NCAA Males
April 17, 2025
The 2025 NCAA Males’s D3 Volleyball Match is ready and this 12 months 19 groups can be competing for the title. On Thursday, April 17th three play-in matches will happen; Buffalo St takes on Baruch, Randolph-Macon will go to battle in opposition to Nichols and St. Joseph’s (LI) faces Theil.
The primary three rounds are hosted by 4 websites: NYU, Stevens, Southern Virginia and Carthage. All these groups gained their respective conferences and rank within the high 5 of NCAA NPI, incomes the luxurious of enjoying on their residence courtroom.
A Deep 2025 Match Subject:
There are lots of 2025 match contenders this 12 months. NYU gained the UVC, defeated 15 nationally ranked opponents, and stay undefeated within the 2025 season headed into the NCAA Match.
Southern Virginia has amassed a document of 31-1 with 30 sweeps, crushed quite a few excessive ranked D III applications, and possess the physicality to beat anyone.
You possibly can by no means depend out Cal Lutheran, the 2024 NCAA champs. Kingsmen Michael Stahl can take over any match on the best facet.
Springfield appears to be enjoying excessive degree volleyball on the proper time, huge wins in opposition to Stevens and Southern Virginia. Coach Charlie Sullivan of Springfield has gained a number of NCAA titles and has a number of match expertise.
Juniata earned an at-large bid to the match with 12 wins contained in the Prime 25 as part of their rigorous schedule.
Stevens have spectacular wins in opposition to Messiah and have the chance to host their regional pod and earn a visit to the Closing 4 for the 4th consecutive 12 months. Coach Dan Buehring introduced residence a title to Stevens in 2023 and has a 2025 contenting squad.
Carthage has gained two titles underneath Head Coach JW Kieckhefer and have the chance to play at residence till the ultimate 4. Ben Heise and Owen Otto can do some injury on the pins for Carthage.
First time dancing:
Checkout the hyperlink to see the match bracket: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-men/d3/2025
Aurora – A perennial contender within the Midwest, Head Coach Dan Ames lastly received the Spartans over the hump capturing the NACC title with a 3-2 win over MSOE. Led by All-Area choices, outdoors hitter Josh McClellan (aka Maple DeFalco) and libero Alex Nonhof – Aurora will look to bounce late into the match as a part of their debut.
Buffalo State – A second 12 months program that has taken the AMCC by storm, Head Coach Dan Miranda and the Bengals punched their ticket with a 3-0 sweep over PSU Behrend. Led by AMCC Participant of the Yr Malachi Jackson, impression switch Alex Vega, and a proficient group of children – Buffalo State fears nobody and can make noise of their area,
Randolph-Macon – Yr 7 was the fortunate quantity for the Yellow Jackets as Head Coach Christian Taylor is taking RMC to the NCAA Match for the primary time in program historical past. After capturing the inaugural ODAC common season championship, they adopted it up with the match championship as effectively. Setter Kody Rogan was named ODAC Offensive Participant of the Yr and has a number of measurement to distribute the ball to, highlighted by outdoors hitter Ian Wagenhauser.
Thiel – Of their fifteenth 12 months as a program, Head Coach Dylan Lasher has the Tomcats dancing for the primary time in program historical past after successful the newly fashioned PAC. Frogjump All-Freshman choice Ezra Osterling obtained each Participant and Rookie of the Yr in main Thiel to an undefeated slate of PAC play. Joined by center blocker Kaleb Proudfoot- they are going to be a pressure to be reckoned with on the web.
How they received into the NCAA match:
Aurora: Received the NACC Convention Match.
Baruch: Received the CUNYAC Convention Match.
Buffalo State: Received the AMCC Convention Match.
Cal Lutheran: Earned an at giant bid.
Carthage: Received the CCIW Convention Match.
Juniata: Earned an at giant bid.
Lancaster Bible: Received the UEC Convention Match.
