KP HERE Season 4, Episode 21 NCAA Division III Coaches Huddle

KP Sits Down with NCAA Division III men's volleyball coaches to recap the 2026 NCAA men's volleyball season.  Joining KP is Glenn DeHaven (Juniata), Evin Giglio (Wentworth), and Doug Burchett (Dominican).

Websites to checkout:
www.middlehitter.com
www.kevinprattefoundation.com
https://www.ontocollege.com/

https://jvavolleyball.org/

Instagram:
@kprecruiter
@kevinprattefoundation
@ontocollege

@jvavolleyball

Sponsored by On To College.  Checkout the on to college website and type in the discount code ScoreKP for a discount.  On To College is a great resource to improve SAT and ACT scores to help you get into top college volleyball programs.

Thanks to JVA on partnering up with KP'S CREW! They offer affordable insurance for camps and club teams.  JVA is all about growing the game of volleyball and providing opportunities for all.  Thanks JVA!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Well, KP here, and welcome to the Kevin Pratt Podcast. We have our Division III coaches. We're gonna recap the Division III season a little bit. We're gonna really dive into the final four, but of course, we have our wonderful panel and who has been with us all year and just greatly appreciate you guys. And Coach Doug from Dominican, why don't you uh say hello?

SPEAKER_00 0:23

What's up, KP? Glad to be back for our final week. It's been an awesome season. Great opportunity working with these guys again on a weekly basis. Sun has been shining here in Chicago and ready for summer.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Yeah, I um looking forward to seeing potentially you in a few weeks. I'll be there in June, Coach Doug, for a Cubs game, and I'm glad that you're saying the weather's good there. That's awesome. How is the wonderful Coach Evan of Wentworth? How are you doing, my friend?

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Doing good, KP. I talk a little bit of volleyball because I just happened to be in person for the last couple matches of the year. Had a chance to broadcast uh the national championship and the uh Springfield versus Kalou match. So uh saw it all front and center.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

That's awesome. And uh Coach Glenn, how are you doing over in Juniata?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Doing really well, KP. I'm excited to kind of close this year out. I'm definitely missing some volleyball a little bit, but I think it's been a nice break. Um we're actually in finals week now here at Juniata, so nice to kind of wrap everything up with a bow and head into summer.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Yeah, and let's just get right into it, guys. Uh obviously we discussed the ABCA All-Americans, we went over the playoffs, we went over the regular season at length. We left last with the final four being played, and it was played at Springfield, and I think it'd be really good for Coach Evan to kind of paint the picture because he was there and he called it. Coach Evan, the floor is yours. Why don't you give a little recap of like the final four? And I know we'll get some thoughts from Coach Doug and Coach Glenn as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:57

Yeah, so you know, for people that know about Springfield, it's a school that is heavy on athletics, and all those teams showed up. The gym was, you know, it's not a huge gym. It fits, I don't know, a thousand people. And uh there was probably about twelve hundred in there. It was uh it was kind of a wild scene. I was talking to Kevin Judd from Kahaloo, and he said, you know, they they got off the bus to one of the days, I think, to go to practice. He said one of the Springfield teams was practicing it on the field. I'm not gonna say which team. They stopped their practice and they went over to boo Kahaloo getting off the the off the bus. And I was like, that's amazing. You gotta respect that kind of support. Uh and so it was rocking in there. And uh and and Springfield, you know, took it to Kahaloo. Kahloo's uh pins had a great year and they just couldn't get it going. And then the second match, Carthage over Wittenberg. I think Carthage sided out at 100% in the first set, which is pretty hard to do against anyone, let alone the final four. That's what Carthage was pretty much in control of that match. And then, you know, if there was 1,200 people there on Thursday, then there was 1,400 people there on Saturday. And it was just, I felt like I had to yell into the mic doing the broadcast because it was just so loud in there. And uh Springfield played really clean volleyball, they played, they played great. They had uh their their O2 Deloria, who he had 16 kills in that match, which was a season high. All right, so to in a three-setter in the national championship to have your best match as not being one of their, you know, maybe their first or second option on offense, that dude kind of took over and was really, really good. So uh it was a really competitive match, uh, but Springfield pretty much was in control for the most part. Carthage had a chance on set one to steal it, but it was pretty back and forth, and uh yeah, it was just a really, really cool atmosphere for men's level.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Yeah, and uh, you know, we were recording the night of the NCAA Division I national championship, and uh, you know, it was exciting to watch. Obviously, it was played at UCLA and Hawaii and uh UCI were playing, but it is really magical, Coach Evan, when a team can host the championship and make it there. I remember one year Stevens, I believe, Institute of Technology, they won on their home court. I believe Carthage has won on their home court before. What's the process like for the for an NCAA program? Do they just go and simply apply? Is it a two or three year process? Does anyone want to chime in on that?

