GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin men's volleyball team kicked off their 2026 season amidst a winter storm when they took on Concordia (Wis.) and Lakeland.
 
MATCH 1
CALVIN 3, CONCORDIA (WIS.) 1
 
In their first match of the season the Knights defeated the Falcons of Concordia (Wis.) 3-1 with scores of 25-21, 16-25, 31-29, and 28-26.
 
The Knights got out to a strong start when they took set one, the Concordia answered right back by winning the second set. The third set tested the mental toughness of both squads as they battled for points down the stretch. However, Calvin came up big when they were able to eventually win the set 31-29 and take a critical 2-1 lead over the Falcons.
 
Now, with momentum on their side, the Knights rallied in the fourth to claim the set and win their first match of the season 3-1. Calvin finished the match with a hitting percentage of .235 with their best performance coming in the first set when they posted a .375 hitting percentage.
 
Junior Brady Gudauskas (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led the way for Calvin with fifteen kills, one service ace, and a hitting percentage of .448 while fellow junior Nick Bultje (Byron Center, Mich./South Christian) was close behind with twelve kills and three block assists. Senior Gabriel Laughlin (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Michigan Aviation Academy) finished with nine kills and sophomore Ezekiel Jalan (Oconomowoc, Wis./Arrowhead) record forty assists.
 
MATCH TWO
CALVIN 3, LAKELAND 1
 
Calvin carried target momentum from their first match into their second as they took down the Muskies of Lakeland 3-1 with scores of 16-25, 25-18, 25-15, and 25-12.
 
Lakeland took an early lead over the Knights when they won the first set before Calvin bounced back in the second set to even the score at 1-1. The Knights recorded their highest hitting percentage of .412 in the third set as they went on to claim the next two sets to seal the Calvin victory. 
 
Gudauskas was once again the leading attacker for the Knights as he recorded eleven kills and an impressive five service aces. Rua finished the match with eleven attacks and two service aces while Jalan had a team high twelve digs and thirty-nine assists. Defensively, sophomore Bryce Broekhuizen (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo) and freshman Landon Dykema (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) each had three blocks while Jalan chipped in two.
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Thursday, January 29th when they take on Aquinas College in Van Noord Arena at 7 PM.