Messiah: Earned an at giant bid.
Mount Union: Received the MCVL Convention Match.
Nichols: Received the NEVC Convention Match.
NYU: Received the UVC Convention Match.
Randolph-Macon: Received the ODAC Convention Match.
Southern Virginia: Received the CVC Convention Match.
Springfield: Earned an at giant bid.
Stevens: Received the MAC Convention Match.
St. Joseph’s: Received the Skyline Convention Match.
Thiel: Received the PAC Convention Match.
Vassar: Earned an at giant bid.
Wentworth: Received the GNAC Convention Match.
Closing 4:
The Closing 4 will happen at The Cregger Middle in Salem, Virginia on April twenty fifth and the finals are set for April twenty seventh. The matches can be live-streamed on NCAA.com.
Info going into the match
- Springfield has 11 NCAA Titles and Coach Charlie Sullivan is in his twenty sixth season of being the top coach.
- Carthage has gained two NCAA Titles in 2021 and 2022.
- Juniata has gained 6 NCAA Titles.
- Cal Lutheran gained their first NCAA Title in 2024.
- Stevens has been topped the NCAA Champion in 2015 and 2023.
- This match comprises 7 of the highest 10 All-Time wins chief amongst energetic coaches (Sullivan, Pina, Peterson, Brubaker, Giglio, Gary, Buehring)
Prime gamers within the match:
– Juan Armando, Outdoors, Juniata
– Walter Birnbaum, Reverse, Vassar
– Michael Bowler, Center, Mount Union
– Sam Candland, Reverse, Southern Virginia
– Jordan Cooper, Outdoors, Cal Lutheran
– Connor Foxwell, Center, Wentworth
– Peter Gavroff, Outdoors, Baruch
– Ben Heise, Reverse, Carthage
– Luke Hoffman, Center, Juniata
– Malachi Jackson, Reverse, Buffalo State
– Joshua Levandoske, Outdoors, Stevens
– Payne Lounsbery, Setter, Vassar
– Alex Kagoro, Outdoors, Messiah
– Zach Knudsen, Libero, NYU
– Josh McLellan, Outdoors, Aurora
– Jack McClue, Outdoors, Mount Union
– Luke McPherson, Outdoors, St. Joseph’s (LI)
– Dylan Mulvaney, Springfield
– Alex Nonhof, Libero, Aurora
– Jack Normandin, Outdoors, Nichols
– Lucas Osicki, Outdoors, NYU
– Ezra Osterling, Outdoors, Thiel
– Owen Otto, Outdoors, Carthage
– Noah Pak , Outdoors, Baruch
– Kaleb Proudfoot, Center, Thiel
– Kody Rogan, Setter, Randolph-Macon
– Chris Rouleau, Center, Springfield
– Tanner Soracco, Attacker, Nichols
– Tucker Shearn, Libero, Vassar
– Christian Sheaffer, Outdoors, Southern Virginia
– Koby Sherman, Reverse, Stevens
– Michael Stahl, Reverse, Cal Lutheran
– Gehrig Tolman, Setter, Southern Virginia
– Alex Vega, Libero, Buffalo State
– Jacob Waga, Reverse, Wentworth
– Ian Wagenhauser, Outdoors, Randolph-Macon
– Ben Weber, Outdoors, Cal Lutheran
– Jordan Yoder, Outdoors, Lancaster Bible
Coaches Feedback:
On how aggressive the match is that this 12 months.
“The 2025 NCAA match is probably the most aggressive but! I feel the favorites are NYU and SVU, however there are a bunch of groups able to getting sizzling within the second and making a run. I imagine Cal Lu and NYU are nice examples of that from final 12 months’s match. I’m excited concerning the extra 3 groups to the match this 12 months. It would fully change the expertise for lots of groups for the higher! Some thrilling second spherical matchups for me are Carthage vs. Aurora, Vassar vs.. Cal Lu, and Juniata vs. Wentworth,” Head Coach Glenn D of Juniata.
