Renan Corriera
https://volleymob.com/usa-wins-gold-silver-pan-sitting-volleyball-championship/
- Oct. 26-29
- Montreal, Canada
Team USA x Brazil volleyball match-ups make up one of the world’s biggest sporting rivalries. Together, both nations’ national teams have played seven Olympic Games medal deciding matches, including four finals. As is expected, this rivalry also carries itself into sitting volleyball, in which both nations are ranked top 10 in the world and dominate Pan American play. So, it was not a surprise to see that both the men’s and women’s Pan American Sitting Volleyball Championships finals featured a Team USA x Brazil match-up.
The US Women had a perfect 5-0 tournament, in which they did not lose a single set. In the finals, they beat Brazil 25-16, 25-20, 25-16. Team USA hit .376 for the game, while Brazil hit only .090.
Brazil’s men’s team had a chance to avenge its peer’s loss in the men’s finals, and they did, handing Team USA a 3-1 defeat (25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16). Team USA was out-blocked 19-12 by Brazil. The U.S. Men and Brazil have played in the final of the Pan American Sitting Volleyball Championships in every tournament since 2009, the U.S. having never won.
Two Team USA’s Men’s players won tournament awards: James Stuck won the tournament’s Best Blocker award, while Jese Schag was considered the Best Defender. Meanwhile on the women’s tournament, Americans Monique Burkland won the Tournament MVP award while also being considered the tournament’s Best Server. Kari Miller was named Best Libero and Best Receiver and Lexi Shifflett was named Best Setter.
By finishing in the top two in both competitions, the U.S. achieved its goal of qualifying for the 2018 ParaVolley World Championships, which will be held in Netherlands.
TOURNAMENT RECAP
TEAM USA’S ROSTERS
WOMEN
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
1. Lora Webster (MB, 5-11, Point Lookout, N.Y.)
3. Lexi Shifflett (S, 5-4, Waseca, Minn.)
5C. Katie Holloway (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash.)
6. Heather Erickson (OH, 5-11, Fayetteville, NC)
7. Monique Burkland (OH, 5-9, Ardmore, Okla.)
8. Whitney Dosty (OH, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz.)
10. Kari Miller (L, 5-6, Washington D.C.)
13. Nichole Millage (OH, 5-7, Champaign, Ill.)
16. Nicky Nieves (MB, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla.)
17. Tia Edwards (OH, 5-7, Skitatook, Okla.)
Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
MEN
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
3. Nicholas Dadgostar (OH/S/DS, 6-0, Sidney, Neb.)
5. Eric Duda (OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6. Jese Schag (S, 6-2, Norway, Ill.)
8. James Stuck (MB, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa.)
11. Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La.)
12. Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M.)
13. Charlie Swearingen (OH, 6-3, Gulfport, Miss.)
14. John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga.)
15. Chris Seilkop (OH/MB, 6-6 DeLand, Fla.)
16. Josh Smith (Opp, 6-2, Riverside, Calif.)
17. Zach Upp (Opp, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill.)
18. J. Dee Marinko (OH, 6-4, Norman, Okla.)
Head Coach: Greg Walker