Men’s volleyball to test DI, DII lineups in Saturday’s ECVA South preseason home tournament
10/17/2025 7:20:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Liberty returns a solid nucleus from last season’s ninth-place NCVF Division I squad, strengthened by an incoming supporting cast that adds size and athleticism.
A lineup loaded with top returning talent supplemented by an influx of high-level recruits and transfers has Liberty University men's volleyball Head Coach Josh Knapp setting a high bar for the Flames in the 2025-26 season, starting with Saturday's Preseason Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association (ECVA) South Tournament at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center.
"It should be a good starting event for the start of the fall semester, to get a peek of what our indoor season is going to look like in the spring," Knapp said, noting there will be 21 programs participating — eight Division I and 13 Division II teams, including alumni squads. "With it being our first tournament, the guys are excited to get out there and compete and see some of those teams across our conference."
Liberty is looking to build on its ninth-place showing at the NCVF National Championships in Phoenix last spring, when its DI squad advanced to the Gold Bracket before being eliminated by Grand Canyon University in the Round of 16.
"Last year's performance at nationals really set the tone for what these guys want to do moving forward, and we have a lot of returners from that lineup," Knapp said of senior opposite hitter and co-captain Zach Lamoureux, senior setter and co-captain Josh Culpepper, senior outside hitter Josh Davis, junior libero John Kinzler, junior middle blocker Austin Leach, and senior outside hitter Zach Bell. "We have a great senior class that helps with our leadership, and we were able to bring in some good recruits with size. All those guys have really set the standard for the underclassmen coming in."
The Flames are hungry to return to nationals and motivated to take the next step to reach the semifinals or even championship match.
"We are definitely using (nationals) as momentum over the summer and snowballing into desperation to get back there and prove that we could be on that final court and we could truly hang with anyone," Leach said. "We want it really bad."
Knapp said the newcomers and veterans have been intentional about connecting on the court for practice and in the gym for workouts — as well as outside of volleyball in social and spiritual settings — to strengthen team bonds and develop camaraderie and trust.
"They need to have a good foundation outside the court, so they know each other better because … the daily battle of that run for nationals is not a sprint, it is a marathon," Knapp said.
Liberty will have the opportunity to host the ECVA South Championships in March with hopes of qualifying for the East Coast Championships. That will be the Flames' best chance to earn a high seeding for the April 2-4 NCVF National Championships, to be held in Kansas City, Mo., for the second time in three years.
Knapp said this season's squad is built for the long haul, with ample depth across its DI and DII lineups. Those have yet to be finalized but could be locked in after next Saturday's tournament at North Carolina State.
"Two years ago (at nationals in Kansas City), we saw a lot of injuries and some drop in our play," Knapp said. "We're set up well. We have a great roster and we're preparing to make sure, if we see any injuries across the board to our top hitters, these guys have the best chance to succeed in their matches moving forward."
"We've got a lot of depth with our DI roster this year," Lamoureux added,. "It's awesome. Our height has increased as well as our skill level across the board. We don't have to run our starters every game, so that will be really good for really long tournaments in terms of getting to that final game and our starters not being wiped out."
Knapp said the players on both DI and DII squads have demonstrated solid commitment in practices and are focused on making positive contributions to the team's overall success.
"These guys have shown great intention each day we come to practice of paying our dues and having that balance we're going to need at the end of the year to contend for that national championship," Knapp said. "It's going to be a long preseason (in the fall) and regular season in the spring, and we've got to manage our bodies and our reps, our touches, and make sure we're showing up with that same mentality and rising up to that standard. I'm excited to see what these guys are going to bring to the board. We're starting to dive deeper into our systems and find that chemistry on the court."
Culpepper is complemented at setter by sophomore Will Radi in running the Flames' 5-1 offense while Lamoureux is backed up on the right side by another NCAA DIII transfer, Liam Reinmuth.
"Josh is our floor captain," Knapp said. "He has a great voice out there leading that offense and Zach is one of our bigger offensive weapons and presence on the court that we rely on a lot to see him as a primary hitting option. (Lamoureux) and Joshua Davis — who definitely has the size and the vertical (leap) and the athleticism we like to see from that position —pair well together on opposite (poles) to really give us some good diversity at the net."
Kinzler — one of the team's Disciple Makers along with DII sophomore opposite hitter Justin Over — is a former outside hitter who shifted to libero for the DI squad last season.
"He's a great foundational piece of what our systems are going to look like, both for our serve-receive and for our defensive side," Knapp said of Kinzler. "He's one of our spiritual leaders who keeps a great standard and foundation for the team. He is a great voice, and we lean on him a lot to have consistency across the board for our defensive team."
Newcomers who could make an immediate impact include freshmen middle blockers Ian McKee, who stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, and Ben Bremmer, who is 6-6.
