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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 20, 2026) – USA Volleyball announces its preliminary roster for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League, headlined by eight Olympians, including the return of Matt Anderson and TJ DeFalco.
Under second-year head coach Karch Kiraly, the roster blends the Olympians with a core group of experienced national team players who competed throughout the 2025 VNL season, alongside several athletes looking to earn their spot. The team will look to build on last year’s quarterfinal World Championship run and secure one of eight coveted spots in the VNL Final Round.
The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Only the top eight teams will earn a spot in the Final Round, where a VNL title will be on the line.
From the preliminary list, U.S. coaches will select 14 athletes to compete at each of the three preliminary round stops: Ottawa, Canada (June 10-14), Orleans, France (June 24-28), and an anticipated homestand in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (July 15-19). Get your tickets.
Olympians Micah Christenson, Micah Ma’a, Jeff Jendryk, Taylor Averill, Kyle Ensing and Erik Shoji return from the 2025 season, and this year they are joined by Anderson and DeFalco, who both took the 2025 national team season off. Ma’a, Jendryk, Ensing and Shoji all played during the 2025 season, while Christenson and Averill joined the team for the World Championship.
“The depth of this roster is exceptional – eight Olympians, a strong core of returning national team players, and talented newcomers all competing for spots,” said head coach Karch Kiraly. “This group understands what it takes to compete at the highest level, and we’re ready to show that on the court all season, and especially at home in Hoffman Estates.”
Many of the athletes who earned roster spots during the 2025 VNL season are also returning: outside hitters Ethan Champlin, Cooper Robinson, Jordan Ewert, Jacob Pasteur and Nolan Flexen; middle blockers Merrick McHenry and Matthew Knigge; opposite Gabi Garcia; setter Andrew Rowan; and liberos Kyle Dagostino and Mason Briggs.
Middle blockers Michael Marshman, Cameron Thorne, Parker Tomkinson and Daniel Wetter; outside hitter Zach Rama; and setter Tread Rosenthal were all part of the 2025 VNL preliminary list but did not compete during the VNL season. Thorne and Wetter were part of the 2025 Pan Am Cup team, and Thorne competed on the 2025 Final Six team as well. Wetter played for the senior team in 2024 VNL, along with Marshman. Rama was on both the 2023 and 2024 Final Six teams, and Marshman played at the 2023 and 2024 Pan Am Cups, and the 2023 Final Six. Tomkinson and Rosenthal have yet to make their senior team debut.
Opposite Jake Hanes, who made VNL rosters in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, also makes his return to the national team. Libero Troy Gooch competed on the 2023 and 2025 Pan Am Cup teams. New to the senior team are outside hitter Sean Kelly, middle blocker Wesley Smith, and opposite Cole Hartke.
Head coach Karch Kiraly, who is in his second year coaching the U.S. Men’s National Team, is assisted by Luka Slabe and Javier Weber.
The U.S. Men finished 6-6 in 2025 VNL preliminary play and and just missed advancing to the VNL Finals. At the World Championship, the team advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost a five-set heartbreaker to Bulgaria.
U.S. Men’s Preliminary Roster for 2026 VNL
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)
5 Kyle Ensing (OPP, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
6 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
7 Jacob Pasteur (OH, 6-4, Westminster, Md., Ohio State, Chesapeake)
8 T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
10 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Florida, Stanford Univ., Florida)
11 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC, Aloha)
12 Michael Marshman (MB, 6-7, Glenmont, N.Y., St. Francis Univ., Excelsior Empire)
13 Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Univ. of Hawai’i, Northern California)
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)
16 Cameron Thorne (MB, 6-4, Hollywood, Calif., UCLA, Florida)
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)
19 Zach Rama (OH, 6-8, 2004, Phoenix, Ariz., UCLA, Arizona)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
21 Daniel Wetter (MB, 6-5, Camarillo, Calif., Cal State Northridge, Paris Volley)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
23 Nolan Flexen (OH, 6-9, Rio Rancho, N.M., UC Irvine, Southern)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
25 Troy Gooch (L, 6-0, Buffalo, N.Y., UCLA, Western Empire)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
27 Parker Tomkinson (MB, 7-0, Carlsbad, Calif., USC, Southern California Southern Nevada)
28 Tread Rosenthal (S, 6-9, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Univ. of Hawai’i, Southern California Southern Nevada)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
30 Sean Kelly (OH, 6-7, Manhattan Beach, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
31Wesley Smith (MB, 6-11, Encinitas, Calif., USC, Southern California Southern Nevada)
Head Coach: Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Luka Slabe
Assistant Coach: Javier Weber
Performance Analyst: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Senior Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker
Team Doctors: Andrew Gregory, Mark Hutchinson, Christopher Lee, Michael Terry, Eugene Yim
Statisticians: Jimmy Kim, Frank Pham
U.S. Men’s Schedule for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.
(All times PDT)
Week 1: Ottawa, Canada
June 10 at 8 a.m. vs. Türkiye
June 12 vs. Germany at 1 p.m.
June 13 vs. Canada at 1 p.m.
June 14 vs. Italy at 3 p.m.
Week 2: Orleans, France
June 24 vs. Cuba at 8 a.m.
June 25 vs. Iran at 8 a.m.
June 27 vs. Japan at 8 a.m.
June 28 vs. Serbia at 11:30 a.m.
Week 3: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
July 15 vs. China at 6 p.m.
July 16 vs. Brazil at 6 p.m.
July 18 vs. Bulgaria at 6 p.m.
July 19 vs. Poland at 6 p.m.