SPEAKER_03 4:25

Yeah. I mean, I've been on the national committee, right, where teams can can put in bids to host. And you just have to meet some certain criteria about being able to host enough teams, have locker room space, you know, show that you can garner the level of support. And you don't even need to have a men's volleyball team, actually, to put in to host. So next year, I believe it's gonna be in Maryland at uh Glenn, where is it at? Salisbury. Salisbury. There you go. They don't have a men's volleyball program, right? So it'll be a very interesting uh it's happened before, right? We've uh we've had championships in Virginia, Salem, Virginia, right? Before they had a men's program. So anybody can put in a bid to host. You just gotta meet the criteria and have the manpower to make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

And I think that following year, if I'm correct too, it's not being hosted by an institution. Well, it's being hosted by the city of Pittsburgh, and I believe it'll be hosted at Duquesne that following year, too, which once again doesn't have men's volleyball, but it's a great facility.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Now, is the angle of approach on that, Coach Glenn? Do you think it's because there's an athletic director trying to convince his president or her president, you know, saying, like, look, like let's bring some high-level volleyball on our campus campus. Is that the angle, or is it just because a univers a university just wants to have a championship on their campus?

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Honestly, I wish I could answer that better. I mean, I think for like um, you know, the the following year when Pittsburgh does it, they do it there. There's like a Pittsburgh Sports Commission. They try to host like a wave of championships. So um they they did all the the D3 women's side a couple years ago. When the first year the Juniata women won in their three-peat um was actually in that facility. They did a phenomenal job, but they also hosted a whole bunch of other championships, you know, for for all divisions in a two-year span. And then they put in again because I do think it, you know, it brings some some crowds to the area, which obviously can be helpful in support. I'd be curious to to kind of pick the brain of of Salisbury and why they put in to host. I mean, they're also in that really interesting C2C conference, so they don't have like a local conference that they play in, you know, to to potentially have men's volleyball. So I don't know. I I I it's certainly interesting. Um, you know, I was in that gym when I was the head coach at Stevens on the women's side, and uh it was a long time ago. I don't know that I remember it all that well, but you know, obviously hoping that lucky enough to get there next year.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Well you guys know if the uh does the university like make money from the NCAA from hosting? That I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

I mean, I know they have to submit a budget as to what everything costs. Yeah. Right. So I think it's more about, you know, exposure, grow the game. Yeah, maybe there's a a small monetary game, but I can't imagine if there is that it's like a substantial one.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

Yeah. I would say at the D3 level, most of the time you lose money hosting. I mean, even on like our regional site, you know, you don't you don't typically make money on the regional site. You hope to break even.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Yeah, and and Coach Glenn, when you've been and you've said you've gone to these tournaments before where it's not hosted by like, like I said, when Stevens or Carthridge host it, you know, most of you guys are familiar. You've been there once or twice, you know, you've at least seen like film of those gyms playing matches. What's the vibes of like the student athletes when they go to a gym that's like, all right, well, we're going to a facility that doesn't really host men's volleyball. Do the kids not as much care? They're like, look, we're here to win a championship. We don't care if it's in Antarctica. What's the vibes like that on that?

SPEAKER_01 7:58

I mean, I think I think it all depends on how good um, you know, the host does. You know, Evan mentioned Salem. When the Salem Salem Civic Center hosted and the city of Salem hosted, um, that was the year after COVID. Um, honestly, they do a phenomenal job. They've hosted a that city has hosted more championships, I think, than any other city in the country. That it's actually, I think, called the City of Champions or something like that, because of that. Um, and they do an absolutely phenomenal job. And they actually were were part of the host when Roanoke hosted a couple two years ago. Uh, and they're just so used to it. And that facility is actually unique. I actually thought it was a really cool experience. It felt like a championship site because it wasn't on a college campus. You know, it was different. High ceiling, really, you know, lots of space to play with, you know, and and Duquesne when our women won, I mean, uh, most of our student athletes don't get to play a game in that type of facility. I mean, their jumbotron was bigger than my gym, you know, that's up there. And, you know, that they have, you know, a true arena that which has suites and it has um, you know, like a bar like Loge type level where you can get drinks, and like that's once again, just most of our D3 athletes never experience it. So I think it's it's unique and it just kind of adds to the experience. But you don't typically get the crowds that you get, like what when Springfield hosts or Carthage hosts, I mean those Juniotta hosted in 14 and it was a packed house in the national championship game that Juniotta lost to Springfield, but the atmosphere is phenomenal, you know. So I think some places have been lucky. So Roanoke hosting and SPU winning gave them a really big crowd. I think if Juniata plays uh Springfield in that championship, you know, two years ago, it's probably not the same crowd because SPU was right up the road. So I mean, it all depends. But you know, I think I think it's a great experience either way. And I don't think there's a student athlete that laces up for a varsity team that doesn't want the opportunity to play, you know, at a final site, whether, you know, like you said, it's in Antarctica or, you know, Alaska or Hawaii or whatever it is. I think we just want to go to the last site and have a shot to win.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

