InsideHitter.com | April 11, 2026
HOBOKEN, N.J. The Middle Atlantic Conference Men’s Volleyball Championship returned to Canavan Arena on Saturday night, and so did the result its home crowd has come to expect.
The Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks claimed their fifth consecutive MAC Championship with a 3-1 victory over Messiah College, winning by set scores of 25-6, 22-25, 25-21, and 25-23 in front of a charged home crowd along the banks of the Hudson. The Falcons gave Stevens everything the Ducks could handle across the final two sets, making for a championship match that had plenty of genuine drama before it was finished.
Ryan Schmid was named MAC Championship Most Valuable Player after accumulating 39 kills across two tournament matches. The junior opposite from Harvey, Louisiana delivered 21 kills on Saturday, one short of his career high set twice this season, while adding five blocks and seven digs. On a night when Stevens needed its best player to show up, Schmid was exactly that.
Building Something That Lasts
Dan Buehring is just the second head coach in Stevens men’s volleyball history, having taken the position in January 2021. In only his third season leading the program, he guided the Ducks to their second national championship, defeating North Central 3-1 while posting a 35-3 record. That title cemented Stevens as one of the elite programs in Division III, but what has followed is arguably even more impressive: five consecutive MAC championships, each one requiring the Ducks to prepare, peak, and perform under tournament pressure.
By 2024, Buehring had compiled a 108-12 record at Stevens and coached six Division III All-Americans across three straight seasons of at least 30 wins. The program does not rebuild. It reloads, and Saturday’s championship team is the latest proof.
Stevens entered this season as the defending four-time MAC champions and were selected first in the MAC Preseason Poll, with Messiah earning the remaining three first-place votes just four points behind. Both programs backed up that billing with excellent regular seasons, setting up a rematch that was genuinely anticipated. Saturday marked the fourth time these two programs have met in the MAC Championship match, with Stevens now 4-0 in those meetings. Each of those four finals has been its own story. This one was no different.
How It Unfolded
Stevens came out with energy to spare in Set 1. The Ducks scored the opening six points of the match, with Schmid posting back-to-back kills and combining with Tyler Hoke for a block to push the early advantage. Schmid then ignited an 8-0 burst with a kill and followed it by serving seven consecutive points, a stretch aided by four straight Messiah attack errors including a tandem block from Greg Li and Quinn Bozarth. Julius Stiemer added consecutive kills to push the margin to 15, and Stevens closed the opener with four straight points, Stiemer finishing it off with a kill off a Bozarth assist. Final: 25-6.
Set 2 belonged to the Falcons, and credit Messiah for competing their way back into the match. The teams traded points evenly through much of the frame, with Stevens briefly leading 11-8 on a 6-2 run before Messiah reeled off three straight to take an 18-17 edge. After ties at 18 and 19, the Falcons found another gear, running away with three more points and holding Stevens to no closer than two the rest of the way. It was the Falcons at their best, patient, composed, and opportunistic when Stevens gave them an opening.
The third set belonged to Stevens again. The Ducks went up 4-1 early on kills from Hoke and Stiemer, then Schmid delivered back-to-back solo blocks to push the cushion to five. A double-block from Esteban Schmitt and Joshua Levandoske capped the decisive run that put Stevens ahead 17-13. Messiah fought off two set points before a service error ended it, putting the Ducks ahead 2-1.
Set 4 delivered the best volleyball of the evening. Stevens went up 7-4, watched Messiah rally 5-1 to reclaim the lead at 9-8, then saw the Falcons extend it to 13-10 on a 4-1 burst. Rather than pulling away, Stevens absorbed it and kept competing. Stiemer tied the score at 19 with back-to-back kills and then pushed Stevens ahead 21-20 with two more. Messiah earned one final reprieve on a Stevens service error before Buehring went back to Schmid, who delivered the match-winning kill to close it at 25-23. The Canavan Arena crowd made sure Schmid knew they appreciated it.
The Kagoro Factor
One of the more quietly significant storylines of the evening was how the Stevens defense handled Messiah outside hitter Alex Kagoro. The Cumberland Valley product has been one of the most productive players in the MAC this season, piling up 40 kills in a single day against Randolph-Macon and Eastern Mennonite University and contributing 29 kills on a .586 hitting percentage in a sweep of Eastern University earlier this spring. He arrived in Hoboken with first-team MAC credentials and the kind of season that earns genuine respect.
Saturday, however, the Stevens block and defensive system kept him in check. Kagoro finished with 18 errors on the night, a number that reflects how effectively Buehring’s team game-planned for Messiah’s most dangerous weapon. Forcing a hitter of Kagoro’s caliber into that kind of night is not an accident; Stevens identified where to apply pressure and executed it over four competitive sets. A tough night against the best team in the MAC is the kind of film study that makes good players better, and Kagoro has the talent to answer that call.
The Players Around Schmid
While Schmid rightfully claimed tournament MVP honors, Saturday’s win was built on collective contributions. Hoke was outstanding at the net all evening, producing six blocks, one solo and five assisted, alongside five kills. He has been the kind of reliable interior presence that championship-caliber teams need when their primary attacker draws extra attention.
Stiemer’s 14 kills and nine digs nearly reached double-double territory and represented the complete-game effort that Buehring asks of his outside hitters. Bozarth ran the offense smoothly with 42 assists and added six digs of his own, while Dominic Ambrose anchored the back row with 11 digs on a night when Messiah worked hard to generate offense in the later sets.
For the Falcons, the season deserves its own appreciation. Messiah reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 2025 and returned its core with Kagoro, Sharp, Snyder, and Tyler McConnell all back for another run. Finishing 25-5 with an 8-1 conference mark and reaching the championship match of one of Division III’s best conferences is a strong season by any measure. The Falcons have the pieces and the program infrastructure to be right back here next April.
What Comes Next
Stevens will learn their NCAA Tournament bracket placement Monday morning during the Selection Show at 10 a.m. on ncaa.com. The program has won two national championships, most recently in 2023 when Buehring led the Ducks to a 35-3 record and the program’s second title. Whether this group can push toward another deep run begins with Monday’s draw.
Five MAC titles in a row is a remarkable accomplishment. The Ducks have earned every one of them, and based on what Canavan Arena looked like on Saturday night, they are not finished making their case.
Stevens 25-5 (8-0 MAC) | Messiah 25-5 (8-1 MAC) Final: 25-6, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23