POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's volleyball team enters its sixth season loaded with talent and fresh off its best campaign in program history. 2025 New England Volleyball Conference Coach of the Year Josh Stokes and assistant coach Alyssa Adams '24, an All-SUNYAC selection herself, lead the Bears again this season. The Bears finished with program records in overall and conference wins (18-8, 5-1) and finished the regular season on a 12-match win streak to claim the second seed in the 2025 NEVC Playoffs. The postseason appearance was the team's fourth straight. The Bears open this season at home on Saturday when they host Regis College and Buffalo State in a tri-match.
 
Four starters return from last year's squad, including 2025 NEVC Athlete of the Year Matt Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs). The graduate student was also first team All-NEVC and is joined by senior and second team all-conference outside hitter Duncan Tenhagen (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West).
 
The duo has written the young program's record book. Kilinski led the Bears and was seventh in the NEVC with 249 kills. He also compiled 23 blocks, 20 service aces and 126 digs. Kilinski already owns Potsdam's career records for solo blocks, block assists and total blocks (51-116-167). Tenhagen was second on the team and 10th in the conference with 220 kills. He ranked seventh in the NEVC and led the Bears with 173 digs. He also contributed 19 service aces and 17 blocks. Tenhagen is Potsdam's all-time leader in aces (106) and owns the record for single-match kills (29). Tenhagen (679) and Kilinski (636) rank second and third on the Potsdam kills list and should best the program record of 711 this spring. Tenhagen is also just 41 digs from the program mark of 581.
 
Junior setter Alex Lombardo (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) and senior middle hitter Mike Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) are also back after regularly being in the starting lineup. Lombardo ranked third in the NEVC with a career-high 697 assists. He also registered 110 digs, 22 blocks, 26 kills and 13 aces. Lombardo set the Bears single-match assist record with 61 against SUNY Poly in five sets last March. Mike Kilinski made an immediate impact in the lineup in his first season in Potsdam a year ago. Kilinski led the conference and set the program's single-season record with a .380 hitting percentage. He was third on the team with 134 kills, second with 48 blocks, as well as totaling 12 aces and 41 digs.
 
Junior outside hitter/libero Calum Anderson (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) and junior middle hitter Jack Orrange (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) saw a lot of time on the court a year ago. In 24 matches, Anderson recorded 80 digs, 18 kills and 15 assists. Orrange, who was named to the NEVC Sportsmanship Team, posted 99 digs, 25 kills, nine assists, three blocks and two aces in 25 matches.
 
Sophomore right side Liam Yusko (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) played in 17 matches in his debut campaign. He had 124 assists, 27 kills, 23 digs, eight aces and five blocks. In 16 matches, junior right side Benson Jovel-Truong (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) had 34 kills, 43 digs, 15 assists, nine blocks and seven aces. Junior middle hitter Connor McGovern (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) totaled 18 kills, 13 digs, eight aces, five assists and three blocks in 15 matches. Junior outside hitter Dylan Murray (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) recorded 19 kills, 20 digs, three assists and three aces in 14 matches. Junior outside hitter Jesse Schwartz (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sutherland) and sophomore outside hitter Alexander Bholasing (Bayshore, N.Y./Bayshore) are also back. Schwartz had 10 digs, five kills and five aces in nine matches. Bholasing contributed 14 digs, three kills and an ace in eight matches.
 
Four freshmen and a graduate student are the new additions to the program this season. Freshman right side/outside hitter Brayden Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) joins his brothers in Potsdam after graduating from Saratoga Springs High School. Like many other Bears, freshman libero Rowan Root (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) comes to the North Country from Buffalo where he was first team All-Catholic and the all-time digs leader at St. Joseph's. Freshman setter Shane Goldberg (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) was the team MVP at Niskayuna. Freshman outside hitter Jonathan Kang (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) comes from Ossining High School where he was honorable mention all-league. Graduate student Minsol Kim (St. Louis, Mo./Glen Allen) completes the 2026 roster.
 
The Bears play 17 regular season matches this year, including six NEVC contests. Potsdam squares off with Regis at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 5 p.m. showdown with Buffalo State. The Bears open conference play on February 7, when they host Bard College in a tri-match with Houghton University. The team hits road for match at Elmira College on February 20. The next day the Bears face Hartwick College and Hilbert College at Hilbert. Potsdam is back home to face NEVC foes Nichols College on March 7 and Russell Sage College on March 14. A Massachusetts swing takes Potsdam to Curry College on March 20 and Endicott College for another conference match the following day. The Bears are at Hartwick on March 27 and 28 for a two-match series. Potsdam closes out the regular season at home on April 4 with a tri-match against NEVC member Vermont-State Johnson and St. John Fisher University.  
 
This season is also the last one for the NEVC. The Bears will join the Conference of New England next year along with fellow associate members Bard and VSU Johnson. The rest of the current NEVC are already regular members of the CNE.
 
Fans can watch live video of all Bears home matches here: https://fan.hudl.com/potsdambears
 
Live statistics of all Bears home contests can be viewed here: https://potsdambears.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary