Learn latest information affecting men’s and boys volleyball.
THE BIC – January 8, 2026
2026 NCAA NC Previews
UCLA begins the new season as the #1 ranked team in the AVCA National Collegiate Preseason Men’s Volleyball Poll. The Bruins are followed by #2 Hawaii, #3 Long Beach St, #4 Pepperdine, and #5 USC.
The 2026 AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll released earlier this week. Springfield enters the season ranked #1. The top five also includes #2 Carthage, #3 Juniata, #4 Southern Virginia, and #5 Messiah.
Austin Juniors Volleyball founder and Executive Director, Glen Lietzke, passed away on December 25. Glen’s collegiate coaching career included stops at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, Southwest Missouri State University, and the University of Texas. He was a tireless advocate for the growth of boys’ volleyball, including his work with the First Point Volleyball Foundation and the creation of the First Point Collegiate Challenge. Glen was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2018. Read more from USA Volleyball and Austin Juniors.
Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Alan Knipe has announced his retirement at the end of 2025 following an extraordinary 25-year career spanning both his time as a standout student-athlete and his tenure as one of the most celebrated coaches in Long Beach State history.
Knipe was recently selected as a member of the Class of 2025 for induction into the AVCA Hall of Fame, national recognition for his accomplishments on the collegiate and international level. That comes on the heels of his induction into the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame as well as his induction both as a player and as part of the 1991 National Championship team into the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Mark Pavlik Announces Retirement after 2026 Season
Penn State men’s volleyball head coach Mark Pavlik, the fourth-winningest coach in the history of collegiate men’s volleyball, has announced that the 2026 season will be the final season of his illustrious career.
Pavlik, just the third head coach in the history of the Penn State men’s volleyball team, has compiled a career record of 694-241, winning over 74 percent of his matches. He leads all active National Collegiate Division (DI-II) head coaches with his win total and ranks fourth all time among all collegiate men’s volleyball coaches. He led the Nittany Lions to a national title in 2008 and was rewarded with AVCA National Coach of the Year recognition. That was one of Penn State’s 25 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during his tenure in Happy Valley, which has resulted in four appearances in the championship match.
The Spring Arbor University Athletic Department will be adding the sport of men’s volleyball and will begin competing during the 2026-27 academic year.
Hope International (NAIA) Adds Men’s Beach Program
Hope International Athletics today announced the addition of men’s beach volleyball as its newest varsity sport.
Competition begins in the 2026-27 academic year under head coach Adam Cutrell, who also oversees the women’s beach volleyball program. Recruiting efforts are already underway to build a competitive inaugural roster.
The FrogJump Division III Preseason All-American Team recognizes the 20 NCAA Division III men’s volleyball players projected to be the best in the nation during the upcoming season. Players eligible for the honor had to be on an active roster for the 2025-2026 season.
Title IX is Why Boys’ Volleyball is Booming – Sarah Conklin
When Title IX gave girls real access to volleyball, it created opportunities never seen before. But it also sparked a lifelong love of the game that would eventually reshape the sport’s future.
Title IX passed in 1972. By the early 80s and 90s, women’s college volleyball was exploding. Scholarships increased. Rosters expanded. Full-ride opportunities became real. Girls grew up chasing something many of their moms never had the chance to.
They played in high school. They played in college. And they fell in love with volleyball at a level that simply had not been possible before.
Fast-forward a generation.
Many of those girls from the 80s and 90s grew up to become moms, coaches, teachers, players, and directors. They built careers around the game. And the boys in their lives grew up watching practices, peppering in the living room, shagging balls long before they knew what an approach was.
The Art of Coaching Volleyball and the JVA are partnering with USA Volleyball to produce a virtual coaching clinic targeted specifically at boys volleyball coaches. The clinic will take place this Saturday, January 10 at 9am – 4:45pm PT. Presenters include John Speraw, Karch Kiraly, Alan Knipe, and others. Registrants can watch sessions live or on-demand later. Full details and a link to register is featured below.
Did we miss one? Contact bradley.wilson@avca.org and let us know. Programs are also visible on the AVCA’s map:
Job Changes
Long Beach State Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Smitheran and former Associate Head Coach Nick MacRae have come to an agreement to promote MacRae, who will now serve as the program’s Head Coach following the retirement of long-time coach Alan Knipe.
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell has officially named Mike Iandolo as the Cardinals’ men’s volleyball head coach, removing the “interim” tag from the title he has worn since last June.
The University of Lynchburg and Director of Athletics Jon Waters are thrilled to announce the hiring of Joshua Knapp as the new head coach of the men’s volleyball program.
Arizona Christian University is pleased to announce the hiring of Ryan Wrublik as the inaugural Head Coach for Men’s Beach Volleyball, launching a new program set to begin competition in Fall 2026.
The UC San Diego men’s volleyball program has added Noah Cotterman to its staff as an assistant coach. The announcement was made Tuesday by head coach Brad Rostratter.
