COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 28, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team dropped its first match of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) week to powerhouse Poland, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22) on Saturday before a sold-out crowd filled with fans of both teams at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

The U.S. (4-3) will complete the second week of action against Italy (5-2) tomorrow, Sunday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. PT.

Poland held small advantages in kills (40-36) and blocks (7-6) with the U.S. serving two more aces (7-5). Poland made nine fewer errors.

“What we’ve been doing throughout VNL is to try to find solutions and a little bit of improvement. We found a little bit, but we didn’t find the right serving target enough. We tried to make something out of nothing too much and didn’t take care of the easy plays,” said head coach Karch Kiraly. “We are looking forward to playing a very good Italy team. They are going to challenge us. This was a really good team and it was not Poland’s best team. They play with discipline, and they really pushed us, so we are looking forward to being pushed again and learning, for example, when to challenge a really good block and when we need to be smart. We made too many unsmart plays tonight.”

Outside hitter Cooper Robinson led the U.S. with nine points on six kills and three aces, and middle blocker Merrick McHenry hit .556 with six kills and just one error in nine attacks, adding two blocks, to score eight points.

Outside Jacob Pasteur (six kills, one ace) and opposites Gabi Garcia (seven kills) and Kyle Hobus (six kills, one block) each scored seven points. Middle blocker Matthew Knigge added five points on two kills, a block and two aces.

Outside hitter Jordan Ewert paced the team with six successful receptions, while Robinson and libero Kyle Dagostino each recorded three. Micah Ma’a totaled 13 assists and added an ace after taking over for Quinn Isaacson, who had seven assists.

“We made some changes. The guys are always ready on this team and that is something that makes this team special,” Ma’a remarked. “It’s tough to play here against Poland, but it’s also the best. It’s tough when the match is short because you just want to play all night. I thought we put up a good fight at the end, and Poland is a great team.”

McHenry scored three consecutive points, the first on a kill and then on back-to-back blocks to cut a five-set deficit to two, 11-9, in set one. A strong serve by Isaacson led to a Pasteur kill on an overpass to make it 11-10 but the U.S. was never able to square the set. Pasteur scored six points on five kills and an ace that clocked in at 76 miles per hour. Hobus finished the set with five points on four kills and a block.

Poland took a quick 6-2 lead in the second set, forcing an early U.S. timeout. The lead was five (16-11) when the U.S. went on a 6-1 run with back-to-back aces by Knigge tying the set at 17. Poland scored the next three points and never trailed after that.

Robinson came in to the match after the early timeout in the second set and scored his fourth point on an ace (to go with three kills) to make it 21-20 and McHenry scored his sixth point to pull the U.S. back within a point at 22-21. Poland ended the set with a pair of aces. Knigge matched Robinson’s four points with a kill and a block to go with his two aces.

The third set featured the return of captain and libero Erik Shoji, who was returning to the court after leaving with an injury in Wednesday’s match against China. Neither team could separate themselves in the set. Garcia scored three of the U.S. points in a row to tie the set 13, 14 and 15. A Poland hitting error gave the U.S. a 16-15 lead, its first since 4-3.

Poland took a 21-18 lead before the U.S. scored twice, pulling within one on a Robinson ace. Down 22-20, Robinson delivered a kill on a play started on a perfect pass from Shoji. Garcia finished the set with five kills, while Robinson scored five points on three kills and two aces. Shoji registered four successful receptions in the set.

U.S. Men’s Week Two Roster for 2025 VNL

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
5 Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
6 Quinn Isaacson (S, 6-2, Plainfield, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
7 Jacob Pasteur (OH, 6-4, Westminster, Md., Ohio State Univ., Chesapeake)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
10 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Florida, Stanford Univ., Florida)
12 Shane Holdaway (MB, 6-6, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
15 Kyle Hobus (OPP, 6-7, San Pedro, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
18 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
22C Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
25 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
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 Manager: David Dantes
Consultant Coach: Chris McGown
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy
Team Doctors:  Eugene Yim, Mark Hutchinson, Michael Shepard, Warren Young

2025 Volleyball Nations League Schedule for Week 2
NOW Arena
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
All times PDT; Matches will be shown live on VBTV and either CBS Sports Network or Big Ten Network

June 25 USA def. China, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11)
June 26 USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 30-28)
June 28 Poland def. USA, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-xx)
June 29 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Italy

Week 1 Results
June 11: Ukraine def. USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23)
June 12 USA def. Iran, 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 17-15)
June 14 Slovenia def. USA, 3-1 (25-22, 27-25, 20-25, 25-23)
June 15 USA def. Cuba, 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23)

KINGSTON — Canada’s under-19 girls’ volleyball team collected the bronze medal with an exciting victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday at the Pan American Cup.

Canada won the best-of-five match 3-2, taking the tiebreaker 15-10 at Queen’s University Athletic and Recreation Centre.

The United States beat Mexico in the gold-medal final.

Canada led in attack points 58-50, blocking 10-4, while Dominican Republic had one more ace (11-10). Canada also made more errors 35-24.