For sure. I think Division I next year, they're gonna be hosting in Vegas, so that's gonna be unique at the Division I level. They generally pick a university, and I think at the Division I level, coaches kind of say, hey, I think we have a shot to maybe win it. They try to, you know, um, Ohio State one year hosted, Penn State's hosted when it's been there, UCLA's hosted when it's been there, you know, at Long Beach. So uh the Las Vegas one will be interesting. We're gonna go around the horn real quick. You can chime in on the final four of the finals, each coach, and then I'm gonna ask you about maybe a specific team in the final four just to kind of highlight because I know um most of you guys know the teams very well. So I'm gonna start with Coach Doug. Feel free to chime in on anything the final four we haven't mentioned, or the finals. And then can you kind of just paint the picture and narrate just a little bit how you think Carthage did? I know they're kind of in your neck of the woods and you've played them before. And um, you know, anything you want to chime in on that, Coach Doug.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Yeah, I guess I'll speak first to we're already, Evan was already talking a little about the Springfield championship, you know, dominance. And and the one person I thought, you know, I watching that match, not in person but uh online, was uh Springfield's libero, Ricardo Ortiz. I thought he just, you know, was phenomenal against a really strong offense by Carthage and was just all over the place and really was making just huge dives all over the court, and and there were play, you know, settable digs that were turning you know defense into offensive opportunities. And they already were starting out at a you know a high percentage, and you had that the defense to you know, dig to trans opportunities for that Springfield was having. I thought that was just a huge game changer for Springfield. So, you know, you have the offensive weapons and you had that backcourt defense. Uh that was phenomenal by him. I was really impressed. Speaking to Carthage, Carthage had not lost a set, I think, since like beginning of March, uh, maybe like March 12th or something. I was reading. They had a phenomenal season. Uh, you know, they knocked us out in the NCA tournament, and there and knew we to beat them, you'd have to be playing phenomenal ball and they'd have to be off. And they were on fire, you know, for a long time throughout the season. And so it's kind of interesting to see Springfield 3-0 them. Uh, like Evan was talking about, uh, Carthage had those opportunities in set one. Uh, I think they definitely needed to come out hot, especially when you're playing in a really tough crowd environment of everyone rooting against you uh to kind of silence them. And fortunately, they weren't able to do that. Um, you know, really, really great season by Carthage, a lot of offensive weapons. Um, you know, they graduate uh, you know, a couple players, but they they definitely have some some really strong uh you know weapons coming back from the offensive standpoint, you know, next year as well.

SPEAKER_02 12:53

Yeah, and then uh coach uh Glenn, why don't you discuss? Obviously, I know that they went to your region and they got the better of you that night and they moved on, but talk a little bit about Wittenberg and their season because that was that was pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Honestly, probably the best run of any team going through a regional. I think what they were able to do, and and they kind of got better and better as the weekend went on. Um I you know, I think watching getting the opportunity to watch them play Evans Wentworth team on Thursday night. I thought both teams started really slow and and it was pretty sloppy at times, but I thought there were flashes from both sides where it really could have gone either way. You know, it it really came down to serve and pass and you know, like most volleyball matches do at any level, men's or women's. Um and then, you know, night two against us, you know, I I think they played about as well as I expected them capable to play, you know, throughout a match. And, you know, we were very up and down. And, you know, kudos to them. They put a ton of pressure on us, you know, in a fifth set and just didn't go away. They were like a gnat at a barbecue. I mean, up five-nothing, they fight back to five-four. Up nine, five, they fight back to tie it. Just kind of a a wild sequence of not being able to side out, which you don't see in men's volleyball all that often. You know, they did a nice job of playing defense, and like I said, making us earn it. They didn't make any mistakes, you know, down the stretch and and we made too many. And then, you know, to play arguably the best game they played all year in a, you know, an Elite Eight match against a really good Messiah team, you know, is is kind of just phenomenal. I mean, to watch a group of seniors that, you know, had never been in that situation before making the NCAA tournament for the first time in the history of the program, you know, and obviously they're uh the opposite of like what Doug talked about with Carthage, where I think Carthage only loses one starter. Wittenberg loses a bunch, they lose their entire serve receive and a couple of bench guys as well that I think played big roles for them. So be really curious to see how they bounce back next year and what they look like. But, you know, that that experience for them at the Final Four, I'm sure, was phenomenal. You know, I think having scouted them a decent amount before getting an opportunity to play them in the tournament. Carthage got the team that I scouted in a lot of ways, but I think some of that's just how good Carthage was. And Carthage causes a lot of issues for other teams from the service line.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Yeah. And credit to Coach uh, you know, Jamie Peterson. She was the 2026 AVCA Division III men's volleyball coach of the year. Obviously, they had a nice little run. And uh again, hats off to that program. Coach Evans, since you were there, and I know you've you've highlighted both, but you know, do you want to maybe talk a little bit in depth about Cal Lutheran? And then we haven't, you know, we want to make sure to give Springfield their flowers too and mention them. So can you do those two programs for us before we move on to the next segment of the podcast?