"We were able to bring in a little bit of size to help that roster on our defensive capabilities from the block," Knapp said. "That added size and athleticism and that youth that they have and the effort that they pour into their play is a really refreshing aspect to see. With a little more size this year, we're excited to see what our defense and our block will look like in that system together. We'll start to see that progress as those newer athletes in the middle get more playing time and really step up on that side, putting up a wall for us to set up a good defensive system around. Blocking is a really big aspect of what our team is going to look like when we get to our main season in the spring."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"It should be a good starting event for the start of the fall semester, to get a peek of what our indoor season is going to look like in the spring," Knapp said, noting there will be 21 programs participating — eight Division I and 13 Division II teams, including alumni squads. "With it being our first tournament, the guys are excited to get out there and compete and see some of those teams across our conference."
Liberty is looking to build on its ninth-place showing at the NCVF National Championships in Phoenix last spring, when its DI squad advanced to the Gold Bracket before being eliminated by Grand Canyon University in the Round of 16.
"Last year's performance at nationals really set the tone for what these guys want to do moving forward, and we have a lot of returners from that lineup," Knapp said of senior opposite hitter and co-captain Zach Lamoureux, senior setter and co-captain Josh Culpepper, senior outside hitter Josh Davis, junior libero John Kinzler, junior middle blocker Austin Leach, and senior outside hitter Zach Bell. "We have a great senior class that helps with our leadership, and we were able to bring in some good recruits with size. All those guys have really set the standard for the underclassmen coming in."
The Flames are hungry to return to nationals and motivated to take the next step to reach the semifinals or even championship match.
"We are definitely using (nationals) as momentum over the summer and snowballing into desperation to get back there and prove that we could be on that final court and we could truly hang with anyone," Leach said. "We want it really bad."
Knapp said the newcomers and veterans have been intentional about connecting on the court for practice and in the gym for workouts — as well as outside of volleyball in social and spiritual settings — to strengthen team bonds and develop camaraderie and trust.
"They need to have a good foundation outside the court, so they know each other better because … the daily battle of that run for nationals is not a sprint, it is a marathon," Knapp said.
Liberty will have the opportunity to host the ECVA South Championships in March with hopes of qualifying for the East Coast Championships. That will be the Flames' best chance to earn a high seeding for the April 2-4 NCVF National Championships, to be held in Kansas City, Mo., for the second time in three years.
Knapp said this season's squad is built for the long haul, with ample depth across its DI and DII lineups. Those have yet to be finalized but could be locked in after next Saturday's tournament at North Carolina State.
"Two years ago (at nationals in Kansas City), we saw a lot of injuries and some drop in our play," Knapp said. "We're set up well. We have a great roster and we're preparing to make sure, if we see any injuries across the board to our top hitters, these guys have the best chance to succeed in their matches moving forward."
"We've got a lot of depth with our DI roster this year," Lamoureux added,. "It's awesome. Our height has increased as well as our skill level across the board. We don't have to run our starters every game, so that will be really good for really long tournaments in terms of getting to that final game and our starters not being wiped out."
Knapp said the players on both DI and DII squads have demonstrated solid commitment in practices and are focused on making positive contributions to the team's overall success.
"These guys have shown great intention each day we come to practice of paying our dues and having that balance we're going to need at the end of the year to contend for that national championship," Knapp said. "It's going to be a long preseason (in the fall) and regular season in the spring, and we've got to manage our bodies and our reps, our touches, and make sure we're showing up with that same mentality and rising up to that standard. I'm excited to see what these guys are going to bring to the board. We're starting to dive deeper into our systems and find that chemistry on the court."
Culpepper is complemented at setter by sophomore Will Radi in running the Flames' 5-1 offense while Lamoureux is backed up on the right side by another NCAA DIII transfer, Liam Reinmuth.
"Josh is our floor captain," Knapp said. "He has a great voice out there leading that offense and Zach is one of our bigger offensive weapons and presence on the court that we rely on a lot to see him as a primary hitting option. (Lamoureux) and Joshua Davis — who definitely has the size and the vertical (leap) and the athleticism we like to see from that position —pair well together on opposite (poles) to really give us some good diversity at the net."
Kinzler — one of the team's Disciple Makers along with DII sophomore opposite hitter Justin Over — is a former outside hitter who shifted to libero for the DI squad last season.
"He's a great foundational piece of what our systems are going to look like, both for our serve-receive and for our defensive side," Knapp said of Kinzler. "He's one of our spiritual leaders who keeps a great standard and foundation for the team. He is a great voice, and we lean on him a lot to have consistency across the board for our defensive team."
Newcomers who could make an immediate impact include freshmen middle blockers Ian McKee, who stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, and Ben Bremmer, who is 6-6.
"We were able to bring in a little bit of size to help that roster on our defensive capabilities from the block," Knapp said. "That added size and athleticism and that youth that they have and the effort that they pour into their play is a really refreshing aspect to see. With a little more size this year, we're excited to see what our defense and our block will look like in that system together. We'll start to see that progress as those newer athletes in the middle get more playing time and really step up on that side, putting up a wall for us to set up a good defensive system around. Blocking is a really big aspect of what our team is going to look like when we get to our main season in the spring."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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