2/24/26
In the gymnasium at Carver Center, the play happens in a blink. A pass rockets off the forearms of a libero, rises toward the ceiling, and before most eyes can track it, Colin Schaefer’s hands are already there, fingertips precise and timing impeccable, directing the ball to exactly where a hitter can do the most damage. It’s a thankless moment in time, a split-second decision that never makes the highlight reel. Until now.
Earlier this season, Schaefer surpassed Ryan Hirschel’s program record of 1,825 career assists to become Augustana College’s all-time assists leader in men’s volleyball, finishing the milestone with 1,877 career helpers and counting. The record stands as a testament not just to one player’s excellence, but to the consistency and durability it takes to direct an offense night after night, season after season.
The Player Behind the Numbers
Schaefer hails from Northbrook, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago, where he developed his game at Glenbrook North High School, a program with a strong volleyball tradition in one of the country’s most competitive prep markets. That suburban Chicago upbringing, steeped in competitive club and high school volleyball, laid the foundation for a college career that has quietly become one of the most decorated in Augustana’s history.
Now wearing No. 6 for the Vikings, Schaefer has established himself as one of the premier setters in Division III. Through his freshman and sophomore campaigns, he built a reputation as one of the CCIW’s most reliable playmakers, ranking among the national leaders in assists per set and racking up multiple double-doubles along the way. His ability to distribute the ball efficiently while elevating the hitters around him has defined his time in a Vikings uniform.
The Art of the Setter
Setting is often called the most cerebral position in volleyball. A setter touches the ball on nearly every other play, serving as the offense’s quarterback: reading the block, scanning the defense, choosing among three or four attacking options in a fraction of a second, and then delivering a ball that gives the hitter the best possible chance to score. Do it poorly, and your team’s offense stalls. Do it at the level Schaefer has, and a program’s record books get rewritten.
That precision has been on full display throughout his career at Augustana. Whether directing a sweep or managing a five-set grinder, Schaefer has shown the composure and decision-making that separates good setters from great ones. Night after night, he has found the right hitter at the right moment, and the assists have accumulated quietly into history.
Surpassing a Legend
The record Schaefer broke belonged to Ryan Hirschel, who graduated having compiled 1,825 career assists and who was himself a cornerstone of the young Augustana men’s volleyball program. Hirschel had set the single-season assists record (927) and the single-match mark (53 in one game), making him the gold standard for Augustana setters. That Schaefer now stands above those marks underscores how rare his combination of skill and durability has been.
The Viking Program
Augustana’s men’s volleyball program competes in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), one of Division III’s most competitive leagues. The conference regularly features nationally ranked programs, and for Schaefer to rank among the national leaders in assists per set while competing in that environment week after week speaks to the quality of competition he has faced throughout his career.
The 2026 Viking squad is built around a core of returning juniors and sophomores, with Schaefer at the controls of the offense. Head coach Mike Ducey has assembled a roster capable of competing at the top of the CCIW, and with Schaefer running the show, the Vikings have a proven, record-setting playmaker directing every attack. Cole Clarke, Alexander Sulewski, Ryan Huntington, Tom Lamb and Aidan Bolen are providing the swings on the attack as Colin spreads the offense and shares the wealth with his hitters.
What the Record Means
Records in college athletics are earned over years of early mornings, film sessions, ice baths, and bus rides to gyms across the Midwest. For a setter, the assists column represents every hitter trusted, every tactical read made correctly, every moment of composed decision-making under the stress of competition. Schaefer’s 1,877 career assists, and counting, represent all of that compressed into a number.
Schaefer is only a junior. He broke the all-time assists record at Augustana well before his college career is even finished. With a full senior season still ahead, the record he now owns could look very different by the time he takes his final set in a Vikings uniform. For a program record that stood for years, the player who just erased it may not be done yet.
For Augustana men’s volleyball, Colin Schaefer has already made his mark indelibly. And he is just getting started.
Colin Schaefer (#6) is a setter for the Augustana College Vikings men’s volleyball team. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and competes in the CCIW at the NCAA Division III level.