The United Volleyball Conference (UVC) is set to undergo major changes following the 2026 season, with new membership and leadership taking center stage.
Current UVC members Elmira College, Nazareth University, and St. John Fisher University will depart following the 2026 season to join the Empire 8, their multi-sport conference, to establish its own Automatic Qualifier (AQ) for the 2026-27 season.
Founding members New York University, MIT, SUNY New Paltz, and Vassar College in addition to Hobart College will remain in the UVC. In addition, Patrick B. Summers will take over as UVC Commissioner, replacing Chuck Mitrano, who established the single-sport conference that began competition in 2011. Mitrano also serves as Executive Director of the Empire 8 and will turn over the reigns as the E8 establishes its own AQ. Summers also continues to serve as the Executive Director of the New England Women and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).
NEWMAC men’s volleyball playing institutions Emerson College, Springfield College and Wheaton College will also join the UVC for the 2026-27 season.
"The UVC was a founding NCAA Division III men's volleyball conference and played a critical role in getting men's volleyball under the NCAA umbrella,” said Mitrano, who enters his 25th year as E8 Executive Director. “We have been good stewards and ambassadors for the great game. Fifteen years ago, there were very few programs, and the goal of a single sport conference should be to grow the game to a level that it will be adopted by multi-sport conferences signaling vitality for the sport. I am proud we are making this transition ethically in collaboration with the multi-sport conferences represented within the UVC membership to ensure opportunities for all their student-athletes are preserved, serving the greater good.
A special thank you goes out to Pete Bothner (Nazareth Director of Athletics), Pat Thompson (former Elmira College Vice-President for Athletics) and Russell Rogers (Stevens Institute of Technology Assistant Vice-President and Director of Athletics) who sought my service to collaborate and establish the UVC. It has been the top conference in the country since its inception. It will always have its place in history and will continue to be an exceptional conference for the foreseeable future after this evolution.”
The UVC has enjoyed unprecedented success over its first 15 seasons, with Nazareth winning the 2011 Molten Division III National Championship, in addition to Stevens earning the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship and most recently, SUNY New Paltz annexing the 2019 NCAA Championship. Three UVC programs were NCAA national runners-up, while a UVC team has made the NCAA National Semifinal match 16 times. In 2015, UVC programs Nazareth, New Paltz and Stevens were three of the four national semifinalists. In 2024, Vassar and NYU met in the NCAA Semifinal match, while the Violets were the No. 1 team in the AVCA Division III national poll for over two months in 2025.
On an individual level, the league has earned 126 AVCA All-American honors, with four AVCA Division III National Players of the Year (EJ Wells-Spicer, Nazareth, 2013; David Evans, Stevens, 2015; Christian Smith, SUNY New Paltz, 2016; Andrew Kim, Vassar, 2023). Kim became the NCAA’s first five-time AVCA First Team All-American, playing at Vassar and Hobart College and is the all-time leader with 1,828 career kills. Josh Bigford of St. John Fisher was a five-time All-UVC first team selection and four-time AVCA All-American.
ABOUT THE UNITED VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE
The United Volleyball Conference (UVC) is a volleyball-specific conference that features nine member institutions. The conference was founded in 2010 and began play in January of 2011. The UVC holds fair play and respect among its competitors to the highest regard and seeks to distinguish 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