Andrew Kim isn’t even the longest tenured player on this list believe it or not, but he has been impacting the Div III world the longest. With 31,857 career swings so far, he has set his fair share of records. Don’t bother fact checking that number.

Kim did a great job of making first year program Hobart instantly competitive. You have to imagine the program will be even stronger in year two and a chance to make some noise in the UVC. In case you forgot, he is a former national player of the year.

23-2-40 is an impressive stat line under any circumstances. It’s even more impressive when it happens in the national championship game. Stahl put up a huge performance in the last match of the season, earning himself a spot on the list this year.

He was only an Honorable Mention All-American in 2024, which seems crazy now, but he lands on our 1^st team. It will be interesting to see what he does for a follow up.  While he’s going to have someone different feeding him the ball, the rest of Cal Lu is back and eager to defend their championship. 

And the great thing for Stahl, is he doesn’t have to carry the load every night because 1^st teamer Jordan Cooper is back for another season as well. Cooper actually led Cal Lu in pts and kills per set in 2024.

He went 24-6-52 in the five set thriller against Stevens in the semis.  I have him battling for the top OH spot in the group (with Shaffer and Mayotte) which means if Cal Lu remains in contention, he could be a candidate for FrogJump Outside of the Year. 

How many volleyball players do you know that touch 12 feet? If you didn’t see that video on Tiktok, take a second. The big rs took almost 900 swings last season hitting .319 and averaging 5.5 pts/s.

In his second and final season with the Cougars, we expect him to expand on those numbers as Misericordia has their eyes set on the NCAA tourney. This list features a strong group of RS hitters, but Piontkowski might have the opportunity to make the biggest impact for his squad. 

Is it possible that a multiple time All-American and creator of the most viral Div III moment ever is a little bit underrated? Coaches don’t think so as he was picked for the 1^st team.

I think he could emerge as the top setter in the country if Springfield has a big season. They did bring in a huge class and with (I think) all their starters returning, it should give Mulvaney a lot of options. Springfield ranked inside the top 5 offensively last year and I’d bet they move up behind Mulvaney. 

Koby Sherman is like a Transformer, there is more to him than meets the eye. At surface level, he looks like your classic right side: Jump High and Hit Ball Hard. But there is much more nuisance to his game than that. With a unique narrow approach and the arm dynamism to make it work, the reigning MAC Player of the Year will have to carry a bigger offensive load as the Ducks graduated a lot of talent from last season.

I expect him to be above 4 Kills/Set (3.12 in 2024) while keeping his efficiency (.331) as Stevens looks to advance to their fourth consecutive National Semi-Frinals.

This is a mention to all setters across the country, feed your middles more. Unless your name is Brandon Sharp, Ryan Givens is already well fed. The rising senior was unrivaled in his offensive production amongst his peers. Givens scored an eye popping 3.79 Points/Set with 3.07 Kills/Set while hitting .435, highlighted by two matches of 20+ Kills.

Most impressively, Givens did this while no other teammate was over 3 Kills/Set, meaning teams know the ball was going to him. If the Falcons want to continue competing on the National Stage, Givens will need to have another sensational season. 

There is regular physical and there is Ry Kagan physical. The NYU middle gives his Violet squad an identity with his domineering presence at the net. Whether it be on the offensive or defensive side, Kagan’s impact was felt in nearly every match during their march to the National Semi-Finals.

Kagan was over 3 Points/Set hitting .388 while adding 1 Block/Set as well. If NYU is going to meet the hype and return to the National Semi-Finals (or beyond) he will need to play his best in their biggest matches like he did against Hobart (20-1-29) and St. John Fisher (16-3-25) last season. 

The 6’6″ outside hitter from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, has been a cornerstone of Southern Virginia University’s success over the last two years. He ended the 2024 season on a tear, racking up several accolades including CVC Player of the Year, AVCA Regional Player of the Year, and a 1st Team All-American selection. The Knights are one of the heavy favorites to make the NCAA finals this year with him at the pin.

The senior outside hitter has been a pivotal force in the Duhawks’ recent success. Standing at 6’2″ and hailing from Geneva, Illinois, Mayotte has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and leadership on the court. In the 2024 season, he led the CCIW with 406 kills, surpassing his previous record of 292 set in 2023. His outstanding performance last year earned him the distinction of being the first player in Loras history to be named a First-Team All-American AVCA. 

