Nationally-ranked NYU will look to earn its third consecutive United Volleyball Conference Championship, as the 2026 season gets underway on Jan. 10-12, with Nazareth University in action before the remainder of UVC institutions begin play the following weekend. NYU was the No. 1 team in Division III for 11 weeks, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals, while Vassar College also earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The top six teams will advance to the 2026 UVC Championship Tournament, which will take place at the home of the regular season champion and top seed on April 10-12. The UVC Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship.
   
Armaan Desai, Vassar, Jr., MB, Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley Central – Desai was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2025 after hitting .344 to go along with 86 blocks in 80 sets played (1.06 blocks per set), second in the UVC.
 
Casey Jackson, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH, Spencerport, NY/Spencerport – Jackson played in 88 sets over 27 matches last season, finishing third on the team with 154 kills and was fourth with 93 digs. He also amassed 21 service aces and 21 total blocks.

Luke Jata, Elmira, Jr., OH, Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge – Jata finished the 2025 season with 216 kills and was ninth in the league in both kills (2.67) and points (3.49) per set last season

Ryan Murphy, Nazareth, So., MB, Rochester, NY/Spencerport – Murphy earned UVC Honorable Mention honors in 2025. He led the Golden Flyers with 57 blocks and 0.66 blocks per set and ranked ninth in the UVC with a .349 hitting percentage. He registered 185 points and 131 kills.

Devyn Nguyen, NYU, Jr., S, San Jose, CA/Los Gatos – Nguyen, the 2025 UVC Co-Player of the Year, 2024 UVC Rookie of the Year and 2025 AVCA First Team All-American, was third in Division III last season, averaging 10.36 assists per set.
 
Daniel Sappia, Hobart, Jr., OH, Wellington, FL/Cardinal Gibbons – Sappia is a two-time All-UVC Honorable Mention selection, who has averaged 2.91 kills, 1.6 digs, 0.3 service aces and 3.36 points per set over his first two seasons with the Statesmen.
 
Nikko Tenedorio, SUNY New Paltz, So., OH, Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore – Tenedorio was the 2025 UVC Rookie of the Year, AVCA Division III Newcomer of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. Tenedorio led New Paltz in points (393.5) points per set (3.78), kills (328), kills per set (3.15, seventh in the UVC), aces (34), digs (176) and digs per set (1.69).

Kevin Windisch, MIT, Sr., L/DS, Anaheim, CA/Servite – Windisch returns for his final season after recording 183 digs, 59 kills and 46 assists last season. He is a two-time UVC All-Academic selection.  
Vassar – 44 Points (3 First Place Votes)
Vassar advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament for the third straight season in 2025 after winning 22 contests. The Brewers, who are the preseason favorites to win the UVC, advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in 2023 and NCAA Championship match in 2024. Head coach Richard Gary, who holds the program record for most coaching wins in Vassar men’s volleyball history, returns 13 players and four starters from last season, including AVCA Honorable Mention selection Armaan Desai in addition to junior Walter Birnbaum, a 2025 All-UVC second team selection, junior libero Tucker Shearn and sophomore outside hitter Shawn Zheng. Birnbaum was fifth in the UVC, averaging 3.25 kills per set and seventh in points per set last season. A host of newcomers, including Carroll Jenkins and George Idowu will look to make an immediate impact. Vassar begins the season ranked seventh in the 2026 AVCA/NVA Division III Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
 
New Paltz – 41 Points (3 first place votes)
SUNY New Paltz earned a berth in the UVC Semifinals last season and return 14 players from 2025, including its entire starting lineup. The Hawks won UVC regular season titles in 2021 and 2022 and NCAA Division III national titles in 2017 and 2019. Sophomore Nikko Tenedorio, the 2025 UVC Rookie of the Year, AVCA National Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American will be counted on to lead the way for the Hawks in 2026. He led New Paltz in points (393.5) points per set (3.78), kills (328), kills per set (3.15, seventh in the UVC), aces (34), digs (176) and digs per set (1.69). Senior Krish Jain, the 2023 UVC Co-Rookie of the Year, led the UVC averaging 1.1 blocks per set. Senior outside hitter Dan Shanley and junior setter Matt Marusza will be counted on to play a key role in 2026. Marusza was fifth in the UVC in assists per set last season. New Paltz begins the season ranked 12th in the 2026 AVCA/NVA Division III Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
 
NYU – 41 Points (2 First Place Votes)
Two-time defending UVC Champion NYU advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals in 2024 and finished 26-1 in 2025, earning a berth in the NCAA National Quarterfinals. The Violets, who were ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball national poll for 11 consecutive weeks last season, finished the season ranked fifth in the NVA/AVCA Division III National poll and begin the season ranked eighth in the 2026 Division III Preseason poll. The Violets will be returning 12 players from last season, but will have to replace graduating All-Americans Lucas Osiecki, Buddy Cohen, Ry Kagan and Zach Knudsen. Knudsen was a three-time UVC Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year. The Violets still have plenty of firepower, led by junior setter Daniel Nguyen, who earned 2025 AVCA First Team All-American honors and was the UVC Co-Player of the Year. Nguyen was third in Division III last season, averaging 10.36 assists per set. Junior Emerson Evans was sixth in the UVC, averaging 3.18 kills per set and sixth with 3.92 points per set. He will be expected to be NYU’s top hitter this season. Bennet Tchaikovsky will also be counted on to lead NYU’s defensive unit. Head coach Jose Pina, the 2025 UVC Coach of the Year and AVCA Regional Coach of the Year, has brought in several key newcomers, including Charlie Clifford, Artyom Derkach, Bo Ebling and Dhruv Prahipati.
 
