U.S. Men's Sitting Team Drops First Match at 2025 PVPA Zonal

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 26, 2025) – The eighth-ranked U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team lost to fifth-ranked Brazil on Sunday at the ParaVolley Pan America Zonal Championship, 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-23).

The U.S. Men (2-1) will play Canada (1-2) in the second semifinal on Monday, May 27, at 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT. Brazil (3-0) will play Argentina (0-3) in the first semifinal. Admission to the ParaVolley Pan America Zonal Championship is free for all spectators at the Colorado Convention Center. Watch the Zonals livestream.

The match was closer than a 3-0 score might imply, as the U.S. Men had multiple chances to win. In the first set, the U.S. was up 21-19 and 22-21, and tied at 23-23. But Brazil scored two straight points on attack to pick up the win.

In set two, the U.S. was up early, 4-1, but Brazil scored nine straight for a 10-4 lead. The U.S. notched four straight kills, two each by Zach Upp and Jason Roberts, to cut the lead to 10-8. Brazil again led by five at 15-10. The U.S. did not let Brazil pull away, winning six of the next seven points to tie it at 16.

At 23-23, Rod Green had a kill to give the U.S. set point, but a Brazilian kill evened the score. Green again collected a kill for 25-24, but his follow-up serve was blocked for 25-25. Brazil won with a block and an attack error for the U.S.

The U.S. built a commanding lead in set three at 19-14 after breaking a 14-14 tie with five straight points. Brazil answered with six straight points to make it 20-19. The two teams stayed close until Brazil finished it at 25-23.

Head coach Greg Walker shared his thoughts about his team’s improvement as they work to defeat Brazil in future matches.

“The consistency of our foundation has probably been our biggest hurdle,” head coach Greg Walker said. “At big moments, when we get to 18, 19, there were some unforced errors on things that are pretty easy execution for us. We’re right there. We’ve closed the gap (against Brazil).”

Upp led the U.S. with 13 points on 13 kills. Rod Green and Eric Duda each scored nine: Green had six kills and three aces, and Duda had eight kills and an ace. James Stuck collected five kills and two blocks. Jason Roberts had five kills. John Kremer had a block and a kill while leading the offense at setter. Ben Aman had a kill, and Nick Dadgostar led the defense at libero.

Full Stats (PDF)

Men’s Roster

No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Mo.)
3 Nick Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb.)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla.)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6 Alex Wilson (OPP/OH, 6-6, Saugerties, N.Y.)
7 Robbie Gaupp(OH, 6-4, Gatesville, Texas)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa.)
10 Robbie Onusko(OH, 6-0, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La.)
14 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga.)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill.)
20 Jason Roberts (OH, 6-3, Moncks Corner, S.C.)
22 Brett Parks(OH, 6-0, Miami, Fla.)
23 Will Curtis (S/L, 6-0, Cumberland, Maine)