Massive number of games this weekend highlighted by 73 matches on the Saturday schedule. Many of the remaining 25 teams will startup including #1 SVU and #14 Loras. The Fenway tournament is this weekend as well which features many top teams headed to Boston. The season is now in full strength with the best volleyball yet to come.
Lots to present tonight with game recaps, scoreboard update, and an update on current team records with comments for each team’s start to the season.
Let’s jump in…
North Central College outlasted Illinois Tech with a come from behind five-set win (25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-27, 15-11) in a battle that showcased strong defensive play from both teams. IIT’s Paul Henderson led his team with 11 kills, while NCC was paced by Jeffrey McEachern’s 11 kills. Cooper Lundal and Carson Steinbach each added 10 kills and Danny Smithers lifted 21 digs for the winners. The match featured strong front-line defense, with NCC out blocking IIT 13 to 9, while both teams displayed strong back-rows with NCC tallying 70 digs to IIT‘s 71. North Central held a slight edge in offensive efficiency, hitting .151 compared to IIT’s .124, and recorded 11 service aces to IIT’s 8. The Cardinals rode the momentum after a come from behind set 4 win into set 5, got an early lead, and never looked back, prevailing in the fifth set 15-11. Elijah Johnson delivered key plays down the stretch, including a crucial kill and service ace. The match’s competitiveness was reflected in the final point totals, with NCC earning 111 points to IIT‘s 107. Illinois Tech has tested both NYU and NCC in their first matches and despite the 0-2 start, we expect them to fare well in the IH rankings.
NYU‘s third-ranked men’s volleyball team improved to 4-0 after sweeping Hunter College in straight sets (25-17, 25-12, 25-22) in their 2025 home opener at the John A. Paulson Center. Emerson Evans led the Violets with nine kills and five digs, while the team’s middle blockers Ry Kagan and Buddy Cohen contributed strong defensive performances with four and three blocks respectively. The Violets will next host a tri-meet with NJCU and Arcadia at the Paulson Center on Saturday, facing NJCU in their opening match at 11am.
St. Joseph’s Long Island men’s volleyball team secured their first victory of the 2025 season with a commanding 3-0 sweep against Bard, improving their record to 1-1. Sophomore Umberto Piscitelli led the charge with 12 kills and 11 digs, while junior Luke MacPherson contributed 9 kills and 22 digs, and setter Will Kropp provided 30 assists. The Golden Eagles dominated all three sets (25-14, 25-17, 25-9) while posting an impressive .322 hitting percentage compared to Bard‘s .011. The team will next host Springfield College on January 25th at the Danzi Center.
Bethany‘s men’s volleyball team won their first-ever match in program history, sweeping Carlow in straight sets (25-4, 25-18, 25-11) to secure their first win in the inaugural Presidents Athletic Conference season and Head Coach Chuck Shoemaker’s first victory at Bethany College. The Bison dominated with 25 aces, with Rylan Trapp and Alexander Hall each contributing five aces, while McKay Ginez hit .833. After a dominant first set featuring 12 aces, Bethany overcame a brief second-set challenge before pulling away for the victory with a strong third set. Logan Mills contributed 15 assists while Trapp showcased his versatility by recording stats in every major category (five aces, three kills, a solo block, an assist, and a dig). The historic win concluded with a fitting sequence as team captain Ginez secured the final point with a solo block.
Saint Elizabeth earned their first win of the season, outlasting Brooklyn College in a five-set thriller (26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10) at St. Joseph’s Hall. Brooklyn’s Joaquin Calderon led all players with 15 kills and 3 aces, while David Lema orchestrated the offense with 45 assists, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Saint Elizabeth’s balanced attack featured three players with double-digit kills (Jonathan Mundaray 11, Kodi Peters 10, Carlos Saldana 10), supported by the setting duo of Diego Rondon and Alan Noroña who combined for 45 assists. The Eagles sealed the comeback victory in the decisive fifth set, improving their record to 1-2 while Brooklyn fell to 0-1 on the season.
