U.S. Sitting Teams Open Dutch Tournament Undefeated

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 30, 2023) – The U.S. Women’s and Men’s Sitting National Teams each won a pair of matches Friday without dropping a set on the opening day of the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands.

Men’s Sitting National Team: 2-0
USA def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-21) (PDF)
USA def. France, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) (PDF)

Against the host nation, nine U.S. men’s players scored, led by outside hitter Zach Upp’s team-highs of 17 points and 14 kills. Middle blocker Roderick Green totaled 10 points on five kills and five of the team’s 11 blocks.

Outside hitter Patrick Young recorded seven kills and one ace, while Ben Aman and Eric Duda each finished with three kills and two blocks. Aman served two aces and Duda added another ace.

“Patrick Young had a great opportunity to come in and he did a fantastic job,” said Team Leader Kyle Homeyer. “It is great to see someone who is able to improve from Edmonton to now.”

In the victory over France, Duda led the U.S. Men with 18 points on 13 kills, three blocks and two aces. Outside hitter Dan Regan finished with eight points and shared the team-lead with Duda with three blocks. Seven different players registered at least one block as the U.S. finished with a 13-2 advantage in blocking.

Alex Wilson and Chris Seilkop each added seven points, and Sam Surowiec finished with six points.

The U.S. Men, currently ranked eighth in the world, return to the court at 5:15 a.m. PT with a match against Italy followed by an 8:45 a.m. PT match against fifth-ranked Germany.

Women’s Sitting National Team: 2-0
USA def. Italy, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-20) (PDF)
USA def. France, 3-0 (25-7, 25-9, 25-3) (PDF)

Against Italy, Monique Matthews led the U.S. Women with 14 points on nine kills, four service aces and one block. Whitney Dosty also totaled double-digit points with 12 on eight kills, three blocks, and one ace.

“We knew that they would be a tough opponent, but we came out and attacked,” head coach Bill Hamiter said. “We also served and passed pretty well. We were able to continue that throughout the match even though we had a few more errors that we would have liked.”

The balanced U.S. attack featured three other players with at least eight points. Katie Bridge (five kills, three blocks and one ace) and MaKenzie Franklin (five kills, two blocks, two aces) each contributed nine points, while Kaleo Kanahele added eight points, including a team-high five aces. Tia Edwards shared the team lead with three blocks.

Hamiter was able to give multiple players an opportunity against France in a match in which the U.S. surrendered only 19 points.

“They are a new program, so we really didn’t know what to expect. Again, the team played well overall with a lot of players seeing a lot of significant playing time,” he stated.

Serving and blocking led the way for the U.S. in the match against France, finishing with 29 aces and 11 blocks. Outsider hitter Emma Schieck and setter Gia Cruz led the team with 15 points apiece, and outside hitter Maddy Ball added 12 points. Schieck, who had a whirlwhind trip after flight delays in the U.S., paced the squad with 12 aces and Cruz added 10.

Edwards recorded a team-high five kills, while Matthews and Dosty each registered four kills.

The U.S. Women, the world’s top-ranked team and the tournament’s defending champions, face host Netherlands at 12 a.m. PT and then play eighth-ranked Ukraine at 7 a.m. PT.

Matches are streamed at youtube.com/@dutchtournament3998

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Roster
No. Name (Position, Ht., Hometown, Region)
4 Maddy Ball (OH, 5-7, Delray Beach, Fla., Florida)
5 Katie (Holloway) Bridge (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash., Puget Sound)
7C Monique Matthews (MB/OH, 6-0, Ardmore, Okla., Oklahoma)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz., Arizona)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla., Oklahoma)
10 Sydney Satchell (L, 5-2, Windsor, Conn., New England)
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 (OH, 6-0, Red Wing, Minn., North Country)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Michelle Goodall
Assistant Coach: Jeffery Hicks
Athletic Trainer: Kat King
Performance Coach: Bobby Moore

U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Roster
No Name (Position, Height, Hometown, Region)
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)
6 Alex Wilson  (Opp/OH, Alexandria, Va., Old Dominion)
7 Robbie Gaupp (Opp/OH, Havre De Grace, Md., Chesapeake)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa., Keystone)
9 Troy Benesh (Opp/OH, Minneapolis, Minn., Badger)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La., Bayou)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M., Sun Country)
14 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga., Southern)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla., Florida)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill., Great Lakes)
49 Sam Surowiec (OH, 6-2, Everett, Wash., Evergreen)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Julie Allen
Performance Analyst: Sydnie Mabry
Athletic Trainer: Whitney Padgett
Team Leader: Kyle Homeyer

U.S. Schedule for the Dutch Tournament
(All times PT)
June 30
U.S. Men def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11-25-21)
U.S. Women def. Italy, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-20)
U.S. Men def. France, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22)
U.S. Women def. France, 3-0 (25-7, 25-9, 25-3)

July 1
12 a.m. U.S. Women vs Netherlands
5:15 a.m. U.S. Men vs Italy
7 a.m. U.S. Women vs Ukraine
8:45 a.m. U.S. Men vs Germany

July 2
12 a.m. U.S. Men vs Great Britain
2 a.m. U.S. Women vs Great Britain
4 a.m. U.S. Men vs Ukraine
6 a.m. U.S. Women vs Canada