The NEC men's volleyball coaches have weighed in on postseason honors, and all four teams that qualified for the NEC Tournament produced a major award winner in the annual balloting with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Chase Valentine earning Rookie of the Year honors in the first year for the Hawks' men's volleyball program.

LIU senior outside hitter/right side Kale Spencer (Kula, Maui, HI/Pukalani) was named as the NEC Player of the Year, marking the first time a Shark has received the honor.

FDU junior middle blocker Rayjan Suarez Palacios (San Antonio, TX/Clark) became the first-ever Knight to be voted as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Veteran head coach Mike Rumbaugh was named NEC Coach of the Year for the fourth year running after steering Saint Francis to its fourth-straight NEC regular season title.

In addition to Rookie of the Year honors, Valentine earned All-NEC First Team recognition while junior Andre Mills and fifth year senior Kenyon Haynes earned Second Team honors.

Valentine flew onto the scene for the Hawks in UMES' inaugural men's volleyball campaign. The Kaysville, Utah, native leads the NEC in both blocks per set (1.28) and hitting percentage (.407), while ranking third and eighth nationally in those categories, respectively. Valentine earned weekly honors 11 times this season, including seven NEC Defensive Player of the Week selections and four NEC Rookie of the Week nods. He closed the regular season with 13 blocks to help UMES sweep Manhattan and clinch an NEC Tournament spot. Valentine was named to the All-NEC first team for his efforts.

In his first season with the Hawks, during the inaugural UMES men's volleyball season, Mills surpassed 700 career kills this season while hitting 255 kills this season (3.15 kills per set). Mills also added 62 total blocks, 30 service aces 119 digs and 11 assists. The Hawks' setter, Haynes surpassed 3,000 career assists this season while accruing 867 this season (10.32 assists per set). Haynes also added 131 digs while recording 40 total blocks and 29 kills.

The awards were announced on the eve of the NEC Men's Volleyball Championship. Hosted by Saint Francis, the tournament begins on Friday with the semifinals, followed by the final on Championship Saturday. The four-team event, which will air live on ESPN+, will see top-seeded SFU take on fourth-seeded LIU, while second-seeded FDU squares off with third-seeded UMES. 

Spencer led the Sharks offensively during the regular season and finished second in the league in total kills (313) and fifth in kills per set (3.37). The senior outside hitter and two time All-NEC first teamer has established himself as one of the NEC's most complete players, ranking inside the top 10 in multitude of categories; seventh in hitting percentage (.273), third in service aces per set (0.42), fifth in digs per set (1.92), second in total points (371) and fifth in points per set (3.99). A native of Kula, Maui, HI, Spencer is part of a Sharks offense that currently sits first in the league in total kills (1,215) and second in kills per set (11.91).

A feared defensive presence in the middle for FDU, Suarez Palacios helped anchor a unit that led the NEC in blocks during league play while also ranking second in the conference and fourth nationally with 1.21 blocks per set. Suarez Palacios was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week three consecutive times this season (March 24 & 30, April 6) and recorded seven or more blocks four times on the year. The junior was tabbed to the All-NEC first team.

In his 28th season leading Saint Francis U, Rumbaugh has set the standard in NEC play, leading the Red Flash to a 41-5 conference record and four consecutive regular season titles since men's volleyball became a sponsored sport in the NEC. He is the only coach in the league's short men's volleyball history to earn Coach of the Year honors. Under the guidance of Rumbaugh, SFU ranks second in the NEC in aces per set (1.51), and third in hitting percentage (.250), opponent kills (11.59) and digs (8.99). The Red Flash will look to secure the program's first NEC Tournament title in front of its home fans this weekend.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
 
Daemen led the way with four All-Conference honorees, while FDU, UMES and Saint Francis each had three total selections. The Red Flash featured three first-team all-stars, the most of any squad. LIU had two players earn recognition along with one from D'Youville.

The first four-time All-NEC selection in league history, Jamal Ellis (Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Academia Discípulos de Cristo) made his third appearance on the first team. Ellis finished the regular season ranking inside the top-20 nationally in a host of categories; ninth in aces per set (.507), 15th in attacks per set (8.43), 16th in kills per set (3.69), and eighth in points per set (4.54). He sits among the top-five in the NEC in each of those categories.

