A graphically designed image with an inset action photo of Kyle Zelasko and a full listing of Daemen's 27-match men's volleyball schedule for the 2026 season

Men's Volleyball Announces 2026 Schedule

11/12/2025 11:00:00 AM

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University men's volleyball team will open the 2026 season with a two-match trip to Southern California, head coach Darek Przybyl announced today, along with the program's full 27-match schedule. The two-time defending Northeast Conference champions will play matches in eight different states and the schedule features 10 matches at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium.

The Wildcats meet UC San Diego (Jan. 9) and Pepperdine (Jan. 11) to open the season. Both opponents finished last season ranked in the top 10 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll - Pepperdine at No. 4 after a trip to the national semifinals and UCSD at No. 10. It will mark the second straight season that Daemen has opened in Southern California.

Returning back east, Daemen heads to the mountains of West Virginia for the University of Charleston Invitational. There, they'll face a Mount Olive team that spent four weeks in the AVCA poll last season, on Friday, Jan. 16, and the host Charleston Golden Eagles the following night.

Two neutral site matches hosted by Saint Francis (Pa.) are next, with Daemen taking on NJIT (Jan. 23) and Queens (N.C.) (Jan. 24). The Wildcats will be meeting EIVA member NJIT for the first time ever, and will face MIVA member Queens for just the second time ever, and for the first time since 2022.

The Wildcats make their home debut on Tuesday, Jan. 27 with local rival Roberts Wesleyan visiting Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen has won all four meetings between the teams since RWU added men's volleyball in 2024.

February opens with five straight road matches, but closes with the start of a season-long five-match homestand. After completing the yearly home-and-home with Roberts Wesleyan (Feb. 3), the Wildcats head to Indiana for matches against Northern Kentucky (Feb. 7) and Purdue Fort Wayne (Feb. 8), the latter coming against the team coached by former Daemen bench boss Don Gleason. Valentine's Day weekend has the Wildcats visiting Sacred Heart (Feb. 14) and American International (Feb. 15).

The Wildcats welcome Dominican (N.Y.) on Friday, Feb. 20 to kickoff their long homestand. A non-conference match with St. Thomas Aquinas follows on Feb. 21. Daemen gets into Northeast Conference play the following weekend, welcoming new NEC member Manhattan to Western New York for a pair of matches (Feb. 27-28). The homestand closes Mar. 3 with crosstown rival D'Youville visiting.

Daemen visits D'Youville on Mar. 5, and heads back to the Saints Center Gym for a neutral site contest vs. NAIA member Judson on Mar. 7 - the team's final non-conference match of the season.

The Wildcats head to DeGol Arena - site of their two NEC tournament championship victories - for a pair of league matches against Saint Francis. The Wildcats are 3-7 all-time against the Red Flash, but have won three of the last four meetings, including a 3-1 triumph in last season's NEC tournament final. Saint Francis is in its last season as an NEC member as the program will transition to NCAA Division III status for the 2026-27 academic year.

Another new NEC member - Maryland Eastern Shore - comes to Lumsden Gymnasium for matches on Mar. 27 and 28, and the Wildcats continue the conference slate the following weekend (Apr. 3-4) when they trek to New Jersey to face FDU for a pair.

The regular season comes to an end as LIU visits Lumsden Gymnasium for matches on Apr. 10 and 11.

The NEC Men's Volleyball Championship tournament is slated for Friday, Apr. 24 (semifinals) and Saturday, Apr. 25 (finals). The tournament's No. 1 seed will host with the top four teams qualifying.

Daemen returns 14 players, including five starters, from their 2025 team which posted a 15-13 overall record while advancing to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship for the first time in program history. All-NEC selections Kyle Zelasko (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Jariel Giraud (Orlando, Fla.), Maverick O'Neill (East Amherst, N.Y.) and Billy Wieberg (Grand Island, N.Y.) headline the Daemen returners.

Once again this season, all Daemen home matches as well as all Northeast Conference matches will be streamed to the NEC Front Row digital network. Tickets for home matches will go on sale in early January.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen men's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenMVB.

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