump set from Ma’a and Robinson finished the set with his sixth point of the set on a play that started with a great pass from Briggs. Averill and Champlin each scored four points in the set.
Knigge took advantage of an overpass to stake the U.S. to a 4-1 start to the third set. Trailing 6-2, China responded to its head coach receiving a yellow card with a 5-2 run to draw within a point. Another strong Ma’a serve led to an overpass, which Robinson put down for a 13-9 advantage. China scored four of the next five points with an ace cutting the deficit to one point. Knigge scored off a running backset from Ma’a and after a China hitting error, Knigge served an ace as the U.S. regained a four-point lead, 17-13. A great up from Briggs led to a Champlin kill through a triple block followed by an Averill kill and Hartke served an ace for a 20-14 lead. An off-speed shot from Averill and a Hartke kill made the score 23-19. Ma’a recorded the team’s 10th ace for a 24-19 lead and the match ended two points later on a service error.
U.S. Men’s Roster for 2026 VNL Week Three
No., Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Matt Anderson (OH, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State, Western Empire)
3 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Chicago, Great Lakes)
6 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
8 T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
11 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC, Aloha)
13 Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Univ. of Hawai’i, Northern California)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
17 Jake Hanes (OPP, 6-10, Orland Park, Ill., Ohio State Univ., Great Lakes)
18 Cole Hartke (OPP, 7-0, Barrington, Ill., Pepperdine, Great Lakes)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
Head Coach: Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Luka Slabe
Assistant Coach: Javier Weber
Performance Analyst: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Senior Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker
Team Doctors: Andrew Gregory, Mark Hutchinson, Christopher Lee, Michael Terry, Eugene Yim
Statisticians: Jimmy Kim, Frank Pham
U.S. Men’s Schedule for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.
(All times PDT)
Week 1: Ottawa, Canada
June 10 USA def. Türkiye, 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23),
June 12 USA def. Germany, 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20)
June 13 def. Canada, 3-2 (20-25, 33-35, 26-24, 25-21, 15-11)
June 14 Italy def. USA, 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-10)
Week 2: Orleans, France
June 24 USA def. Cuba, 3-0, (25-21, 25-21, 25-19)
June 25 USA def. Iran, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 31-29)
June 27 Japan def. USA, 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 15-13)
June 28 def. Serbia, 3-1 (25-12, 25-23, 24-26, 25-17)
Week 3: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
July 15 USA def. China, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20)
July 16 vs. Brazil at 6 p.m.
July 18 vs. Bulgaria at 6 p.m.
July 19 vs. Poland at 6 p.m.