A pair of Red Flash players collected first-team accolades for the second-straight season. A unanimous choice as the NEC Rookie of the Year in 2025, sophomore setter Kyle Charles (Lititz, PA/Warwick) ranks fifth in the league in total assists (667) and assists per set (9.01), and recorded 50 or more assists twice this season. Senior outside hitter Brady Stump (York, Pa/York Suburban) is currently sixth in the NCAA in aces per set (0.539) and ranks among the NEC's top 10 in kills per set (3.27, sixth) and points per set (3.94, seventh). They were joined by senior outside hitter Cole Dorn (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) on the first unit.

Joining Spencer on the first-team was freshman outside hitter/right side Ike Vernon (Provo, UT/Del Norte) who has been an offensive force for LIU this season. Vernon paces the NEC in attacks per set (9.29), kills per set (3.97) and points per set (4.56), ranking fourth nationally in attacks and kills per set and sixth in points per set.

Along with Valentine's first team nod, NEC newcomer UMES placed two student-athletes on the All-NEC second team. Graduate setter Kenyon Haynes (Chicago, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor (Edward Waters)) comes into the postseason as the NEC leader and fifth nationally in assists per set (10.32). He recorded 50 or more assists in each of his final three games of the regular season. Junior opposite Andre Mills (Ft. Lauderdale, FL/JP Taravella) ranks inside the NEC's top-10 in five categories: seventh in kills per set (3.15), ninth in hitting percentage (.261), seventh in aces per set (.370), ninth in blocks per set (.77) and sixth in points per set (3.94).

The Daemen trio of Maverick O'Neill (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville North), Billy Wieberg (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) and Kyle Zelasko (West Seneca, NY/Orchard Park) each repeated as second team honorees. Zelasko is second in the NEC with 2.19 digs per set, O'Neill's 1.02 blocks per set rank third and Wieberg's 0.40 service aces per set slots him fourth on the circuit.
 

2026 Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Award Winners

Player of the Year
Kale Spencer           LIU                  OH/RS   Sr.   Kula, Maui, HI/Pukalani

Defensive Player of the Year
Rayjan Suarez Palacios FDU                  MB      Jr.   San Antonio, TX/Clark

Rookie of the Year
Chase Valentine        UMES                 MB      Fr.   Kaysville, UT/Davis

Coach of the Year
Mike Rumbaugh          Saint Francis.       28th Season
     
2026 Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball First Team All-Conference

Name                                School               Pos      Yr     Hometown/High School (Previous School)
Kyle Charles                    Saint Francis      S          So.    Lititz, PA/Warwick
Cole Dorn                        Saint Francis      OH        Sr.    Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny
Jamal Ellis                       FDU                    OPP      Sr.    Bayamón, Puerto Rico/Academia Discípulos de Cristo
Kale Spencer                   LIU                     OH/RS   Sr.    Kula, Maui, HI/Pukalani
Brady Stump                   Saint Francis       OH         Sr.    York, PA/York Suburban
Rayjan Suarez Palacios  FDU                    MB         Jr.    San Antonio, TX/Clark
Chase Valentine              UMES                 MB         Fr.    Kaysville, UT/Davis
Ike Vernon                       LIU                      OH/RS   Fr.    Provo, UT/Del Norte

2026 Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Second Team All-Conference

Name                   School                Pos     Yr     Hometown/High School (Previous School)
Laydon Biro            FDU                   OH     So.      Skokie, IL/Niles North
Kenyon Haynes      UMES                S        5th      Chicago, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor (Edward Waters)
Andre Mills              UMES                OPP   Jr.       Ft. Lauderdale, FL/JP Taravella
Patrick Mullen         Daemen             RS      R-So.  Farmingdale, NJ/Howell
Maverick O'Neill      Daemen             MB     5th      East Amherst, NY/Williamsville North
Ethan Robinson      D'Youville           OH      Jr.       Scarborough, Ontario/Neil McNeil
Billy Wieberg           Daemen             OH      R-Sr.  Grand Island, NY/Grand Island
Kyle Zelasko           Daemen              L         Sr.      West Seneca, NY/Orchard Park