GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team begins its seventh year of competition by making the trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to face Queens University on Saturday (January 10). The Pioneers make their home debut on the 15th against Emmanuel as part of the 24-match regular season slate in 2026.
Second-year head coach Alberto Chiaparini will have a roster of 18 in 2026. Chiaparini retains 12 from last year's record-breaking squad, adding six freshmen to the fold. His inaugural team went 15-13 (3-3 IVA), setting a program record for single-season wins and earning the No. 3 seed in the IVA Tournament. Tusculum established team season records in hitting percentage (.250), digs (921), digs per set (8.77), total blocks (202), blocks per set (1.92) and points per set (14.5).
UPCOMING MATCHES
Tusculum travels to Queens University of Charlotte for the season opener on January 10. The Royals have won all nine of the previous meetings over the Pioneers, including the lone contest last season. Queens went 10-20 overall and 2-14 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), ending the year on an 11-match losing streak. The Royals will have a new coach for the first time in program history heading into 2026.
The Pioneers' home opener is scheduled for January 15 against Emmanuel. The Lions went 4-23 and 2-12 in Conference Carolinas action last season. The series history is tied at 3-3, with the last meetings occurring in 2024.
The homestand continues with a quick turnaround to face Erskine on January 16. The Flying Fleet finished 9-16 (5-9 CC) to claim the fifth seed in the league tournament. Tusculum swept Erskine twice last season to close the deficit to 6-3 in all-time meetings.
Tusculum's home stint comes to a close against North Greenville on January 24. In 2025, the Pioneers tallied their first win versus the Trailblazers in the series history, dating back to TU's inaugural season. NGU finished 12-13 (6-7 CC) after falling in the league's semifinal round.
MEET THE TEAM
The 12 returnees are led by four preseason all-conference honorees: Morgan Makovec, Aiden Roper, Riley Wisniakowski, and Adam Svendsen.
Makovec, a junior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is coming off of a season where he earned All-IVA second team honors. The middle blocker played in all 105 sets, recording 204 kills (eighth-most in a TU season), on a .462 hitting percentage (TU season record; fourth nationally), seven assists, 35 service aces (third-most in a TU season), 57 digs, and a single-season record 90 total blocks. He had match-bests of 15 kills, three assists, five aces, seven digs, and eight block assists. For his career, Makovec ranks in the top-six in 10 categories in the record book: hitting percentage (1st; .380), blocks per set (2nd; .73), solo blocks (3rd; 43), block assists (3rd; 109), total blocks (3rd; 152), service aces per set (3rd; .23), service aces (4th; 48), points per set (5th; 2.38), kills (6th; 352), and sets played (6th; 209).
Roper, a sophomore from Acworth, Georgia, had a solid first year at Tusculum. The outside hitter totaled 116 kills, 11 assists, seven aces, 106 digs, and 31 total blocks across 86 sets as a freshman. Roper has bests of 10 kills, two assists, three aces, 11 digs, and five blocks.
Wisniakowski, a sophomore from Pensacola, Florida, excelled as the Pioneer setter in 2025. He racked up 21 kills, 376 assists, nine aces, 67 digs, and 18 total blocks. Wisniakowski had highs of four kills, 48 assists, five aces, 13 digs, and four block assists. He is already listed in the program records, sitting third in career assists per set (7.67) and sixth in assists.
Svendsen, a junior from Harrison, Tennessee, had limited action in 2025. The outside hitter appeared in just two sets in the season opener against No. 15 CSUN. As a freshman, he totaled 65 kills, three assists, two aces, 38 digs, and 16 total blocks across 30 sets. Svendsen had highs of 12 kills, 15 digs, and four block assists.
Eight student-athletes join the quartet on the veteran squad.
Joel Dubinsky (University Place, Wash.) played in 97 sets as a sophomore, racking up 201 kills (ninth-most in a TU season), 14 assists, 19 aces, 113 digs, and 29 total blocks. The outside hitter had match-bests of 13 kills (twice), three assists, four aces, 10 digs, and five blocks. Dubinsky's 567 attempts stand six-most for a season in program history.
Patrick Gresham (Chesapeake, Va.) had a solid first year in Greeneville after transferring over from Virginia Wesleyan after one season. The libero tallied one kill, 15 assists, and 98 digs across 17 matches. Gresham had highs of three assists and a career-best 13 digs at Thomas More.
Caleb Hammann (Farragut, Tenn.) has already made his mark in the TU career records after just one collegiate season. The middle blocker ranks third in blocks per set (.59) and seventh in total blocks (62). Hammann played in all 105 sets as a freshman, totaling 59 kills, five assists, eight aces, and 22 digs to go along with his rejection total. He had match-highs of seven kills (twice), two assists, two aces, two digs (eight times), and seven total blocks.
Ty Keeble (Maryville, Tenn.) was primarily used as a serving specialist during his freshman campaign. The libero played in 16 matches, totaling one assist, two aces, and six digs.
Reef Mathis (Saint Johns, Fla.) saw limited action as a freshman. The outside hitter notched five kills, one assist, three digs, and two block assists across six matches.
Tyler Morrison (Alabaster, Ala.) also saw action in six matches as a freshman. The middle blocker recorded two kills, three assists, four digs, and one block assist.
Donovan Nye (Winder, Ga.) played in 18 matches as a sophomore. The right side hitter notched 30 kills, three assists, one ace, 16 digs, and six total blocks. Nye had highs of five kills (twice), three digs (twice), and two block assists.
Kai Williams (Youngsville, N.C.) was used in a variety of roles as a freshman, including libero and outside hitter. He recorded eight kills, two assists, eight aces, and 19 digs across 26 matches. Williams had highs of two kills (three times), two aces (twice), and four digs (twice).
Six collegiate newcomers round out the 2026 squad for Chiaparini.
Teagan Clement (Helena, Mont.) has the ability to play three different positions: outside hitter, right side hitter, and defensive specialist. A graduate of Capital High School, he earned four letters as the women's volleyball manager and three in both cheer and tennis. Clement was a member of the 2023 division championship cheer team and collected academic all-state honors.
Greyson Ervin (Trophy Club, Texas) is a graduate of Lucy G. Beckham High School in South Carolina. He won region Player of the Year in 2023-24 along with two all-region selections and two state championships as an outside hitter. Ervin also played for Apex in the club realm.
Ian Johnson (Chesapeake, Va.) was homeschooled and played for Coastal Virginia Volleyball Club as an outside hitter.
Will Matthews (Knoxville, Tenn.) graduated from Knoxville Catholic. The setter played for K2 volleyball club.
Brody Morrison (Alabaster, Ala.) joins older brother Tyler on the Pioneer squad. He was the valedictorian of Thompson High School class of 2025. The setter played for C2 Attack Volleyball. Morrison's teams won the southern region from 2021-25 along with a pair of top-five finishes at nationals in his final two seasons.
Cooper Sadleir (Calgary, Alberta) graduated from Robert Thirsk High School. The right side hitter was an all-star in 2025 with two team MVP credits. Sadleir's team was the city champion of 2024-25. He also played for Canuck Stuff for club ball.