“That is probably the most aggressive NCAA D III Males’s Volleyball Match I can keep in mind. There are extra groups that may realistically win this championship than at another time. Volleyball followers have a terrific championship match to look ahead to,” Head Coach Jose Pina of NYU.
How Springfield, Carthage and Vassar are prepared for the match.
“We’ve been examined lots this season and had good outcomes with an away win at Stevens and a house win vs Southern Virginia, their solely lack of the season,” Head Coach Charlie Sullivan of Springfield.
“They are saying groups who face adversity within the common season are inclined to have extra resilience within the playoffs. And if that’s true, this season has gifted us with a number of resilience,” Head Coach Richard Gary of Vassar.
“I feel we’re an excellent well-rounded workforce that may win in various methods. We’ve proven our capability to win with a balanced offense in addition to with some defensive depth and hustle within the again courtroom. Aurora is an enormous and bodily workforce. They characterize the Midwest effectively with their depth of expertise, measurement and physicality. Josh McClellan and SJ Nelson have scored a number of factors for them not too long ago, however their center blockers do a terrific job scoring, and their D Ball is likely one of the finest again row balls within the nation. Total, I feel this match goes to be probably the greatest matches of the match. We’re wanting ahead to being again within the NCAA match and having fun with the second,” Head Coach JW Kieckhefer of Carthage.
How the 2024 season has served Cal Lutheran effectively for the 2025 match.
“Final 12 months I battle examined the blokes… threw them to the wolves, they usually received the job completed. That’s what we have now to do! No one travels greater than us, performs extra matches in a row… all that tough work, has to repay, or a minimum of give them a psychological benefit in opposition to their opponent,” Head Coach Kevin Judd of Cal Lutheran.
Some nice match-ups this weekend:
“We performed Vassar final 12 months within the Finals! They’re a top quality workforce that may play huge when they should. We are going to now journey once more this Wednesday… to NYC, alter to a 3 hour time distinction… and attempt to put our greatest sport ahead,” Coach Kevin Judd of Cal Lutheran.
“A spotlight for us is our consistency. That is the 4th straight GNAC championship for us and the 5th straight NCAA match look in a row. The blokes graduating this 12 months have solely recognized enjoying within the NCAA match, which isn’t any simple feat. Juniata is huge, bodily and proficient. The final time we performed within the NCAA match was 2017, a 12 months that Wentworth went to the Closing 4. I feel Juniata has completed a terrific job constructing a tricky schedule and little question they are going to be ready to compete on the highest degree this week,” Head Coach Evin Giglo of Wentworth.
Particular because of Rob Wingert, the Head Coach at Misericordia for lending a serving to hand with this text. Wingert held a number of males’s volleyball NCAA management positions and has been the voice of the play-by-play asserting for NCAA Division III Males’s Volleyball Championships.
Kevin Pratte has enthusiastically been concerned in volleyball for over 23 years. Pratte began enjoying in center college and was lucky sufficient to play NCAA Division 1 volleyball at The College of the Pacific. After his enjoying profession Pratte received concerned in teaching volleyball. In 2009 Pratte was the graduate assistant coach for the College of Nebraska girls’s volleyball program. Later in his profession Pratte made teaching stops at College of the Pacific, a number of group faculties and coached at WAVE Volleyball Membership for seven years. At present Pratte is a bodily schooling trainer within the San Diego Unified College District, San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary member, a school volleyball recruiting coordinator, hosts a volleyball podcast present, the proprietor of the Center Hitter web site and runs a non-profit group to assist elevate funds to offer boys’ highschool volleyball college students scholarships to play membership volleyball. He’s excited to proceed writing for Volleyball Journal and is raring to cowl the sport.
Basis web site: www.kevinprattefoundation.com
Center Hitter Web site: www.middlehitter.com
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