SPEAKER_03 15:49

Yeah, yeah. Congrats to uh Cal O to, you know, they've had a really good run the last couple of years. They keep playing at the uh at the end of the year. Um, you know, what's interesting is if you Kal Lou's only played at Springfield one time, and uh it was a hundred years ago. And so there's exactly one guy on the roster that's ever played at Springfield, and it's Braden Gonzalez or Libero, who happened to be the Libero at Springfield this freshman year. Uh and uh just the gym dimensions you could tell were giving Kal Loo a very hard time. Um they were they were just really struggling with the the height of the ceiling, which is uh not uncommon for a lot of people when they go. Uh Wentworth's gym has a low scene too, so it doesn't I I feel like we've never really uh hasn't really affected us when we've played there, but we're playing some similar comments. If you're used to like a big open-air gym like Kalloo, that ceiling can really kind of come at you. And uh you could see that it just Kal Lou's offense was a little bit struggling with not even throwing the ball off the ceiling, but just worrying about it. So their pins, they were they were trying to cycle through from outsides, they've used like three outsides all year, and uh they just couldn't get those guys going a lot. But big credit to Kalloo for getting into that position. Uh and then, you know, Springfield, I felt like Springfield looked just so dialed in the whole those two matches. Like, it's not even that Kowloo or Carthage played bad. It's just that Springfield like was the best version of themselves they were all year. We talked about Ricky Ortiz, Doug, that dude was a beast. I I told him in the press conference I thought I had him as an all-American in my voting. Uh, and I think he got robbed, but I'm sure he'd probably rather have a national championship than an all-American. And then DeLaurier, just to, you know, out half the first half of the season. Will Kirchhoff was a dude who like was just um like he was out to start the year a little bit hurt. They were kind of mixing in them in the middle, and then he just felt like he made every single play. Uh, and then I feel like if you set Carter Duravaja Bick, he probably hits about 970 on it. Like they just don't miss, right? Dylan Mulvaney is a four-time All-American, etc. They just had so many weapons, and they were they, you know, they're guys that don't always score a ton for them. We're scoring a ton. And so, you know, when you're maybe third or fourth or fifth option, all of a sudden can't be stopped. And you're what do you do? You know, and so I thought they were just so clean, really serving aggressive, pass great. Like, again, I don't think Carthage played bad in that championship by any stretch, but Springfield was just so dialed in and then so clean.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Yeah, and congrats to a successful 2026 to his volleyball at the division three level. Uh congrats to Coach Charlie Sullivan. I believe he's he's part of his 11th championship. So congrats to Coach Charlie and was fortunate enough to watch them live when uh they played in Boston against Coach Evans' team. So that was pretty cool. But we're gonna move on now. And you know, one thing I wanna ask the panel about is maybe like what was a pleasant or big surprise that you saw this year that uh that you wanted to touch up on? So why don't we start with Coach Doug? What was something this year that surprised you? It could be a good thing or or a team that uh surprised you?

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Um I think one of the teams I talked about them a decent amount this season, but Illinois Wesleyan definitely surprised me this season for for making a name, you know, they've they've been growing each year, but then really cracking into making a firm name for themselves to be a for sure top 20 team this season and really pushing up to that top of the CCIW conference with that Carthage has definitely been very strong in, and and North Central's had some years and Lawrence has had some years. But um I think I was just really pleased with them and for them to get their first All-American in Kazilia. I think that's very impressive. And and having been part of a startup program, you know, when you get to these accolades and they build upon each other, you're you're just destined for success. And I I no doubt that that program's gonna keep getting better and better.

SPEAKER_02 19:55

Yeah. And for me, guys, I'm gonna have the coaches chime in, is a few things that I think surprise is the wrong word. I I'm not gonna use the word surprise, but I was proud of the division three, I would say, programs where like MIT beat a division one program. They went and beat Miramak. We had a bunch of Division III programs go play Division I programs, which I thought that was uh pretty sweet. It was a I don't even want to say bittersweet moment. We always hate when programs get cut, and that is awful. But I will I tip my hat how hard Carlos team in uh New Jersey uh city college, right? And I just I applaud that they went after it, they made the playoffs, they put their head down, and you know, I I I don't think that's easy. And and I know a little bit about it because obviously Pacific got cut, you know, back in the day, and I had to see that program go through it. It it is not easy to go to matches and be like, well, this is the last time we're gonna play at this gym or this is it, you know, and it's uh it's an it's a weird feeling. So uh my hat's off to uh Coach Carlo on how they handled that, and then I I also think Buffalo State uh was pretty cool to see them do some good things, and then obviously I'm saying a lot, but uh Wittenberg too, that was pretty cool. And I know Coach Glenn talked about it, but there's a lot of great things that happened, and there's some good parody and good coaching out there, and it was exciting to follow. Coach Evan, anything that kind of surprised you or was fun to see?

SPEAKER_03 21:27

Yeah, I was just looking back at the ABCA poll, like the preseason poll, to see where teams were ranked. And between 15 and 20, only one of those teams ended up being ranked at the end of the year, and that was MIT. MIT started the year at 19, and clearly they didn't finish at 19, right? So a huge rise from them. The other one, New Polts, rose pretty well. They were, I think, preseason 12, and obviously they had a really, really strong season. There's only one team in like the top 10 that uh that didn't stay up there, and that was Vass. But they had some big wins, right? They're one of the only teams that beat Springfield. And so, you know, just kind of interesting to see what the opinion of the poll is and how much that changes. And we saw a lot of new teams in there that uh initially weren't ranked, which is great. It was great to see teams moving around.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Yeah, awesome. And Coach Glenn, what was, you know, maybe a surprise or um moment for you or a cool moment that you saw this year?

