U.S. Women's Sitting Team Will Go for Gold at 2025 World Cup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 17, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team won its semifinal matchup against Canada, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-22) and will play for the gold medal at the 2025 World ParaVolley World Cup at the Turnstone Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The U.S. (4-2) will face the winner of the Italy-Brazil semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. PT. The U.S. lost to Italy, 3-2, in the first match of the tournament, and fell to Brazil, 3-1, on Thursday. The gold medal match will be live streamed on the Turnstone YouTube channel.

The U.S. looked poised and strong throughout the win, leading Canada in kills (22-18), blocks (9-6) and aces (9-2).

“We’re always glad to get a win and get into the finals,” U.S. head coach Bill Hamiter said. “Our first goal was to make it into the playoffs, especially with the players that we brought. We thought that would be a big goal for them. They played well today, especially on serving, which hurt Canada a lot in passing.

“I like the finish; we played well all week long, not any big ups or downs. That’s exciting as a coach, when you see the depth we’ve got in our program. That’s what we’re trying to build through LA and after. I’m excited about it. We’ll see what we can get done tomorrow.”

Nicky Nieves used a powerful serve to help lead the U.S. in the win. She scored 16 points with a match-high four aces, eight kills and a match-high four blocks. Emma Schieck had eight points on six kills, a block and an ace, and Raelene Elam had three kills, a block and an ace.

Tia Edwards had four kills and a block; Gia Cruz had two aces, a kill and a block, and Alexis Patterson had a block and an ace. Libero Bethany Zummo shined on defense.

Up 8-6 in set one, the U.S. went on a tear behind Schieck’s serving, scoring five straight points. The U.S. stretched the lead to nine at 21-12 and finished the set 25-17 on a Patterson block and Schieck kill.

The U.S. jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set. Up 7-4, it was Nieves’ turn for service pressure, as the U.S. scored six straight with her at the line. That effectively put the set out of reach at 13-4. Canada was never able to close the gap to fewer than six points.

The U.S. had another early lead in set three, going up 9-4. They were up by nine at 16-7 and 19-10 when Canada made a run, scoring five straight for 19-15. Canada got within three at 20-17 and 21-18. The U.S. had match point at 24-20, but Canada saved two before Elam finished the match with a kill.

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Roster for World Cup

No  Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
2 Bethany Zummo (L, 5-3, Dublin, Calif.)
3 Alexis Patterson (S/L, 5-4, Waseca, Minn.)
4 Maddy Ball (DS, 5-7, Delray Beach, Fla.)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla.)
10 Kari Ortiz (L, 5-6, Washington, D.C.)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C.)
13 Gia Cruz (S, 5-5, San Antonio, Texas)
15 Kendra Hall (5-7, Westfield, Ind.)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla.)
17 Jessie West (OH, 5-8, Edmond, Okla.)
18 Courtney Baker (MH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky.)
21 Annie Flood (S, 5-7, Salem, Ore.)
24 Raelene Elam (OH, 6-1, St. George, Utah, Northern California)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Grace Campbell
Performance Analyst: Jeff Hicks
Athletic Trainer: Samantha Carter
Mental Performance Coach: Brooke Lamphere
Team Manager: Jon Aharoni

Schedule

All times Pacific
Oct. 12: Italy def. USA, 3-2 (18-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-17, 16-14)
Oct. 13: USA def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13)
Oct. 14: USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-23)
Oct. 15: USA def. Germany, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-10)
Oct. 16: Brazil def. USA, 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 21-25, 25-15)
Oct. 17: Semifinals: USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25=22)
Oct. 18: Gold Meal Match: USA vs. TBA, 2 p.m. PT