HARRISONBURG, Va. - With the Christmas and New Year holidays behind us, it's time to shift gears into late winter/early spring sports here at EMU. Over the next couple of weeks, the EMU Athletics Communications office will be previewing our upcoming seasons. Today, we start with the 2026 Royals Men's Volleyball team.
Head Coach: Omar Hoyos - Fourth Season
2025 Season in Review
It was a historical season for the Royals, as they were part of the inaugural ODAC Men's Volleyball campaign, after having played in the CVC in prior years. EMU was 7-12 in non-conference play, but faced off against some still competition, taking on seven nationally-ranked opponents. They jumped out to a 4-0 start in ODAC play before falling to Randolph Macon. They finished conference play at 8-4, which was good enough for the three seed in the tournament. They traveled down to Salem to take on #2 Roanoke College, where they dropped a 3-0 match to the Maroons. Five Royals garnered end-of-season awards.
Preseason ODAC Poll: 4th (42 pts.)
ODAC Preview
2026 Schedule Highlights
Season Opener: Friday, Jan. 16 at Wittenberg - 3:00 pm
EMU Royals Tournament: Friday, Jan. 30 - Saturday, Jan. 31
Home Opener: Friday, Jan. 30 vs Rutgers-Newark - 8:00 pm
ODAC Opener: Tuesday, Feb. 13 vs Lynchburg - 7:00 pm
Rowdy Royals: Wednesday, March 25 vs Randolph Macon - 7:00 pm
Senior Day: Saturday, April 4 vs Virginia Wesleyan - 1:00 pm
ODAC Quarterfinals: Tuesday, April 7
- Match 1: #5 Seed at #4 Seed
- Match 2: #6 Seed at #3 Seed
ODAC Semifinals: Thursday, April 9
- Match 3: Winner Match 1 at #1 Seed
- Match 4: Winner Match 2 at #2 Seed
ODAC Championship: Saturday, April 11 at Highest Remaining Seed
Full Schedule
Key Losses: Andre Mills,
Jamaury Starks
Key Returners: Ezekiel Awkward,
Sebastian Clemente,
Rey De La Cruz,
Ricky Fernandez,
Jose Melendez,
Daeman Odom
Outlook: The Royals will have a tall task in front of them in 2026, having to replace University of Maryland Eastern Shore transfer,
Andre Mills, who led the team, and the ODAC, with 370 kills and 3.43 K/S. They'll look to sophomore
Ezekiel Awkward to should some of the offense load. Awkward was named Third Team All-ODAC in 2025 and also won EMU Male Freshman of the Year.
Pierce Donnelly returns after a year away due to injury, and will look to provide power from the outside, along with first-year
Bennett Barco. In the middle, the Royals return All-ODAC performers
Daeman Odom, who was one of the top blockers in NCAA DIII last year, as well as
Jose Melendez, who spent the summer honing his craft with the Puerto Rican U21 National Team.
Ricky Fernandez, who was also an All-ODAC honoree, returns, and with the additions of first-year
Jonas Stafford and Hood College transfer
Gael Bravo, will give EMU strong depth at setter. Bravo will play a pivotal role in the Royals defense, along with
Rey De La Cruz and
Sebastian Clemente, who were one and two for EMU in digs last season.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding EMU men's volleyball, follow EMU on Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website