Opposite Sydney Bell (16) and outside hitter Sol Henson (14) led in points for Canada. Ambar Hernández (16) and Julie Millaray Arias (13) were top scorers for the Dominican Republic.

“It was a great team effort for us,” said Canada’s head coach Gina Schmidt. “The Dominican team served tougher than they did in the previous match we played against them. We were in system a lot in our first match, and they added some service pressure today, which got us out of our rhythm with our offence.

“Once we kind of settled that down and put on more pressure from service from our side, we were able to work our way back into the match. I loved the way our team reacted in that fifth set. Everyone found a way to contribute, so that’s important as we head into the next tournament.”

Most teams, including Canada, at the Pan Am Cup were using the tournament to prepare for the FIVB Girls’ U19 2025 World Championship, which will be held in Serbia and Croatia in early July.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press

KINGSTON – Canada’s under-19 girls’ volleyball team collected the bronze medal with an exciting victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday at the Pan American Cup.

Canada won the best-of-five match 3-2, taking the tiebreaker 15-10 at Queen’s University Athletic and Recreation Centre.

The United States beat Mexico in the gold-medal final.

Canada led in attack points 58-50, blocking 10-4, while Dominican Republic had one more ace (11-10). Canada also made more errors 35-24.

Opposite Sydney Bell (16) and outside hitter Sol Henson (14) led in points for Canada. Ambar Hernández (16) and Julie Millaray Arias (13) were top scorers for the Dominican Republic.

“It was a great team effort for us,” said Canada’s head coach Gina Schmidt. “The Dominican team served tougher than they did in the previous match we played against them. We were in system a lot in our first match, and they added some service pressure today, which got us out of our rhythm with our offence.

“Once we kind of settled that down and put on more pressure from service from our side, we were able to work our way back into the match. I loved the way our team reacted in that fifth set. Everyone found a way to contribute, so that’s important as we head into the next tournament.”

Most teams, including Canada, at the Pan Am Cup were using the tournament to prepare for the FIVB Girls’ U19 2025 World Championship, which will be held in Serbia and Croatia in early July.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

photo by: Journal-World Sports Staff

The Journal-World All-Area Teams.

Coach of the Year: MaryJo Swann, Eudora

Eudora’s girls track and field team placed second overall in the 4A state meet with three state champions in four events.

Player of the Year: Hanna Keltner, Eudora

Hanna Keltner

Keltner finished her Eudora career as a state champion in the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run. She took third in the 800-meter run at the state meet and set school records in those three events. Keltner will go on to run track and cross-country at Kansas State as one of the most prolific athletes in Eudora history.

Izzy Brunkow, Eudora

Izzy Brunkow

Brunkow won the 4A state championship in pole vault as a sophomore, setting a school record for pole vault during the season. Throughout the 2025 season, Brunkow consistently won pole vault events and was one of the team’s better sprinters.

George Hagan, Eudora

George Hagan

Hagan placed third in the triple jump at the 4A state meet, an event in which he set a school record for in the 2025 season. Hagan broke the school record three times, with his best coming in the state meet with a jump of 44 feet, 10.25 inches.

Adalyn Hemphill, Eudora

Adalyn Hemphill

Hemphill concluded her Eudora career as a state champion in the triple jump and a third-place finisher in the long jump. Hemphill is the school’s record holder in the two jumping events, and she was also the team’s highest scorer in 2025 with over 190 points.

Riley Howell, Lawrence

Riley Howell

Howell bounced back from injuries to finish his Lawrence career strong in the 100-meter sprint. He placed third with a 10.78-second time.

Irelyn Kennedy, Baldwin

Irelyn Kennedy

Kennedy placed second in the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run, while helping set a new school record in the 4×800-meter relay and the 4×1600-meter relay in her junior year.

Tucker McGuire, Tonganoxie

Tucker McGuire

McGuire concluded his Tonganoxie career as a state champion in the discus throw, as he managed a 172-foot, 6-inch throw in the state meet, which was two feet farther than any other 4A throw.

Kami Moore, Baldwin

Kami Moore

Moore was the runner-up in the 800-meter run and was a part of Baldwin’s 4×400, 4×800 and 4×1600-meter relay teams.

Sadie Reynolds, Free State

Sadie Reynolds

Reynolds finished her sophomore campaign as a regional and state champion in the discus, an event in which she set a school record earlier in the season.

Adalyn Schooler, Tonganoxie

Adalyn Schooler

Despite being just a sophomore Schooler won a state title in the discus throw with a throw of 130 feet, five inches. Schooler also qualified for the state meet in high jump.

Sienna Wesley, Lawrence

Sienna Wesley

Wesley, a sophomore, was the 6A runner-up in the long jump with an 18-foot, 0.25-inch jump. Wesley was also a dominant sprinter for the Lions throughout the track and field season.

Juliana Yaluk-Shults, Veritas Christian

Juliana Yaluk-Shults

As a freshman, Yaluk-Shults led Veritas in scoring for the season. She placed in every meet she competed in and showcased her versatility by competing in seven different events throughout the season. She broke the school record in the 200-meter dash–twice–and placed first in the 200 and second in the 100 at the KASC State Track Meet.

