Tigers Hope to Continue Strong Run of Play in 2026
SPRINGFIELD, OH - Under the direction of Head Coach Jamie Peterson, who took over the squad in the interim midway through the 2025 season, Wittenberg Men’s Volleyball is looking for more great things to come their way in 2026. Those high expectations are shared by others in the know as Wittenberg received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III men’s volleyball preseason poll.
Peterson returned to Wittenberg after spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the sidelines at Pam Evans Smith Arena as an assistant coach with the Tiger women’s volleyball program. After compiling a 6-3 record as the interim coach, she had the interim title removed in June.
In her first match after the unusual midseason coaching transition, Peterson led the Tigers to an upset victory of nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace on March 14. She went on to guide the Tigers to a second place finish in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) regular season standings that led to a berth in the league tournament, where Wittenberg fell in a semifinal match-up against Baldwin Wallace.
This year’s squad will be led by senior outside hitters Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) and Eli Halverson (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin), who both received second-team All-MCVL honors last season, and senior middle hitter Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll). Also returning are senior libero Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford), who was honorable mention All-MCVL last season, and sophomore setter Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East), who led the team in assists as a freshman with 566 in 25 matches.
Yurk led the Tigers in kills for a second straight year, concluding the regular season with 304, which ranked fourth in the MCVL. A first-team All-MCVL selection in 2023 and a second-team All-MCVL honoree in 2024, Halverson hit .281 on the season and ranked second on the team in kills with 235 and had a team-leading 27 aces.
Wittenberg closed the 2025 regular season with a 20-10 overall record after five consecutive victories in the final two weeks to finish second in the MCVL standings behind undefeated Mount Union, and was the second seed in the four-team MCVL Tournament.
The Tigers open their 25-match season by hosting the Jim Coleman Memorial Invitational on Jan. 16-17. The two-day invitational will feature Eastern Mennonite, Marian, Thiel, and Westminster. Wittenberg will play Eastern Mennonite at 3 p.m. and Marian at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by Thiel at 1 p.m. and Westminster at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The tournament will take place at the Pam Evans Smith Arena and the 1929 Gymnasium, both part of Wittenberg’s Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex. MCVL action begins when the Tigers host Trine on Feb. 20, at 7 p.m.
This year’s schedule also includes the Tigers taking on three ranked in the AVCA preseason poll in Southern Virginia (4th), Loras (14th), and Baldwin Wallace (15th). Mount Union, also on the schedule and a member of the MCVL, received votes as well.
Written By: Cindy Holbrook
Graphic By: Ally White '25 and Olivia Witman