SPEAKER_01 22:24

I mean, I have two. I mean, I think one is, you know, getting the opportunity to play and win you know a CVC championship, you know, against Southern Virginia. Juniana had not beaten Southern Virginia since 2018, regular season or championship, and to win the CVC championship in our last opportunity as we leave the CVC and head to the landmark. I was really proud of my guys, how they competed. It was it was absolutely, you know, a goal of ours to you know to kind of get that monkey off our back and and um and play well and and we were able to do that. And then I think the the second thing for me is this was by far the most talented NCAA championship field I think anybody has ever seen. Uh 21 teams, there there wasn't a lot of fluff in there, right? I I think to see some of the at-large teams do what they did, uh, you know, it it was really impressive. And I think in years past, you know, a lot of top teams, you know, had kind of some pushover matches early, and there were not those this year. Uh and I think that's really great for our sport. Uh it's really great for the growth of the game. Uh uh I think, you know, something to shout out to is uh I believe North Carolina just got boys volleyball sanctioned. So to, you know, and there and there's I think now two Division III men's volleyball programs that are down there, you know, William Peace being a new one starting next year. It's great for those programs that there's now high school boys volleyball in their backyard. And, you know, the hope is that, you know, the game continues to grow. And, you know, we'll say that about the next field and the next field that expands, that the tournament is still getting better and stronger, and it's really hard to win a championship.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah, it's well said, coaches, and we're gonna move to our next segment, which I'm gonna ask you guys to talk about your favorite moment of your season with your individual guys. Also, you're happy to throw out maybe a favorite moment for an individual on another team or another region. You could throw that out. I'll start first. It definitely, guys, was not on my bingo card, but never say never. And I just it just worked out organically really well. But I was so excited with all three guys on this panel. I got to see all your campuses and like hang out with you. And one thing that I am just as fascinated, I kid you not, like, yes, I love watching the volleyball and I'm all about that, but it's how are your kids on campus? How are your guys' demeanor on campus? When you walk around campus, do professors come and talk to you? Are you guys just kind of not like just men's volleyball? It's not that big. It's just fun for me to just sit and observe. And I got to really see, like, with Coach Doug, we always talk about Division III, they always claim like you get a good balance, you get the full student athlete. And when I was on your campuses, I was like, I get it, I see that. And like I met some student athletes when I was with uh Doug. Doug was respected by his peers. When we'd stop and other coaches, they would come and talk to me about specifically the men's program. Students were going around, and non-athletes recognized Coach Doug. And then like little things too. Like we were just like in the library, and the president just like would just come up to Coach Doug and start talking to him, you know. And like it's one thing I think that's really unique about Coach Doug's school is it's it's a small private school where everyone knows each other and everyone respects each other and everyone values each other. And it's a it's a gorgeous campus. So that was really fun. When I went to Boston and got to see Coach Evan, like just got to talk to the women's coach, got to talk to Springfield when they came in, got to see the gym, got to see a really fun atmosphere and really get to learn more about, you know, it's a highly good engineering and architectural school. So that was a blast. And then I never saw this coming too. We were in Tennessee when we decided to do this. Is Coach Glenn graciously is like, let's have a Kevin Pratt Foundation tournament? Let's do it. And I was like, okay, let's do it. And it was three degrees. There was a huge snowstorm. This guy from California came out there. I it was quick, but I got to meet again your president. I got to meet your AD, I got to meet your family, I got to see a ton of great volleyball. And so again, that wasn't necessarily on my bingo card, if you would have asked me at this time last year. But gosh, what a great experience, Division III. Selfishly, that was all my favorite moments. But we're gonna go around the horn and get your guys' individual teams' favorite moments that you had with them, and maybe some other things that happened in your regions or with other teams. We'll start with Coach Doug. What was your favorite moment with your team this year and some other favorite moments?

SPEAKER_00 27:12

I have two. So we talked many, many, many weeks ago on one of the podcasts. My team went to Europe to start the season this year. Um, and that was the first time any program at our university had done an international trip. So we went to Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. And so that was just one of the most unique experiences I've been able to been able to do. And talking at something for over a year, and then you put it into fruition and see it come to life and get to see my guys play overseas, but also just make lifelong memories. I think that was something that like was just the highlight of my season. But then I guess from a volleyball perspective of being in season, winning the NAC championship this tournament, I think was the highlight of my season. Um winning it last year um and kind of being disappointed and seeing all the hard work the guys talking about to get back to a championship, you know, and putting all those things in place all year long, you know, from last spring into to this year was just uh I actually embarrassed myself, but I had literally tears of joy at the end of that match, and I've never had happy tears before. So uh that was just a really cool, cool uh experience.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. And yeah, when I was in Texas and on the volleyball trail doing all the things I do, I ran into some um Dominican parents, and they sang your praises and they did talk about that Europe trip, and it definitely made an impact in your university at your program. And a lot of the parents also went on that trip. So that's uh you definitely made some memories there. Coach Evan, what were some of your favorite moments this year or something that you uh favorite moment of the 2020?