Eastern Men’s Volleyball secured a straight-set victory (25-17, 25-23, 25-23) over Wilkes in their 2025 home opener, improving their record to 3-1 while hitting an impressive .373 as a team. Kaodi Wokocha led the Eagles with 11 kills, including the match-winning point, while Symyr Byrd added 10 kills and Jackson Shafer led all players with 16 kills for Wilkes. The Eagles dominated the first set with a .684 hitting percentage but had to battle through closer second and third sets, overcoming a late deficit in the final frame. Eastern overcame Wilkes with strong offensive performances from multiple players, including Ronan Landis (18 assists) and Josh Hrabosky (13 assists), and will next face Lynchburg and Randolph-Macon in upcoming matches.
Aurora dominated their season opener with a straight-set victory (25-16, 25-14, 25-12) over Illinois Wesleyan, handing the Titans their first loss of the season while improving to 1-0. Josh McLellan led the Spartans‘ efficient offense with 12 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, while Logan Brouwer orchestrated the attack with 24 assists and added 3 blocks. Aurora‘s offense was nearly flawless throughout the match, committing only seven total attack errors across three sets while maintaining aggressive serving with eight team aces. The Spartans controlled each set from the start, building early leads of 6-2 in the first set, 7-3 in the second, and a commanding 11-1 advantage in the third. Aurora‘s dominant performance was anchored by strong defense, with Alex Nonhof recording 11 digs, as they held Illinois Wesleyan to their lowest offensive output of the season. The convincing victory sets a strong tone for Aurora‘s 2025 campaign, particularly impressive against an Illinois Wesleyan team that entered the match with an undefeated 4-0 record.
Earlier this week, several games stood out on the schedule…
The Endicott men’s volleyball team secured their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, outlasting Rivier in a five-set thriller (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 28-30, 17-15) that featured 39 ties and eight lead changes. Jake Laborde led the Gulls with a career-high 20 kills (.385), while Matty Tiernan notched his first career double-double with 50 assists and 10 digs. After splitting the first two matches of their season (losing to No. 20 MIT in their opener), Endicott showed resilience in the victory, particularly in the fourth set where they fought off multiple set points before ultimately falling, and in the decisive fifth set where they secured the win with a Laborde kill followed by a crucial block from Tiernan and Jackson Gray. The Gulls offense was particularly effective in sets they won, hitting above .368, with strong contributions from Corey Klass Jr. (14 kills, .500) and Aidan Iacovelli (13 kills), while their defense was anchored by Dan Battista’s perfect 21-for-21 serve receive performance. The win demonstrated significant improvement from Endicott‘s season-opening sweep by MIT, particularly in their offensive execution and late-game composure. The victory also showcased the team’s depth, with multiple players setting career highs and making crucial contributions in pivotal moments.
Rutgers secured their first NJAC victory of the 2025 season with a straight-set win over Ramapo (25-19, 29-27, 25-19), improving to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Scarlet Raiders offense was led by Aleks Kolodziej’s impressive 17-kill performance and Derek Au’s 33 assists, while hitting .287 as a team. Ramapo College, in their season opener, fought hard in a close second set but ultimately fell short despite Reece Kirchofer’s strong showing of 13 kills and 4 blocks. The Roadrunners (0-1, 0-1 NJAC) have a tough road in their next matches, traveling to Vassar for a tri-match against Nichols and the host Brewers on Saturday. Rutgers takes their 4-1 record to Hoboken on Friday to meet the undefeated #2 Stevens Ducks.
Emmanuel College secured a hard-fought GNAC victory over the Regis Pride (18-25, 25-18, 25-16, 24-26, 15-11), highlighted by senior Louis Da Silva setting a program record with 13 total blocks. Junior Michael Shelley led the Saints’ offense with 22 kills, while Brandon Valdes paced Regis with 13 kills in the losing effort. After Emmanuel squandered a 15-6 lead in the fourth set that could have ended the match, the Saints regrouped to take control early in the decisive fifth set and held on for their first conference win of the season. The victory improved Emmanuel to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in GNAC play, while Regis dropped to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
Here is a D3 scoreboard update up to and including tonight’s matches…
Here is an up to date look at all team’s records through tonight as well as comments on each teams start to the season…