Bradyn Winters tips the volleyball at the net

James P. McCoy

Wildcats Head To SoCal For 2026 Season Openers

1/8/2026 10:00:00 AM

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
The Daemen men's volleyball team opens the 2026 season with a pair of games in Southern California this weekend, both against nationally ranked opponents. It starts Friday night when the Wildcats meet No. 10 UC San Diego, followed by a Sunday afternoon tilt with No. 4 Pepperdine. It marks the second straight season that Daemen has trekked to SoCal to open up.

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 record 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.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego opens the season at No. 10 in the AVCA rankings, the same position they occupied to end the 2025 season. The Tritons are members of the loaded Big West, a conference with all six of its members currently nationally ranked. The Tritons were picked fourth in the Big West preseason poll, but are coping with the loss of opposite hitter Anthoney Cherfan, setter Bryce Dvorak and outside hitter Josh Schellinger, who each earned All-Big West and All-American honors last season. The Tritons opened the season with a 3-1 win over Jessup earlier this week, getting 17 kills from Josh Ewert and another 15 from Leo Pravednikov.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen and UC San Diego will be meeting for just the second time in their histories. The Tritons scored a 3-0 win in the first-ever meeting, played Jan. 10, 2025.

SCOUTING THE WAVES
Pepperdine opens the season at No. 4 in the AVCA rankings, and the Waves boast five national championships in their program history. The Waves came up just short in their quest for a sixth national championship in 2025, falling in the national semifinals to top-seeded and eventual national champion Long Beach State. Head coach Jonathan Winder is back for his fourth season after earning MPSF Coach of the Year honors in 2025. The Waves also return their top six hitters from a season ago, headlined by Ryan Barnett and Cole Hartke who combined for 761 kills last season. Pepperdine opens its 2026 campaign by hosting St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday night.

SERIES HISTORY
Pepperdine is 2-0 in the all-time series, both 3-0 victories. The teams first met in 2020 at Daemen, and Sunday's meeting will be their first since 2023.

UP NEXT
After making their way back from SoCal, the Wildcats will head into the Appalachian Mountains to face Mount Olive (Jan. 16) and Charleston (Jan. 17), both at UC's Wehrle Innovation Center.

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