Men's Sitting Team to Play for 5th after Loss to Iran

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 8, 2022) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team will play for fifth place at the World ParaVolley World Championships after falling to Iran in the quarterfinals on Tuesday 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17).

The U.S. Men (3-2) will play Ukraine (3-2) at 8:45 a.m. CT on Wednesday in the fifth-place semifinal.

There were many positive takeaways for the U.S. Men in their match against the No. 1-ranked team in the world.

The 50 points total that the U.S. Men scored were the most scored off Iran were the most an opponent has scored against it in the tournament thus far.

The U.S. also held Iran’s star player, 8-foot-1 Morteza Mehrzad, to nine points. He was the team’s third-leading scorer.

“We had some really good parts where we just battled,” U.S. Head Coach Greg Walker said. “You could tell Iran was getting a little frustrated with it.

“We’re one of the only teams in the world that have kept Iran to its lowest hitting percentage. We have been really effective on defense and kept getting good touches on a lot of balls.”

Defensive standouts included libero Nicholas Dadgostar, who finished with 24 receptions: 29 percent positive, and outside hitter James Stuck, who led the U.S. in scoring with eight points, including five blocks and three kills.

Opposite Eric Duda scored seven points on a team-high six kills and one ace.

Outside hitter Zach Upp totaled six points on four kills, one block and one ace. He also had 12 receptions: 58 percent positive.

Middle blocker Roderick Green scored six points on five kills and one block. Middle Chris Seilkop totaled three points on two blocks and a kill.

John Kremer started at setter. Ben Aman and Patrick Young played as substitutes.

“I hope we get to play Iran a lot more and maybe set up some training in the future,” Walker said. “Their head coach told me, after the game, ‘This is a very different team.’ He was impressed with the U.S. team and our competitiveness in the match.”

Matches are being live streamed at World ParaVolley on YouTube.

U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Roster for the World Championship

No Name (Position, Height, Hometown, Region)
1 Travis Ricks (L, 5-7, San Diego, Calif., Southern California)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Gateway)
3 Nicholas Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb., Chesapeake)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla., Oklahoma)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Florida)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa., Keystone)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La., Bayou)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M., Sun Country)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla., Florida)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill., Great Lakes)
21 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga., Southern)
49 Sam Surowiec (OH, 6-2, Everett, Wash., Evergreen)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Kyle Homeyer
Performance Analyst: Justin Chang
Athletic Trainer: Brian Farr
Team Leader: Bobby Moore

U.S. Men’s Schedule for the World Championship
(All Times CT)

Nov. 4 USA def Japan, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-14)
Nov. 5 Bosnia & Herzegovina def USA, 3-1 (25-17, 25-13, 24-26, 25-21)
Nov. 6 USA def Serbia, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-13)
Nov. 7 Round of 16: USA def Iraq, 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 16-25, 21-25, 15-9)
Nov. 8 Quarterfinals: Iran def USA, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
Nov. 9 Classification 5-8: USA vs Ukraine at 8:45 a.m. CT
Nov. 10 Placement matches for 5-15
Nov. 11 Medal matches