1/8/2026
Buena Vista, VA – Defending a national championship is hard. Defending it after losing nearly your entire roster? That’s a whole different beast.
Southern Virginia University’s men’s volleyball program enters 2026 as the reigning NCAA Division III national champions, but the Knights will do so without nine players who defined their historic 35-1 season. National Player of the Year Christian Sheaffer, All-Tournament selections Jeremy Brown and Justin Madsen, key contributors Samuel Candland, Kristo Bianchin, Kyler Evans, Jayton Hall, Curtis Stone, and Maxym Sutton are all gone.
Collectively, this group accounted for approximately 1,300 points and the entire starting lineup outside of setter Tolman. They were the program’s identity, its firepower, its defensive backbone, and its depth.
Yet somehow, the Knights remain the favorite.
What They Lost
The numbers tell a brutal story of nine departures:
The Star Power: Christian Sheaffer: 4.00 kills per set, .417 hitting percentage, 13 kills in the national championship match. The apex predator of DIII volleyball.
Jeremy Brown: High-volume pin hitter, All-Tournament selection, 9 kills in the title match.
Samuel Candland: Clutch opposite hitter who provided offensive balance throughout the postseason.
Kristo Bianchin: Efficient attacker who recorded 11 blocks in the NCAA semifinal (breaking the program’s single-match record) and hit over .500 in the championship match.
Justin Madsen: CVC Libero of the Year, 223 digs in 2025, 12 digs in the championship match. The defensive heart of the team.
The Supporting Cast:
Kyler Evans: “Big Country” hit over .500 in the championship match, key energy player and blocker who helped SVU race to early leads.
Jayton Hall: Defensive specialist with 10 digs in the championship match, started in place of an injured teammate in the final.
Curtis Stone: 6-7 senior middle blocker who provided size and blocking presence.
Maxym Sutton: Senior setter who provided depth behind the Sheaffer brothers.
This isn’t losing a couple of starters. This is losing your entire starting lineup plus the entire bench.
What They Return
Here’s the twist: they return the most important player.
Gehrig Tolman (#4, Jr., S) is one of the best setters in Division III. The AVCA Second-Team All-American set a single-season program record with 1,009 assists (10.09 per set) in 2025 and orchestrated 36 assists in the national championship match. In volleyball, elite setting can mask a lot of offensive inexperience.
Beyond Tolman, the Knights return several players with championship experience:
Brady Dastrup (#19, So., 6-3, OH) – Made an immediate impact as a freshman in the 2025 NCAA semifinal, entering cold and delivering a crucial kill. Hit .341 in limited action and brings a 40″ vertical and USAV National Championship pedigree.
Jason Wang (#21, So., 6-7, OPP) – The sophomore showed high potential in 2025 with 98.5 points, 70 kills, and a .312 hitting percentage. At 6-7, he has the size to be the primary opposite.
Mitchell Barney (#8, So., L) – Gained valuable experience in the 2025 national semifinal. Prime candidate to replace Madsen.
Isaac Carrillo (#17, Jr., 6-1, OH) – Contributed 40.0 points and 23 service aces in 2025.
Kimo Hughey (#5, Jr., 6-4, OPP) – Provides depth at opposite with some 2025 experience.
Bryce Stringam (#3, Sr., 6-4, S) – Veteran setter who appeared in 13 matches in 2025 and recorded a career-high 19 assists. Provides crucial depth behind Tolman.
Keanu Calles (#6, So., OH/S) – Sophomore with a year in the program.
David Ward (#13, Sr., OH/RS) – Senior leadership on the pin. Transfer from Eastern Mennonite brings CVC experience.
The Freshman Class: Immediate Impact Required
SVU welcomed seven freshmen for 2026 – many with significant high school accolades – and several will need to contribute immediately:
Jack DeGraff (#18, OH, Folsom, CA) – 2025 Section MVP and 2024 League MVP. High-ceiling prospect.
