The Weekly Serve: January 26th - February 1st

Danny Amezquita
Apr 16
2 min read

It’s week two of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball season, and we have seen some high-quality volleyball among the conferences. The road to Cedar Rapids starts now.

Samael Beltran of Rio Grande (Ohio) is the NAIA Volley Report Defender of the Week after a dominant, undefeated weekend. The true freshman tallied 12 total blocks across three matches, anchoring the Red Storm’s defense and helping the team start the season undefeated.

Denzel Madrigal of No. 9 Campbellsville (Ky.) delivered a dominant offensive performance during an undefeated weekend in St. Louis, totaling 38 kills on a .420 hitting percentage across three matches. Madrigal played a pivotal role in a monumental victory over No. 6 Missouri Baptist, where he recorded 14 kills on a .423 clip, helping lift the Tigers to their best start since 2020 as they opened the 2026 season.

Matthew Hamm of No. 1 The Master’s has been named NAIA Volley Report Setter of the Week. Hamm led the No. 1 Mustangs to back-to-back wins over NCAA Division-II Concordia University Irvine, pushing the reigning national champions TMU to 31 straight wins. The Fresno Native posted a season-high 49 assists in the 3-1 victory over CUI (Jan. 28).

The Master’s (Calif.) has been named out Team of the Week as they pick up where they left off in the 2025 season. The Mustangs are off to a perfect 4-0 start, collecting wins over No. 2 Saint Xaiver (IL), NCAA Divsion-I Long Island, NCAA Division-II Concordia-Irvine back-to-back.

Upsets of the Week

No. 7 Lawrence Tech (MI) def. No. 3 St. Thomas (Fla.)
- Lawrence Tech Recap
No. 9 Campbellsville (Ky.) def. No. 6 Missouri Baptist
- Campbellsville Recap

Under-the-Radar Wins

Life (Ga.) def. RV Cumberland (Tenn.)
No. 3 St. Thomas (Fla.) def. NCAA Division-I Lees-McRae (N.C.)
RV Bethel (IN) def. RV Cornerstone (MI)

Sideline Scoop

“7-1, it’s exciting and disappointing at the same time, but that’s the new standard here. We don’t want to lose sets, let alone a match, but we are winning a lot more than losing right now. A lot of guys are contributing so far and that’s how this team is built, strength in numbers!“ — Head Coach Harris, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Pomeroys

In his response to their best start in program history since 2020

Winning Streak Watch

No. 1 The Master’s Mustangs extend their streak to 31 straight victories. The Mustangs have continued its streak with two more massive wins of Concordia University Irvine.

Up next: They will play Vanguard University back to back as they will travel to Costa Mesa, Calif on Feb. 20th and then will host the Lions at The McArthur Center the following day.

Milestone Moment

Hastings (NE) got its first win in program history with a sweep over Central Christian College of Kansas.
Soka (Calif.) also garnered their first win in program history in a five-set thriller over Rochester Christian (MI).
Benedictine Mesa sweeps former NAIA powerhouse turned NCAA Division-II UC-Merced.

Players. Upsets. Breakouts. That’s your weekend in NAIA volleyball. Stay tuned — we’ll be back next Sunday with more highlights and surprises!