SPEAKER_03 28:51

Yeah, I just want to say, Doug, tears are for the week, all right? So keep it together. I know, I mean, hard not to get emotional sometimes about this game. So we're in a similar situation to Glenn as we're leaving uh uh the conference and uh joining the CNE as uh you know as an actual member, it's what our school competes in. So this was our last season in the GNAC. Wentworth has actually always competed in the GNAC for men's volleyball since the day that conference started. Um so even though we're not a core GNAC school, we're still like a founding member of that conference. And so for us to go out with our fifth straight conference win that was pretty huge. We were down 3-1 at LaSalle and not playing our best volleyball. And then we just mixed our lineup a little bit, caught lightning in a bottle, and uh and we we cruised in the in the fifth. We were up by a ton, and I think I let myself be excited when we were up at like 13 to 6 or something like that. I think it was the first time I was like, all right, we might win this one. I was still wasn't sure. So that was was pretty cool for our last season, the GNAC, to go out with a with a win. It's actually our sixth straight NCAA attorney, and we're one of two programs in the country that have been to sixth straight, so which is which is pretty cool for a little engineering and and STEM school in Boston. So uh really proud of our guys for for pulling that one out. And then I hate to speak nicely about George Chapel at Endicott, and I don't really want to do it, but especially because we'll be in conference with him next year and I gotta compete against him. Yeah, even though I'm not a huge fan of him, I am really thrilled that he got back to the tourney and and coached the whole season. For those that know George, he's been through the ringer the last two years. And so for his squad to play that well at that that Stevens Regional and push Kattaloo to the brink, and I think it was a really really awesome opportunity for those guys like to get there and for George to be back and the tourney and all that. So a thrilled friend to cotton. Hope they never make it again, as they'll now be our conference foe.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Yes. Well, well said, Coach Glynn, what about you? I think I jumped the gun on on one of one of mind uh in terms of being able to win the the CVC in our final year in it. But I think I think there's a there were a lot of really cool things that happened this year. Um, you know, interesting things. Uh, you know, I think Illinois Wesley and Doug mentioned, I mean, was playing as good as anybody, and I don't think anybody would have wanted them in their regional. And then MIT upsetting New Paul's in the championship basically eliminated Illinois Wesley. And I'm sure uh Coach JW was was you know celebrating when that happened, you know, but it also probably sent Wittenberg to my region instead of the other direction. So there's all kinds of weird stuff that, you know, obviously could have happened if if one or two games goes a different way. But, you know, I think once again, that's why we play the game. And you know, it was just a great year overall. I mean, I think, you know, if I speak further about my own team, I didn't think we were gonna be super competitive in the fall. We were not great. You know, there was a lot of learning curve. We graduated a huge group of starters, you know, some of which had started for me for five years, you know, because of COVID. And, you know, we it didn't seem overly productive, but you know, once we kind of got rolling, we just it wasn't better or worse, it was different, you know, led by a different group of guys. Our style of play was different than it had been. Um, you know, I was really proud of that group on how they kind of turned things around. You know, we we had a really successful year, and so did a lot of others. Uh two years in a row now, I you know, went worth at my regional. You know, let's do three, I guess, and maybe we'll be at your maybe it'll be at your place next year.

SPEAKER_03 32:27

Glenn, I'd rather see you than not see you. If that means we're, you know what I mean? If we're in the tourney, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

You know, final foresight then.

SPEAKER_03 32:36

Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

All right. Sounds good.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

So uh, and then it's never too early to be talking about the 2027 NCAA Division III men's volleyball. It's early, but do you guys have any predictions of not necessarily like, hey, this team's gonna win it, but you're like, look out, this team's gonna be good. Let's start with Coach Doug.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Yeah, it's early.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Depends what you know about recruiting classes, too. I mean, I I don't know that much, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

I think, you know, at least just because I I know them the most from the from this area, and uh, you never know exactly how just because a team was successful this season and they return people next year does not make them their automatically successful next year. You know, Carthage does reload a lot offensively. Uh be interesting to see who takes over their et cetera role, you know, with with uh setter graduating. I believe Barts has another year of eligibility. Is that correct? Yes, yes. And then they uh get on next year. So yeah, it'll be wild. They got a lot of uh cooks in the kitchen offensively, so I think they are you know they're they've been a really, really strong program, you know. If they're always gonna contend to be a top four team, you know. So I think that's someone that is still gonna be very relevant next year. I really liked MIT's run late in the season with a bunch of young guns. I thought that was pretty impressive. So yeah, I don't know. It's I I really like the looking at the AVCA you know final poll, the one through 20 are all really solid teams that I think all are gonna be competitive again next year. So it'd just be interesting how it unfolds. But I believe the chain national champion is on that final poll. Which person that is, I don't know yet.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah. And what about uh Coach Evan?