Nathan Mitchell (#12, MB, St. George, UT) – Utah State Champion from Pine View High School.
Trajan Wadsworth (#9, OH/OPP, Provo, UT) – Vocal leader from Timpview.
Tommy Forese (#10, OH, Gilbert, AZ) – From Casteel High School.
Kaleb Puikkonen (#7, MB, Draper, UT) – From Alta High School.
Mark Tomlinson (#2, S, Chandler, AZ) – From volleyball powerhouse Perry High School.
Owen Christian (#1, L, New Milford, CT) – 2025 SWC All-Conference Libero.
The Peterson System: Can It Survive Without Star Power?
Head Coach Tom Peterson, the 2025 National Coach of the Year, now faces his greatest challenge. Peterson’s system is built on clinical efficiency: terminate rallies cleanly, minimize errors, defend at a high level. It’s a system that has produced four CVC championships (2019, 2021, 2024, 2025) and a national title.
The question is whether that system can work without a 6-6 outside hitter hitting .417 as a safety valve.
Peterson’s background is uniquely academic. He holds a Doctor of Education in Physical Education Administration and has authored research on coaching methodologies. This intellectual approach provides SVU with a repeatable blueprint that isn’t dependent on specific players, at least in theory.
Associate Head Coach Gabe Wagner, an SVU alumnus with a psychology background, will be critical in managing the mental pressure of defending a title with an unproven roster.
2026 Preseason Outlook
CVC Prediction: 1st or 2nd Place. The Knights topped the CVC Preseason Coaches Poll with five first-place votes, but Juniata (ranked #3 nationally by InsideHitter) is right on their heels. The gap between SVU and the rest of the CVC has narrowed significantly due to roster losses. This could be the year someone dethrones the defending champions in conference play.
National Prediction: Top 10-15, Second Weekend hopeful. Southern Virginia’s national ranking will depend heavily on early-season results. InsideHitter has conference rival Juniata ranked #3 nationally, suggesting the CVC isn’t as dominant as 2025. SVU’s case for a top-10 ranking is built on:
- The best setter in Division III (Tolman)
- Championship coaching (Peterson + Wagner)
- Championship culture
- Another wave of cultivated talent on the horizon to deploy
But let’s be honest: asking sophomores and freshmen to replicate what All-Americans did is a massive leap of faith. This team needs to prove itself before anyone pencils them into the Final Four.
Strengths
- Elite Setting: Tolman is a game-changer. His ability to run a fast, precise offense gives SVU a massive advantage.
- Championship DNA: This program knows how to win. Even the freshmen have joined a culture of excellence.
- Recruiting Magnet: The 2025 title turned SVU into the destination for non-scholarship Division III talent.
- Coaching: Peterson’s system is proven championship-caliber.
Vulnerabilities
- Offensive Inexperience: The team replaces 85% of its scoring. That’s catastrophic for most programs.
- No Safety Valve: Without Sheaffer’s apex talent, SVU can’t bail itself out of long rallies with a superhuman kill.
- Target on Their Backs: Every opponent circles this match on their schedule.
The Verdict
The 2026 season is a profound test of whether systems matter more than stars. Can Tom Peterson’s methodical, efficiency-based approach win without overwhelming talent? Can Gehrig Tolman elevate young hitters to championship level?
The Knights have the infrastructure, the coaching, and the best setter in the country. But they’re asking sophomores and freshmen to do what All-Americans did in 2025.
It’s the difference between building a champion and maintaining one.
Prediction: SVU battles for the CVC title with Juniata but may not win it. Nationally, they’re a second-weekend NCAA team if things break right – Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. But expecting them to waltz back to the Final Four ignores the reality of nine departed players and a conference that got stronger while they got younger.
The crown is heavy. And right now, these young Knights are still learning how to carry it.
2026 Schedule Opens: Jim Coleman Invitational (January 24-25)
Home Opener: vs. Averett (January 28, 3:00 PM, Knight Arena)