U.S. Men's Sitting Team Wins Silver at 2025 PVPA Zonal

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 28, 2025) – The eighth-ranked U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team qualified for the 2026 ParaVolley World Championship with a silver-medal finish Wednesday at the 2025 ParaVolley Pan America Zonal Championship. In an outstanding match by both teams in the final, fifth-ranked Brazil won the gold with a 3-2 (25-9, 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-18) win.

James Stuck was named Best Receiver for the tournament. Zach Upp earned Best Attacker honors; he also led all competitors with 17 aces, including 11 in the final.

Head coach Greg Walker shared his emotions about the progress of the U.S. Men and the athletes’ performances against Brazil, one of the best teams in the world over the last two quads.

“I think the biggest shift for us has been seen since the Last Chance Qualifier (for the 2024 Paralympics),” he said. “This is the best team that I’ve had with this USA squad. We brought some new guys in, and they’ve made such a contributing cultural shift for us. Everybody has just been really selfless in playing for each other versus playing for individuals. That’s helping us get where went to be.”

After being dominated by Brazil in the opening set, the U.S. regrouped to take the next two, bolstered by a crowd of fans from the USA Volleyball Open National Championship. Brazil won set four, and the fifth was a nailbiter, with Brazil only pulling away at the end.

Upp was on fire throughout the match, finishing with 30 points on 19 kills and 11 aces. Overall, he scored 95 points in the tournament, 30 more than Canada’s Douglas Learoyd in second place.

Eric Duda scored 13, collecting six kills, two aces and five blocks. Rod Green and Stuck each scored 12; Green had six kills, four blocks and two aces, and Stuck had 11 kills and one block. Ben Aman had two kills and two blocks. Alex Wilson had two kills and a block, and setter John Kremer and Nick Dadgostar were outstanding at setter and libero, respectively.

Brazil led in kills (48-46) and blocks (15-13), but the U.S. led in aces (15-7).

Next up for the U.S. Men is the Dutch Tournament, July 3-6, in the Netherlands. The ParaVolley World Cup will be hosted in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oct. 12-18.

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)

Schedule/Results

May 24
Men: USA def. Argentina, 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-19)

May 25
Men: USA def. Canada, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 33-35, 25-16)

May 26
Men: Brazil def. USA, 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-23)

May 27
Men’s Semifinal: USA def. Canada, 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12)

May 28
Men’s gold medal match: Brazil def. USA, 3-2 (25-9, 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-18)