Honorable Mention: Hudson Andrew (Free State); Cayman Barnes (Free State); Austin Drewry (Free State); Tyler Dye (Lawrence); Alex Gonzalez (Eudora); Parker Jones (Free State); Grant Lichauer (Free State); Brenden O’Connor (Baldwin); Elias Salmeron-Dominguez (Veritas Christian). Reece Schmidt (Tonganoxie); Nate Steinlage (Eudora).

It is rare for an uncapped player to get picked in an overseas T20 league, especially when they have not played in their own country’s equivalent tournament. But Salonee Dangore did the improbable when she signed with Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) for the 2025 Women’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

A legspin-bowling allrounder, the 27-year-old Dangore is one of four overseas players at TKR alongside Lizelle Lee, Shikha Pandey and Jess Jonassen. For the last two WPL seasons, Dangore was a net bowler at Delhi Capitals, the franchise Pandey and Jonassen play for. It would not be a surprise if these two put in a word after watching her at close quarters.

Dangore’s cricketing journey is as improbable as her CPL selection. Growing up, she was a national-level athlete and had no interest in cricket. Until 2015, she did not even know of legspin’s existence.

“When I was in school, I used to run very fast,” she tells ESPNcricinfo. “So our sports teacher asked me to pursue athletics. I would do 100m, 200m, long jump and triple jump. During my Under-14 and Under-17 days, I represented Madhya Pradesh at the national level in all those events.”

She was around 17 when Jose Chacko, a Sports and Youth Welfare officer, advised her mother to make her switch to cricket for better opportunities. Dangore enrolled at an academy run by the former Ranji Trophy player Sunil Lahore in Indore. Since she had only watched boys in her residential colony bowl with long run-ups, she wanted to be a fast bowler. Lahore watched her bowl a couple of deliveries and told her to take up legspin.

After spending about two years at the academy, Dangore joined the Ramesh Bhatia Cricket Foundation (RBCF). As a track-and-field athlete, her fielding was top-notch, but she struggled to turn her legbreaks. That sounds incredible, because currently she can pitch it on middle and leg stump and consistently hit off.

“I was inspired by Shane Warne and the way he turned the ball,” she says. “But my arm would rotate in the other direction and most of my deliveries would end up as googlies. So I would watch his videos in slow motion to figure out how he did it.

“Apart from that, my coaches – Sanjay Choubey sir and Himanshu Vairagi sir – at the RBCF helped in correcting my arm alignment. It took a lot of effort but eventually I was able to turn the ball.”

Dangore made her debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2017-18. Two seasons later, she was their highest wicket-taker (14 in eight games, at an average of 11.50) and third-highest run-scorer (130 at 32.50) in the One-Day Trophy, before Covid-19 ended the tournament prematurely.

The turning point of her career came in 2022, when the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) called up former India legspinner Narendra Hirwani for a camp. “He changed my mindset completely,” Dangore says. “He said, ‘You will do what you think you can. So you should think you are the best legspinner in the world.’ That advice is still fresh in my mind and gives me a lot of confidence when I am bowling.”

Shortly after that camp, the RBCF also invited Hirwani to their academy. Since then, Dangore has had multiple sessions with him.

“Sir also advised me to bowl slightly faster,” she says. “So right now I am working on increasing my pace while maintaining the turn. Apart from that, I am working on my slider and googly.”

When it comes to batting, Dangore’s focus is on power-hitting and strike rotation, so that she can “contribute in every situation”.

The stints with Capitals have also helped her immensely. “In my first year with them, there were only two net bowlers, [VJ] Joshitha and me,” she says. “I used to bowl in the same set as Jess Jonassen and would ask her about my bowling, tactics, and what to bowl when. Whatever feedback I got, I worked on that.”

Dangore also realised she needed to shoulder more responsibility for her domestic side to stand out. In search of better opportunities, she moved to Chhattisgarh before the 2024-25 season.

She picked up only two wickets in six games in the T20 Trophy, but emerged as Chhattisgarh’s leading wicket-taker in the one-dayers with 15 scalps from six matches at an average of 12.00. With the bat, she was their second-highest run-getter with most of her 144 runs coming at No. 6.

That, in December 2024, remains Dangore’s last competitive tournament. Since then, she has had another stint with Capitals and is eager to show off her learnings. But with the CPL allowing teams to field only three overseas players in their XI, will she get enough game time?

“I am not thinking about that because it’s not in my control,” she says. “Whenever I get a chance, I want to give my best. Moreover, the pitches there [in Guyana] should help spinners.”

Dangore cites Shreyanka Patil’s example. Patil too was uncapped when Guyana Amazon Warriors picked her in 2023, though unlike Dangore she had had a full WPL season behind her. She finished the CPL as the highest wicket-taker with nine wickets from five games.

“I want to create a similar impact,” Dangore says. “Whenever the team needs me – be it with the ball or the bat – I want to win matches. I hope this stint opens up more doors for me.”

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America’s first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: “I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself.” Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, ” I’m no Angel.”