USA Volleyball Takes Bronze at Men’s Pan American Cup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the first time since 2014, the U.S. Men's National Team is returning from the Pan American Cup with a medal, and Princeton University men's volleyball assistant coach Pat Shawaryn served on the coaching staff.

The squad claimed bronze after beating host Dominican Republic, 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 25-15) in the third-place match at Santo Domingo. The win avenged a five-set loss during the tournament's round robin.

"To be able to represent USA Volleyball in international competition has been a life-long dream for me," said Shawaryn. "To do it in this fashion with such a classy group of athletes and dedicated staff and to come home with a medal is an honor difficult to put into words. I am beyond grateful to USA Volleyball for this opportunity, to Andy Read and this incredible staff for including me, and to a great group of athletes who trusted in our process and put everything they had into this bronze medal. Thank you, USA Volleyball, I cannot wait for the next opportunity!"

Both teams scored 49 points in the attack, but the U.S. narrowly out-blocked (12-8) and out-served (5-3) Dominican Republic.

Five players scored double-digit points for the U.S., led by Merrick McHenry. The UCLA middle blocker scored 18 points, eight from blocks. He blocked 25 attacks in seven matches, second-most in the field. He was named the tournament's second-best middle.

Cole Gillis added 14 points – 10 kills – and Daniel Wetter scored 12, also 10 kills. Grant Sloan and Ethan Champlin each added 10 total points.

Setter Kevin Kauling rounded out scoring with a kill and an ace. In defense, libero Kyle Dagostino led the team with 26 receptions, 69 percent of them positive and 42% excellent.

USA won a close first set, and Dominican Republic countered by taking the second. The U.S. led for much of the third, but the hosts kept within striking distance, pulling within one at 24-23 before Gillis ended it with a kill.

In the fourth, the U.S. never trailed. The Americans extended their lead after the first technical timeout, ending the match on a 17-8 scoring run to clinch bronze.

Mexico won gold, beating Canada 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-20) in the championship match.

The United States now has eight medals from the Pan American Cup, more than any country except Argentina. This is the first time the MNT has won Pan Am Cup bronze.

Roster
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
2 Shane Holdaway (Middle Blocker, 6-8, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Long Beach State, Southern California)
3 Kevin Kauling (Setter, 6-8, Naperville, Ill.; Lewis, Great Lakes)
4 Cole Gillis (Outside Hitter, 6-5, San Jose, Calif.; UC Irvine, Northern California)
5 Jacob Pasteur (Opposite, 6-4, Westminster, Md.; Ohio State, Chesapeake)
8* Tyler Mitchem (Middle Blocker, 6-11, Bolingbrook, Ill.; Lewis, Great Lakes)
9 Nathan Lietzke (Setter, 6-6, Austin, Texas; Stanford, Lone Star)
11 Francesco Sani (Outside Hitter, 6-6, Bethesda, Md.; UC Irvine, Chesapeake)
13 Merrick McHenry (Middle Blocker, 6-7, Bedford, Texas; UCLA, North Texas)
14 Ethan Champlin (Outside Hitter, 6-2, Oceanside, Calif.; UCLA, Southern California)
15 Daniel Wetter (Middle Blocker, 6-5, Camarillo, Calif.; CSUN, Southern California)
18 Grant Sloane (Outside Hitter, 6-7, Irvine, Calif.; UCLA, Southern California)
19 Kyle McCauley (Outside Hitter, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif.; UC San Diego, Southern California)
22 Matthew Palma (Libero, 5-11, Costa Mesa, Calif.; UC San Diego, Southern California)
24 Kyle Dagostino (Libero, 5-9, Tampa, Fla.; Stanford '19, Florida)

Head Coach: Andy Read (Long Beach State)
Assistant Coach: Pat Shawaryn (Princeton)
Assistant Coach: Morteza Shiari
Team Manager/Statistician: Joe Skinner
Athletic Trainer: Jackie Chan

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