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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 27, 2026) – Fifteen U.S. Men’s National Team athletes are in Ningbo Beilun, China, for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League Final, featuring the top teams from preliminary round play.
The U.S. finished 8-4 in the first three weeks of play and is ranked No. 5 in the tournament. The team opens play at midnight on July 30 vs. No. 4 Italy, which also finished 8-4. The U.S. lost to Italy in five sets in week one in Ottawa, Canada. Other teams competing in the final are No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Poland, No. 3 Slovenia, No. 6 Türkiye, No. 7 Ukraine and host country China.
Three setters are part of the U.S. roster for the final: Micah Christenson, Micah Ma’a and Andrew Rowan. Middle blockers are Taylor Averill, Jeff Jendryk, Matt Knigge and Merrick McHenry. Outside hitters are Matt Anderson, TJ DeFalco, Ethan Champlin and Cooper Robinson, and opposites are Jake Hanes and Cole Hartke. Erik Shoji and Mason Briggs are the liberos.
The U.S. did not qualify for the VNL Final in 2025 and last medaled in 2023 when the team finished second to Poland.
U.S. Men’s Roster for 2026 VNL Final
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)
15 Andrew Rowan (S, 6-7, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
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)
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 Final
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.
(All times PDT)
July 30
Quarterfinal: USA vs. Italy, 12 a.m.