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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 13, 2026) – Four key matches are on tap for the U.S. Men’s National Team as the squad prepares for the final week of Volleyball Nations League preliminary action, July 15-19, at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Tickets for many matches this week are close to being sold out, so don’t wait: Get your tickets.
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. The U.S. is 6-2 after the first two weeks of VNL play and currently are No. 2 in the VNL standings. This week’s opponents include Poland, ranked No. 3, Bulgaria (No. 8), Brazil (No. 9) and China (No. 17).
Head coach Karch Kiraly made just a few changes from last week’s VNL roster. Libero Mason Briggs returns to the lineup after not playing in week two, and Cooper Robinson is back at outside hitter. Kiraly is bringing two opposites (Jake Hanes, Cole Hartke) instead of three.
Micah Christenson and Micah Ma’a are the setters, and the middle blockers are Taylor Averill, Jeff Jendryk, Matt Knigge and Merrick McHenry. Joining Robinson at the outside are Matt Anderson, TJ DeFalco, Ethan Champlin and Jordan Ewert. Libero Erik Shoji is back for the third week.
U.S. Men’s Roster for 2026 VNL Week Three
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)
6 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
8 T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California Southern Nevada)
11 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC, Aloha)
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)
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)
20 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California Southern Nevada)
22 Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)
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 USA def. Türkiye, 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23),
June 12 USA def. Germany, 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20)
June 13 def. Canada, 3-2 (20-25, 33-35, 26-24, 25-21, 15-11)
June 14 Italy def. USA, 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-10)
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.