MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — The Tusculum University men's volleyball team had three players named to the Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) All-Conference team for the 2026 season.
Reef Mathis and Morgan Makovec earned first team honors, while Riley Wisniakowski was tabbed to the second team. This marks the first postseason honors for both Mathis and Wisniakowski as Makovec earned IVA second team laurels last season.
Mathis (Saint Johns, Fla.) led the Pioneers in kills during the regular season, compiling 238 on a .256 hitting percentage. The sophomore also finished with a team-high 19 solo blocks, 278.5 points, and 3.7 points per set average. Mathis was third on the team with 90 digs and 42 total blocks. He earned IVA Offensive Player of the Week once this season as well.
For his career, the outside hitter has tallied 243 kills on a .240 clip at a 2.96 per set rate, which is on pace for second-best in program history. Mathis has also added 10 service aces, 93 digs, and 44 total blocks. He has accumulated 284.5 points on a 3.5 per set average, which is a second-place rate.
Makovec (Virginia Beach, Va.) is having a monster junior season. The middle blocker is second on the team with 182 kills on a .531 hitting percentage, which is a program-best rate and leads Division I this season. Makovec also leads the team with 59 block assists and 74 total blocks (fourth-most in a TU season) on a program-record .97 per set average and is tied for the lead with 26 service aces. He is second with 252.5 points (3.3 per set) and third with 15 solo blocks. Makovec won back-to-back IVA Offensive Player of the Week honors in the midst of a 7-of-8 match stretch in which he did not record an attack error. In 22 matches this season, Makovec has not been credited with an attack error in half of them (11).
For his career, Makovec sits third in the TU record book in kills with 534. His hitting percentage of .427 has shattered the program record and is on pace for fourth in NCAA active leaders across all divisions. Makovec's 74 service aces are good for third and the .34 per set rate is second. He needs less than 10 blocks to own the Pioneer records in solo, assisted, and total rejections. The .79 blocks per set average is tied for the TU record with Shaphar Grant (2020-23). Makovec ranks in the top five in points (750), points per set (2.6), matches played (81), and sets played (285).
Wisniakowski (Pensacola, Fla.) has stepped in the primary setter role for Tusculum. This season, he has dished out 716 assists, third-most in program history, on an 8.95 per set average, which is second-most in the annals. Wisniakowski led the team in digs with 136 and the 1.70 rate is a program record, while tying for the top slot with 26 aces alongside Makovec. He also aided in net defense, finishing third with 34 block assists. Wisniakowski also earned IVA Setter of the Week laurels at the end of January.
For his career, Wisniakowski sits first in digs per set (1.57) and is second in both assists (1092) and assists per set (8.47).
As a team, Tusculum is third nationally in both blocks per set (2.61) and opponent hitting percentage (.187).
Tusculum (14-9) begins the Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) Tournament on Thursday (Apr. 16) as the No. 4 seed, facing No. 5 seed Merrimack at 11 a.m. on the campus of Barry University.
2026 Intercollegiate Volleyball Association All-Conference
First Team
Axel Van Baars, Lincoln Memorial
Dallas Birkenbeuel, Merrimack
Morgan Makovec, Tusculum
Justin Arrowood, Catawba
Kyle Standage, Merrimack
Reef Mathis, Tusculum
Max Adkisson, Catawba
Jacob Strnisa, Barry
Bobby Clapp, Barry
Kristian Smith, Catawba
Max Tkachev, Merrimack
Oisin Walsh, Lincoln Memorial
Inbar Shachar, Lincoln Memorial
Second Team
Lucas Nieves, Newberry
Preston Anderson, Newberry
Reece Lindstrom, Merrimack
Nick Tidik, Merrimack
Wyatt Eastin, Catawba
Leandro Lopez, P.R.-Rio Piedras
Adrian Rivera, P.R.-Rio Piedras
Zach Jabr, Barry
Aaron Martinez, Barry
Jeremy Ferreira, Barry
João Piazza Baumgartem, Barry
Riley Wisniakowski, Tusculum
Freshman of the Year
Justin Arrowood, Catawba
Setter of the Year
Inbar Shachar, Lincoln Memorial
Defensive Player of the Year
Bobby Clapp, Barry
Player of the Year
Axel Van Baars, Lincoln Memorial
Assistant Coach of the Year
Raheem Thomas, Catawba
Head Coach of the Year
Imanol Davila Morales, Barry
