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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 23, 2026) –The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team, the top-ranked team in the world, swept second-ranked Canada and third-ranked Brazil to finish undefeated in round robin play at the USAV Sitting Cup on Saturday in Orlando, Florida.
The U.S. defeated Canada, 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-13) and Brazil, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-15) to finish 9-0 in sets heading into tomorrow’s championship at noon against North American rival Canada.
USA vs. Brazil
Setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay had a superb night, leading all scorers with 13 points on seven kills, four aces and two blocks. Middle blockers Monique Matthews and Tia Edwards each had 10 points (nine kills and one ace for Matthews; six kills and four blocks for Edwards).
Katie Bridge had three kills, three blocks and an ace for seven points; Emma Schieck had five points (one ace, two kills, two blocks), and Nicky Nieves had an ace and two kills.
“We are playing pretty well overall,” head coach Bill Hamiter said. “There are still some big ups and downs, swings on our side with some mental letdowns. It was a great win, but I was a little nervous at times. It just never had that feeling that we were playing at the level that we can play. We still have room to go up. We know Brazil so well and they know us so well, so it is always a tough match with a lot of emotion.”
After the teams split the first six points of the match, the U.S. went on a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 lead. Matthews delivered four kills in that stretch. Brazil pulled within a point, 11-10, on its own 6-1 run. A Nieves ace pushed the lead back to three points, 13-10. After the teams traded the following four points, Brazil evened the set at 15.
A Nieves kill and Schieck block keyed a 4-0 run that gave the U.S. a 20-16 lead and forced Brazil to take a timeout. Brazil pulled back within a point, 23-22, before the U.S. came out of its own timeout with a block by Bridge. After Brazil defended one set point, the U.S. took the opener on an Edwards kill.
A Bridge ace and Edwards block helped stake the U.S. to a 5-1 lead in the second set. A Matthews kill extended the margin to five points, 8-3. The U.S. went up by double digits, 10-4, on a Matthews ace. The lead was still eight points, 20-12, when Brazil scored three points in a row and prompted a U.S. timeout. The margin was just three points, 21-18, when Bridge came up with a key block. An Edwards kill ended the set and put the U.S. two sets.
Two kills and a block by Bridge, two Edwards kills and three service aces by Kanahele Maclay helped the U.S. race out to a 9-1 start to the third set. Brazil rallied with a 5-1 run to cut the deficit back to four points, 10-6. Kanahele Maclay’s fifth kill pushed the lead back to seven points, 15-8. An Edwards block, her third, gave the U.S. a 19-11 lead. A Matthews kill put the U.S. on the verge of victory, and after Brazil staved off two match points, Kanahele Maclay delivered the clinching point.
USA vs. Canada
Middle blocker Monique Matthews led nine U.S. players who scored with 12 points on 10 kills and two blocks. Outside hitter Katie Holloway Bridge (nine kills), middle Tia Edwards (six kills, three blocks) and setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay (five aces, two kills, two blocks) each scored nine points. Edwards hit .600 for the match with her six kills in 10 attacks without an error.
Nicky Nieves recorded four kills, and Emma Schieck added two kills and a block.
“We just needed a second to get into a rhythm and get used to each other. This is the first time this group has been together in a minute, and it was a lot of finding our joy, finding our fun, and finding our rhythm,” Schieck said. “Canada is always going to be scrappy and aggressive at the net, and we saw that. It’s who we want to play. We want to play high-level volleyball. I thought our middles and our blockers did a great job handling it and it made it really fun to play defense behind them.”
Canada took an early 9-5 lead in the match, but a pair of Kanahele Maclay blocks helped the U.S. even the set at 9-9. Kills by Schieck and Kanahele Maclay completed an 8-1 run that put the U.S. up 13-10. Trailing 17-15, Canada regained the lead by scoring the next four points for a 19-17 advantage. An Edwards block retied the set at 19 and a hitting error put the U.S. back out in front. After a Canada timeout, a kill by Edwards and two by Bridges gave the U.S. a 23-19 lead. Bridges’ fifth kill ended the set with the U.S. finishing on an 8-3 run.
After the fourth tie early in the second set, the U.S. used two Matthews kills to highlight a 4-0 run that put the U.S. ahead 9-5. A Canada timeout did not stem the momentum as Nieves recorded back-to-back kills for a six-point lead. A Schieck kill pushed the lead to eight points, 17-9. Three consecutive Matthews kills put the U.S. up 23-11. The set ended on back-to-back Nieves kills.
The U.S. scored the first three points of the third set and never trailed. An Edwards kill put the U.S. ahead by seven, 12-5, and led to a Canada timeout. A kill by Raelene Elam extended the lead to nine points, 15-6. The lead reached double digits when a Kanahele Maclay kill made it 21-11. A Whitney Dosty kill raised the lead to 11 points, 23-12 and a block by Alexis Patterson ended the match with the largest lead of the set, 25-13.
U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Roster
No. Name (Position, Ht., Hometown, Region)
2 Bethany Zummo (L, 5-3, Dublin, Calif., Northern California)
3 Alexis Patterson (S/L, 5-4, Waseca, Minn., North Country)
5 Katie Holloway Bridge (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash., Puget Sound)
7 Monique Matthews (MB, 6-0, Ardomore, Okla., Oklahoma)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz., Arizona)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla., Oklahoma)
11 Jillian Williams Coffee (M/OPP/OH, 5-10, Odem, Texas, Oklahoma)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C., Carolina)
13 Gia Cruz (S, 5-5, San Antonio, Texas, Lone Star)
14 Kaleo Kanahele Maclay (S, 5-6, Honolulu, Hawaii, Oklahoma)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla., Florida)
18 Courtney Baker (OH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky., Pioneer)
22 MaKenzie Franklin Wittman (OH, 6-0, Red Wing, Minn., North Country)
24 Raelene Elam (OH, 6-1, St. George, Utah, Northern California)
Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Grace Campbell
Assistant Coach: Steve Florio
Team Leader: Layne Smith
Performance Analyst: Jeffery Hicks
Athletic Trainer: Samantha Carter
Sports Psychologist: Brooke Lamphere
Nutritionist: Tatum Vedder
NTDP Coach: Tina Reading
Schedule
All times Eastern
Friday, May 22
USA def. Japan, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-12)
Saturday, May 23
USA def. Canada, 3-0 ((25-20, 25-11, 25-13)
USA def. Brazil, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-15)
Sunday, May 24
12 p.m.: Championship: USA vs. Canada