POTSDAM, N.Y.—Six SUNY Potsdam men's volleyball players have earned New England Volleyball Conference Academic All-Conference status for the 2025-26 academic year. Junior middle hitter Benson Jovel-Truong (Latham, N.Y./Shaker), graduate student middle hitter Matt Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs), senior middle hitter Mike Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs), junior setter Alex Lombardo (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton), junior middle hitter Jack Orrange (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) and sophomore right side Liam Yusko (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) each met the criteria of a 3.3 cumulative GPA and being at least a sophomore.
 
Jovel-Truong is academic all-conference for the second season in a row. The music education major played in 11 matches this season with 30 kills, five service aces, seven digs and nine blocks. In his three years in Potsdam, Jovel-Truong had totaled 88 kills, 18 assists, 17 aces, 60 digs and 21 blocks in 60 matches.

Matt Kilinski, a new media and graphic design major, was named first team All-NEVC for the second season in a row. He was second on the team with 232 kills. He was second in the NEVC in kills-per-set with 3.80, a single-season program record. He recorded 105 digs, 15 blocks and 13 service aces in 16 matches. He is second all-time in kills for the Bears (868), second in kills-per-set (2.70), third in hitting percentage (.265), third in service aces (79), fifth in digs (320) and first in total blocks (182). Kilinski was the NEVC Player of the Year in 2025.
 
Mike Kilinski, a business major, led the men's volleyball team with 67 total blocks, ranked third in kills (144) and second in service aces (17). The middle blocker led the NEVC in hitting percentage (.370), just shy of his own single-season Potsdam record. He was fourth in total blocks and third blocks-per-set (0.89) in the conference. Kilinski holds the program record for career hitting percentage (.374), all-time blocks-per-set (0.77) and is fourth in career blocks (115). He was named second team All-NEVC this spring and was also academic all-conference last season.
 
Lombardo, an environmental science major who was also academic all-conference a year ago, led the NEVC in assists-per-set with a career-high 9.37, recording a team-best 684 assists in 19 matches this season. He ranked second on the team in digs (125), third in service aces (15) and fourth in total blocks (18). The setter holds the all-time assists record for the Bears with 1720 and is second in career assists-per-set (6.96).
 
Orrange is majoring in music education and was also academic all-conference last season. 2026 was another strong year for the middle hitter. He recorded he recorded personal bests in kills (70) and blocks (31) to go with 26 digs while playing in 18 contests. In 56 career matches, Orrange has compiled 93 kills, 22 assists, 11 aces, 153 digs and 37 blocks.
 
Yusko is a dual music performance and education major. In his two years with the Bears, he has registered 28 kills, 126 assists, eight aces, 22 digs and four blocks.
 
With a record of 12-7 (4-3 NEVC) in 2026, the Bears posted their fourth consecutive winning season and have a 64-43 record over the span for a .598 winning percentage. Potsdam earned a postseason bid for the fifth straight season. The team defeated Russell Sage College in the conference quarterfinals to earn a place in the semifinals for the third time in the last four years.