From the humble beginning at Ventnor Pier on the beaches of New Jersey to the bright lights of Boston, Josh Milke’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Taking complete advantage of his first season as a full time starter, Milke led Wentworth to the #1 National Ranking for a large portion of the season while conducting the country’s top offense which hit .351 for the season.

Individually, he led the county with 10.78 Assists/Set. Coach Giglio will be leaning on the Milkman more than a 1920s family with the graduation of Jacob Labouliere- so we will have to see if he can continue to deliver.

Luke Hoffman is your quintessential Central Pennsylvanian. He puts on his hard hat, packs up his lunch pale, and heads to work. It may not be flashy, it may not make its way to our social pages, but Hoffman always gets the job done. And he has been getting the job done for a loooong time.

Entering his 5th year, Hoffman ranks 1st among all active Division III student-athletes with a .429 career attack percentage and 296 career blocks. Juniata returns a lot and will look to return to their 3rd consecutive NCAA Tournament and advance back to the National Semi-Finals for the first time since 2014. 

I could sit here and wax poetically about Tim Flanagan until my fingers fall off. I love everything about his game and seeing his volleyball IQ expand under the tutelage of Beach Volleyball Head Coach, Ian Capp has made me love his game even more. Flanagan has the verticality to play above the block and the precision to play around it.

Carrying an extreme offensive load for the Mustangs, the New Jersey native was over 4 Kills/Set while hitting a crisp .319 and had 10 matches of 18 kills or more. If the Mustangs want to get back to the national stage, Flanagan has to will them there with his arm and brain. 

The 6’2 Outside Hitter remains one of the top pins in the country, has demonstrated his ability to dominate games throughout his time at Nazareth.Throughout his collegiate career, Wickens has garnered numerous accolades, including being named the Empire 8 Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons and earning First Team All-UVC honors four times.

In the 2024 season, he led the nation with 81 service aces, averaging 0.964 aces per set, and was recognized as an AVCA All-American for the second straight year. The golden flyers will live and die by his performances in 2025.

Otto had a significant impact for the Firebirds in his rookie season, and is by and large one of the best up and coming pins in D3VB. He appeared in 24 matches, playing 80 sets, earning 261 kills (.324%) , 29 service aces, 127 digs, 32 assists, and 31 total blocks. His outstanding performance earned him the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year award and spots on the All-CCIW First Team and FrogJump All-Freshmen Team.

Sam Levinson was an impactful surprise for the Pride in 2024. He led Springfield with 228 kills, averaging 3.21 per set, with a .306 hitting percentage. His efforts were such that he ended the season with several pieces of hardware, including AVCA Regional Newcomer of the Year, AVCA National Player of the Year, and a spot on the FrogJump All-Freshmen team.

Madsen has been a pivotal member of the Knights core over the last few seasons and has firmly established himself as the best libero in DIII. Madsen’s accolades are numerous, including the 2024 Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Libero of the Year, the FrogJump National Libero of the Year, and an AVCA 1st-Team All-American selection. 

Goss has been a go to player for the Stars over the last two seasons, breaking into the National Conversation last year with an AVCA All-American honorable mention. He led the Dominican Stars in kills, aces, and points in 2024, and further ended as the NACC Player of the Year. He’ll be a major feature of their offense this year as the Stars seek to defend their NACC title, and return to the NCAA Tournament.

McLellan was one of the standout players for the Spartans last year, and is primed for a dominating year in 2025. The 6’9 outside led Aurora with 373 kills, averaging 4.44 kills per set, ranking ninth nationally in Division III. His performance earned him First-Team All-Conference honors in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) and an All-Region selection. 

Normandin had a “breakout” season with the Bison. I say breakout because you might not have heard too much about him previously, but before he was a Bison he had a solid career with the Raiders at Rivier starting in 2018.

He ended the 2024 season as an All-American, led the Bison in scoring and was a huge reason Nichols made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Their 5 losses came to 3 teams: Springfield, Wentworth and Vassar, which is a small list of teams who contended for the national championship last year. This year might prove to be his best, and with the majority of the Nichols roster returning, I can see them making a very deep run in the postseason.