INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – On Monday morning, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced the bracket for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship. The No. 8 Messiah University Men's Volleyball received an at-large bid and will travel to Juniata College for the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons will take on the No. 16 Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon on Friday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. for a second-round match-up. Host No. 2 Juniata will take on Wittenberg University at 4:00 p.m. on Friday after the Tigers defeated No. 13 Wentworth in Thursday's First Round match-up. The winners of each game on Friday will play in the Elite Eight on Saturday, April 18.
General admission for Friday's contest is $11, with senior citizens and students with an ID being admitted with $9. Children aged 12 and under are $6.
Check out the 2026 Division III NCAA Men's Volleyball Opening Weekend preview below.
Messiah University Falcons
Middle Atlantic Conference Runner-Up
25-5 Overall Record, 7-1 Middle Atlantic Conference
How They Got Here
The Falcons of Messiah University enter the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid after finishing as MAC Runner-Up as the No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks claimed their fifth-straight MAC title behind a 3-1 victory. Messiah finished with a regular season conference record of 7-1 and went 1-1 in MAC Tournament play, both conference losses coming against No. 4 Stevens. The Falcons are second in the conference with 16.27 points per set, a .289 hitting percentage, 11.51 assists per set, 12.64 kills per set, 1.55 service aces per set, a .187 opponent hitting percentage, and third in blocks with 2.07 per set. They lead defensively with 9.27 opponent assists per set, 10.00 opponent kills per set, 0.77 opponent service aces per set, and 7.28 opponent digs per set.
Players to Watch
#4
Alex Kagoro – Senior Outside Hitter – 364 kills, 4.79 kills/set, .308 avg, 26 aces
#8
Tyler McConnell – Senior Outside Hitter – 252 kills, 2.86 kills/set, 19 aces, 31 blocks
#9
Brandon Sharp – Junior Setter – 918 assists, 10.09 a/s, 149 digs, 47 blocks
#18
Jake Eby – Junior Middle Hitter – 169 kills, 2.06 k/s, .426 avg, 76 blocks
#5
Aidan Dunwoody – First Year Libero – 210 digs, 2.28 d/s, .969 reception avg
Messiah has an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 4-3.
Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets
Old Dominion Athletic Conference Champions
30-4 Overall Record, 16-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference
How They Got Here
The Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon enter the NCAA Tournament via automatic qualifier after finishing as the ODAC Champion for the second year in a row. Randolph-Macon finished with a 16-0 undefeated record in regular season conference play before winning their ODAC Tournament play 3-0 and 3-1 for their second-straight title. The Yellow Jackets offense led the conference with 16.63 points per set, a .300 hitting percentage, and 1.93 service aces per set. The Randolph-Macon defense led the conference with a .162 opponent hitting percentage, 8.99 opponent assists per set, and 0.85 opponent service aces per set.
Players to Watch
#12 Ian Wagenhauser – Senior Outside Hitter – 295 kills, 3.43 k/s, .313 avg, 24 aces
#35 Bryce Matthew – Junior Opposite – 274 kills, 3.11 k/s, .337 avg, 37 aces
#2 Kody Rogan – Senior Setter – 926 assists, 9.65 a/s, 156 digs, 65 blocks
#6 Phillip Van Essendelft – Senior Middle Blocker – 213 kills, .365 avg, 93 blocks, .98 b/s
History Against Messiah
Messiah holds a 5-0 record against Randolph-Macon. Earlier this season, the Falcons earned the 3-1 win on Saturday, February 28 at Randolph-Macon.
Juniata College Eagles
Continental Volleyball Conference Champions
29-2 Overall Record, 6-1 Continental Volleyball Conference
How They Got Here
The Eagles of Juniata enter the NCAA Tournament via automatic qualifier after finishing as the CVC Champion after claiming a pair of 3-0 sweeps in the CVC Tournament. The Eagles offense is second in the conference with 12.38 k/s and fourth with 1312 kills. They lead the conference with a .302 hitting percentage.
Players to Watch
# 9 Tyler Phillips – Senior Outside Hitter – 283 kills, 3.08 k/s, .278 avg, 65 blocks
# 10 – Felix Baier – Sophomore Outside Hitter – 234 kills, 3 k/s, .280 avg, 29 blocks
#7 Will Sierer – Junior Setter – 931 assists, 10.01 a/s, 33 blocks, 149 digs
#4 Dante Palombo – Sophomore Middle Hitter – 70 blocks, .77 b/s, 152 kills
History Against Messiah
The Eagles hold a 6-2 advantage in meetings with the Falcons. Earlier this season, Juniata earned the 3-0 sweep over Messiah on Friday, February 6 on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
Wittenberg University Tigers
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Champions
22-5 Overall Record, 8-1 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League
How They Got Here
The Tigers of Wittenberg enter the NCAA Tournament via automatic qualifier after finishing as the MCVL Champion after 3-0 and 3-2 wins in the MCVL Tournament. The Tigers played in a first-round match-up with No. 13 Wentworth on Thursday evening and earned the 3-1 win to advance to the second-round match with Juniata on Friday afternoon. The Tigers are second in the conference with 1215 kills, a .275 hitting percentage, 1103 assists, and third with 12.15 k/s. The Tigers defense leads the conference with 201 blocks and is second with 1184 digs.
Players to Watch
#1 Eli Halverson – Senior Outside Hitter – 291 kills, 3.03 k/s, .318 avg, 195 digs
#9 Michael Yurk – Senior Outside Hitter – 241 kills, 2.80 k/s, .225 avg, 32 blocks
#8 Gavin Hagerty – Sophomore Setter – 517 assists, 5.44 a/s, 167 digs
#21 Reese Monin – Junior Middle Blocker – 55 blocks, .60 b/s, 156 kills, .385 avg
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and the Tigers have not met.