SPEAKER_03 34:23

Yeah, you know, I think it's interesting if you look at three of the four teams in the final four, they all had a starter on the outside that was a transfer, right? And so how much does transferring in the portal continue to impact our game? And now you have to go in the portal as a Division III athlete. So there's less surprises when you see someone there. But I think Glenn mentioned it's like we don't know everybody's recruiting class, and it's so different at our level too, because like, you know, Doug's probably got some guys that are good that are from the area that I would have never come across, like I would have never looked at, you know, and it doesn't mean because they're not any good, they're probably really good, but they're just the crossover isn't that that big, right? I only crossed over with a very small amount of teams in Division III, and so we don't have just the the knowledge of who all these guys are, and so sometimes that's what makes it interesting, is where you say, Who's it where'd this guy come from? You know, who's this Idaho middle that's an all-American, right? Like, you know, I don't yeah, I didn't, you know, I mean it's not like just you don't come across them. And so um I think there's a propensity to have this bigger, this wider birth of of guys that could make an impact because you don't know where they're coming from.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Yeah. No, it's I also think there's more and more kids that are entering the portal, and you know, obviously as a recruiting coordinator, my ears to the ground about a lot of recruits, and I get a lot of phone calls, especially this time of year, and they're not necessarily my clients, but they're seeking advice, they're pretty darn good, and they're strongly considering division three. And hats off to division three programs, hats off to you guys making these awesome experiences. And as you guys know, I love division one too, but I just think that when I played, which was a long time ago, I just didn't think there was as much crossover. And now, to your point, Coach Evan, we're seeing that a little bit. We're like, oh, that guy came from this university division one and is now playing division three. We also see it on the other side. We have seen some like division three, they're now in grad school and they're gonna go play a year division one. That's all also great, you know. So my theory about kids transferring is I don't really have an opinion about it because it doesn't matter. You know, the reality is kids are transferring a lot more, whether I like it or not. That's not the point. And so I think that's a really good thing you mentioned is there's gonna be some shakeup with some of these other programs. So yeah, uh, and then Coach Coach Glenn, what's your prediction?

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Yeah, so I mean, I think the the transfer portal was a great point. I mean, I think Coach Judd at at Calloo has kind of made a living of that the last, you know, three plus years, you know, finding talent that, you know, a lot of time wants to come home. You know, I I think, you know, as we talked about, you know, I think there's a lot of guys that the thought process is the grass is greener, but I think the realization of what the greener grass is for a lot of these kids is what becomes important, right? There's all these kids seeking division one, you know, I gotta go division one, division one or bust, you know, and then Merrimack guys find out that Springfield's pretty good when they they get matched up. And I'm pretty sure, you know, Springfield kind of laid the wood to them. And I Evan, I think you guys did as well, you know, at some point throughout the year. And then all of a sudden kids go in the portal because they're like, Well, that was pretty good volleyball. We got a chance to play when we played Springfield, when we played Wentworth, when we played Juniata, when we played Dominican, whatever it may be. You know, Ryan Barts, you know, uh, we we tried to work him. One of his teammates was actually on my staff last year, and you know, we we tried to get him to consider Juniata, and you know, he kind of wanted to be closer to home in Wisconsin after leaving Ball State. So it really works out. JW did a nice job of, you know, of adding him to his already talented group of lefts, you know. So I I think Carthage is still probably your top dog in the in the Midwest next year. I I'm really curious to see what Coach Mueller's doing at Illinois Wesley and who is he bringing in to help based on who he's losing. I mean, I think they could be terrifying based on the production they were getting from their setting in their right sides. Um, you know, and I I'm sure Kowloo and Santa Cruz will both be solid. I know Coach Doug's worked his butt off to to bring in some good kids to, you know, to maintain. You know, when you sit at the top of uh the mountain, it's hard to stay there. Uh everybody's always trying to knock you off. And you know, I it's it's always hard for me to to bet against Springfield. Obviously, they've they've been so talented for so long. I think NYU, I mean, once again, searching for a setter, but you know, they bring Emerson Evans back, Clifford will be a sophomore. You know, they they had a 6'9 freshman this year who was like their first pin off the bench from Texas. So NYU will be great. Word on the street as New Paul's is gonna be really good next year, even with what they lose. So I I think I'm kind of excited to see it play out. And it's the hard part, you know, Division III, we start scheduling so soon. And when you're playing this NPI game, you know, of trying to, you know, to get yourself into the tournament if you don't win your conference, it can be tough because like Evan was talking about, we don't know. I have no idea, you know, sometimes when I'm scheduling games or who's gonna be at a tournament or um, you know, who's gonna be up this year and who's gonna be down, sometimes you get lucky, uh, you know, and and and you find some teams that are that are really good wins. Uh, and sometimes you don't. Uh, you know, I I think, you know, strength of schedule-wise, my group this year, I don't think we were quite as strong in terms of SOS as we had hoped, but we still won a lot of volleyball games and and that helps. So, you know, for us, I'm nervous about going into the landmark because I want to make sure that we're ready for the tournament. And our last month of the season is all landmark play, you know. So that can be tough going in a new conference with a bunch of new teams, some teams that are still pretty young, you know, in their in their time. So I'm excited to see what Coach Beachy does at Messiah. I always look at it and I'm like, man, how do you replace a guy like Kagoro, who was national player of the year this year? The amount of offense that he was in terms of percentage for them, crazy. But do they get better because they balance out? They might. But lucky enough that he's only, you know, an hour and change up the road from us. So we schedule them every year. And what's SVU gonna look like? A lot of their guys, you know, were older or or have, you know, at least gone into the portal. So I mean, it's it'll be interesting to see how stuff shakes out.

