2 out men’s players fueling Team USA at the World Championships

Erik Shoji and Merrick McHenry hold a rare distinction as two out LGBTQ teammates representing Team USA on a men’s team.

Now Shoji, McHenry and the rest of Team USA are now hoping to move into the medal round at the 2025 Men’s Volleyball World Championships. Standing in their way is Bulgaria, whom USA will meet in their quarterfinal match.

The latest FIVB World Rankings have the United States moving up to No. 4 in the world, after its win over Slovenia at the World Championships. Bulgaria is ranked 11th. Neither team has lost a match so far at these 2025 World Championships. Still, the United States should be favored to win.

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If they can beat Bulgaria to advance to the semifinals, they will have a couple chances at winning a medal at these Championships. The United States won bronze at the World Championships in 2018, the only medal the country has won in the last 30 years. Bulgaria last won a medal — bronze — in 2006.

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Whoever wins this match should be favored to win its semifinal match, as the opponent will be one of two teams each ranked well outside the top 10.

Due to a loss by Italy in the round robin, the other semifinal matches up the top two teams in the world: Italy and Poland.

Them’s the breaks.

Merrick McHenry knows how to win championships. While playing for the UCLA Bruins, he and the team won two consecutive NCAA National Championships, and he won many accolades along the way.

McHenry has the UCLA record for career solo blocks. And in a couple years, he will likely be playing in front of a Los Angeles crowd at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Erik Shoji has been part of the USA team that won bronze medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and then again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

We highly doubt Bulgaria, with a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, will have many publicly out gay athletes on its men’s volleyball team.

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