Peter Leicht serves the ball as members of his team look on from the bench area behind him

(Photo by Scott Abbott / Essay M

Men's Volleyball Hosts RWU Tuesday For 2026 Home Opener

1/26/2026 11:40:00 AM

HOME SWEET HOME
The Daemen men's volleyball team makes its 2026 home debut Tuesday when the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks come to Lumsden Gymnasium where the Wildcats have posted a 40-5 record since the start of the 2021 season.

SNOW DAY
A large scale winter storm across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. limited Daemen to just one match at the Red Flash Invitational hosted by fellow NEC member St. Francis this past weekend. The Wildcats made the trek to Loretto, Pa. where they suffered a 3-0 defeat to EIVA member NJIT, despite getting 13 kills and three service aces from Patrick Mullen. A second match at the four-event between Daemen and Queens (N.C.) scheduled for Sunday morning was scrapped because of the weekend snow storm.

BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen enters the season as the two-time defending Northeast Conference champions. The Wildcats posted a 15-13 overall record in 2025, including a 4-4 mark in NEC play. Entering the NEC Championship tournament as the No. 3 seed, Daemen knocked off second-seeded LIU, and proceeded to oust top-seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) on their home floor for the second time in as many years. Their reward this time around was being the recipient of the NEC's first-ever automatic bid to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. The Wildcats went on to host perennial powerhouse Penn State in the opening round, falling in three sets to end their season.

ALL-CONFERENCE CATS
Daemen placed a program-best six players on the All-NEC teams last season, four of whom return to the roster in 2026. Seniors Maverick O'Neill, Billy Wieberg and Kyle Zelasko, along with junior Jariel Giraud - all Second Team All-NEC selections last season - headline the Wildcats' 14 returners, along with junior Patrick Mullen. O'Neill is the team's most experienced player in the middle, having appeared in 54 matches over the last three seasons. He led the team with 80 blocks last season. Wieberg was the MVP of the NEC tournament, and he returns after averaging a career-best 2.84 kills per set last season. Zelasko has been the team's primary libero for the last two seasons, and he returns after leading the team with 194 digs in 2025. Giraud was limited by injury to 18 matches last season, his first as a starter, but still led the team in assists (602). Mullen will look to take his game to another level after posting 209 kills and 23 service aces last season.

BIG SHOES TO FILL
Perhaps the biggest question going into the season is how the Wildcats will fill the massive void left by the graduation of Zach Schneider. A three-time All-NEC First Team and two-time AVCA All-America honorable mention selection, Schneider appeared in 117 matches over parts of six seasons with the Wildcats. He left as the program's all-time leader in matches played, kills (1,483), service aces (156) and digs (625).

WHAT'S NEW
The Wildcats' 20-man roster features a six-player recruiting class. The greenhorns include 6-foot-1 defensive specialist Lucas Pynn, 6-foot-3 setter Rocco Lucci, 6-foot-7 middle hitter/right side Harrison Vargo, 6-foot-7 middle hitter/right side Jeremiah Laird, 6-foot-5 outside hitter/right side Charlie Allesi and 6-foot-6 middle hitter Luke Sullivan.

WHERE WE HEADED?
All over the place is the simple answer. The Wildcats' 2026 schedule includes matches in eight different states - California, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and, of course, New York. After returning from the season-opening trip to SoCal, Daemen will participate in four-team events hosted by Charleston (W.Va.) (Jan. 16-17) and Saint Francis (Jan. 24-25), before making their home debut Jan. 27 against Roberts Wesleyan. A trip to Indiana in early February to face former Wildcat head coach Don Gleason and his Purdue Fort Wayne team highlights the early portion of the schedule. Northeast Conference play gets underway Feb. 27 with new member Manhattan visiting Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen's rivalry with D'Youville takes center take in early March with the teams playing twice over a three day span (Mar. 3 at Daemen, Mar. 5 at DYU). The Wildcats visit Saint Francis for a rematch of last season's NEC Championship final on Mar. 20-21. The 2026 regular season concludes with LIU visiting Lumsden Gymnasium on Apr. 10-11. The NEC Championship tournament will be hosted by the No. 1 seed, with semifinals slated for Apr. 24 and finals on Apr. 25.

CO-FAVORITES
Daemen has been picked as the co-favorite in the 2026 Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats picked up three first-place votes, and finished tied with Saint Francis University (Pa.) atop the poll. Daemen enters the 2026 campaign as the two-time defending NEC champions. LIU and FDU each received one first-place vote, and finished third and fourth, respectively, in the poll. New NEC members Manhattan and Maryland Eastern Shore occupied poll positions five and six, respectively, while D'Youville was picked seventh to round it out.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Peter Leicht was named the Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for Jan. 12-18. Leicht registered 12 total blocks in Daemen's two matches last week, both played as part of the Charleston (W.Va.) Invitational. After posting four total blocks Friday against UMO, Leicht recorded a career-high eight blocks (seven assisted, one solo) in Saturday's tournament finale against the host Golden Eagles. Through four matches this season, Leicht leads Daemen with 15 total blocks, and is averaging a team-best 1.07 blocks per set. Leicht's Defensive Player of the Week selection marks the first weekly accolade of his career.

PRIME PERFORMER X2
Redshirt sophomore right side Patrick Mullen has been named to the Northeast Conference Prime Performer list in each of the first two weeks of the season. Through four matches this season, Mullen leads Daemen with 45 kills, and is averaging 3.21 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .129. Mullen notched a season-high 14 kills vs. Charleston on Jan. 17.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
In just their third season of competition, the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks are off to a 4-2 start with wins over Daemen's Northeast Conference brethren D'Youville and FDU. The Redhakws lone losses this season came to perennial powerhouse Hawaii. Head coach Mike Dedee has led the program since its inception, guiding the Redhawks to eight wins in 2024 and 12 more in 2025. Sophomore outside hitter Ryan DeJohn is pacing the RWU offense, averaging 3.40 kills per set. Dejohn totaled 30 kills in RWU's two wins over FDU last week. Sophomore setter Landon Brouwer has four matches with at least 30 assists, and is averaging 10.25 assists per set. Defensively, freshman middle blocker Jordan Hoover has made an immediate impact by posting a team-high 29 blocks thus far.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen owns a 4-0 edge in the all-time series with RWU. The Wildcats swept the teams' two meetings last season, including a 3-1 win at Lumsden Gymnasium when Jariel Giraud totaled 32 assists and Kyle Zelasko led defensively with 11 digs.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats and Redhawks meet again next Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the Voller Athletic Center on RWU's campus.

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