U.S. Men Overpower Dominican Republic at 2026 Continental Championship

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 12, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team moved to 2-0 at the 2026 NORCECA Continental Volleyball Championship in Canada with its second sweep of the tournament, this time over the Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19).

Next up for the U.S. Men is Cuba (2-0) on Sept. 13 at 12:30 p.m. PT.

The U.S. used a powerful blocking game to win the match, notching 14 to just three for the Dominican Republic. The squad also led in kills (44-25) and aces (7-1). Setters Micah Ma’a and Andrew Rowan helped the team to a .436 hitting efficiency with just six errors.

Opposite Jake Hanes led the U.S. with 11 points on nine kills and two blocks, while outside hitter Jordan Ewert also hit double figures with eight kills, one block and one ace for 10 points. Middle Merrick McHenry had a match-high five blocks and added three kills and an ace. Outside Matt Anderson had six kills, opposite Cole Hartke had five kills and an ace, and outside Patrick Rogers had two kills, one block and two aces.

Rounding out the scoring: middle Jeff Jendryk had four points (two kills, two blocks), outside hitter Jacob Pasteur had four kills, middle Mike Marshman had two kills and two blocks, Rowan had a kill, a block and two aces, and Ma’a and middle Matt Knigge had a kill apiece. A

Libero Mason Briggs had seven digs in the third set to lead the U.S. All 14 players on the roster hit the court during the win.

The U.S. used the block well in the first set to keep the Dominican Republic at bay, led by McHenry with four. The Americans never trailed in the set, and a Hanes kill opened up the squad’s first four-point lead, 10-6. The Dominican Republic scored three straight to close it to 10-9, but a McHenry block made it 11-9. He followed with a service error to make it 11-10 USA, but two kills from Ewert, one from Hanes and a Jendryk block made it 15-10. The Dominican Republic never closed the gap, and the U.S. had a seven-point lead at 22-15 on a Hanes block. The U.S. finished the set on another McHenry kill and Hanes block.

Ewert took control in set two with six points. Up 9-7, the U.S. scored six of the next seven points to build a 15-8 lead. The Dominican Republic couldn’t get any closer than 17-11, as the U.S. scored three straight for a 20-11 lead. Anderson finished the set with his fourth kill.

The two teams stayed close early in set three, with the U.S. finally breaking open the match at 8-7 with a four-point run that included a Hartke kill, Marshman block and two aces from Rowan. Kills from Knigge, Pasteur (2) and Rowan helped extend the lead to 19-12. The Dominican Republic closed the gap to four at 23-19 before a Hartke kill gave the U.S. match point, and Rogers followed with an ace for the victory.

2026 NORCECA Continental Championship Roster

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)
7 Jacob Pasteur (OH, 6-4, Westminster, Md., Ohio State, Chesapeake)
8 Patrick Rogers (OH, 6-7, Rutherford, N.J., Ball State, Garden Empire)
12 Michael Marshman (MB, 6-7, Glenmont, N.Y., St. Francis Univ., Excelsior Empire)
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)
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/Team Manager: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Statistician: Kailani Wang

Schedule

All times Pacific
Sept. 11: USA def. Guatemala, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-11)
Sept. 12: USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19)
Sept. 13: USA vs. Cuba, 12:30 p.m.
Sept. 14: Quarterfinals and Classification
Sept. 15: Semifinals
Sept. 16: Finals