St. John Fisher – 29 Points
St. John Fisher is looking to earn its second UVC Championship and make its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2026.  The Cardinals finished 24-9 in 2025 and were ranked as high as No. 11 in the AVCA national poll and in the poll for all 15 weeks. St. john Fisher will have a new look in 2026, with the graduation of former All-Americans Jake Baker, Griffin Stella and Ian Rauh. Junior outside hitters Sonepith Keoviengsamay and senior Gabe La Robardiere will also be counted on to emerge as key leaders for the Cardinals, along with sophomores Coleton Welter and setter Evan Hernandez. Sophomore transfer Nathan Dreger excelled last season at Sarah Lawrence College and will also look to make an immediate impact with the Cardinals. St. John Fisher begins the season ranked 17th in the AVCA/NVA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Hobart –  25 Points
Hobart has enjoyed tremendous success in its first two NCAA Division III seasons under head coach Steve England, finishing with 18 wins in 2024 and 20 victories last season. Hobart advanced to the first round of the UVC Tournament. In both seasons in addition, the Statesmen were nationally ranked for all 15 weeks last season, peaking at No. 9. Hobart, who opens the season ranked 16th nationally, returns 16 players, but will have to replace Andrew Kim, the 2023 AVCA National Player of the Year, five-time AVCA All-American and three-time AVCA Regional Player of the Year, who holds the NCAA Division III career record with 1,829 career kills and 2,139.5 points. Junior Daniel Sappia is a two-time All-UVC honorable mention selection, while classmates Gavin Meador and Noah DeLong, along with sophomores Alain Malcolm and Kian Kischke will look to take the next step for the Statesmen. Meador led the UVC, averaging 2.8 digs per set in 2025. Highly touted newcomers Charlie Dugan, Harry Fromberg and Nicholas Humphries will vie for playing time and add strong depth.
 
MIT – 20 Points
MIT will look to get back to the UVC postseason in 2026 after advancing to the league semifinals in both 2023 and 2024. The Engineers return 11 players and five starters from last season, including senior middle hitter Michael Rini and senior defensive specialist Kevin Windisch and sophomore outside hitter Braeden Baker. Rini was ninth in the league with 0.82 blocks per set, while Windisch was seventh in digs per set and fellow middle hitter Maddox Brandenburg hit .374 to rank fifth in the league. Head coach Todd Elwell has brought in a strong group of talented newcomers, including Xander Garrett, Matthew Louis, Nathaniel Black, Nathan Toth, Henry Garewal, and Colin Zimmerman to add strong depth to a veteran roster. MIT is ranked 19th in the AVCA/NVA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Nazareth – 16 Points
Nazareth won 19 matches and advanced to the UVC Championship match in 2025. The Golden Flyers were ranked in the top-20 for nine weeks and climbed as high as No. 13 nationally in 2025. Nazareth will have a new look in 2026, as Eben Meyer takes over as head coach for Cal Wickens, who announced his retirement after a legendary 21-year run in which he won more than 800 matches between the men’s and women’s programs. Nazareth will also look to replace the graduation of Owen Wickens, a five-time All-UVC selection and two-time AVCA First Team All-American, who slammed over 1,500 career kills. The Golden Flyers, who earned the No. 2 seed in last season’s UVC Tournament, returns nine players and three starters, including middle hitter Ryan Murphy. In addition, sophomore libero/setter Bodey Groff and senior AJ Burda will also be counted to lead the way. Nazareth starts the year receiving votes in the 2026 AVCA/NVA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Elmira – 7 Points
Elmira will have a new look this season, as Eddie Daoreuang takes over as head coach after helping lead the St. John Fisher women’s volleyball to back-to-back Empire 8 Championships, including a 30-2 record in 2025. He inherits an Elmira team that finished 17-8 last season, having started the season 12-0. Junior Luke Jata had 216 kills, was ninth in the league in both kills and points per set last season and will be counted on to play a greater role in 2026. Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Ethan Davenport, setter Nick Rohman, libero Connor Barton and outside hitter Gabe Staron are expected to serve as leaders on and off the court for the Soaring Eagles this season.
 
Final 2025 UVC Standings
NYU (26-1, 7-0 UVC) – League Champions; NCAA Quarterfinalist
Nazareth (19-11, 5-2 UVC)
Vassar (22-7, 4-3 UVC) – NCAA Tournament
St. John Fisher (24-9, 4-3 UVC)
New Paltz (14-14, 4-3 UVC)
Hobart (20-9, 3-4 UVC)
Elmira (17-8, 1-6 UVC)
MIT (16-14, 0-7 UVC)