SPEAKER_03 40:40

A lot of their guys are always older, Glenn.

SPEAKER_01 40:42

Yes, that's for sure. That's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 40:44

Well, that's that's great points, guys. My my predictions are NYU's always been good, but one thing I noticed is, and again, he's always been an incredible coach, but Coach Jose recently, in like the last three years, has retired from his government job that he was doing while he was at NYU, and he did obviously a phenomenal job. But the year he retired that year, they went to the finals. And I don't think it's necessarily coincidence. And I bring this up because um coach Todd at MIT has had a wonderful teaching career. He is a like math teacher nearby. And when I went and visited his school, like he was teaching all day, and then he had he was showing the recruiter around, and then he was bam doing a practice. He had a great year, and MIT had a great year, but they're really young. And I also think that um it's definitely not gonna hurt that coach Todd he is retiring from teaching, so he is going to be basically a full-time MIT volleyball coach, and he's real excited about that. And I think he's done a good job, but I think he can even invest that much more time and effort. So I predict that uh MIT is gonna be pretty good, but obviously they've got some stiff competition around them. So, but we'll go one more time around the horn real quick because we won't see these guys on the podcast for a while until uh next year. We might do some uh a few fall podcasts to just see how things are doing. But I'll definitely see these guys on the recruiting trail. But Coach Doug, can't thank you enough for uh year two. Thanks for everything you did. Is there anything you want to say before we sign off?

SPEAKER_00 42:19

KP, thanks for another phenomenal season and hosting this almost every week to my partners in crime, Evan, Glenn. Love working with you guys. Glenn, you a little more than Evan, but and and Rob, who's not on this call today. Any players listening, if we you know, see you at nationals or or you know, as you're you're looking to be recruited, make sure you're staying active in recruitment and don't let the world of AI control your recruitment process. Take control of it yourself.

SPEAKER_02 42:50

Well said, good point. Um, Coach Evan, what do you got?

SPEAKER_03 42:54

Yeah, you know, I just uh really thankful that I get to talk about Division III volleyball and somebody's listening out there other than my mom, you know. Like I've gotten people that stop me and and say, I listened to the pod, or I did this, and I'm interested in your take. And like, you know, it's just really cool. You know, I I feel like I've tried to stay pretty involved in the in the world of Division III men's volleyball. It's continuing to get more exciting and higher level, and I just really enjoy having an opportunity to talk about something that I know I don't I don't know anything about anything, uh, but I know a very little bit about Division III men's volleyball. So get to talk about the one thing that I might have an idea about sometimes. So uh just appreciate you guys giving me that forum.

SPEAKER_02 43:37

Yeah, well, thanks again for year two. We can't wait for year three. And uh, Coach Glenn, what do you have for us?

SPEAKER_01 43:43

I guess I want to start out. I'm gonna go a little outside the division three box right now. I'm gonna shout out to uh all head coaches named Charlie with Charlie Wade finding a way to win a national championship today for Hawaii. And also wanted to give a huge shout out to one of my mentors who just finished his. Amazing career at Penn State. Mark Pavlik got a chance to hang out with him yesterday as our families are close and got together for some drinks on Mother's Day. Huge shout out for Mark. What an amazing career he had. Thank you so much for the opportunity to kind of share my thoughts to the gentleman that I also get to do that with, Doug and Bob, and all our guests this year. I thought it was a cool way to kind of get some new blood into the podcast this year. Um have some some guests, um, share some laughs um with along the way. It was was really awesome. So excited for another year next year, but also excited for a little bit of a break this summer, spend some time with the family, um, you know, go to some camps, uh, do some recruiting down in Orlando, and we'll see you guys next year.

SPEAKER_02 44:47

Yeah, I can't wait to uh see you guys in Orlando. Uh as you know, we're celebrating middle hitters birthday. So we will that will be the night where we all go out to dinner and uh do our podcast dinner. So thank you to all the fans. Uh this year, more than ever, people were coming up to me at conventions or all different kinds of states. It warms my heart. I just appreciate these guys that are ambassadors for the sport because they don't get paid to be on these podcasts and they take a lot of time. It's usually 15 minutes after practice, or it's 11 o'clock East Coast time for these guys. And I just greatly appreciate you guys doing your part to grow the game and can't wait to have you guys on next year. And we'll see you, like I said, in Orlando sooner rather than later.