The UVC announced its 2025 individual awards and all-conference teams on Wednesday, April 9. The awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Hobart College graduate student Andrew Kim and NYU sophomore setter Devyn Nguyen were named 2025 UVC Co-Players of the Year, while NYU senior Zack Knudsen was named Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year for the third straight season and SUNY New Paltz outside hitter Nikko Tenedorio was named 2025 UVC Rookie of the Year.
 
Kim, the NCAA Division III all-time leader with 1,807 career kills, is enjoying a tremendous season for the Statesmen, as he leads the UVC and is third nationally with 4.53 kills per set and second in all of Division III with 5.35 points per set. Kim has recorded at least 10 kills in a match 17 times this season, including four 20-plus kill efforts. Kim, a two-time UVC Player of the Week, was also the AVCA Division III National Player of the Week on Feb. 16.
 
Kim is the first Hobart student-athlete be named UVC Player of the Year. This is Kim’s second UVC Player of the Year honor, as he also won in 2023 with Vassar. That season, Kim was named the AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year.
 
Nguyen, who was previously named the 2024 UVC Rookie of the Year honors, enters the UVC Championship ranked third nationally, dishing out 10.2 assists per set. In addition, he is second on the team with 134 digs and has added 30 blocks. A three-time UVC Player of the Week in 2025, Nguyen was also the AVCA Division III National Player of the Week on Feb. 16. Nguyen has had 14 matches with at least 30 assists, including a career-high 58 in a five-set win over North Central on Jan. 19.
 
Nguyen leads the potent NYU offense that is currently ranked second in Division III in assists per set (12.17), fourth with 13.04 kills per set and fifth with a .336 hitting percentage. Nguyen has helped lead NYU to a perfect 23-0 in 2025 entering the UVC Tournament. He is the first UVC student-athlete to be named UVC Player of the Year.
 
Tenedorio, a four-time UVC Rookie of the Week, leads New Paltz and is fifth among all UVC student-athletes, averaging 3.22 kills per set and sixth with 3.84 points per set, while hitting .271. He also leads the Hawks with 160 digs and 30 service aces to go along with 48 blocks. Tenedorio has recorded at least 10 kills in a match 16 times this season, including a season-high 23 in a five-set win over Vassar on March 26. He is the fourth New Paltz student-athlete to earn UVC Rookie of the Year honors.
 
Zach Knudsen of NYU was named the 2025 UVC Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year for the third straight season. Knudsen, a senior, has recorded 2.08 digs per set this season. He has recorded at least 10 digs in a match six times this season, including a season-high 16 in a win over Stevens on March 15. Knudsen is the lone NYU student-athlete to earn this honor.
 
José Piña of NYU was named UVC Coach of the Year. The Violets enter the UVC Championship Tournament as the top-ranked team in both the AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball national poll and NCAA National Power Index. NYU finished 7-0 in league play is 23-0 overall and will host the 2025 UVC Championship Tournament. The Violets, who advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals in 2024, are currently ranked second in Division III in assists per set (12.17), third in blocks per set (2.39), fourth with 13.04 kills per set and fifth with a .336 hitting percentage. Piña earned his third UVC Coach of the Year honor, having also won in 2012 and 2020.
 
Kim and Owen Wickens of Nazareth, who was also the 2021 Rookie of the Year, both garnered UVC first team accolades for the fifth straight year. Wickens is the NCAA Division III’s active leader with 305 service aces. NYU senior middle hitter Ry Kagan earned his second UVC first team honor. Nguyen and teammate Lucas Osiecki of NYU, along with graduate student Griffin Stella of St. John Fisher, who leads the nation with a .503 hitting percentage, also earned 2025 UVC First Team honors.
 
Overall, NYU placed six members apiece on the all-conference team, while Nazareth and Vassar were tied for second with three and St. John Fisher had two.
 
Top-ranked NYU is set to host the six-team 2025 UVC Championship Tournament this weekend. The quarterfinals will be played on Friday, as No. 4 St. John Fisher and No. 5 SUNY New Paltz meet at 5 p.m., while No. 3 Vassar takes on No. 6 Hobart at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, top-seed NYU will play the winner of St. John Fisher and New Paltz in one semifinal at 2:30 p.m., while No. 2 seed Nazareth will face the winner of Vassar and Hobart in the second semifinal at 5 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 UVC Championship on Sunday, April 13 at 2 p.m.

2025 UVC All-Conference Selections
Co-Player of the Year: Andrew Kim, Gr., OH, Hobart
Co-Player of the Year: Devyn Nguyen, So., S, NYU
Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year: Zach Knudsen, Sr., L/DS, NYU
Rookie of the Year: Nikko Tenedorio, Fr., OH, SUNY New Paltz
Coach of the Year: José Piña, NYU
 
UVC All-Conference First Team
Andrew Kim, Gr., OH, Hobart (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Mission Viejo)
Owen Wickens, Gr., OH/L, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit)
Ry Kagan, Sr., MH, NYU (Calabasas, CA/Calabasas)
Devyn Nguyen, So., S, NYU (Sage Creek, CA/Los Gatos)
Lucas Osiecki, Sr., OH, NYU (Middle Village, NY/Hunter College)
Griffin Stella, Gr., MH, St. John Fisher (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili)
 
UVC All-Conference Second Team
Grant Oh, Sr., OH, MIT (Irvine, CA/Orange Lutheran)
Buddy Cohen, Sr., MB, NYU (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar)
Emerson Evans, So., OH, NYU (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison)
Zach Knudsen, Sr., L/DS, NYU (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad)
Nikko Tenedorio, Fr., OH, SUNY New Paltz (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore)
Ian Rauh, Sr., MB, St. John Fisher (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park)
Gavin Akoto, Sr., MB, Vassar (Justice, IL/Argo Community)
Walter Birnbaum, So., OH, Vassar (La Jolla, CA/La Jolla)
 
UVC All-Conference Honorable Mention
Jordan Peiser, Gr., OH, Elmira (Great Neck, NY/Great Neck)
Daniel Sappia, So., OH, Hobart (Wellington, FL/Cardinal Gibbons)
Andrew Bodensteiner, Sr., MB, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/Spencerport)
Ryan Murphy, Fr., MB, Nazareth (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Armann Desai, So., MB, Vassar (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley)

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The members of the United Volleyball Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. For more on the UVC visit www.theuvc.org.