GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Grove City College men's volleyball team enters the 2026 season with plenty of optimism after a promising debut varsity season in 2025.

The 2025 Wolverines advanced to the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament title match in the program's inaugural season last year. Now, with three returning All-Conference honorees and several other veterans back in the fold, the Wolverines look to maintain their upward path.

Senior middle blocker Tieg Malcolm (New Philadelphia, Ohio/Homeschooled), junior setter Craig Fair (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) and sophomore outside hitter Keith Otto (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) all return after earning All-PAC last season.

A Second Team All-Conference selection, Malcolm led the conference with 95 total blocks a 1.02 block average. He also led Grove City with 40 aces and a .269 hitting percentage from his middle position.

Fair will again orchestrate the Grove City offense after averaging 8.21 assists per set last year. Fair, who earned All-PAC Honorable Mention in 2025, added 44 blocks.

Otto joined Fair on the Honorable Mention list after leading Grove City in kill average (2.36) as a rookie. Otto also contributed 36 blocks.

Seniors Derrick Lambert (Denver, Pa./Garden Spot) and Hayden McCreadie (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) also return after playing extensively in 2025. Lambert made five starts as a junior while McCreadie appeared in 26 matches last year.

Both men are in pursuit of full-time spots in the rotation this spring.

Junior Andrew Kessler (Jeannette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) will again join Malcolm in the middle after racking up 90 blocks last year. The 6-foot-7 Kessler recorded a .246 hitting percentage last year while also ranking second on the team with 20 aces.

Junior Max Gianneski (Butler, Pa./Butler) returns as a starter at outside hitter after leading the team with 211 total kills last year. He added 30 blocks while making 24 starts as a sophomore.

Both Kessler and Gianneski have the inside track to again hold down starting spots this year.

Junior Carson Good (Jeannette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) will push for a full-time spot on the right side after making 15 appearances in 2025. He averaged 1.28 kills and 0.38 blocks per set in his part-time role last year.

At libero, junior Phillip Schweitzer (Erie, Pa./McDowell) will look to capture the full-time spot after playing in a dozen matches last year. Second-year head coach Brett Heckathorn noted that Lambert and Otto are also candidates at libero.

Another junior, defensive specialist Brayden DiMalanta (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), will compete for a spot in the back row after seeing reserve duty in 2025.

Six newcomers round out Grove City's 16-man roster.

Grove City opens the 2026 season Saturday, January 10 with a pair of matches at Messiah University. The home schedule begins January 17 with home matches against Baldwin Wallace and Elizabethtown. The 12-match conference gauntlet begins February 18, when the Wolverines host Thiel in a rematch of the 2025 conference tournament title match.